Whew! Once Upon 2023 is over, and I have sooooo much to catch you up on.
First thing, if I come across like a caffeinated chipmunk, I haven’t slept well in four days, and my brain is showing it. So if I do something like I did yesterday, where I misspelled the word, “to,” you’ll know why.
So grab your coffee and buckle up!
Before Beauty and The White Slipper are Free!
Just in case you didn’t know, my two fairy tale series starters, Before Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and The White Slipper: A Clean Fairy Tale Retelling of The White Slipper, are both free!
A Newsletter Makeover
I’ve wanted to personalize your reader experience for a while now but never had the time. You have your own personal needs as a reader, and you don’t read the same way as other readers. Being a reader myself, I get this. Some of you are diehard Kindle readers. Others will do anything they can not to read using Amazon. Still others don’t really care.
What I want to do is make sure you’re getting the reader experience that works for you.
And here’s how we’re going to do it.
With your help, I’m breaking my newsletter list into two groups.
- The Kindle Unlimited / Casual Reader
- The VIP / Early Access Reader
Now, this doesn’t mean you’re any less of a Very Important Person if you read through Kindle Unlimtied or Amazon only. Or that you’re not an avid reader. If you read through KU, you’re probably voracious.
The meanings for these two lists are this:
The Kindle Unlimited / Casual Reader
This group is for the reader that reads exclusively through Amazon and doesn’t mind waiting until the book’s publishing date to read it.
For example, you know that the new book in a series is coming out on March 21st, for instance (like my upcoming book, The Prince’s Dangerous Wish). You want to read it, but you only read through Kindle Unlimited or Amazon, so you’re willing to either pre-order it there, or you wait until it’s gone live in the Amazon store.
The reason you’re getting your own reader group is so that I don’t send you emails that aren’t applicable to you. The other list is going to be getting the “buy early” and coupon options through my store, as well as reading options through other major ebook retailers. This won’t apply to you, however, if you’re reading exclusively through Amazon, so I want to ensure that your inbox isn’t getting stuffed with emails that don’t apply to you.
Just a reminder, not all of my books will be in Kindle Unlimited anymore. All fairy tales will be available in every major ebook retailer as well as my personal store. You can still read them, however, through Amazon! So whether a book is in Kindle Unlimited or not (and I’ll let you know as they come out), you’ll still get the Amazon-only emails if this is the option you choose.
The VIP / Early Access Reader
The VIP / Early Access Reader is for several kinds of readers:
(a) Read books BEFORE they launch in stores
(b) Read books through other stores that aren’t Amazon
(c) Use coupons to get discounts on books
This group of readers will be getting early access to my books with the option of purchasing them through my website BEFORE they launch in major ebook retailers everywhere else.
So why would anyone want this?
Besides the desire to read books early? You all know by now that I’m trying to move most of my books out of Kindle Unlimited. Unfortunately, as I still make most of my money through Kindle Unlimited, I can’t pull everything out all at once. In the past, this meant my non-Amazon readers didn’t really have a way to get the books other than by buying them in print through…Amazon.
But now, even if I’m putting a book in Kindle Unlimited, for several days, you’ll have the option of purchasing the book before it goes into exclusive in Kindle Unlimited. So everyone has access to the books, whether they’re Amazon readers or not.
If the book is launching in other retailers, I’ll also be sending out store links to the other major ebook retailers once the book goes live through them. So if you purchase through Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, Google Play, or other major ebook retailers, you’ll have the option of purchasing them there as well.
(Just a heads-up, the reading app I use to sell books directly from my store can download the ebook files to your favorite reading apps and readers. They even have tech support. Just saying…)
And the third reason to be on this list? You’ll get coupon codes to get discounts on the books if you purchase them through my store.
How do I choose my list?
I’m glad you asked. I sent out an email this afternoon with links that will tag your email address if you’re already on my newsletter list. All you do is choose the list you want to be on and click or tap the appropriate link. If you’re not on my newsletter list, you can do this through the automated emails you’ll receive when you join.
Newsletter Bonus Extras
For those of you on my newsletter team (you’ll see our new name below!), I’ve done something that I hope will help you find everything you might have missed.
You know how I write bonus stories for my books? And create book soundtracks? And do personality quizzes and such? Well, I’ve gathered aaaaaall of my bonus material together for you and put them on individual pages! Now, these are password-protected pages, so only readers signed up for my newsletters can access them.
