Spotlight & Author Interview: Kingdomless + Giveaway

KINGDOMLESS TOUR BANNER
Join Us for this Tour:  May 16 to June 3, 2022

 

Book Title:  Kingdomless (The Evamore Series Book 1)
by Michelle Garyfalakis

Category:  YA Fiction (Ages 13-17), 422 pages
Genre:  YA Fantasy Romance
Publisher:  Self-Published
Release date:   January 2022
Content Rating:  PG-13 +M: There is a scene where our main character is held at knife point and her attacker grabs her breasts without consent. The word ‘nipple’ is used in this situation. This is the reason for the added “M” in the rating.

The remnants of the United Kingdom of Garth, once ruled by the legendary Dynasty of Evamores are in the throes of conflict. Ten years ago, King Wren of the West discovered Raelle washed up on the shores of the Balour Sea, with no memory of the first nine years of her life. She was brought back to the castle and dutifully cared for and cherished by the king and his three older sons. On her nineteenth birthday, the Western Kingdom’s adoptive princess is secretly sent away by her stepmother to marry King Veras as a token of peace between the kingdoms. But, the Northern King has other plans.

As Raelle’s amnesia melts away with the help of a northern storyteller, she discovers more about the Kingdom of Garth, magic, the lovetie connection of the Evamores, and her role in the grand scheme of things. She is confused, angry, and curiously comfortable in the North.

A dark shadow overcasts all of the kingdoms, and the threatening influence of the fallen god Kellar seems to spread among the people, inciting disorder and violence. While the fate of the kingdoms may rest on Raelle’s shoulders, she can’t help but feel kingdomless. Betrayal is everywhere, from her own adoptive family to her newfound friends. Fearless, observant, witty, and determined, she is town between her attraction to King Veras’ good nature and the unexplained pull to the Tracker Calak. The challenge that she faces is not simple. As the old gods, laws and magic awaken, so does her own sense of self. There is a choice to be made, step into the role expected of her, or dive into the unknown and make her own destiny.

This YA fantasy novel asks the readers important coming of age questions, captures the attention with witty dialogue, relatable characters, and a world that is reawakening its forgotten magic. The readers will be entranced and hungry for more (and perhaps a piece of chocolate cake).

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Author Interview:

 

When you wrote Kingdomless did you follow an outline?

At first, I did. I had a vision for where I wanted the book to go and started working in that direction. But after a great conversation with a good friend, I was challenged to deviate from my “plan” and start letting the characters surprise me as I write. It was the best advice and completely changed not only Kingdomless, but the entire Evamore Series. However, writing fantasy does include lots of details and magic rules that you have to keep consistent, so although my character development and dialogue is mostly spontaneous, I do keep a jot note of all of the “irons in the fire” I have burning and need to address before the book ends.

Do you ever get writer’s block? And if so, what do you do to help with that?

Absolutely. I don’t have any profound advice. The one thing that worked for me was to walk away. Sometimes the words are there and sometimes they are not. I love writing and anytime I’ve tried to “force” myself to create parts of my story, I end up deleting whatever I had written. The other side of that is sometimes an idea or solution to your writer’s block may appear out of nowhere. So I use the note app on my phone to record those ideas and then reference them when I have time to sit back down and write again.

Where do you write?

I have an office in our home that has a turret, which is basically five windows side by side like the spire of a castle. It gives me a great view of our property, but it also faces our wrap-around porch. I’ve often been in the middle of a written session and our kids and dogs have raced around, pounding on the windows for my attention. I’m hoping to one day have a writing shed where I can tuck myself away to write out more stories.

What was the easiest character to write in Kingdomless?

Bree. She was exactly what Raelle needed in the moment that they met and I loved using her voice and character to bring about that growth in our main character.

What character(s) do you wish had more of a role in Kingdomless?

Raelle’s brothers in the West. I am the oldest child in my family so I basically came up with the ideal big brother that I would want and divided that into these three characters. I’ve encouraged readers who are anxious for more of the Western princes to read Forging Hope, book 2 in The Evamore Series which is set to be released on June 21st, 2022.


