My Kingdom For a Quest Cover Reveal

It's time for another cover reveal! My Kingdom For a Quest is the third book in Kendra E. Ardnek's fantasy series The Bookania Quests. I haven't read Kingdom yet, but I've read the first two books, Sew, It's a Quest and Do You Take This Quest and the author's amazing standalone The Ankulen, so if those are any indication, My Kingdom For a Quest will be pretty awesome. But before we get to the cover, I have a small interview with Kendra E. Ardnek about the Bookania series.

How did you get the idea for the Bookania series?
I've always loved retelling fairy tales, and one day my mother told me that I ought to write a new series where I "finish" various fairy tales. I decided to start with Sleeping Beauty, but when I tried to write it, it just wouldn't go anywhere. Then a month or so later, I was folding laundry, and Robin came to me, complete with her name, basic appearance, sword and backstory. Her brother showed up a few days later and they proceeded to take over the book and turn the series into the serial sort, rather than the loose collection it was supposed to.

If you don't mind answering (spoilers might apply, I suppose), what fairy tales are incorporated into My Kingdom for a Quest?
Aside from a vague reference to the Princess and the Pea, there actually aren't any new tales that show up in this volume. The book focuses on Arthurian Legend and the aftereffects of Sleeping Beauty, with cameo from Robin Hood and the lingering presence of Casperl and the Princess (It's a Real fairy tale!) and Toads and Diamonds. There may be more, but I'm not recalling any of them off the top of my head. Joan of Arc was supposed to be part of the plot, but then I decided to put her into a novelette that I will publish later.

What's your favorite part about writing the Bookania books?
Twisting all of the Fairy Tales together. I love forming the intricate connections that are the plots of these books. The characters come in for a close second, since my favorite character of all time belongs to this series, though she hasn't been officially introduced.

So now for the cover!

Back Cover Blurb:
Arthur is the rightful king of Briton, but his Uncle Mordreth refuses to give up the regency.   Arthur and Grandfather are now returning with allies to wrestle the kingdom from his uncle's grasp.  But not all is as it seems among his allies, and everyone has secrets.  New loves, old loves, lost loves, kingdoms conquered and kingdoms stolen.   Who is the real "rightful heir" and will the nearly forgotten sword in the stone finally answer this question?

You can add it to Goodreads here.

And here's where you can find the two previous books in the series:
Sew, It's a Quest
Do You Take This Quest

Author Person:
Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairy tales and twisting them in new and exciting ways.  She's been practicing her skills on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years, "Finish your story, Kendra", is frequently heard at family gatherings.  Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children's tales that also glorify God and his Word. You can read more about her on her blog, knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com.

Christmas Sale!

Raise your hand if you like saving money! Christmas is a time for giving, and it's also a time when many people spend an exorbitant amount of money on gifts. (Actually, I doubt anyone in my readership actually does, but things are incredibly expensive and getting more so all the time.) So to help with that, my books are going on sale until December 31st. Ebooks are only $0.99 for now! And paperbacks are $7.99 through Amazon and CreateSpace. But that isn't even the best part.

You may know that I sell signed copies now. Well, I'm making that even better. You like getting more for less? I set signed copies at $7.49 throughout the Christmas season. You can get a better book, well, it's the same book, just signed, for less than you would pay for an unsigned book. Is that cool or what? Don't say "what." I don't think it's "what." :)

And don't forget, the blog tour for Ashley Elliott's Becoming Nikki is still going on, and you can enter for a free signed copy.

Becoming Nikki Review

Becoming Nikki by Ashley Elliott

You can find the rest of the blog tour celebrating the release of Becoming Nikki here.

Enter to win a signed copy of Becoming Nikki!

What would you do if you were given the opportunity to rebuild a broken relationship?

Alec and Nikki Scott are the perfect ice dancing duo, executing flawless technique and brilliant performance abilities each time they compete. No one doubts their camaraderie, not even their friends.

But looks can be deceiving. Off the ice, their relationship is in shambles. Ice dancing is the only thing they have in common anymore… and Alec wants out.

Just as Nikki feels like their relationship can’t get any worse, an unexpected tragedy crashes into her life. She’s left struggling with a difficult choice as her opinion of her brother slowly starts to change.

Whatever she decides, she knows that her life will never be the same.

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Disclaimer: I am a friend of the author, a beta reader, and the book formatter, but I love this book on its own merit. I would not have been so involved in the publishing of this book had I not truly believed everything I've said about it.

I first heard of this book from the author's sister and was interested, but unsure what to expect out of it. I must say, it exceeded my expectations. I don't read much contemporary fiction, generally preferring fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction, but Becoming Nikki is a book that easily joins my generally preferred genres. I love the ice dancing angle of the story, but Nikki's relationship with her brother Alec outshines even that. Ashley writes the ups and downs of their relationship well, and all the characters feel like real people.

I really do love the characters. Nikki is very relatable, and her friend Natalie is a fun and entertaining girl. I also really liked Dylan. He's a gentleman, which I appreciate. I don't know what to say about Alec without giving spoilers, but I both loved and hated him.

Becoming Nikki is well written, really making me feel like I was experiencing the story. I stayed up late several nights reading it, and not at all because I had agreed to beta read it. I really wanted to keep reading. I was anxious to know what happened. I also enjoyed the pop culture references, particularly the Doctor Who ones. Ashley and I are fellow Whovians. :)

There is also a faith element to the story. There is no doubt it is a Christian book. Nikki has some learning to do in the faith department. It is well executed, and not preachy.

I highly recommend Becoming Nikki to everyone. It is an excellent story, that has absolutely nothing to prevent children from reading it, with a great message and memorable characters.

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Ashley Elliott is a writer, reader, musician, photographer, tree-climber, and Leaguette. She speaks fluently in movie quotes and spends most of her time fangirling over her latest obsession. In her free time, she enjoys laughing with her friends, laughing over Christian indie films (but secretly loving them), and laughing with her five crazy siblings. Ashley is a homeschool graduate and is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Humanities through CollegePlus. She lives in Georgia with her parents and siblings, and doesn't have any pets.

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