Talk Like a Pirate Day - Teapot Tales Volume 2 Book Blast & Giveaway!

“I'm no longer a child and I still want to be, to live with the pirates. Because I want to live forever in wonder. The difference between me as a child and me as an adult is this and only this: when I was a child, I longed to travel into, to live in wonder. Now, I know, as much as I can know anything, that to travel into wonder is to be wonder. So it matters little whether I travel by plane, by rowboat, or by book. Or, by dream. I do not see, for there is no I to see. That is what the pirates know. There is only seeing and, in order to go to see, one must be a pirate.” ~Kathy Acker

"Teapot Tales: Pirates, Mermaids and Monsters of the Sea" is having its very own book blast and giveaway in honor of "Talk Like a Pirate Day" which falls on September 19th this year.

About the anthology:

In the spirit of “Teapot Tales: A Collection of Unique Fairy Tales” is this wonderful second volume of short stories to enjoy! With stories to enchant readers of all ages, this collection of pirate and mermaid stories will open your eyes to the magic that can be found under the sea. Let yourself be pulled into the magical worlds found within these stories. From pirates and sea monsters to kind-hearted mermaids and flesh-eating sirens, let these charming ocean tales sweep you away into the realm of fantasy. With twenty-six stories, including four poems, written by seventeen different authors from around the world, “Teapot Tales: Pirates, Mermaids and Monsters of the Sea” is a wonderful collection of short stories, each story just long enough to enjoy with a cup of tea.

The proceeds from this anthology go exclusively towards providing for the Chapter Book Challenge, and the stories in this anthology were written and illustrated entirely by ChaBooCha members.

There are two separate versions of the book, both in kindle and paperback, a version with US spellings and a UK edition with UK spellings and language.

This is the second volume of the Teapot Tales anthologies. The first one was published in 2013, and it was called "Teapot Tales: A Collection of Unique Fairy Tales."

“Darwin may have been quite correct in his theory that man descended from the apes of the forest, but surely woman rose from the frothy sea, as resplendent as Aphrodite on her scalloped chariot.” ~Margot Datz, "A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids"

Other Book Blast Participants:(Go check out their blogs!)

Julia Stilchen

Melissa Gijsbers

Ashley Howland

Melusine Muse Press

Chapter Book Challenge

Jo Hart

Melissa Writes

Now that you know all about this wonderful anthology, it's time to let you know what the you might win by filling in the Rafflecopter for this giveaway.

magnet

mini poster print

Teapot Tales Volume 1 and Volume 2

- a print copy of "Teapot Tales" (Volume 2)


- a kindle copy of "Teapot Tales" (Volume 2)


 - a mermaid-themed bookmark (with charms)

 
- a magnet with the "Teapot Tales" (Volume 2) cover on it


- a mini poster print of the "Teapot Tales" (Volume 2) book cover
  

- an e-book copy of "Swallow Me, Now" by Melissa Gijsbers

To enter for a chance to win one of the above prizes listed above, fill in the Rafflecopter. Come back and check in as new prizes will be added and new ways to earn points. The winners will be chosen and announced on September 25th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Watch the "Teapot Tales: Pirates, Mermaids and Monsters of the Sea" book trailer! #TeapotTales

Teapot Tales: Pirates, Mermaids and Monsters of the Sea" has its own book trailer, thanks to the creative and talented efforts of Julia Stilchen! Watch it with your kids!


*****

In the spirit of “Teapot Tales: A Collection of Unique Fairy Tales” is this wonderful second volume of short stories to enjoy! With stories to enchant readers of all ages, this collection of pirate and mermaid stories will open your eyes to the magic that can be found under the sea. Let yourself be pulled into the magical worlds found within these stories. From pirates and sea monsters to kind-hearted mermaids and flesh-eating sirens, let these charming ocean tales sweep you away into the realm of fantasy. With twenty-six stories, including four poems, written by seventeen different authors from around the world, “Teapot Tales: Pirates, Mermaids and Monsters of the Sea” is a wonderful collection of short stories, each story just long enough to enjoy with a cup of tea.

