Cover Reveal for Traitor (Tales of the Mystics, Book Two)!!!!!

Happy Friday, friends!! This is an especially happy Friday for me, because I FINALLY get to share the cover for my upcoming new release, Traitor! Eeeeeeek! My publisher, Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing, set the standard really high with the first book in my Tales of the Mystics series, Common, so I couldn't wait to see what they came up with for Traitor - and it's amazing!!!

Would you like to see it??

Scroll a little farther...

Sorry, I'm having too much fun with this, but you're almost there...

Keep scrolling...

TA DA!!!!!!!

*happy sigh* Isn't it just stunning? And it fits the story SO well! Traitor follows Princess Penelope, who ended up more on the villain side of the equation in Common, as she travels to a country across the sea to fulfill a new arranged marriage. Although eager to make up for her past mistakes, she struggles to trust herself and to find her place in her new home. And she's determined to never fall in love again, which becomes more challenging than she expected when her new fiancé turns out to be devoted, charming, and just so sweet. (Yep, I have a bit of a crush on him...but to be fair, he's a lot like my husband!) So I adore the way the cover captures her hesitance and indecision with light shining as a beacon of hope. And that dress, and her pretty hair, and the cool architecture...I'm so in love!

Traitor is set to release on April 27th - I can't wait to share it with you!! Here's the back cover blurb:

Princess Penelope has finally found a way to redeem her past mistakes—if only it didn’t require betraying her new fiancé.

Princess Penelope has been the object of gossip and ridicule ever since she returned home in disgrace following her failed engagement to the Crown Prince of Imperia. When her father offers a new start in a country far across the sea, she has no choice but to accept.

Even if it means another betrothal, this time to a total stranger.

Penelope arrives in Delunia determined to avoid bringing further shame upon her family. But her devoted, caring fiancé makes it harder to guard her heart than she anticipated, and rumors of dark magic haunt her with memories she’d rather keep buried far beneath her pristine exterior.

When a poverty-stricken village outside the palace gates looks to her as their hope for a brighter future, Penelope embraces the opportunity to make amends for her transgressions. But in order to help, she must manipulate her new fiancé, putting her reputation on the line once more. And her heart.

Can Penelope rise above the failures of her past, or will she forever be branded a traitor?

 

Be on the lookout for pre-order links coming soon! In the meantime, I'm going to make the shameless plug that this would be the perfect time to read Common if you haven't yet! (See? I didn't forget that this is supposed to be a Weekend Reads post after all... 😆)  

I started Common with the Cinderella-type premise of a friendship between a maid and a prince. But then I took it in a totally different direction with the maid discovering a plot against the royal family and needing to save the day with the help of some mysterious nuns. If you're a fan of fairy tales, fantasy adventure, and clean romance, I hope you'll give it a try!

Have a great weekend! And thanks for celebrating my new cover with me!!

Laurie

Story Snippets: An Introduction to Princess Penelope (Laurie)

I'm so excited to share my first Story Snippets post today! Lately, I've been working hard to complete Traitor, the second book in my Tales of the Mystics series. I've kept a copy of Common handy as a reference during my writing and editing process to make sure I keep things like names, geography, and timelines accurate. It's been so fun to both revisit familiar characters and places in this new book and add on to my cast and story world! Traitor is told from the point of view of Princess Penelope, who played a critical (though not necessarily positive...) role in Common but didn't get a lot of screen time.

Since I've been undergoing a more in-depth exploration of Princess Penelope's character in recent months, I thought today it would be interesting to take a look back at the scene from Common where she's first introduced. In case you haven't read Common yet, it's told from the perspective of Leah, a palace servant, who has a secret friendship with Prince Raphael and may or may not be developing feelings for him... :) Enjoy!

I pushed through the kitchen door into the dining hall, balancing a tray of steaming bowls of bouillabaisse. The party from Trellich had arrived several days before, sending the palace into a frenzy as servants readied rooms, hauled trunks, and prepared elaborate meals. Tonight, the entire palace staff had been recruited to serve at a banquet honoring our guests.

My steps faltered at my first view of the hall. Thousands of candles lit the walls, rendering the room hardly recognizable. Lavish floral arrangements spilled over their vases, nearly covering each long, rectangular table. They must’ve left the gardens practically barren. 

 I glanced to the head table. Rafe wasn’t seated at his usual post on the queen’s right. Instead, he was placed well to the left of the king and queen. On his right was a dignified, sharp-looking older man whom I presumed to be the King of Trellich. How odd—Rafe’s parents ordinarily kept their unenthusiastic son as far from foreign royalty as possible.