(Meaning, if you’re not signed up, you should be!)
These bonus pages included a consolidated list of:
- Bonus chapters / short stories
- Book soundtracks
- Printable coloring pages
- Printable bookmarks
- Personality quizzes
- Book Coupons for the books you might have missed
These pages are called “Goodie bags,” and they’re full of everything you might have missed. If you’re on the newsletter, you’ll get links this week as well as a password reminder. If not, sign up and get the bonus material sent directly to your inbox!
In case you’re on the fence, here are some examples of the Goodie Bag goods:
(Note: The goodie bags don’t include the books, but they have a lot of book coupons! The books are there so you can see which books the bonus materials accompany.)
Anywho, you get the idea. It took me MONTHS to compile all of the bonus materials that I’ve been churning out over the years. So if you’re on the newsletter team, make sure you didn’t miss any! And if you’re not, join so you don’t miss anything!
Read The Prince’s Dangerous Wish…EARLY!!!
No six-year-old boy means to kidnap another child. Not on purpose, at least…
When the faerie Healanie promises Queen Nadine a child with a gift, Nadine never expected the gift to be such a curse. But after discovering that her son has the ability to receive nearly everything he wishes for, she does her best to protect him from the world and from himself. When the manipulative castle cook learns of the boy’s gift, however, he loses no time in stealing him away and convincing him that he’s saved the child from the dangerous world beyond.
Prince Rolf’s captor is his own undoing, however, when he convinces the heartbroken little prince to wish for a friend to grow up with. Little did he know that such a small, headstrong girl could help the prince discover the truth–and courage–he would need to one day set everything to rights.
Delve into these standalone fairy tale retelling novellas of lesser-known tales as told by Wendy and Peter Pan. The Nevertold fairy tales are not set in the same world as the Classical Kingdoms Collection, but they have the same clean romance, magical mystery, and happily-ever-afters.
***
If you can’t wait to read The Prince’s Dangerous Wish: A Clean Fantasy Fairy Tale Retelling of The Pink, you don’t have to wait anymore!
At least, not until the 21st, when it drops on all of the major ebook retailers. You can, however, pre-order or purchase it through my store and download it as early as March 14th!
15% OFF Coupon Code: RGEZZGUKX2
Why am I doing this?
As I’ve said before, I don’t like having a barrier between myself and my readers. I’d much rather bring my stories to you personally than relying on another company. And while I’m incredibly grateful to the major ebook retailers, as they help me find new readers, I’d rather not share you. You, the reader, are my priority, and I want to treat you as such.
What if I don’t want to buy from your store?
I totally get that! Different readers have different needs and tastes. That’s why I’m having my newsletter readers choose the reader list they want to be on. Either way, you’ll be able to get the book through your major retailer, whether that’s Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Apple Books, etc. I’m even putting this series on sale for libraries to purchase so you can request that your library lets you borrow them for free!
Audiobook Updates
Sad news. If you like to listen to my audiobooks through Audible, they’re not there. Audible decided to cancel my account without telling me why. (Probably another bot, just like happened two years ago with my Neverland books.)
The good news is that this is exactly why I didn’t go exclusive with Audible. It pays a lot more, but it also means that if they decide to get rid of you, off you go. So while I’m getting that all untangled, just remember that you can find all of my audiobooks on all the major audiobook retailers as well as through my personal store.
And speaking of audiobooks, I don’t know about your kids, but my kids are audiobook addicts. And as my little girl is growing up waaaaay faster than I’m ready to admit, I decided to have my picture books (one which is dedicated to her) made into audiobooks so she can enjoy them before she gets too old. And now that they’re produced, it means your children can enjoy them, too.
The lovely Kimi Weldon has recorded and produced my two picture book fairy tales from the Illustrated Fairy Tale Classics, Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, as audiobooks, and I couldn’t be more excited! If you didn’t get to attend Once Upon 2023, you can preview them here!
These are fairly long audiobooks, about 20 minutes each. My college degree is in education, so it was of the utmost importance that these books weren’t just “fluff.” Not only are they based on the original tales (with age-appropriate language, of course), but they include high vocabulary words. And while they were written largely as picture books and can be enjoyed by children as young as three or four, I’ve had friends tell me that even their pre-teen daughters enjoyed them.
