Tonight & Monday Last Chance to Get Book Deals!

In case you missed the epic Black Friday Christian Indie Book Sale going on ... you still have tonight and Monday to grab some great deals!

Go to this special site where we have sales on paperbacks: 
http://www.indiechristianbooks.com/

My own novella, A Dream Not Imagined, has a special sale - $6.99 and FREE shipping.

On Amazon.com, it's $5.99 + $3.99 shipping; so you're saving about $3.00 if you order it from this site tonight or tomorrow (Monday)!

Or you can get the kindle version FREE on Amazon: 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1512324620?keywords=a%20dream%20not%20imagined&qid=1448843264&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Be sure to leave a review on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com if you read and enjoy it! ^_^

Some other epic deals include Jaye L. Knight's ILYON CHRONICLES package deal for $27.00 and FREE shipping.

Molly Evangeline's MAKILIEN TRILOGY package deal for $30.00 and FREE shipping. (I bought this one and am SO EXCITED to get it in the mail!)

Tricia Mingerink's Dare [THE BLADES OF ACKTAR #1] for $11.00 and FREE shipping.

And many more! There's Fantasy, Historical, Children, Romance, Contemporary, and special Package Deals.

Don't miss!! :D

Black Friday Indie Book Sale Begins!!!

Like most other bookworms, great books make their way onto my "things I'm thankful for" list every year. It's hard to choose favorites, but I went ahead and picked five books I read in 2015 and am thankful for.

1. The King's Scrolls, by Jaye L. Knight: Amazing fantasy! Profound, exciting, and beautiful! The characters are forever in my heart!
2. Deny, by Tricia Mingerink: Another superb Christian fantasy! I love how these books both challenge and captivate you! 
3. Through Waters Deep, by Sarah Sundin: Rich, romantic historicals are some of my favorite reads! And this one even has a mystery entwined throughout!
4. Draven's Light, by Anne Elisabeth Stengl: Absolutely thrilling! Fantasy novellas that capture your interest from beginning to end are great!
5. Mardan's Mark, by Kathrese McKee: I just adore fantasy and am so grateful for all the wonderful Christian authors who write it! Incredible adventure, grand storyline, and amazing characters!

(I could go on and on about 2015 reads that I'm so happy I got to read this year ... but I'm only supposed to pick five books. Nadine Brandes, Serena Chase, Lori Benton, Jill Williamson, Julia Erickson, Angie Brashear, Melanie Dickerson, Shonna Slayton, Gillian Bronte Adams, Marissa Meyer, Christine Johnson, Kendra Ardnek, Mary Weber, Ashley Townsend ... etc., etc. ... EEP! You are all so amazing! *smiles*)

*Ahem* Now, on to the sale!!! Check it out, my friends! Buy some books!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to another great year of reading! Speaking of more reading, here's one more thing to be grateful for. Books on sale! In honor of Thanksgiving and Black Friday, a group of independent Christian authors banded together to offer over seventy discounted books on Nov 27-30. There's literally something for everyone. Every single book listed on Indie Christian Books is on sale in one or more ways. Find discounted paperbacks, dozens of books offered with free shipping, $0.99 ebooks, package deals and more. Even if you have a budget of $0, new reading material awaits you. Don't know what to pick? The fearless Indie Christian Books team created a quiz that will generate a book list perfect for you! Check it out!

What awesome reads of 2015 are you grateful for? What books are you looking forward to reading in 2016?

A note on the Ebooks Only page. All books are listed as "Sold Out." This only refers to paperback copies of these titles. Please click onto the product pages to find descriptions and links to discounted or free ebooks.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Leah E. Good for her work organizing this sale, Gloria Repp for completing the time consuming job of uploading book info to the sale website, and Hannah Mills for her fantastic design work on the website graphics. Hannah can be contacted at hmills(at)omorecollege(dot)edu for more information about her design services.

Look What Came in the Mail Today!!

     Yay!!! I've dreamed of the day when I could say that!! ;) Haha. But truly, I was so excited to receive my order of copies of A Dream Not Imagined!! I've shipped out multiple orders; and if you'd like to order through me (to save some shipping), then please email me at: swordmaidenofthelight@gmail.com!

     Now for some pictures . . . to show you how excited I am! ^_^

     Wahoo!! Great excitement!! I'm an author!! ^__^ <3

     And, in case you were wondering, those pictures behind me are my little sister's drawings of me, :D

Note: To my beta readers of Silver Rose; I have four/five (long) chapters left to go through, and then I shall send it out to you guys!!! So excited . . . and nervous . . . to hear what you think! :)

Blog Tour Wrap-Up for A Dream Not Imagined: Winner Announced and Excerpt

     Hey all!! We've come to the last day of the tour for my new novella release, A Dream Not Imagined. I hope you guys have enjoyed the fun posts of the last few days, I know I definitely did!! :)

     A huge thank you to all those who participated!!! For the superb interviews, lovely reviews, and fun spotlights and whatnot. Thank you so much!! I so appreciate the support as I published my first book! I'm overwhelmed, humbled, and so very happy and excited by all the positive reviews I'm getting for my story! Yay!! <3

     A Dream Not Imagined (kindle copy) remains $.99 on Amazon, and I'm hoping to release the paperback version soon! Eep!! So exciting!! Stay tuned for more news of that in the days to come!

