We have a winner!

Actually, that's WINNERS plural since there were two winners for The Lost King in the big Addicted to Heroines Blog Tour giveaway and one winner in the Name Your Dragon sweepstakes. Thanks to all who entered. Winners will receive an email notification. Enjoy your prize!

Tomorrow's the last day of the tour! Our big giveaway is closed, but please check the Heroines Tour Facebook page for any remaining individual author giveaways or contests.

As of this post, we've got some time left on Alesha's Heroines Trivia Contest:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Name Your Dragon Sweepstakes

The Name Your Dragon Sweepstakes sponsored by The Lost King has been extended. Follow the link to sweepstakes entry to enter for a chance to win a $25 amazon.com gift certificate. If you entered before and had difficulties, please try again.

Goodreads Chat, And Don't Forget To Enter Our Giveaways!

The Tower's Alchemist author, Alesha Escobar, will be hosting Q&A time at the Tower's Alchemist Goodreads Page today!

Stop by and say hello, or ask any question you'd like about the book.

>>>Go To Goodreads Now

Also, if you haven't already, make sure you enter our giveaways so you can win free books, handmade bookmarks, and iTunes and Amazon gift cards from our authors.

Click HERE to take care of it :-)

Contests! Prizes!

Today is Contest day. Whether you're up for a little fantasy trivia or a game of wits, stop by and play for a chance to win items such as:

• iTunes gift cards
• Amazon gift cards
• ebooks
• handmade, artisan bookmarks

Just click on the links and go directly to our authors' entry pages.

Alesha Escobar

Samantha LaFantasie

Devorah Fox

Francene Stanley

Cecilia Robert

What is a Fantasy?

Some novels are considered "fantasy" but just what is a fantasy novel? Populated by people and set in locations that don't exist except in the mind of the author and reader, aren't all novels fantasies to a certain extent? Click the link to share your thoughts in a discussion.

Name Your Dragon

In The Lost King,, King Bewilliam and Empress Alexandra both come up against some fierce monsters. At one time or another, we all have to face "dragons" in our lives. "Name Your Dragon" is one way to enter a sweepstakes to win a chance at a free copy of The Lost King. Participation is free. Click on the link for more information.

IF I WERE THE LEAD IN A FANTASY NOVEL...

There would probably be some type of indiscretion that needed to be righted and it would be up to me and those closest to me to find a way to right that wrong. I would definitely use a sword. Two of them actually, since that is more my style of fighting. I would be a master markswoman with a bow and I would lead fair and justly. I wouldn't put up with the mindless criticisms of men who fear strong women capable of leadership and instilling change for the greater good. I would have friends that were of all races of myth and fantasy. My world would be forever changed by some cataclysmic event that made magic possible and evil tangible.

My novel would be like those I write with me as the heroine. My obstacles would be great and  numerous but I would find new ways to overcome them through the lessons learned and gifted by those I keep by my side. I would never be alone, despite my need to do otherwise. For I would be only as good as my weapons and my companions. Without them, I would be nothing except exposed and vulnerable.

Now it's your turn.  Reply in the comments section. Have fun and get as creative as you can. Remember, it's fantasy!

Official Blog Tour Schedule!

Are you excited? We are! The Heroines Tour starts on Friday, Feb. 1 and we are going to have a lot of fun. Contests, prizes, interviews and chats with the authors (and of course, their heroines), and an amazing giveaway near the end.

Just to let you know what to expect, here's our blog tour schedule:

February 1 - Heroine Interviews!

Meet the audacious, brave, and unique leading ladies of our fantasy novels.* We've got a woman who takes on the weight of the world through her magical gift, we have an empress who can inspire kings, a wizard spying against Nazi warlocks, a shape-shifter who can wield a sword with the best of them, and Grim Reaper's novice!