So if your kids are into audiobooks like mine, now they can listen to two more safe, clean audiobooks with themes of resistance, bravery, friendship, and love.
A New You
Okay, actually, it’s a new US. As in, we have a new name! That’s right! My newsletter book peeps are no longer my newsletter peeps. We’re now Brit’s Bookish Mages! And I’m so excited about this that I went out and got a logo!
Isn’t it prettyful?! I’m so excited!
The goal is to figure out how to put this baby on t-shirts, hats, bags, etc. But that’s not cheap, and while I’m not above getting a Cricut machine and doing it myself, I’m a little frozen in fear by all the buying options.
(Note: If anyone is a Cricut wizard, please drop me a message. I’m so in over my head.)
Weak
A White Slipper Bonus Story
I’m sorry this is late! I’ve been swamped, so it was a relief to finally pen this fun story for Elliot and River. If you’re in the mood to see how they’re doing after the wedding, make sure you download it via the link in the newsletter!
Also, remember that the more reviews we get on the books, the more bonus stories I’ll write to celebrate! So if we can get more than 25 reviews on The White Slipper, I’ll have another River and Elliot story for you in the queue!
A Once Upon 2023 Recap
Okay, so that was a PARTY!
I hope that those of you who came enjoyed it! If you were there for Once Upon 2022, you’ll know that we changed quite a few things. Namely, the party was here on the website. This meant anyone could come, even if they didn’t have a social media profile. It really bothered me in years prior that a number of readers couldn’t attend because they weren’t on social media, and according to the feedback, that seems to have been fixed by moving the party here.
Most of the feedback was good! We had DOZENS of free and discounted books, and the personalized posts by the authors seemed (to me) so much warmer than when they were on Facebook. A lot of you seemed to love the individual posts as well, which is makes me happy!
The one snaffoo was links. We had a number of free/discounted book links that didn’t want to work for a variety of reasons. For some reason, two of my books kept reverting to the wrong URL. I have no idea why, but they eventually fixed themselves. (Meaning I continued shoving the “paste” function in until they had no choice but to accept.) A few other authors changed the books they were making free and there was a bit of confusion with that, and for some reason, Amazon decided to make certain books appear free for some but not for others.
Don’t ask me why. That’s above my pay grade.
All in all, though, it seemed to be exactly the kind of party that fairy tale readers were looking for. There will be a few tweaks for next year, Lordwilling we do it, but I think we’ve finally found our groove!
The Prince’s Dangerous Wish
A Final Preview
As soon as Nadine’s bedchamber door was shut and locked, and the king had gone through every room in her chambers to make sure they were alone, he turned to face her. Nadine tried to steel herself for what was coming. She’d had countless such confrontations with her mother before getting married, and had hoped that her days of being lectured were over now that she was out of her parents’ house.
But, apparently, she had been wrong.
She half-expected him to start shouting and braced herself for such. But instead of shouting, he simply closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
The sound of a cricket somewhere in the corner grew louder and louder as Nadine waited, and she could hear the slightly raucous laughter rising from the party below. But after half a minute, Nadine decided that the silence was worse than any yelling would have been.
“I understand,” he finally said, opening his eyes and facing her, “that large parties are distasteful to you. But for this one night, I thought… I thought you would be able to do your duty as queen.”
“I–”
“Just. One. Night,” he said, his gray eyes growing colder.
Nadine flinched. “I didn’t ask for a party,” she said. The words came out sounding more petulant than she meant them to.
“We don’t ask for many things!” Albert exploded. “But they come with a crown. Obligations come with a crown! Or didn’t your mother tell you that?”
“She did.”
“Then why are you so surprised when duty is required of you?”
“I wasn’t surprised!” she pulled an offending pin out of her hair and tossed it on her vanity. “I did the best that I could. I laughed. I talked. I mingled. All I wanted was a few minutes’ peace before I had to go back.” She huffed. “I never meant to fall asleep.”
“I certainly hope you didn’t.” He rubbed his chin. Then he shook his head and sighed. “As I told you when we married, I understand your…your dislike for large parties and gatherings. But our personal dislikes cannot keep us from doing what we must.” He walked over to the window. “Tonight, for example, I had nearly confirmed the purchase of land on our northern border. It would have expanded our territory to encompass the river. And Sir Romin had nearly agreed to contribute a good sum of money to our expansive enterprises on the southwest coast.” He turned back to her. “But then his wife asked where you were, and panic nearly broke loose when no one could find you.”
