Category: Harmony Ink YA Press

An Ashlez Release Day Review: The Princess of Baker Street by Mia Kerick

Rating : 5 stars out of 5

When she was a child, Joey Kinkaid, assigned as a boy at birth—wearing Mom’s purple sundress and an imaginary crown—ruled the Baker Street neighborhood with a flair and imagination that kept the other kids captivated. Day after day, she led them on fantastic after-school adventures, but those innocent childhood days are over, and the magic is gone. The princess is alone.

Even Eric Sinclair, the Prince Eric to Joey’s Princess Ariel, has turned his back on his former friend, watching in silence as Joey is tormented at school. Eric isn’t proud of it, but their enchanted youth is over, and they’ve been thrust into a dog-eat-dog world where those who conform survive and those who don’t… well, they don’t. Eric has enough to deal with at home, where his mother has abandoned him to live in isolation and poverty.

But Eric can’t stay on the sidelines forever. When Joey finally accepts her female gender and comes to school wearing lip gloss, leggings, and a silky pink scarf, the bullies readily take the opportunity she hands them, driving Joey to attempt suicide and leaving Eric at a crossroads—one that will influence both their lives in not just the present, but the future.

Is there a chance the two teens can be friends again, and maybe even more?

I adored this book, I had never read anything like this prior to jumping in and it was so well worth it.  It’s definitely YA and nothing steamy happens but it was written with such heartache and feeling I just couldn’t put it down.
Joey – finding themselves throughout the whole book (most of it anyway) and it’s equally heartbreaking and eye opening to read – book smart and just trying to survive
Eric – bad luck of that draw, I was surprised how life turned out for him honestly it’s unreal what he went through within the book only to come out the way that he did, I felt bad for the inner turmoil of sticking up for someone/being made fun of yourself.

High school is hard, bullies are jerks, life gets better.. those are the takeaways from this book and 100% recommend people read it especially if you have someone going through a gender crisis, etc. it’s so well written and amazing.

Cover Artist: Tiferet Design. This cover is amazing and vibrant and totally relatable to the book!

Sales Links:  Harmony Ink Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 1st edition, 180 pages
Expected publication: January 22nd 2019 by Harmony Ink Press
ISBN 139781640803947

Verity Croker on Writing, Characters and her new novel ‘ Jilda’s Ark’ (guest post)

Jilda’s Ark by Verity Croker

Harmony Ink Press
Cover Artist: Kanaxa

Sales Links:  Amazon |  Barnes & Noble | Harmony Ink Press | Dreamspinner Press

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Verity Croker here today answering our author questions and talking about her latest story, Jilda’s Ark.

✒︎

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Interview with Verity Croker

Why do you write? With so much going on in the world today, do you write to explain? To get away? To move past? To widen our knowledge?

I write because I feel compelled to. An idea jumps into my head and then I become consumed by it and just have to write about it. Jilda’s Ark, my latest YA novel published by Harmony Ink Press, is about climate change and environmental refugees, important issues in this day and age, and I hope readers might think about the consequences of climate change for both humans and animals, while enjoying the romance at the center of the story. May Day Mine, my previous YA novel published by Harmony Ink Press in 2015, was an attempt to understand how a family who lives in the town where the mine collapse takes place reacts to and copes with the situation.

Does research play a role in choosing which genre you write? Do you enjoy research or prefer making up your worlds and cultures?

With May Day Mine, I had to do some research as it was based on a real event in Tasmania, Australia, where two miners were trapped in a very small space underground for two weeks after a rock fall in the mine. I wanted to get the facts right, as even though the story was fictional, the background event really happened and was extremely traumatic. I altered some of the facts, particularly related to the men involved, in order to disguise their identities – I changed the number of men trapped and killed, so that no one character matched a particular person. Jilda’s Ark is purely fictional, set in the near future, and it all just poured out onto the page like I was writing down the movie I was seeing in my head.

How much of yourself goes into a character?

The characters come to me and become real people as I write their story. Sometimes they amaze me with what they do, as I didn’t plan that or see it coming. The characters take over and I just go along for the ride, watching what they get up to and the decisions they make. I’m not sure whether parts of myself are in the characters, or they are completely independent. Perhaps I need to see what others who know me think about this, as I am too close to my characters.

How do you choose your covers?