*The following interview links will be live Feb. 1, 2013

Francene Stanley

 

Alesha Escobar

Samantha S Lafantasie

Devorah Fox
 

Cecilia Robert

February 2 - Chat with "Reaper's Novice" author, Cecilia Robert

Drop by the Reaper's Novice page at Goodreads and say hello to Ms. Robert. Do you love the book cover? Have you read it and want to comment or ask a question? Are you simply curious about it? Don't miss out!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12834722-reaper-s-novice

February 3 - If I Were the Lead in a Fantasy Novel

If I Were The Lead in a Fantasy Novel... our authors share who they'd want to be if they starred in a fantasy story--and you can too! Join the discussion at our Facebook page:

 http://www.facebook.com/heroinestour

February 4 - Chat with "Lost King" author, Devorah Fox

Drop by our Q&A with Devorah Fox at Goodreads! Wait, you mean Empress Alexandra will be holding the Q&A? Sweet!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13548752-the-lost-king

February 5 - CONTEST TIME!

Win iTunes gift cards, Amazon gift cards, books, handmade bookmarks, etc. when you play!

Samantha LaFantasie's Contest

Alesha Escobar's Contest

Francene Stanley's Contest

Devorah Fox's Contest

Cecilia Robert's Contest

February 6 - Chat with "Tower's Alchemist" author, Alesha Escobar

Were there really female spies during WWII? What were some of the most interesting parts about mixing history and fantasy? Join Alesha and shoot her your comments and questions at the The Tower's Alchemist page at Goodreads.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1200725-q-a-and-chat-with-alesha-escobar

February 7 - Guest Posts

From using tarot cards to decide the fate of characters to pondering whether or not urban fantasy does a disservice to women, check out our authors' guest posts at one another's blogs.

Cecilia Robert's Blog

Alesha Escobar's Blog

Devorah Fox's Blog

Francene Stanley's Blog

Samantha LaFantasie's Blog

February 8 - Chat with "Heart Song" author, Samantha LaFantasie

Whether you want her to explain her unique take on werewolf myth, and what makes a good romance, drop by and share your questions and thoughts.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15982843-heart-song

February 9 - BOOK GIVEAWAY

Book Giveaway is closed! Thanks so much for participating :)

February 10 - Chat with "Still Rock Water" author, Francene Stanley

You won't want to miss this one! Q&A with the author at the Still Rock Goodreads page, and final tour wrap-up.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16076878-still-rock-water

Heroines Giveaway!

We can't wield swords, cast spells, and save the day without YOU!

Our Heroines Giveaway is officially open! Have you entered yet?

Enter for a chance to win one of the following ebooks (entry and participation is FREE!):

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Meet the Author: Cecilia Robert

Name

Cecilia Robert

Hometown

I was born in Kenya, then later moved to Vienna, Austria.

Author of

  

Truly, Madly, Deeply, You and, the recently released YA urban fantasy, Reaper's Novice (Soul Collector #1)

Why I like reading fantasy

I enjoy reading fantasy because I get to enter into worlds that are completely different than mine, where anything can happen to anyone. Plus it's adventurous. Meet creatures that can only be found in fantasy.

Why I like writing fantasy

Writing fantasy, to me, is like when an artist is given a blank canvas with a pallete of many colours, and given free reign to create anything he likes. I like writing it because I am not bound by limits, and it is extraordinary genre, out of the ordinary where my mind can wander for a while creating things I know will never happen. 

Fantasy books/authors I enjoy

My favourite fantasy books vary from what I am currently reading. Some of my favourites are Mortal Instruments,  Trudi Canavan books (all of them)

I’ve been writing since

Wow, wuite a while. When I was about12, I really loved reading mills and boons. I loved the happy ever after. (Yeah that happens until one growns up. :D) So after reading a book, I'd start recreating the story, but with different characters and a slightly different plot, but they'd still end up having a HEA.

My greatest accomplishments so far as a writer

I've managed to make someone smile after reading one of my books.

Meet the Author: Samantha LaFantasie

It's a wonderful opportunity to be included in something like this. I feel so honored. Here is a little bit about me.

Name

Samantha LaFantasie

Hometown

I was born in Wichita, Kansas but currently live in Derby, Kansas

Author of

Heart Song and, coming soon, Made to Forget, Nepherium Novella Part One, as well as, Fated, An Ithia Novel, Book One

Why I like reading fantasy

I like reading fantasy because of the way it stretches the imagination and takes me to different worlds. I love how it is an escape from reality.

