Welcome to the RRBC "Rockin' 2020 Away" Book, Blog, & Trailer Block Party! Each day, a different RRBC author will promote his/her book(s) with a personalized blog on his/her website. Today is my day! :-)
Here are the prizes you can win just for leaving a comment below:
- Author spotlight and book promo on my site
- Free e-book of mine (your choice)
- $5 Amazon gift card
Congratulations to my winners!
Susanne Leist
Marian Beaman
Rox Burkey
You should receive an email with your prize soon! :-)
In addition to my prizes, RRBC is awarding a $50 Amazon gift card as the Grand Prize to one lucky winner (pulled from the comments of all participating blog sites). See official rules here.
Most of you are familiar with my Chronicles of the Diasodz series, so today I want to share with you my first published short story, Breathless: A Short Story.
I grew up watching Disney movies on VHS tapes. I loved each and every story, and I still do today. The older Disney movies focused on a female being in distress and a "prince charming" coming to the rescue. Disney's come along way since the damsel-in-distress movies, and I enjoy the diversity I see in their movies today. Still, that "true love's kiss" always stuck with me as I grew older.
(GIPHY image) (GIPHY image)
I mean, really... It's a cute ending and a great way to quickly tie up the story, but it set a high (and disappointing) standard for every relationship thereafter because, in reality, all the hard work comes after true love's kiss. LOL!
So, one morning several years ago, I woke up with tidbits of memories from that night's dream, something that happens to me quite often. The question resounding in my mind was, what if that kiss was a curse instead of a blessing? What if it wreaked havoc instead of a happily ever after?
I immediately grabbed the journal by my bedside and wrote what I could remember from the dream. And it sat there for years as I wrote the five books in my Chronicles of the Diasodz series. I'm still working on book six (Drake's story), but when the Rave Reviews Book Club challenged its readers to write a short story in 90 days, my twisted little fairy tale perked up in my mind.
What I wrote in my journal years ago is the beginning of a full novel, a story that take places 100 years after Breathless, but I realized I could write the origins of the curse as a short story, so I did.
Book Blurb:
What if the fairy tale kiss that always awakens the damsel in distress takes a sinister turn? What if prince charming’s kiss no longer produces a happily ever after?
Silena’s infatuation with William hits a speed bump when he rejects her. After all, she is just a maid, and he is a young, rich aristocrat in the 1920s. Why would he have any desire to waste his time with the help?
On one particularly lonely day, Silena calls upon her magic to transform into a sexy flapper for the night. Her dream to enjoy one night with William is finally in her grasp, but her magic comes with consequences that neither William nor Silena could ever imagine.
This was such a fun story to write. I love stories with a twist, and this one is pretty twisted. There are no princesses in this story, and there is no happily ever after (just yet). ;-) I hope you will grab a copy and read it. It's just $0.99, so why not! If you do, I'd love for you to come back and share your thoughts with me.
Thanks for stopping by! Remember to leave a comment below to win one of my prizes. And if you'd like a chance to win even more prizes from other amazing authors, check out our line-up for the rest of our #RRBC Rockin' 2020 Away Book, Blog, & Trailer Block Party here. :-)
Here are some ways you can connect with me:
Hi, Yvette! All of this PDA is making me highly uncomfortable so I'm trying to rush away from your blog!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Have an amazing day on the block and I true love's kiss has probably impacted many of us.
Have fun!
Lol! I have no doubt that these PDAs affected us all in some way or another. Thanks for stopping by, Nonnie. :-)
DeleteI really enjoy your blog and books Yvette. The Disney GIFs are wonderful. They make me remember when. All that mushy stuff that is likely why I do like romance novels so much. Great part of the 2020 Rockin' Tour!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rox! I'm not a huge fan of romance novels, but I do love a great love story. Lol! :-)
DeleteHi Yvette. A Disney inspiration is always a good one. While I cannot claim I have used my childhood (and parental) love of Disney stories as the motivation for any of my writing, I get where you are coming from. My childhood favorite was always Jungle Book. When my kids were little, we watched Aladdin and The Lion King over and over. It never got old!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes with your new story>
I loved Jungle Book, Aladdin, and The Lion King! I will often find myself breaking into one of the songs from those movies, especially, "I wanna be like youuuu, Wanna be like meeee, I wanna walk like you, talk like you, toooooo." LOL! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me. :-)
DeleteI got posted as Unknown...but this is Sam Polakoff. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! Thanks, Sam! You made me start dancing in my seat with those song memories. lol! :-)
DeleteYvette, my love of fairy tales equates to your crush on Disney movies, which I see in your writing comes with a twist.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, your Amazon blurb contains the same repetition of two words as mine: "What if...?" "What if...?" Great way to rope in a reader, I'd say.
Now I need to find out which of your books to buy . . . maybe more than one!
