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Giveaway and Book Review: Happily Ever After

8:38 AM Sarah Koves 0 Comments

Happily Ever After: The Write More Publications Fractured Fairy Tale Anthology


I have received a complimentary copy of this book to review . I grew up watching the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show with my dad.  One of our favorite segments to this day is Fractured Fairy Tales.  I think that is why this anthology appealed to me so much.  It takes classic stories and puts a new spin on them. I thoroughly enjoyed the Happily Ever After Anthology.  The short reads were perfect for my busy schedule, and they allowed me an escape into an alternate universe.  I also appreciated the way each author put her spin on the classic tales as that is a genre that has interested me since childhood. 
Dana Piazzi       Jordan Hancock
Kim Stevens       Elaine White
Vanessa Hancock       Michelle Feury       Stephanie Parke


I am so fortunate to have been able to talk with several of the authors to ask them about their own love of reading and writing.  Hopefully you can check out some of their favorite authors (I added several to my summer reading list) and try out their writing tips.

Who is your favorite author? Why?
Kim Stevens: My favorite author is James Patterson. He writes everything from thriller to romance to suspense. He writes short chapters so they don't drag, and I always enjoy his stories. My favorite series by James Patterson is Maximum Ride.
Stephanie Parke: My favorite author is hard to answer because I have an old school fave and a more modern fave. Old school favorite is Jane Austin, who doesn't love Mr. Darcy? My modern favorite (besides myself lol) is Sabrina Paige . She writes steamy love stories that have a rough edge that I like.
Elaine White: Elizabeth Peters. Her Amelia Peabody series is so fantastic. Combining archaeology, murder mysteries and romance couldn't get any better. Of course, Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are way up there too.
Jordan Hancock: My favorite author is C.S. Lewis. I find his writing inspiring.
Michelle Feury: My favorite author is J.R. Ward because I can get stuck inside one of her books and not want to ever come out. Who is your favorite or least favorite character in your book? Why?
Elaine White: My least favourite character in my Khloe story would have to be Grumpy Jackie. He's the only one of the dates that has no excuse for his behaviour except arrogance.
Jordan Hancock: My favorite character in my book is Leo.
Michelle Feury: My least favorite character in my story is Zander because who likes a traitor.

Kim Stevens:  I don't handle writer's block. It drives me nuts. I guess that's where TV or reading comes in handy. I distract myself before trying again.
Stephanie Parke: Writers block is like the big bad..,you fear it but eventually defeat it. The way I deal with it is flying just keep writing. Even if it is crap I keep on writing.
Elaine White: Usually it hits me hard or not at all, so I have to leave what I'm working on, read some novels and then come back to work on another story. It's usually in the middle of that system that the "Aha" moment comes and I can return to the one that I was struggling with.
Jordan Hancock: When I have writer's block, I listen to Broadway Music.
Michelle Feury: I handle writers block by working on something small and new, for example picking out an inanimate object and bringing it to life in a short piece. Stephanie Parke: My advice to aspiring authors is to never give up. Write something every day.
Elaine White: Never to give up. I had over 10+ rejections, before my first novel was accepted by a publisher. Then I had another few knockbacks when I changed genres. There will always be people out there willing to say no, but you have to keep digging for the one who will say yes.
Jordan Hancock: To young writers I say, don't give up. Your first work won't be a masterpiece, but you have to keep at it.
Michelle Feury: I would tell young writers to never give up on your dream of writing, stick with it or you may regret it later in life.

Explain your revision processes.
Stephanie Parke: Revision is simple, I am a seat of my pants type of writer. I get an idea then I write it. I let the characters lead and then I tell them where I want them to go.
Elaine White: Ooh, complicated. Okay, so I start with a rough outline, anything from a few lines to a few pages. Then I begin writing. The characters tell me where they want to go. When it's done, I read through from beginning to end, making notes on anything I spot that might be wrong or need fixed. I tend to do this on my Kindle, because the highlight/note features are so fantastic. Once I've done that a few times, about five, then I hand it to a beta reader or two. They give me their notes and we work off that for a few months. It's a very long process, but it works. Only after 2 rounds with the betas and about 10 passes from me, will it go into editing.
Jordan Hancock: When I revise my story, I let my mother read it, then my grandmother. Then I read over it again myself.
Michelle Feury: I'm a horrible one when it comes to revising my work because I will nitpick at it until I've changed the whole story.

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