I am incredibly lucky with Harmony Ink Press, as they allow me so much input into the cover design. I have a lot of opportunity to give feedback on different versions of the cover until both the designer and I are happy with the end result. I have been thrilled with the covers of both May Day Mine and Jilda’s Ark, and so pleased that I have been allowed so much input into the look of the final design.

If you could imagine the best possible place for you to write, where would that be and why?

I would love to write at a huge picture window in a house on a clifftop overlooking the ocean, so whenever I looked up from my computer I could see the waves, sand and sky. When I needed a break, I could walk on the beach and rejuvenate myself ready for the next chapter.

How do you feel about the ebook format and where do you see it going?

I think the ebook format is a great alternative to a paperback, or hardback, as you can carry so many of them around on your device, especially when on vacation. But, a physical book is so much better to read on a beach, as you don’t really want to get sand in your device, and the sun shining on the screen makes it difficult to read. And you don’t need to worry about battery life with a book! Another plus is you can easily share your books with your friends.

What’s next for you as an author?

I am in the middle of writing a book set in Antarctica, with romance once again at the center. I would like to keep writing young adult novels, as I find it so enjoyable and rewarding.

Blurb

What was supposed to be a sixteenth birthday celebration cruise for identical twins Jilda and Rosa quickly turns into a nightmare. While her mother and sister are enjoying an excursion on a Fijian island, Jilda, who is unwell and remains onboard, finds their ship has sailed off, leaving most of its passengers stranded on shore.

An unknown group has overtaken the ship. After a few days, they collect thousands of new passengers from a distant archipelago, making conditions onboard overcrowded and uncomfortable. Nobody seems to know where they are headed, so the mood on the ship rapidly deteriorates. Though Jilda is desperate to reunite with her family, she meets someone who comforts her and will completely change her world. But how will her new friend Jade feel when she learns Jilda has a boyfriend back home?

About the Author Verity Croker

Verity Croker writes across a variety of genres. Her novels for young adult readers, May Day Mine and Jilda’s Ark are published by Harmony Ink Press, US, and her chapter books for 8 to 12 year olds, Cyclone Christmas and Block City, are published by Sunshine Books, NZ. She is also a published author of short stories, newspaper articles, poetry, and travel articles. She teaches International students at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Social media:

https://veritycroker.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/veritycrokerwriter/

https://twitter.com/veritycroker?lang=en

Aidan Wayne on Writing, Happy Endings, and their new release Showers, Flowers, and Fangs (author guest blog)

Showers, Flowers, and Fangs by Aidan Wayne
Harmony Ink Press
Cover Artist:  Tiferet Designs

Buy Links:

Harmony Ink | Dreamspinner Press |  Amazon  |  Googleplay  

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Aidan Wayne on tour for their new YA release, Showers, Flowers, and Fangs.  It’s a novel we highly recommend!. Welcome, Aidan.

✒︎

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Interview  with Aidan Wayne

Has your choice of childhood or teenage reading genres carried into your own choices for writing? – Absolutely. I love YA of all types; fantasy, historical fiction, contemporary, you name it. I grew up on everything from Anne of Green Gables to the Harry Potter series, with a whole lot of variety in between. But while I loved all of these books, the representation in many of them was… lacking, especially when it comes to the main characters. And the books I did find that had queer MCs (usually gay white males, let’s be real here) weren’t what I wanted. I didn’t want tragedy. I didn’t want “desperately trying to fit in.” I wanted fun and humor and acceptance and escapism. And I wanted more than just the G.

Darren, the main character in Showers Flowers and Fangs, is a total flaily spaz, a loyal friend, and Tries His Best. He’s bad at math (which how both his parents are accountants), good at video games, loves the rain, and tiger lilies are his favorite flower because they taste the best. Oh, and, y’know, there’s the whole “half-fae” thing. He’s also a trans teen, bi, and completely accepted by his community.

I just want more fun stories where LGBTQ kids get to do things like be magic or pilot space stations or exist in the 1800s.

Do you like HFN or HEA? And why? – Yes! Or, wait, was I supposed to pick between the two? There are pluses to both. On one hand, I love happily ever afters. I love characters getting a happy ending… as long as it ultimately makes sense within the story premise. Point A to Point B to Point C to Point HEA. But sometimes an HFN fits a story–how it’s evolved and where it’s gone. A Happily Ever After doesn’t entirely work. More needs to happen, which may or may not have taken place in the book. This is especially true in YA. For instance, Showers Flowers and Fangs is a “happy for now” ending. It has to be; the characters are teenagers. They do make great progress and the story ends happily, but a “happily ever after” makes no sense yet.