Meet the Author:

MICHELLE GARYFALAKIS was born and raised throughout Ontario, Canada. She currently lives just outside of Hamilton, Ontario with her husband, four kids and Snowy (their friendly Samoyed-Border Collie). When she isn’t obsessively typing out new stories on her computer, you can find her drinking coffee with a friend, snacking on some guacamole or binge watching Outlander (again). Michelle loves finding creative ways to communicate with people, and her passion for storytelling is the newest addition to that list.connect with the author: website  ~  facebook  ~  instagramtwitter ~ bookbub ~ tiktokgoodreads


 

Tour Schedule:

May 16 –
Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
May 16 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – audiobook review / guest post / giveaway
May 17 – Character Madness and Musings – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 17 – Leels Loves Books – book review / giveaway
May 18 – Kam’s Place – book spotlight
May 18 – My Reading Getaway – book review / author interview / giveaway
May 19 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
May 20 – Wottaread – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 23 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
May 24 – Freda’s Voice – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 24 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
May 25 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – book spotlight / giveaway
May 25 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – book review / giveaway
May 25 – Living in a Bookworld – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 26 – Writer with Wanderlust – audiobook review / guest post / giveaway
May 26 – Westveil Publishing – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 27 – From the TBR Pile – book review / giveaway
May 31 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / guest post / giveaway
May 31 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
June 1 – The Page Ladies – book review
June 1 – Sadie’s Spotlight – book spotlight / author interview
June 2 – She Just Loves Books – audiobook review / giveaway
June 2 – Books for Books – book spotlight
June 3 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway


Enter the Giveaway:

 

KINGDOMLESS by Michelle Garyfalakis Book Tour Giveaway

Spotlight, Author Interview & Excerpt: Ice Floe + Giveaway

Banner Ice Floe
Ice Floe
Ice Floe Series, #1
by Melissa Birling
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance, YA PNR
Publisher: Purpance Publishing
Date of Publication: April 28, 2022
Number of pages: 320
Word Count: 87,000
Cover Artist: Thea Magerand
 
Secrecy is safety. Sisterhood is everything.
 
Seventeen-year-old Glacia didn’t plan to track a kidnapper, stick a middle finger to the government, and fall into a forbidden summer fling. This is simply what happens when you’re the resident odd girl out, in a shoal of all-female mermaids whose values are a little cracked. Or a lot cracked, if you consider government-endorsed murder and the seizure of male infants to be an issue.
 
When society rules, family, and romance collide, Glacia fights back the best way she knows how: by taking the matter into her own combat-trained hands and kicking some tail. The problem is, no amount of training can prepare Glacia for the crime circle she discovers, secrets she unveils, and human guy she can’t get out of her head. Glacia finds herself at a crossroads where she must decide whose rules to follow. Who she can trust. And ultimately…who lives and who dies.
 
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Ice Floe Excerpt: Chapter 6

We’ve been sitting on the ledge a while now, mostly staring at the view. I steal occasional glances at Tucker. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a force between us. Energy. A pulse. A magnet. Something. Every time I focus my thoughts elsewhere, he pulls me back in. It’s distracting.

“You ready to head down?” he asks.

“You might as well get started. I can’t climb down with all your equipment in the way.” “I have an extra harness. You should come down with me.”
He reaches for his pack and stands up.

I jump up to join him. “No way. I’m not hooking myself into that death trap.”

“Glacia, come on. This cliff is super challenging, and it’s way more difficult to climb down than up,” he says, his voice growing louder. Here we go again.

“I’ll be fine once you get your stuff out of the way.” I raise my volume to match his. “It’s not safe. I would feel horrible if I let you climb down and you got hurt.”

“Let me?”

“Not let you. It’s your choice.” “I choose NO.”
He clenches his jaw tightly and grinds his teeth. I take a few steps back in preparation. There’s enough room up here to land a solid kick to the face. That should knock him out, then I’ll have to figure out a way to climb down his cat’s cradle setup. Tucker crosses one arm over his chest and raises a hand to cover his mouth. We glare at each other – at an impasse.

“Let’s make a deal,” he offers. “You climb down with me using a harness and rope, and I’ll take you on a boat ride.”

This catches my attention.

“That’s right, I saw you light up when I mentioned my dad’s boat shop,” he continues with a cocky air.