Why I like writing fantasy

I like writing fantasy for very much the same reasons I enjoy reading it. It’s a part of me. My mind works in fantastic ways and with fantastic ideas. I love the stories.

Fantasy books/authors I enjoy

I always have to give credit to a couple of authors who instilled in me the desire to read, and they are Margaret Weiss and Tracey Hickman. They’re the authors of the Dragonlance Chronicles.  Until them, I read because I had and very seldom because I wanted to.

When I was in High school, I thought I would grow up to become

A number of things.  First three were, teacher, actress, and singer.  They all changed routinely with how I felt.  Still do.

I’ve been writing since

I want to say I wrote my first story, a rendition of Aladdin, when I was in 1993. It was written for my mom on an old typewriter. From there I wrote songs, poetry, and many years after, stories.

My greatest accomplishments so far as a writer

I want to say that my greatest accomplishment is the fact that I wrote a book and published it. It’s a dream come true for me. To have positive reviews and see how well it has been received is even more of an accomplishment.  Being including in a career that involves my favorite authors is just icing on the cake. 

Meet the author.: Francene Stanley

          

In February, I've joined with five participating authors to present our fantasy/paranormal books, which feature heroines. The ADDICTED TO HEROINES blog tour will be here before we can blink (and why does time pass so fast?) We're running fun contests and offering cool prizes as well as a few giveaways.

Each of us have our own unique story.

Today, I'd like to share with you why I love reading and writing futuristic fantasy adventure novels and stories about paranormal gifts.

Name: Francene Stanley

Author of...

Still Rock Water, the first in the Moonstone Series, published by Solstice. This is a favorite of mine. My character, Liliha, mimics my life and expresses my optimism in her determination to succeed. She is a strong role-model among women characters with her empowerment to do something about suffering and injustice. The novel illustrates the principle of positive thinking and the trust that things will work out. However, things don't always go as we hope and plan. 

Wind over Troubled Waters & Knights in Dark Leather. I co-wrote these books with Edith Parzefall. The first two, from a series of four post-apocalyptic adventure novels, are set in Cornwall after a great flood destroyed all technology. Cerridwen's dying mother urges her to find the elusive seer for directions to a ring that will lead primitive Britland to a better tomorrow. The aura-seeing heroine meets strangers, who accompany along the way towards Long Doom.

Today, I'd like to share with you why I love reading and writing fantasy:

Fantasy and the paranormal give me a sense that anything is possible, especially using untapped parts of the mind.

Why I like reading fantasy:

Novels of this nature take me away to far distant places and states of being.

Why I like writing fantasy:

I've always loved creating something new. I've written songs, poetry and novels, which occupy me fully at this juncture in my life. In a world of my own creation, I can escape the confines of my limiting body and reach for the stars.

Fantasy books/authors I enjoy:

Ayn Rand, Asimov, Arthur C. Clark. I read all my grandmother's early published science fiction books and they set me on the path to writing my own.

When I was in High School, I thought I'd grow up to become...

A model. How little I knew. That style of life wouldn't last forever anyway. Besides that, my father forbid it and I met my future husband shortly after I left school. Of course, young love didn't allow me to choose wisely. I stuck it out for 27 years, moved to the other side of the earth, and met my present husband of 25 years.

I've been writing since:

Writing? Well, that's a big subject. But I've been writing poetry and songs since I retired nearly ten years ago.

My greatest accomplishment so far as a writer:

Last year, two publishers accepted my books. Solstice went for Still Rock Water, and Double Dragon published the first two in the Higher Ground futuristic series. After all my hard work, I finally knew my effort had been worthwhile.

Meet the Author: Devorah Fox

Name

Devorah Fox

 

Hometown

Port Aransas, Texas

Author of...

The Lost King (the sequel, The King’s Ransom, coming soon!)

Why I like reading fantasy

At a book chat I was asked my opinion as to why fantasy is so popular these days. I answered that I thought many people, myself included, study and work hard, yet we don’t feel as though we have much control or influence in our day-to-day lives. It’s cathartic to escape into a universe where people have the power to manipulate reality and to read of people very much like ourselves who rise to the challenge, battle and triumph over the most powerful and pernicious evil in the world (or any world).