How do you feel about the ebook format and where do you see it going? – I think the ebook format is great! I’m someone who never wants to be without a book, and with ebooks and a phone I can have as many as I want any time I want. Traveling used to be an exercise in Picking Books and I distinctly remember several years ago going to visit a relative and lugging around the last four Harry Potter books because I wanted to reread them. With ebooks, all those problems are solved. I do admit to enjoying having physical copies of my books though, because I think that’s really special. And, well, ebooks are also a lot easier to pirate which actively hurts me personally as an author. But there is so much merit (and better availability and accessibility) when it comes to ebooks. Overall I’m very glad they exist.

How do you choose your covers? – I’m not a very visual person at all, so usually I draw a blank when filling out a cover artist questionnaire sheet. Mostly what happens is that the cover artist gives me some options, I realize what I don’t like or want, and we sort of narrow things down from there. Actually, Showers Flowers and Fangs is the one exception out of all of my covers so far. I knew EXACTLY what I wanted. And wow, did my cover artist deliver. I love it. It perfectly captures everything I wanted it to.

Have you ever had an issue in RL and worked it through by writing it out in a story?  Maybe how you thought you’d feel in a situation? – I remember being… maybe fourteen? reading Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer and being furious when the main character (who had been disguising herself as a boy) revealed herself to be a girl. Worse: that’s when her love interest exhibited said interest. Not before the reveal. Same with the Alanna series by Tamora Pierce. And Mairelon the Magician by Patricia C. Wrede. And so many, many, many others. Then there were the books where a male dressed up as a female–usually for laughs, or as part of some hackneyed plan that ended terribly.

I got… really tired of these trope. I wanted MCs to stay disguised as boys forever (and still get their love interests, if they wanted one) and to not be ridiculed for dressing and/or presenting a certain way. It didn’t ah, really sink in as to maybe why I reacted so viscerally to this trope until a lot later.

Anyway. The point is that, especially now, I write a lot of trans, non-binary, and otherwise gender non-conforming characters (having happy endings, this is important), and will continue to do so pretty much until I die.

Do you have a favorite among your own stories?  And why? – Ironically? Showers. Showers Flowers and Fangs is my favorite. I am varying degrees of proud of all my work (with and without ways I can think of improvements) but writing Showers was an amazing time for me. I don’t think I stopped grinning once while writing it. I was delighted to discover things as they came to me. I love all the characters. I think the plot and premise is fun. There’s overcoming sadness and getting out to the other side. There’s acceptance and love. There’s magic and friendship and laughter and ice cream.

It makes me happy.

I hope it makes readers happy, too.

BLURB

Darren is your average half-human, half-fae trans teenager, busy figuring out his powers and puberty while trying to survive finals. When Vlad, a newly turned vampire, moves in with the witch down the street, he and Darren get off on the wrong foot. Darren is always one to give somebody a second chance, though, and as they become friends, he realizes Vlad is just lonely and struggling with his new powers. That’s something Darren can definitely relate to, and he’s happy to lend his support. But while he coaxes Vlad out of his shell, Darren ends up learning about Vlad’s past… and the danger Vlad is in. Darren only wants to help—help Vlad feel comfortable in his own skin and help him feel safe.

He hadn’t planned on falling in love.

About the Author

Aidan Wayne lives with altogether too many houseplants on the seventh floor of an apartment building, and though the building has an elevator, Aidan refuses to acknowledge its existence. They’ve been in constant motion since before they were born (pity Aidan’s mom)—and being born didn’t change anything. When not moving Aidan is usually writing, so things tend to balance out. They mostly stick with contemporary romance (both adult and YA), but some soft sci-fi/fantasy has been known to sneak in as well, and they primarily write character-driven stories with happy endings. Because, dammit, queer people deserve happy endings too.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Website: aidanwayne.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aidanwayne

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15164017.Aidan_Wayne

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AidanWayneWrites/

Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/cO6OGL

A Free Dreamer Release Day Review: Showers, Flowers, and Fangs by Aidan Wayne

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Darren is your average half-human, half-fae trans teenager, busy figuring out his powers and puberty while trying to survive finals. When Vlad, a newly turned vampire, moves in with the witch down the street, he and Darren get off on the wrong foot. Darren is always one to give somebody a second chance, though, and as they become friends, he realizes Vlad is just lonely and struggling with his new powers. That’s something Darren can definitely relate to, and he’s happy to lend his support. But while he coaxes Vlad out of his shell, Darren ends up learning about Vlad’s past… and the danger Vlad is in. Darren only wants to help—help Vlad feel comfortable in his own skin and help him feel safe.