He’s more perceptive than I gave him credit for. Volatile and perceptive. A hefty combination.

“Have you ever been on a boat?” he asks.

I shake my head. I would love to go on a boat. Tucker knows how to fix them and can teach me everything a trainer could, plus more. What am I thinking? This is crazy. I can’t go on a boat with a human. What excuse would I give if I got caught? I can’t pretend I’m seducing.
Everyone knows that’s not high on my priority list, and you’re not supposed to seduce alone. Maybe I could say that I’m collecting information to share with the girls I teach… Hmm. That’s almost believable, given my dedication to the studio.

Tucker can tell I’m on the fence about it and ups the ante. “I’ll teach you to drive the boat.”

Unfair. Of course, I want to learn how to drive a boat. That’s a beyond useful skill in my back pocket. I peek down the cliff face to assess the reliability of Tucker’s wedge-rope system. Stupid. Like I know what I’m looking for.

“Fine,” I agree. “We need to be hooked together, so if I die, you die.”
“Seems reasonable.”

“AND I get to drive the boat.”

“Deal. Let’s see, today is Monday, and I already have plans tomorrow. Wednesday?”

“What time?”

“Eleven a.m. on the Ula pier.” “I’ll meet you there.”
Tucker flips his pack around, unclips a belt, and offers it to me. “Do you know how to wear a harness?”

I snatch it from him, compare it to his gear, and step into the leg holes. When I have it all clipped in, I throw my hands on my hips.

“Now what?” I ask.

Tucker leans in toward me, rope in hand, then pulls back and reconsiders. “That’s not quite right,” he says haltingly. “Can I fix your harness?”

“I already agreed to this mess, didn’t I?”

He rolls his eyes. “I think that’s a yes. Pull the harness up – it has to sit higher on your hips.”

I follow his instructions, and he flops the rope over one arm. He moves in closer and bends down to reposition the harness. His fingers wrap around the loop against my leg as he pulls it up below my hip. My heart beats faster and my insides twists. I evaluate the top of Tucker’s head in an effort to distinguish these sensations from other emotions. He secures the loop and raises his gaze to meet mine.

“Is that too tight?” he asks. His hazel eyes penetrate mine. The edges are a deep brown that blend into a murky green with an amber starburst around
the pupil. I shake my head and look away. I hope he can’t tell how disoriented this is making me. “Pull the tabs on your waist tighter,” he instructs.

I cinch the waist while he rearranges the other loop on my leg. Why is this making me so agitated? He’s only fixing my gear so I don’t fall to my death. Tucker gathers the rope into his hand and reaches out to tie it to the front belt loop. As he does, his fingers brush my skin just below my belly button. A jolt of electricity shoots through my body. I take in a small gasp of air and hold my breath. He freezes, his fingers lingering on my stomach. Did he feel that too?


Author Interview:

1. What inspired you to write this book?
My inspiration for Ice Floe started in college as I learned more about sexism and gender inequality. I wanted to use creativity to highlight the importance of conversation on these topics. Couple that desire with a fascination around all things mermaid and ocean-related, and you have Ice Floe. A story designed to take you on a fantasy adventure, while hopefully making you stop to think about how humans treat each other in real life today.

2. What, if anything, did you learn when writing the book?
This is my debut novel, so I think it’s faster to tell you what I didn’t learn. I already knew how to use Microsoft Word and had my main character’s name picked out… and that’s about it. Every other writing-related skill I learned from scratch. How to finish a draft, hack it to pieces, and edit until the story is almost coherent. How to collect feedback from alpha and beta readers then continue with revisions. All the self-publishing processes including working with an editor, commissioning cover art, deciding on publishing options, and an author website. The end-to-end process of launching a novel from start to finish is a marathon. Sometimes you feel strong. Sometimes you cry and get a leg cramp. Mostly you grow!

3. What surprised you the most in writing it?
I was most surprised at how much the novel changed after my alpha readers and editor provided initial feedback. I cut out entire chapters that simply weren’t necessary. Reorganized a ton of material and clarified my focus. The final story is much better as a result of being open to feedback, and I’m grateful for all the suggestions.

