To Catch a Magic Thief Release and Ebook Giveaway! (Lizzie)

It finally happened! I published my second full-length novel. The second was so much harder than the first. But now it's out! And isn't the cover beautiful? To celebrate I'm giving away an ebook copy of both my books--To Catch a Magic Thief and The Rose and the Wand. But first let me tell you a little bit about the books.

A spunky heroine, an unlikely hero, a cunning thief, and a race against a terrifying curse--everything a reader could want in a fantasy adventure! Marcel and Gabriella are both easy to root for as they overcome obstacles and their own misconceptions, and their growing friendship against the odds is executed to perfection. E.J. Kitchens has once again created a world of elegant manners and complex magic that will both intrigue and enchant her readers through the very last page.~Laurie Lucking, award-winning author of Common

I wrote The Rose and the Wand because I wanted to know the story of the enchantress in Beauty and the Beast. I intended it to be a standalone story. But then I fell in love with one of the villains. I couldn't leave him a bad guy, so I started a story for him (which I'm still working on...). In his story, I met so many wonderful characters and discovered such a fascinating world of magic that I ended up with a dozen or so story ideas. During a break in writing the aforementioned story, I decided to go back to Alexandria's family and tell the story of how her sister Gabriella--one of the Perfect Floraisons--fell in love with the plain, bumbling baron Alexandria disliked so. I was shocked and excited to discover quite a bit of mystery, danger, secret identities, and even a terrifying curse, all playing out under Alexandria's very nose. Here's a blurb about the story:

Falsely accused of being the notorious Magic Thief, the non-magic Marcel Ellsworth, Baron of Carrington, wants nothing more than to stay away from enchanters and sorcerers. Unfortunately, he soon discovers his mentor, the Duke of Henly, is head of a family of proud enchanters—and that they’re the next target of the Magic Thief, a servant of the sorcerers. With the threat of another accusation hanging over him, Marcel sets out to prove his innocence, especially to the duke’s beautiful daughter Gabriella, and to stop the Thief once and for all.

But Gabriella is hiding a deadly secret that complicates Marcel’s mission, and raises its stakes. For one thing is certain: the Magic Thief has come for more than magical treasures—he’s come for Gabriella.

Fun facts

1) I intended To Catch a Magic Thief to be a simple romance telling how Gabriella and the “bumbling baron” Marcel Ellsworth fell in love. However, I soon discovered I could not directly write a romance. So I threw in a legendary thief, magical items to steal, a curse, and other dangers, and found the story (and the romance thread) much easier to write and so much more fun. This inability to write "simple" probably explains why my planned 20,000 word romance novella ended up 121,000 word fantasy adventure novel.

2) Marcel Ellsworth wears a lift in one shoe to make his legs even so he can walk without limping. I loved Janette Oke's books growing up, and this struggle of Marcel's was inspired by one of her books. The heroine in her mail order bride book A Bride for Donnigan had a bad limp because of uneven leg lengths. One detestable character tried to take advantage of her because of that, saying no one would love her due to her limp. She wisely didn't give in to him, and she ended up married to a wonderful man who made a special shoe for her to correct her leg lengths. That part of the story more than any other stuck with me for some reason. Almost prophetically actually. I have lower back problems, and sometimes it causes my spine to curve wrongly, causing my hips to tilt and one leg to be shorter that the other. At one point, my back just wasn't getting better and my chiropractor suggested that I might need a lift for one shoe to ease the strain on back. Fortunately, things straightened out (literally), so I never needed the lift. But I have a better understanding of Marcel and other's struggles now.

3) There are a lot lines in the book that I find myself repeating or smiling about as I remember them. Here's one that doesn't require a knowledge of the story to understand. It also just happens to be one of my favorites.

Giveaway

But on the giveaway. Gabriella is hiding a curse. Now this curse is different from Alexandria's and much more sinister. I can't say too much without giving away too much. Suffice it to say this isn't the kind of curse a kiss can cure, or even an admission of love. It's a kind of half-curse actually, drawing Gabriella to itself to complete the curse, like Sleeping Beauty is drawn to the spinning wheel and her doom. But what is this doom and can Gabriella escape it? Well, you'll have to read the story to find out. :) It's available to purchase on amazon here.

So for the giveaway, I'd like to know, if you were cursed, what kind of a curse would you choose? Answer in the comments. Next Friday, I'll pick one commenter at random to receive a set of my ebooks.

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (Lizzie)

Do you ever put off reading a book (say, let it molder in your TBR pile for a year and a  half), and then read it and wonder, why didn't I read this sooner? The Warrior Heir is one of those books for me.

The Warrior Heir is a unique combination of small-town life and high fantasy. In Chima's worldbuilding, seven families gained magical powers after finding a dragon's hoard in a lost valley in the UK. Their descendants belong to one of five groups of magics: wizards, sorcerers, enchanters, seers, and warriors, each born with a stone behind his heart proclaiming his power and his place in the world of the Weir (the magics). Wizards rule the other classes, the underguilds, using them for their amusement or advantage. And, unfortunately, the Battle of the Roses is still going on in for them. The wizards of the Red Rose and the wizards of the White Rose, to prevent the killing of too many wizards, established The Game, a tournament in which the warriors fight, one for the Red Rose and one for the White Rose, to determine which side controls the Wizard Council. It's a bloody game that's gone on for centuries.

But all of this is unknown to the non-magical, and to Jack Swift, a sixteen-year-old highschooler in small-town Trinity, Ohio. He'd had heart surgery as a baby, but is now in pretty good shape, thanks to his daily medication, and lives a normal life. He's focused on keeping up his grades and making the soccer team, but when he forgets to take his heart medicine one day, things start to change. He feels more alive and stronger than ever before, and is somehow able to send the bully Lombeck flying into the soccer goal without touching him. His small town is suddenly flooded with strangers, and danger, and Jack learns he's one of the last of the warriors and is destined for The Game.

Overall, I'd give The Warrior Heir 4.5 out of 5 stars. The prologue was a little confusing, as Chima didn't take the time then to explain the terminology of the different guilds and their history, but it captured my attention, nonetheless. The main character, Jack Swift, is likable. Unlike many YA books main characters, Jack isn't a walking attitude, nor inherently talented at everything, nor a please-connect-with-me-because-I'm-impossibly-accident prone loser. He makes good grades, has close friends in Will and Fitch, respects his mom, and has a good chance at making the soccer team (even before his warrior powers manifest). I also liked his friends and many of the other characters. In addition, the plot was intriguing, clues were handed out at a good pace, and their was plenty of action but neither too much action nor violence (though there is that). I liked the small-town feel and the relationship between Jack and his friends, as well as his burgeoning relationship with newcomer Ellen Stephenson, and the love his Aunt Linda has for him and how she tries to protect him from The Game.

My main caveats with the book are the magic and the behavior of some of the adults. I prefer magic to be strictly fantastic, and by that I it mean stays away from the "magic" people in real life engage in--astrology, fortune telling, card reading and so on. Those are part of the practices of some of those in the Weirgild. Also, Jack's beloved, "irreverent" Aunt Linda, an enchanter who'd do anything to help Jack, isn't always the best role model, tossing back beers after a nearly disastrous run in with the wizards of the Red Rose, and she and Leander Hastings, a very complicated character, were said to have been "together" at one time, but that probably wasn't a clean romance story.

Aside from those things it was a great book, with excellent writing, mostly likable characters, and a strong value on life as Jack has to confront the idea of taking a life as he trains for The Game.

Have you ever read anything by Chima? What kinds of magic do you feel comfortable with in fantasy, or uncomfortable with?