He hadn’t planned on falling in love.

The blurb of Showers, Flowers and Fangs sounded extremely promising and I had quite high expectations. And I’m happy to say the author certainly didn’t disappoint.

I loved the world this book is set in. There are all the supernatural creatures you’ve ever heard of – and more. They live peacefully with the humans and half-breeds are far from unusual. That’s not a concept I’ve come across before. Darren got a bit unlucky with his abilities. He’s trans, but human medicine doesn’t agree with him and his fae powers aren’t all that strong either. So while he can pass with the help of a glamour, actual transitioning isn’t going to happen quite so easily. The author obviously put a lot of thought into their universe and how the rules affect the MCs. The world building was really well done and flowed naturally into the plot.

Darren and Vlad were adorable together. This is very much a coming-of-age story about the first experiences with romance, which are complicated by Vlad’s past. There are a few darker moments, but overall it was an absolutely heartwarming read, without it ever getting cheesy and overly fluffy. Just a feel-good story, with great depth and a bit of humour.

I liked both our MCs. Darren is extremely likable from the beginning and while it might take a while for Vlad to warm up, he’s still a wonderful person. Even though this is a Fantasy book, it just all felt very realistic to me.

We get quite a few surprising reveals and the book was very addicting. It was a super fast read and I enjoyed every single second of it. It’s quirky, unique and absolutely adorable. It’s also suitable for younger readers. I’d probably recommend this to kids aged 13 and above. Of course it also works for adults, like me. I hope there’ll be more books set in this wonderfully imaginative universe.

The cover by Tiferet Design is very pretty. It reminds me of a fairy tale and I love the blue background.

Sales LInks:  Harmony Ink Press | Amazon

Book details:

ebook, 190 pages

Expected publication: December 11th 2018 by Harmony Ink Press

Jeff Adams On Vid, with Excerpt and Giveaway to Celebrate the Releases of ‘Audio Assault (Codename: Winger #3)’

Audio Assault (Codename: Winger #3) byJeff Adams
Harmony Ink Press
Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson

Buy Links:

Harmony Ink Press |   Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Jeff Adams here today on tour for his latest novel Audio Assault.  Welcome, Jeff.

✒︎

The Audio Assault blog tour continues today on Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words. Thanks so much to Stella or Melanie for hosting me for this third installment in the Codename: Winger series.

In this video post I talk about some of the changes that are in store for Theo in this installment and I’ll also let you know about some other exciting things happening in the Winger series this week.

 https://youtu.be/qyhINoYQiFI

In the video, I read an excerpt from chapter four, which is also below in case you’d like to read for yourself. Don’t forget to use the Rafflecopter below to get your chance to win an ebook copy of Audio Assault or the grand prize signed paperback copy.

Excerpt

“So, I’ve got to go out of town again.”

“You just got back.”

At least he didn’t sound pissed, which might’ve been better than the disappointment.

“I know. Not work this time, though. Family thing. We’re going to see some college friend of Dad’s.”

“How’d you get roped into that? You’re here all the time when they travel.”

“I know.” I released his hand, rolled over to my side and propped my head up on my fist. “They pulled the parent card on me.”

“Damn.” He sounded as surprised as I’d felt earlier. “I didn’t think they ever did that to you.”

“They usually don’t. This means a lot to them, though.”

“Do you at least get to go someplace cool?”

“New York. I’ve never been, so that’s something. You might know who we’re seeing. Some music guy—Glenwood.”

“Are you for real?” Eddie bounded from the bed and went to his desk where he opened his laptop. “That dude’s only done some of the best music, like, ever—going back to when he was our age, like, twenty-five years ago.”

I hadn’t expected he’d shift to excited, or that we’d be back on my lack of music knowledge.

“Didn’t I get grief just a few hours ago for listening to old music?”