To his left sat the most beautiful young lady I’d ever seen. Her hair was almost as dark as Rafe’s, swept up in a stylish updo studded with jewels. Her large, amber eyes and porcelain skin glowed in the candlelight as she gave Rafe a shy, flawless smile. 

I frowned, then shook my head and looked away. The beautiful Trellan princess was welcome to smile at Rafe all she liked. I had a job to do.

But my gaze returned to Rafe each time I emerged from the kitchen with a new platter. While the Trellan king did most of the talking, the princess remained involved in the conversation throughout. She shifted to survey the room, and I hoped she might open a dialogue with her other neighbor. Instead, she laughed at something Rafe said and placed a hand on his arm.

My foot caught on a chair leg. I straightened, irritation nipping at my stomach. I’m here to serve a meal, not spy on Rafe. 

My 3 Favorite Secondary Characters in Common (Laurie)

Happy Blog Tour to me!!! My debut YA fantasy novel, Common, releases in four days. FOUR DAYS!!!!! And we're in the midst of a blog tour to celebrate! See below for more information about my book and the other stops on the blog tour.

Since it was my scheduled day to post here at Lands Uncharted anyway, I thought I'd share something specific to my book! But as you've probably noticed by now, I really have trouble choosing my favorites for Top 3s posts. So I went a little easier on myself and decided to go with my top 3 secondary characters in Common, which at least narrows the options a bit :)  (If you want to learn about more of my characters, make sure to stop by my visual guest posts on www.theantrimcycle.com and www.jmhackman.com from earlier this week!)

So, here are my top 3!


3) Sister Val

I wish I could tell you all about Sister Val, but I'll have to be cautious to avoid spoilers! She was definitely one of the characters I had the most fun with because she's a constant source of surprises. Beneath her exterior as a devout nun living in seclusion, she's funny, adventurous, and even knows her way around a dagger :) She's a prime example that a person doesn't have to fit a certain stereotype to have a deep faith in God.








2) Mabel

Once again, I can't reveal too much about how Leah knows Mabel because she doesn't show up until the second half of the book, but you'll know her when you see her! She was a fun character to write because she just jumped off the page for me - her dialogue practically wrote itself :) A motherly housekeeper with a feisty side, Mabel is loyal and compassionate to a fault. Her accent and sometimes unusual phrases give her a little extra spunk, and despite holding what some would consider to be the lowest position in her household, she's stubborn and not afraid to speak her mind.







1) Gretchen

Gretchen is Leah's closest friend, and she's my favorite secondary character in Common because she makes me smile every time she's in a scene :) Her vibrant personality and sense of fun make her the perfect counterpart for sensible, hard-working Leah. Outspoken, dramatic, and a bit of a flirt, Gretchen lives life to the fullest and makes friends wherever she goes. Leah doesn't always appreciate her friend's antics, but having Gretchen around keeps things interesting and she couldn't ask for a more loyal companion.



There you have it! To find out more, you'll just have to read the book :)


Speaking of which, here's the back-cover blurb for Common:

Only one person knows of the plot against the royal family and cares enough to try to stop it—the servant girl they banished.

Leah spends her days scrubbing floors, polishing silver, and meekly curtsying to nobility. Nothing distinguishes her from the other commoners serving at the palace, except her red hair.

And her secret friendship with Rafe, the Crown Prince of Imperia.

But Leah’s safe, ordinary world begins to splinter. Rafe’s parents announce his betrothal to a foreign princess, and she unearths a plot to overthrow the royal family. When she reports it without proof, her life shatters completely when the queen banishes her for treason.

Harbored by an unusual group of nuns, Leah must secure Rafe’s safety before it’s too late. But her quest reveals a villain far more sinister than an ambitious nobleman with his eye on the throne.

Can a common maidservant summon the courage to fight for her dearest friend?

In case I've managed to intrigue you, you can find the purchase links for Common here :) And make sure to come hang out with us this Thursday, February 15th from 8:00 to 10:00 pm CST if you're available! The Facebook party celebrating the release of Common is going to be a blast - my co-hosts are super fun and the list of giveaway prizes includes so many of my favorite books!! RSVP and check out some sneak peeks here.

And here's a full list of all the stops on the blog tour! It's been so much fun so far, and there are some awesome posts still coming next week! Please stop by every post if you have a chance, I took these opportunities to share so much about myself and my inspirations for Common, and I'm so grateful to all the bloggers who offered to host me!!

Monday, February 5th, Review of Common, Pam Halter, www.pamhalter.com

Monday, February 5th, Interview with Laurie Lucking, Taylor Bennett, www.taylor–bennett.com

Tuesday, February 6th, Visual Post, Nancy Moors, www.antrimcycle.com

Tuesday, February 6th, Behind-the-Scenes Feature, Rae E, www.anewlookonbooks.com

Wednesday, February 7th, Visual Post, J.M. Hackman, www.jmhackman.com

Wednesday, February 7th, Guest Post: Author’s Journey, Kristen Stieffel, www.newauthors.wordpress.com

Thursday, February 8th, Guest Post, Laura A. Grace, www.unicornquester.com

Friday, February 9th, Interview with Laurie Lucking, Jebraun Clifford, www.quillsandinkblotts.wordpress.com/

Friday, February 9th, Review of Common, Erica Hogan, www.booksaholic.wordpress.com/
Saturday, February 10th, Top 3 Post, Laurie Lucking, www.landsuncharted.com
Sunday, February 11th, Behind-the-Scenes Feature: Laurie’s Writing Process, Liv Fisher, www.livkfisher.blogspot.com/
Sunday, February 11th, Review of Common, Jebraun Clifford, www.jebraunclifford.com/
Monday, February 12th, Character Interview, Brenda Anderson, www.inspyromance.com/
Monday, February 12th, Visual Post, Jannette Fuller, www.jannettefuller.com/blog
Tuesday, February 13th, Interview with Laurie Lucking, KaLyn Cummins, www.authorkacummins.com
Wednesday, February 14th, Release-Day Feature, Laurie Lucking, www.laurielucking.com (Release Day)
Thursday, February 15th, Facebook Party Feature, Michele Israel Harper, www.micheleisraelharper.com (Facebook Launch Party)
Friday, February 16th, Review of Common, Cathrine Bonham, www.dolphin18cb.wordpress.com

Thank you so much for celebrating with me!!!

Cover Reveal: Common by Laurie Lucking (THAT'S ME!!!)

Guess what?? It's cover reveal day for my YA fantasy novel, Common, which is scheduled to release from Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing in February, 2018! Only a few months away!!! I can't wait to show the you cover, but first, a little back story...

(I had to make you wait at least a little bit, right?)

After I signed the contract with my publisher, they asked me to fill out a book intake form, which included questions about what I had in mind for my cover. When asked to list some of my favorite covers, among my top choices were books by Lea Doue:

 And books by Melanie Dickerson:

I'm guessing you can see the kind of vibe I was going for :) My biggest worry when approaching my cover was that a book with the simple title Common, featuring a servant girl, would need to look like something special to make it stand out to potential readers. And my cover designer was absolutely up to the task! I fell in love the moment I saw the first draft, and it's only become more lovely with each revision.

So now, without further ado... 

(Drum roll, please!)

Here it is!!

Isn't it gorgeous?? Even more beautiful than anything I could've imagined for my book. I've had it for weeks, and I still can't stop staring :) Many, many thanks to my publisher and cover designer for doing such a spectacular job! They absolutely nailed the YA-historical-fairy-tale-with-a-bit-of-magic feel I was hoping for, with a girl that totally captures the essence of my main character. I can't wait to hold it in my hands, and for it to be available for all of you! If you can tear your eyes away from the stunning cover long enough, here's the back cover blurb:

One person knows of the plot against the royal family and cares enough to try to stop it—the servant girl they banished. 

Leah spends her days scrubbing floors, polishing silver, and meekly curtsying to nobility. Nothing distinguishes her from the other commoners serving at the palace, except her red hair. 

And her secret friendship with Rafe, the Crown Prince of Imperia. 

But Leah’s safe, ordinary world begins to splinter. Unexpected feelings for Rafe surface just as his parents announce his betrothal to a foreign princess. Then she unearths a plot to overthrow the royal family. Her life shatters completely when the queen banishes her for treason. 

Harbored by a mysterious group of nuns, Leah must secure Rafe’s safety before it’s too late. But her quest reveals a villain far more sinister than an ambitious nobleman with his eye on the throne.

Can a common maidservant summon the courage to fight for her dearest friend?

So, what do you think? What are some of your favorite covers? Thanks for stopping by to share in my excitement!!

See you next time!

Laurie