I definitely enjoyed this stop on the tour, Yvette!
Thanks, Marian! If I could make a suggestion, I'd say start with this short story (Breathless). It contains the first chapter of The One Discovered, which is free on Amazon, at the end of the story. The One Discovered is also the first book of my Diasodz series. ;-)
DeleteThanks for the tip, Yvette!
DeleteYou're welcome, Marian! :-)
DeleteYvette, I love the graphics on your post. And how you write your stories is quite interesting. I do have Breathless and have put it on my bucket list of readings during the holidays.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful rockin tour.
Thank you, Shirley! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it. :)
DeleteI'm still waiting for my fairy tale kiss. I've also watched too many Disney movies and read too many romances. But the true love kiss turning into a curse boggles my mind. I love your idea. It reminds me of the Pride and Prejudice variations I've been reading. What if Darcy's love wasn't pure? You have me hooked.
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm happy I piqued your interest, Susanne. :-)
DeleteHi, Yvette. I thoroughly enjoyed "Breathless," and recommend it to everyone who enjoys adult fairytales and/or a bit of magic. Best wishes!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing it with others. :-)
DeleteOkay, Yvette, you talked me into it! I'll pick up a copy of Breathless right away. Enjoy the rest of the block party!
ReplyDeleteThank you, John! I look forward to reading your thoughts on it. :-)
DeleteHi Yvette! Loved Breathless and enjoyed your website...you've been really busy! I did read the first book in your series and have book two queued in my TBR folder. I just bought too many books during the conference in August and keep shuffling books around after finishing one of them. Have a great day and enjoy the rest of your tour.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I totally understand because I'm in the same situation. I have so many books I want to read and have to eenie-meenie-minee-moe it every time I finish one and have to pick another one because I want to read ALL of them. Lol! Thank you for your support. :-)
DeleteWhat a lovely post Yvette. Enjoy the rest of your day.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Robert! I appreciate you stopping by. :-)
DeleteBreathless sounds so interesting. I love explorations of the 1920s time period. Thanks for creating a superb tour stop! Enjoy the rest of the Block Party.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Flossie. It was my first time writing in that era, so I hope I did so well. :-)
DeleteHi, Yvette! What a fun blog post I enjoyed Breathless and how awesome to know it all started with a dream! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jan! I'm so grateful for your support with writing my first short story. :-)
DeleteHi Yvette--I like the fact that you're tackling the reverse "Disney" ending. I'm anxious to read it. I'm also interested that you're writing about something you experienced in a dream. I attended a songwriting workshop last March, just before the pandemic started, and the leader (the wonderful Maura Kennedy of the duo The Kennedys), encouraged us to keep a notebook next to our beds to record our dreams. Interestingly enough, I had a dream about HER and her husband last night, and it turns out today is their 25th wedding anniversary. You just never know where ideas originate. Thanks for writing and supporting other writers.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Wanda. I do have a journal next to my bed. My dreams tend to be very vivid. So far, everything I've written has come from a dream. I guess it works for me. :-)
DeleteWonderful post, Yvette, I am a huge Disney fan. My favourite is Alice in Wonderland. I just finished listening to The One Discovered this morning and enjoyed it very much. I will go and look for the audio book of the second book in the series this weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Robbie! I appreciate you letting me know that you enjoyed the audiobook. Unfortunately, the reader did not continue the series, and I have not yet pursued finding another reader. I didn't have the best experience with creating the first one, but I will try to open myself up to finding another reader for the rest of the books. If you have any recommendations, please share them. :-)
DeleteHi Yvette,
ReplyDeleteFor some reason or another my comment disappeared after I submitted it. I can't repeat all that I have said, but I wanted you to know that I like your article. I feel I have gotten to know you a little better. Also I have the first two of your books and your short story which is on the top of my TBR list.
Wishing you all the best.
Shalom aleichem
Thank you, Pat! I truly appreciate you taking the time to rewrite your message. Thank you for your support. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my stories. :-)
DeleteI love how the story came to you in a dream. Glad you wrote it down, because it was a fantastic story:) xo
ReplyDeleteThank you, Denise! I appreciate you reviewing it for me and helping me make it stronger. :-)
DeleteI loved this story.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Charles! It makes me happy to know you enjoyed it. :-)
DeleteGreat intro to you and to BREATHLESS too, Yvette. Perfect party stop! 🎉
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bette! I'm so happy you stopped by. :-)
DeleteHi, Yvette. I am so sorry I am late to this blog party stop. I've been out of town and just got back, so catching up. I loved "Breathless!" And thank you for sharing the inspiration that caused you to write it! Great stop!
ReplyDeleteThat must have been a great vacation because you forgot that you actually commented before you left. :-P Still, I appreciate you wanting to make sure you stopped by. Thank you for your support! :-)
Delete