He looked at me with a mix of shock and disbelief. “There’s old and then there’s classic. Just listen.”

He played a few different songs—some of which I recognized from Dad’s collection. Instrumentally they were great, and his voice was pretty good too. I stood behind him to see the song list, so I could grab them from Dad.

It wasn’t that I was antimusic. I was just picky. It needed to have some complexity in the rhythm or the vocalist needed to be outstanding. Of course, a perfect blend of instruments and vocals was a ticket to my heart.

“Okay, those were really good,” I admitted.

“He’s an amazing songwriter and producer. And even though he’s got the huge company, he’s still creative, working with a lot of his artists. It would be nice if his daughter got all of his talent, but she’s mostly just a cookie-cutter teen pop singer. I mean she’s great to listen to, but you wouldn’t like it.”

Eddie brought up YouTube and typed in Sofia Glenwood. He played the first video that came up. She was beautiful, black hair pulled back tight and a body I was sure many straight boys fantasied about. He was right. I didn’t like it. It was bland without much creativity. Sofia’s voice was good, but she just wanted you to know why she’d be the best girlfriend.

Eddie caught my frown. “Exactly. How is she even in the same family? She’s famously turned down her father’s offer to collaborate. Her stuff sells, though, likely because her voice is good, and she had the family name to work with.”

“How do you know all this stuff?”

Eddie shrugged. “I watch TMZ.”

I reached around Eddie and did a search to see more about the family. They were gorgeous, and it was surprising that only Sofia was usually in front of a camera. Oliver Glenwood reminded me of Ben Affleck with the chiseled jaw and the perpetual five o’clock shadow. Marcella might as well have been an older Selena Gomez. Sofia was the perfect blending of her parents. Apparently Marcella didn’t do too much with the company, instead using her law degree to run the family’s foundation, which worked with a number of charities that benefited children, education and equal rights.

“You’re gonna have a week with the beautiful people. I think I’m kinda jealous.”

“I’m sure.” Sarcasm spilled out. “I can’t imagine I’ll hang around while Mom and Dad catch up with their friends. Besides, I’ve got work and school stuff to do. I wish you’d be there to explore the city with me. That’d be much better.”

“Totally.” Eddie spun around in his chair and grabbed my hips before he looked up at me. “Just watch out for Sofia. She’s got a rep, and you’re a hot guy.” He didn’t sound like he was kidding either.

“And I’m gay with a boyfriend, so it’d be a waste of her time.” I buried my face down in his Afro until I could plant a kiss on his scalp.

He looked up at me. “When will you be back so we can get our summer going again?”

“It shouldn’t be more than a week.” I stole a look at the clock on the computer screen and saw it was nearly eleven. “I should go. We’re headed out early, and I have to pack.”

Blurb:

Theo Reese is just like any other seventeen-year-old—with one small exception.

This summer all he wants is to spend time with his boyfriend, Eddie, and work on his MIT research project. His parents have other plans.

An old friend needs the help of Theo’s family. Oliver Glenwood is an ’80s music star who runs his own label. His wife and his daughter, Sofia, now a chart topper herself, are the targets of kidnappers. Oliver hopes they can eliminate whoever is behind the threat.

When Theo uncovers an even more insidious plot, the covert agency the Reeses work for, Tactical Operational Support, swoops into action.

Song files have been modified to steal personal data from devices and emit a tone that drives listeners into a homicidal rage. Theo and his parents race against the clock to stop this mysterious enemy from releasing the music on an unsuspecting populace and causing worldwide chaos.

Just when Theo thinks the mission couldn’t be more complicated, Eddie shows up in New York looking to hang out with his boyfriend.

No one ever said being a teenage secret agent would be easy.

About the Author

Jeff Adams has written stories since he was in middle school and became a gay romance writer in 2009 when his first short stories were published. Since then he’s continued to create, often with a hockey player at the center of the story.

Jeff lives in northern California with his husband of more than twenty years, Will. Some of his favorite things include the musicals Rent and [title of show],the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey teams, and the reality TV competition So You Think You Can Dance. He also loves to read, but there isn’t enough space to list out his favorite books.

Jeff is the co-host of the Big Gay Fiction Podcast, a weekly show devoted to gay romance as well as pop culture. New episodes come out every Monday at BigGayFictionPodcast.com.

You can learn more about Jeff at JeffAdamsWrites.com.

Giveaway

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway