Books for kids, teens, & those who are young at heart

Category: Mary Waibel (Page 4 of 5)

May Ripples in the Inkwell: Change Is Hard

Inkwell meme greenIt’s the second Monday of the month, so that means it’s time for a new Ripples in the Inkwell (#inkripples) post. Kai Strand’s post can be found here, and Mary Waibel’s can be found here. May brings more flowers, buds turning to leaves on the trees, and warmer weather. The winter jackets are packed away and t-shirts are coming out. May is all about change, and that’s our topic of the month.

The change in weather is welcome, particularly after this very long winter. But change is hard. I see how my 3-1/2 year old son, The Boy, is still having a hard time with all the changes that have gone on in his life in the past year. Even though his younger brother, The Prince, is almost a year old, the adjustment period isn’t over. The resentment lingers, evident when The Boy says, “Mommy, I want you to take care of only me. Daddy can take care of [The Prince].”

The Boy started preschool last November, another big change, especially after being home with me all day for the last two years. He seems so old to me in many ways, but I have to remember how young he really is. It wasn’t too long ago he was still sleeping in the crib. Now he’s in a big boy bed in a new, bigger room. The early years of life bring on so many changes.

But even as an adult, I find change hard, harder still than when I was in my teens and twenties. I like my routine, even if every day the routine isn’t the same. I write best sitting at my laptop, sipping my tea. It’s important for productivity not to be tied to that, though. I can’t always be at my laptop, I don’t always have quiet time to work, I don’t always have time to work period. If I’m ever going to finish my WIP, I need to allow myself the flexibility to squeeze in the work when I can.

Change is also good for the creative soul. It pushes my brain into new realms and I see the world in a new light. I so desperately needed to get away the other weekend for the New England SCBWI writing conference. With little ones, it’s been hard for me to be away from them. My job as mom is 24-7. I needed that change, the time to be a writer and not a mom for a little while. I hated leaving my babies, but it was important for me to do just that.

I guess no matter if we’re 3 or 33 or 133, it will be desirable to avoid change. It’s easier to keep to the routine, maintain the status quo. But lack of change also means lack of growth, so I’m willing to step out of my comfort zone and grow as a person as a result.

InkwellblueandgreenWant to join in on the conversation on change? Or next month’s theme of summer/vacation? It’s easy to participate in Ripples in the Inkwell.

Ripples in the Inkwell #inkripples is a new monthly meme created by Kai Strand, Mary Waibel, and Katie L. Carroll. We’ll be posting on the second Monday of every month with a new topic. We’re all authors, but you don’t have to be to participate. Simply compose your post using the monthly theme, grab one of the images, and link back to the three of us. Make sure to use #inkripples when you play along and promote your posts. The idea is that we toss a word, idea, or image into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There’s no wrong way to do it! Full details can be found on my post “Introducing Ripples in the Inkwell.”

Introducing Ripples in the Inkwell

Inkwellblueandgreen

Ripples in the Inkwell #inkripples is a new monthly meme created by Kai Strand, Mary Waibel, and Katie L. Carroll. We’ll be posting on the second Monday of every month with a new topic. We’re all authors, but you don’t have to be to participate. Simply compose your post using the monthly theme, grab one of the images, and link back to the three of us. Make sure to use #inkripples when you play along and promote your posts. The idea is that we toss a word, idea, or image into the inkwell and each post is a new ripple. There’s no wrong way to do it!

Inkwell meme green

May’s theme is change, and look for posts from all three of us on Monday, May 11th. I’ll be talking about how hard change is, but how often it’s just the thing we need.

Going forward for the rest of the year, the themes are:

June: Summer/Vacation
July: PatriotismInkwellHashtag2
August: Dog days/Things that drag you down
September: Fall/School
October: Fears/Things That Go Bump in the Night
November: Remembrance /Thankfulness
December: Celebration/Gifts

I look forward to seeing all of your ripples. Feel free to link to them in the comments of Monday’s post (or here). And don’t forget to use #inkripples. We’ll be discussing change all month long on Twitter in addition to the blog posts.

Mary Waibel Author of The Mystery Prince on Twisting Fairy Tales

My good writing buddy Mary Waibel is celebrating her newest release The Mystery PrinceMary is a master at taking fairy tales and giving them unique twists and she’s sharing her inspiration behind some of these tales. Let’s all give her a big welcome on her release day!

Cinderella_by_Elena_Ringo Elena Ringo http://www.elena-ringo.com

Fairy tales are so much fun to read, and I’ve found they make great stories to twist into something new. My first book, Quest of the Hart, is a reverse Sleeping Beauty tale where the princess goes on the quest to save the prince. It all started when a friend suggested I write a story about the girly-girl saving the guy, and I fell in love with taking these well known tales and changing them into something else.

Quest of the Hart 200x300

Cover by CK Volnek

THE MYSTERY PRINCE  is a twist on Cinderella, without the wicked step-sisters and step-mother. And, instead of the prince searching for his true love, the princess is the one roaming the countryside for the mysterious stranger who captured her heart at the masquerade.