4. If it’s not a spoiler, what does the title mean?
The title’s not exactly a spoiler, yet the explanation hints at the trajectory of the plot, so I’ll pass on this question.

5. Were any of the characters inspired by real people? If so, do they know?
I’ve had the privilege of living in many states in the U.S. I’ve also enjoyed international travel and working with people from all over the world. The characters in Ice Floe are a blend of many first-hand experiences, as well as stories shared with me by others. My family, friends, and colleagues have all contributed to this novel with their shining personalities, quirks, and willingness to experience this crazy life with me.

6. Do you consider the book to have a lesson or moral?
The book has themes around gender equality and justice. Although I barely scratch the surface of the topic, I hope the concepts in Ice Floe make people think about how we treat each other.

7. What is your favorite part of the book?
The sparring scene. I won’t give it away; you’ll know it when you read it!

8. Which character was most challenging to create? Why?
Surprisingly, Glacia’s niece, Trita, gave me the most pause. Trita is four years old, and I haven’t been around children that age in years. I kept having to stop and think…how would a four-year-old react? What would she say or care about?

9. What are your immediate future plans?
I recently submitted a novella to my editor for initial feedback. Think of it as book 1.5 in the Ice Floe series, told from a different character’s point of view. At the same time, I continue to work on book 2 in the series and have that queued up for the editor this summer. I’m hoping to share the novella with readers in Fall 2022 and book 2 in early 2023!


About the Author:

 
Melissa Birling strives to experience life from a “both and” rather than “either or” perspective. She enjoys living in metropolitan cities and on a small farm. She appreciates burn-your-tongue Mexican cuisine and delicious London pub food. Lately, Melissa spends her time engaging with cyber security professionals and mermaids. Not actual mermaids, although if you know any, she’d love to meet them.
 
The revelation that one can be both a successful corporate consultant and a fantasy author who writes about mermaids, encouraged Melissa to finish her debut novel, Ice Floe. The emotional high of typing “The End” at the completion of her first draft, triggered a writing spree that hasn’t stopped since. On any given Saturday or Sunday, you will find Melissa writing. She won’t respond to any attempts at human engagement, because she’s “at a good part,” but you’ll find her typing away, nevertheless.
 
Melissa lives with a ceaselessly supportive husband and their dog who enjoys hunting neighborhood skunks.
 

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Book Blitz & Excerpt: Melt, by Michele Barrow-Belisle

melt RDB BANNER (1)

Title: Melt
Author: Michele Barrow-Belisle
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
Cover Designer: AMDesign Studio
Publishing: BarBelle Publishing
Publication Date: Dec. 21st, 2021
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Blurb:

“They call me a villain. But everyone’s the villain in someone’s story…and the hero in their own. Finally, a chance to tell my side.” (Venus)

In a world where everyone lies about their past, some truths should remain hidden. That’s what Venus believes as she sets out to find her birth mother. Her last visit to the small town of Drearyton Cove left a trail of carnage and death. Now that she’s returned, several people have taken a particular interest in both Venus, and her quest to uncover the truth about her birth mother. She’s comfortable being the wicked witch, but playing the dutiful daughter is as foreign to her as playing the hero. And to gain the affections of those she cares about, she has to become someone else. Someone…good.

Nobody is a villain in their own story and Venus is determined that, for good or evil, right or wrong, she’s carving her own path, free from the past and the control of others. But there are forces lurking in the shadows of this small town that have their own plans. As she delves deeper into a life that isn’t her own, she confronts the one predator she never saw coming.

Humans.

And Venus discovers that choosing who you want to be when your family’s dark truths have made you what you are, can be deadly.

 

 

Michele Barrow-Belisle is a USA Today bestselling author who spends most of her days eating chocolate while talking to imaginary people. It’s technically not considered crazy when they’re your book characters. Her favorite genres to write are YA fantasy romance and paranormal romance, and her debut series FIRE AND ICE (Faerie Song Saga) is currently in development for a feature film.

Michele resides in southern Canada with her husband and son who indulge her ever-expanding obsession with reading, writing and most importantly… chocolate.

Author Links:

Website | Blog | Facebook Author Page | Facebook Street Team | Goodreads

Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | BookBub

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