In spite of herself, shame heated Nadine’s cheeks. “As I said, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I only meant to take a few minutes’ respite before returning.”
Her husband’s eyes opened wide. “You were tired?” He glanced at her midsection. “Could you be–”
“No,” she retorted crossly. “I am not. And I know that for a fact.”
He said nothing, but his shoulders slumped slightly.
“And to your earlier point, my discomfort with large gatherings isn’t a…dislike exactly.”
“No?” he asked.
“No.” She frowned, trying to find the words she could never quite say to her mother. If only she could show them, rather than tell them, what it felt like when so many eyes were on her. When she had person after person acting and reacting before her, and she was supposed to interpret their intentions through expressions and coy words. She had to read faces and interpret body movements, all faster than she could come up with words to respond. It was why she had memorized so many shallow phrases as a girl, which had led to many a possible suitor simply thinking her daft.
“You are a quick judge of character,” she said slowly. “You understand not only what people say but what they intend, even if they don’t say it. I’m not like that, though.” She looked up to him, hoping beyond hope that maybe…just maybe he would understand what her mother never had. “I have a hard time knowing what people mean. So often they say one thing but mean another. And while I’m trying to puzzle out what the person in front of me is trying to really say, three more are thrust upon me, and I’m expected to understand and respond to them all at the same time.”
She shrugged. “I know you disapprove of my attachment to animals. I know it’s not a queenly pastime to spend so much time with them. But animals…Animals aren’t like people. They don’t say one thing and do another.” She gathered the courage to look her husband in the eyes once more. “Sometimes I need that.”
Her husband, who had been frowning thoughtfully at her, stared a moment longer before pulling in a deep breath through his nose, then letting it back out again. When he spoke, his voice was soft. But even she could see the disappointment written clearly on his face.
“The crown may have needs. But the crown must do as the people need. Whether we feel ourselves capable of it or not.”
“Well, then maybe the crown should have chosen a woman who actually wanted to be queen!” Nadine snapped.
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wished with all her heart that she could take them back. But she couldn’t. So instead of trying to clean up the mess she’d made, she bolted past him and threw herself, weeping, onto the reclining sofa in her parlor.
Albert said nothing as he left her chambers, nor did he send any other word after. And the first shame of the evening’s earlier escapade was quickly forgotten as Nadine relived her hurtful words again and again in her head.
It was true that her husband demanded much of her. Her last year had seen her nearly constantly exhausted. But he had always been far more gentle with her than her mother ever was. And while Nadine had never desired to be queen, it was also true that she did care for the man she had married. For a marriage of convenience, she had found herself relatively happy, surrounded by all the comforts and luxuries of the world and spoiled by her husband, even if his gifts were somewhat misguided. At least, unlike a number of her friends’ husbands, he was faithful.
And now she had ruined it all.
A soft whirring and gentle breeze made Nadine look up from the cushion in which she’d buried her face. She nearly fell off the sofa when she realized that she was no longer alone.
“Good evening, dear,” the woman said with a smile.
Nadine tried to respond, but her mouth couldn’t seem to catch up with her mind. The woman standing before her was several inches taller than she was and as beautiful as the night was dark. Her skin seemed to give off its own soft glow, and her blue wings shimmered with the barest hint of pastel colors that changed as she moved them. Her hair was pulled up into an elaborate twist, and there were gems scattered throughout it. In her hand was a wand that shimmered brighter than all the rest. It might have been made of one large sapphire for all Nadine knew.
“You’re–” Nadine managed to gasp, but the woman smiled again and stepped closer.
“I’m Healanie,” the woman said, taking a step closer. “And I know that you are Nadine, new queen of Tuilidad, daughter of Lord Gaston and Lady Victoria.” She paused, her brows furrowing slightly. “And I’ve been watching King Albert’s line long enough that tonight convinced me that it’s time to act.”
Nadine blinked up at her. “Tonight–”
“Was only the most recent in a line of incidents of which I didn’t approve…most of which you’re absolutely ignorant.” She pursed her slightly shimmering pink lips. “But I expect little less, considering how awful his parents were and his grandparents before them. Compared to them, he’s a saint.”