Add in class differences that could result in imprisonment, flogging, or exile, and the hope for a happily-ever-after seems dim. But, as Nor (my version of a Fairy Godfather) continually tells Tristan, “You have to have faith.”

The Mystery Prince 300dpi

Cover by CK Volnek

The Mystery Prince, a novella

Book Blurb:

Tristan enjoys being in the shadows as Prince Rand’s bodyguard. Similar in looks, the two often exchanged places in their youth, but he never expected the king to order him to impersonate the heir to the throne in order to win the hand of a princess.

Princess Zoe needs to find a husband. After a year of searching with no success, her father insists on hosting a masquerade ball for the eligible princes of the nine kingdoms. Not one prince piques her interest, until she meets the mysterious stranger who won’t tell her his name.

When Tristan meets Zoe he finds the girl of his dreams. The only problem? She’s a princess and he’s impersonating a prince―a crime punishable by imprisonment and floggings. Unable to tell Zoe his real name, he gives her a special navigation device. One that leads to the owner’s true love. Will this magic device lead Zoe to Tristan, or will her true love forever remain a mystery prince?

Buy The Mystery Prince on Amazon.

Author Photo- Mary WaibelAuthor Bio:

Mary lives with her husband, son and two cats. When she isn’t twisting fairytales, she enjoys reading, playing games, watching hockey, and camping. Her Princess of Valendria series (Quest of the Hart, Charmed Memories, Different Kind of Knight) are available from MuseItUp Publishing and other major retailers.  Her novella, The Mystery Prince, is available at Amazon. Her Faery Marked (book 1 in the Faery Series) will be available from BookFishBooks this summer.

You can find Mary Waibel at:

http://marywaibel.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/authormarywaibel

https://twitter.com/mewtweety14

We Love Tween/YA Books Cover Scroll

Some shameless book business first…Elixir Bound was the Friday Feature on the Dragon Blog and you can enter the rafflecopter over on the post to win a copy of the book.

Okay, now on to the fun! MuseItUp Publishing is hosting a We Love Tween/YA Books event over on Facebook. Lots of MuseItUp authors (including yours truly) have been stopping in and sharing all kinds of goodies related to their books. The event runs through Thursday and is open to the public, so stop by to discover some new YA/tween authors and their amazing books!

I thought in honor of the event, I’d do a cover parade of some of the MuseItUp titles I have enjoyed (full disclosure: some of these I’ve worked on as an editor…but that doesn’t mean I can’t recommend them, right?). I’ve included links to buy them at the MuseItUp bookstore, but they can also be purchased on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other online book retailers. And here comes the parade (cue the upbeat marching band music!).

First up some paranormal titles:

Wanted_50edb2254d98d.jpg YA paranormal romance WANTED by Annika James

 

Tex__The_Witch_B_5075ce85d7bd3.jpgYA paranormal TEX, THE WITCH BOY by Stuart R. West

 

Upcoming MG paranormal THE UNWANTED GIFT by K.L. Pickett

 

 

 

 

Colors_Like_Memo_4f9abb2fd7729.jpg   The_Chemistry_of_515cd75442997.jpg   

YA paranormals COLORS LIKE MEMORIES, THE CHEMISTRY OF FATE, and the upcoming SURRENDER THE SKY, all in Meradeth Houston’s Sary Society Series.

And for you fantasy fans:

Beware_of_the_Wh_5172dc9d45f3b.jpg MG fantasy BEWARE OF THE WHITE by Kai Strand

The_Shadow_of_th_506cb32fdc4a8.jpgMG fantasy THE SHADOW OF THE UNICORN: THE LEGACY by Suzanne de Montigny

MG fantasy LAUNCHING SISTERS TO WITCHCAMP by LRS

 

 

 

 

 

YA fantasy UNVEILING THE WIZARDS’ SHROUD by Eric Price

 

 

 

 

 

Quest_of_the_Har_51546d981eb28.jpg      

YA fantasies QUEST OF THE HART, CHARMED MEMORIES, and DIFFERENT KIND OF KNIGHT all by Mary Waibel

If you’re in the mood for a little mystery, don’t miss these next titles:

Julius_Caesar_Br_51b9c56576f3a.jpg MG humor JULIUS CAESAR BROWN AND THE GREEN GAS MYSTERY by Ace Hansen

 

The_Master_s_Boo_50a8ef0128483.jpg YA thriller THE MASTER’S BOOK by Philip Coleman

 

Isosceles_50cf70dc9b4fb.jpg

YA mystery ISOSCELES by Scott R. Caseley

 

 

 

 

 

And finally for those fans of contemporary:

Cascades_5164a05636516.jpgYA CASCADES by Rick Taliaferro

 

A_Horse_Called_T_4eaae9ef0b56f.jpg YA A HORSE CALLED TROUBLE by C.K. Volnek

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothin____But_Ne_5154cc8154e13.jpg MG NOTHIN’ BUT NET by Kris Rutherford

 

 MG MAYBE IT’S MAGIC by K.L. Pickett

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’d love to see what MuseItUp YA/tween books you all recommend in the comments! 🙂

The Princes of A Different Kind of Knight by Mary Waibel

It’s always a pleasure to have my writing buddy and fabulous author Mary Waibel on the blog. Today we get a truly swoon-worthy character interview in triplet as Mary chats with Princes Devlin, Trevor, and Brody. Mary’s latest YA fantasy A Different Kind of Knight comes out next week. She has a great BOGO deal going on and a giveaway, too. Welcome, Mary and Princes!