Why I like writing fantasy

Writing fantasy challenges me to be extra imaginative, go a little over the top, take full advantage of the suspension of disbelief readers bring to a fantasy novel.

Fantasy books/authors I enjoy

Ursula leGuin and Janet Morris’s “Kerrion Empire” and “Silistra” Series, fantasy on the sci-fi side of the genre.

When I was in High School, I thought I'd grow up to become...

I thought I might like to be a spy like James Bond or a rock star like Grace Slick but since I couldn't keep a secret nor could I play or sing... I went off to college and majored in Linguistics and Anthropology. Maybe I could have gone into forensic anthropology and grown up to be Dr. Temperance Brennan, but that particular discipline didn’t even really get started until around the time that I graduated.

I've been writing since

...the third grade when I wrote a novel about a Korean orphan immigrant to the U. S. (What part of “write what you know” didn’t I get?) I illustrated it, too.

My greatest accomplishment so far as a writer

Putting my fiction “out there.” I’ve been writing professionally (promotional, journalistic and technical writing) for decades, and I know that my writing has helped and informed people. Having my fiction published has been a totally different experience. It’s not only entertained them, it’s emboldened them to take some risks themselves.

Meet the Author: Alesha Escobar

I can't believe it's already 2013, and January is halfway over. The ADDICTED TO HEROINES blog tour will be here before you know it--and we've got fun contests, cool prizes, and interesting guest spots among our participating authors (and a few giveaways won't hurt, either).

Now, with that said, I want this blog tour to also be an opportunity for you to get to know the authors who've put time and energy into bringing you all this. There are five of us in total, and each of us have our own unique story to share.

Today, I'd like to share with you why I love reading and writing fantasy:

Name

Alesha Escobar

Hometown

Los Angeles, CA

Author of...

The Gray Tower Trilogy--The Tower's Alchemist (#1), Dark Rift (#2), Circadian Circle (#3 coming soon!)

Why I like reading fantasy

I love escaping into a world of wonder, magic, and epic clashes between the goodies and the baddies.

Why I like writing fantasy

I've always been interested in paranormal/fantasy and remember sitting in the dark with my friends as my mom told ghost stories. One day we were so frightened we ran out the house! I think stories can be powerful and inspiring; they make impressions on people. I want my stories to be enjoyable and to engage readers with the same excitement and emotions I felt.

Fantasy books/authors I enjoy

Tolkien, Robert Jordan, J.K. Rowling, Game of Thrones (George Martin), Dresden Files (Jim Butcher), there's a few more, but then this list would get loooong!

When I was in High School, I thought I'd grow up to become...

An engineer or a doctor. I attended a special program heavy in the sciences and I was very interested in genetics and immunology. I went off to college and started as a Biochemistry major, but turned traitor and ended up majoring in English!

I've been writing since

The age of seven. When I was eleven, I wrote a few short stories starring a detective named Donald Drake and his partner Jason Cone. They went around solving murder mysteries.

My greatest accomplishment so far as a writer

 First, actually building up the courage to publish and share my work with the world, and secondly, getting little notes and emails from people who enjoy and appreciate what I've shared.

Who's YOUR Favorite Literary Heroine?

I recently came across an interesting Goodreads discussion about our favorite heroines and literature and why we love 'em so much. The answers ranged from Hermione Granger to Jane Eyre, and the reasons included independence, bravery, and intelligence displayed by these ladies.

I know I like heroines who are willing to stand up for themselves and make tough decisions--even when it hurts. I like reading about a female protagonist who may not be perfect, but is relatable and just trying her hardest to do what's right. Oh yes, and a little bit of humor and sharp wit are also welcome.

If you had to name your favorite literary heroine(s), who would make the cut, and why?

Meet Our Final Two Authors!

We're gearing up for the tour, and I'm only growing in excitement. We have our final two authors for the Addicted to Heroines blog tour:


Francene Stanley, author of Still Rock Water

Devorah Fox, author of The Lost King