To buy in the US: 

Paperback 

Kindle

To buy in the UK: 

Paperback

Kindle


To buy in the AU:

Kindle

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Achievements - Insecure Writers Support Group Post for September 2013 #IWSG

 This is my sixth monthly Insecure Writer's Support Group post. The IWSG is hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the IWSG is:

"to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!"

  
This is my post for Insecure Writer's Support Group for September 2013. The topic I chose for this one is "achievements."

One of the biggest things that has helped my confidence in my writing has been getting my short stories into anthologies. My longer novels may not be ready for print, but those short stories keep working for me. Every time I get to see another of my stories in print, I feel a little bit more confident in my writing and it strengthens my belief that I am a capable of finishing my novels and getting them out there into the world.

I've found my critiquing skills have grown as I help other writer-friends by looking over their stories and I know that I am strong at proofreading. Each achievement is another step taking me in the direction I want to go.

Now, here is where I get to boast a bit about some of my recent achievements. As some of you know, I run the Chapter Book Challenge (ChaBooCha) every year in March, and the ChaBooCha Facebook group stays open all year. The members of ChaBooCha (mostly ones who are active in the Facebook group) all came together to write flash fiction stories for an anthology of fairy tales with proceeds to benefit ChaBooCha.

On August 10th, Teapot Tales: A Collection of Unique Fairy Tales became available on Kindle. And any day now, the print version of the book will become available on Amazon.

This book is a wonderful anthology of fairy tales, from twists on the classics to band new stories. The stories are enchanting, and getting wrapped up in the magical worlds created within Teapot Tales' pages is a terrific way to spend a bit of time. I had help editing some of the stories, but overall, I edited, put together, formatted and created the books. There were 35 stories in total, including two poems, and there were 21 authors.

Getting Teapot Tales out into the world feels like one of those achievements I've been writing about in this post. It feels terrific!

And, I have achieved another small achievement. The doodle books I created are now available for purchase on Amazon too! The doodle books are pattern coloring books with pages for doodling in the back. Both books are the same inside, but are different sizes. Their titles are Doodle Your Heart Out and Little Book of Doodles.  My blog Designing Doodles has a post that shows some of the interior designs within the books.

The doodle books are books created completely by me (using some of my husband's art too) and I am so pleased with how they came out. No, they aren't an example of my writing, but I still think they are fun little books and creating them was another notch in my editing and publishing knowledge. And they will make some wonderful Christmas gifts for kids!

I am currently working on putting together the female superhero anthology, which is an anthology with 27 stories and 24 different authors. It still needs some illustrations for the interior and a cover. The proceeds from it will be benefiting the charity Because I Am a Girl.

Added to this, I have a story in an upcoming anthology, Crock of Charms. And I have three stories which will be in an anthology that will be out later in 2014 called Keepsakes. Another group I am a part of is creating an anthology of Christmas flash fiction which I will be contributing to, and the Chapter Book Challenge group members are now creating an anthology (for kids) of short stories with a Christmas theme, called Jingle Bells.

All of this means I have a lot of work ahead of me over the next few months, but I am loving every moment of keeping busy and CREATING!

If you want to contribute to the Jingle Bells anthology, check out this post for details. It is open to everyone.

If you are an illustrator and would like to donate a female superhero drawing to the female superhero anthology, you can e-mail it to me along with your bio (which will be included in the anthology if we use your illustration. Interior illustrations are to be of one of the superheroes in the stories ( links to posts with the stories can be found here) and to be in black and white.


Oh, and another achievement to mention: I now have an Amazon author page!

What I've learned is this: Every time you create something tangible using your own creativity, it is another nail in the coffin of your self-doubt.

So what are you waiting for, get out there and start creating!

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