DIFFERENTKINDOFKNIGHTBOGO

A peek inside a meeting with Prince Devlin, Prince Trevor, and Prince Brody

I cannot believe how lucky I was to get an invitation to visit Wyvern Castle. This palace is absolutely gorgeous! Towers, incredible stonework, amazing tapestries. My guest room, on the second floor, is almost the size of my living room and kitchen together- HUGE!

A large mirror hangs on the wall, touching the floor. Noticing it looks crooked, I step over to straighten it, gasping when it swings open, revealing a servants passage. So that’s how they got my cases up here without me seeing them. Curious, I step inside and wander around. Hearing the sound of muffled voices, I stop and look through an opening in the wall.

I peer into what looks to be a library, filled wall to wall, and floor to second story ceiling, with books. On the wall to the left is a fireplace, the blazing fire taking the damp chill from the air. Lounging on overstuffed leather chairs are Princes Devlin, Trevor, and Brody. They each wear their respective kingdoms’ colors. Trevor in blue and silver, Devlin in black and silver, and Brody in green and gold. Trevor wears his dark blond hair loose, while Devlin has his black hair tied at the nape of his neck. Brody’s sun-streaked blond hair is loose, and his beard braids nice and neat.

It’s easy to see the three are close friends, especially given the teasing comments flying around the room. I take a step forward, and a door swings open. Three pairs of eyes pin me in place as their hands drift toward their waists, and the blades they’ve concealed there.

Me: (blushing, hands held up) Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.

Trevor: (chuckles) That’s okay. We’re all a little on edge. (stands and waves to a seat) Please, come in and join us.

Me: (sits and looks around) Has something happened that has you all so nervous?

Trevor: No, but given the events of the last year one can never be too careful.

Devlin: So true. It’s hard to know who’s a friend or foe; even family can be out to get you.

Brody: At least your sister only put you under a spell. It’s worse when they try to kill you.

Trevor: (grins) I guess I’m the lucky one. No one in my family has it out for me.

Brody: (arches a brow) If that’s true, then why does Bri’s brother Sebastian keep looking at you like he wants to pound you?

Trevor: (pales and looks at the library door) Slight misunderstanding. Something about making Bri cry. I’m sure she’ll explain it all and everything will be fine.

Devlin: (eyes crinkle as he laughs) Oh, a protective brother type?

Trevor: (mutters under his breath.) Overprotective, if you ask me.

Brody: Shall I mention that when I see him?

Trevor: (glares at Brody) No. Not unless you want a repeat of what happened in your aunt’s flower garden.

Brody: (laughs) I’ll pass. By the way, how did you manage to get Aunt Yvonne to let you off the hook for destroying her prized rose bush?

Trevor: (smiles) That’s something I’ll take to my grave. Can’t have you learning all my secrets, now can I?

Devlin: Speaking of secrets, what’s in the future for you, Brody?

Brody: (smiles widely) Well, I don’t know if I should spoil the fun. I mean, my book hasn’t even come out yet, and you want me to give up secrets about it?

Trevor: Maybe not all, but just one?

Brody: (strokes his beard braids as he thinks) All right. Just one. How do you think I’d match with Princess Gabrielle of Faldaera?

Trevor: (laughs loudly) I think she’d never have you. She turned down my father’s proposal―said I wasn’t, and I quote, a skilled enough warrior for her liking.

Devlin: (chuckles and shakes his head) Sounds like she had your number, but certainly the same cannot be said for Brody. He’

s a much more skilled fighter than you. After all, tales of his skill have reached far to the north of Breneira. So, is it a good match?

Brody: I guess you’ll have to read my story and find out.

Different Kind of Knight 300 dpiA Different Kind of Knight blurb:

Through a twist of fate, Princess Gabrielle became First Knight of the King’s Elite Guard, a position always held by the second born male. She’s spent years proving to the Minsters of Faldaera she is capable of leading the king’s Army.

When mythical creatures plague her kingdom, Rielle is sent to capture Captain Brody, the alleged culprit behind the attacks and the man who broke her heart four years ago.

Brody, Crown Prince of Delphine, is living in self-imposed exile, atoning for the sins of his father. But Fate has different plans for him. Tired, beaten down, and ready to give up on life, he is tossed into the path of the one person he would do anything for―Princess Gabrielle.

With a traitor in her ranks, and a mark on her head, Brody joins forces with Rielle, hoping to keep the woman he loves safe. Happily-ever-after is not guaranteed, and mythical creatures aren’t the only danger the couple face. As battles rage, Rielle has the chance to prove herself a capable leader, but will doing so cost her the love of her life?

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