Nadine hastily wiped her wet cheeks on her sleeves while scrambling to sit up. “I didn’t mean to…I spoke in haste, my lady faerie. My husband isn’t a bad man.”
“You did speak in haste, it’s true. And you did hurt him, which I am glad you take credit for. Your words were unkind. And you are right, he is not a bad man as the term is generally used.” She leaned slightly forward. “But what if I told you he could become even better?”
“What?” Nadine stared at her blankly. Tuilidad was generally friendly to faeries, and her husband had even spoken with the faerie queen several times. But Nadine knew the danger of making deals with faeries. And while her husband may not understand her, Nadine had no desire to foist a mischievous faerie upon him. The consequences could be dire.
“Of course,” Healanie leaned back and studied Nadine. “It will be difficult. No true change can be had without difficulty. Otherwise, the change would have already been made. Yes, I think I will.”
She broke into a triumphant smile once more. “I also happen to know that while your husband is hurt, I have the perfect gift with which to cheer him.” Her lavender eyes sparkled. Then she leaned back and lifted her chin triumphantly. “And not long after you receive this gift, you will know that none like it has ever been given by a faerie before.”
Before Nadine could respond, the faerie lifted her wand and waved it over Nadine’s head several times. Then she beamed and nodded once.
“What kind of gift?” Nadine finally managed to ask.
“There’s no need to look so terrified, love,” the faerie laughed. “Oh, but before I go, I need to warn you of one thing.” Her smile disappeared. “Make sure to take care with the gift. If you do not steward it well, it could be the death of you.”
And with that, she was gone.
***
Nadine waited up the rest of the night (or what was left of it) to receive her gift. But nothing came. Nor did it come the next day. Or the next. Or the next.
Unfortunately, as she expected and–to her own admission–somewhat deserved, the king was cold with her in the weeks that followed. He was always polite. But the warmth was missing from his eyes. His smile was never as genuine as it had once been when she greeted him.
Four months later, Nadine had all but given up on the faerie’s promised gift when she woke up one morning and, as usual, allowed her ladies-in-waiting to dress her. During this ritual, one of the younger ladies cried out in surprise,
“Your Majesty! Your dress! It won’t fit!”
Nadine, whose mind had been elsewhere, turned to look at the mirror and was both shocked and overjoyed to see that her belly seemed to have grown quite round overnight. One of her other ladies-in-waiting squealed, and Alicia had to grow quite severe before the other young women could be brought to order.
Her ladies caused such a stir that Nadine was sure word would spread like wildfire within the hour. So once more appropriate clothes had been acquired, Nadine sent word to request her husband’s presence before he could hear the news from anyone else. Her ladies had been sworn to secrecy, but she didn’t trust the gossip chain to slow one bit.
The king was announced an hour later. Thankfully, Alicia had shooed the other ladies into another room to do some unnecessary cleaning. More likely to keep them from gossiping than anything else, Nadine guessed with profound gratefulness.
“You need me, my queen?” he asked in his polite, distant tone as the door closed behind him. Nadine, who was lying on her parlor couch, tried to keep her words from sounding breathless.
“I did, my love.”
As he turned to her, the king’s brows rose high at the term of endearment, but as soon as he faced her completely, he stopped and stared.
“Nadine,” he whispered, his eyes locked on her. It was the first time he’d used her given name since her birthday. “Are you…” He stopped and licked his lips. “Do we have an heir?”
Nadine nodded at him happily, not even needing to pretend happiness this time.
After that, it was as if they had never squabbled at all. As if Nadine had never said such hurtful words and the king had never given her those awful looks of disappointment. Her husband was all kindness, all gentleness as he kissed her hands and face again and again, exclaiming what a good mother she would be and how much joy this announcement would bring to the kingdom.
Basking in the happiness of feeling close to her husband once more, and soon after, the sensation of her baby’s kicks, Nadine forgot the warning of the faerie Haelanie. But she was reminded of it all too soon after her son was born.
So, what do you think?! Find out what happens when the book launches on March 21st (or March 14th). No matter how you read it, I can’t wait to hear what you think!
So that was a LOT! Comment below and give me your thoughts on all the newest developments! And if you haven’t, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter so you get all the cool stuff mentioned above. Thanks, as always, for being my reader. You’re the reason I can keep writing and publishing, and I’m so incredibly grateful you’re here!