     If you read and enjoyed my fairy tale novella, do leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and the like! Every review is a blessing and helps tons!!! ^__^

Winner Announced:

     Now for the winner of a kindle copy of A Dream Not Imagined + a $5 Amazon giftcard!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
     Congratulations, Lena!!! I hope you enjoy!! :) Will send you your prize soon! :D

    Excerpt from A Dream Not Imagined:

     "Poor girl," one said in a stage-whisper, "that she doesn't get to share in her father's fortunate rise to nobility."

     The other woman fanned herself slowly and eyed Ellie with a speculating look. "You'd think she would be accepted in society, if not for Lady Abbington."

     Ellie turned away, cheeks burning.

     "Dear me," Lady Burch fretted. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. But why the purchases? Surely Dezmarie and Adelaide don't need more dresses!"

     Ellie fiddled with the frayed ends of her cuffs. There was a legitimate reason she didn't like going into the village.

     "Goodness! Has there been word of a ball?" Lady Burch grasped Ellie's arms, the jewels on her hat glinting in the sun and nearly blinding Ellie. "Do tell, girl!"

     Oh dear. Ellie opened her mouth to speak.

     A rumble of horses' hooves sounded in the distance. Lady Burch looked up, one hand dropping from Ellie's arm. Ellie looked up too, pressing a hand to the base of her throat. The rumble came nearer.

     "Make way!" the faint cry sounded.

(Taken from A Dream Not Imagined. Copyright by Shantelle Mary Hannu)

     So that's that! Once again, thanks to all who helped with this blog tour! :) And I hope those of you who decide to pick up A Dream Not Imagined will enjoy it!! Blessings, dear readers! :) :)

Blog Tour Schedule

Thursday, May 28th

Shantelle Mary Hannu at A Writer's Heart ~~ It’s published!!!

Cookielover at The Story Forest  ~~ Author Interview

Amanda Beguerie at Scattered Journal Pages ~~ Book Review

Kaycee Browning at The Pink Cave ~~ Author Interview

Natasha at Through My Lens ~~ Character Interview with Cinderella

Kendra Ardnek at Knitted by God's Plan ~~ Author Interview

Friday, May 29th

Deborah O'Carroll at The Road of a Writer ~~ Author Cinderella-themed Interview

Claire Banschbach at The Overactive Imagination ~~ Book Review

Ghost Ryter at Anything, Everything ~~ Author Interview

Skye Hoffert at Ink Castles ~~ Character Interview with The Stepsisters

Natacha at Mi Baile Perfecto ~~ Author Interview

Saturday, May 30th

Hannah Williams at The Writer's Window ~~ Author Interview

Raechel at God's Peculiar Treasure ~~ Book Review

C.B. Cook at The World of the Writer ~~ Character Interview with The Stepmother

Lena K. at Read, Write, Laugh, DANCE ~~ Character Spotlight (The Fairy Godmother)

Sierra at Flights from the Aerie ~~ Author Interview

Sunday, May 31st

Shantelle Mary Hannu at A Writer's Heart ~~ Tour Wrap-Up and Excerpt

Review Links:

http://scatteredjournalpages.com/2015/05/27/book-thursdays-blog-tour-a-dream-not-imagined-review/

https://clairembanschbach.wordpress.com/2015/05/29/a-dream-not-imagined-review-and-blogtour/

https://godspeculiartreasurerae.wordpress.com/

https://deborahocarroll.wordpress.com/2015/05/13/review-a-dream-not-imagined/

http://tashahphotography.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-dream-not-imagined-cover-reveal.html

http://poetreeandbooks.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-dream-not-imagined-cover-reveal-review.html

http://skyehoffert.blogspot.ca/2015/04/cover-reveal-dream-not-imagined.html

http://www.amazon.com/review/R2SKHZXNITG7TB/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00Y1PUJH4&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1250871873?book_show_action=false&page=1

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1251179761?book_show_action=false&page=1

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1251934924?book_show_action=false&page=1

Blog Tour: A Dream Not Imagined by Shantelle Mary Hannu

Today marks a very exciting, happy, dream-like day for me. A day I've been waiting for for almost ten years. A day one of my dreams came true. Today this eighteen-year-old writer became a published author! ^_^

That's right! A Dream Not Imagined, my fairytale novella, is now available to the world on Amazon.com through KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). I published a book!! Wahoo! *grins* Indie-publishing is no simple feat, guys. A lot goes into polishing and getting a story perfected for publication, and also figuring out all the things like cover art and formatting and whatnot. So now that publication day has come, I just can't tell you how thrilling and unreal it is! Sometimes I just sit here grinning like a fool! *grins and winks*

I hope this day is only the first of many release days for me!  Silver Rose shall be next, Lord willing! ^_^

So without further ado, let's take a peek at this new release and then delve into the fun! (Including a giveaway)! *smiles*

About the Book

A MAID, a PRINCE, and a DUKE. A GARDENER, a STEPMOTHER, and a secret ...

Ellie Abbington, a beautiful yet unassuming young woman, quietly longs for her life to change. Too privileged to associate with the servants—too underprivileged to associate with her own family; she dreams a dream of a prince and a happily ever after.

But it could be that her own stepsisters, conniving Dezmarie and easily-influenced Adelaide, are dreaming the same dream...of the same prince.

In the end, are dreams even all they're made out to be? Especially with deep and long-hidden secrets about to be unearthed?

A Dream Not Imagined is a non-magical fairytale novella based loosely on the classic tale of Cinderella.

Purchase as a kindle book on Amazon now!

Just wanted to clarify, even if you don't own an actual Kindle, you can still read kindle books, as long as you have an Amazon account. Simply download the free Kindle app to your computer and you will be able to buy and read A Dream Not Imagined! *grins*

Here’s a link . . . (since I usually have such a hard time figuring out things like this, haha!) Click the link below and it should start downloading the Kindle app to your PC right away!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/pc/download

And I am working on making a paperback form of A Dream Not Imagined. So if you prefer reading paperback (like I do) then be on the look-out for that! *smiles*

Character Introduction

Hop on over to Pinterest, and check out my A Dream Not Imagined board! There you can meet characters such as the Maid, the Prince, the Duke, the Stepmother, and even the Stepsisters! *grins*

Giveaway!

Enter the rafflecopter form for a chance to win a kindle copy of A Dream Not Imagined and a $5 Amazon gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One winner will be chosen May 31st, and the gift card and kindle book will be sent to their email.

Blog Tour Schedule

Thursday, May 28th

Shantelle Mary Hannu at A Writer's Heart ~~ It’s published!!!

Cookielover at The Story Forest  ~~ Author Interview

Amanda Beguerie at Scattered Journal Pages ~~ Book Review

Kaycee Browning at The Pink Cave ~~ Author Interview

Natasha at Through My Lens ~~ Character Interview with Cinderella

Kendra Ardnek at Knitted by God's Plan ~~ Author Interview

Friday, May 29th

Deborah O'Carroll at The Road of a Writer ~~ Author Cinderella-themed Interview

Claire Banschbach at The Overactive Imagination ~~ Book Review

Ghost Ryter at Anything, Everything ~~ Author Interview

Skye Hoffert at Ink Castles ~~ Character Interview with The Stepsisters

Natacha at Mi Baile Perfecto ~~ Author Interview

Saturday, May 30th

Hannah Williams at The Writer's Window ~~ Author Interview

Raechel at God's Peculiar Treasure ~~ Book Review

C.B. Cook at The World of the Writer ~~ Character Interview with The Stepmother

Lena K. at Read, Write, Laugh, DANCE ~~ Character Spotlight (The Fairy Godmother)

Sierra at Flights from the Aerie ~~ Author Interview

Sunday, May 31st

Shantelle Mary Hannu at A Writer's Heart ~~ Tour Wrap-Up and Excerpt

Coming Soon ... A Blog Tour for A Dream Not Imagined

     Wahoo, guys!! I'm officially setting up a blog tour for my upcoming novella release, A Dream Not Imagined!! (A crazy, last-minute blog tour... um, hehe). 

     If you would like to be part of it, do email me at swordmaidenofthelight@gmail.com! Just need your blog name and URL, and also what day you can post on and what kind of post you'd like to do.

     The tour will run from the 28th-31st of this month. So you can either post the 28th, 29th, or 30th. (The 31st will be my wrap-up post).

     Author interview, character interview, character spotlight . . . if you have any suggestions for additional posts one could do for a book blog tour, do let me know! :D

     Also, I will be doing a giveaway, so yay! Come check out the blog tour even if you don't participate in it! :)

     Release date is set for May 28th. My first story is going to  be published, guys!! I've been waiting for that day for like ten years, haha! :D I'm so super excited! Working with KDP through Amazon to publish A Dream Not Imagined as a Kindle version. If you have any helpful tips or anything concerning that, do tell me before the 28th! XD

     Blessings all! <3 Hope to see you again in nine days for an exciting celebration! ^__^

(Found on Pinterest)

Some Doings...

     Just felt like doing a random post today. So... good morning! How's your day going? :) Mine is going relatively well. I'm looking forward to sitting out in the sun, going through Silver Rose, once I finish with this post and my daily devotionals! 

     Writing & Editing. Speaking of stories, A Dream Not Imagined is coming along well. I just need to hear back from one last beta reader, and then I can change everything that needs to be changed, read through it one or two more times, and start the publishing process!!! =) I'm so excited!! If you haven't noticed.

     And yeah, then there's Silver Rose. As I mentioned above, I'm going through that. Trying to cut down the word count. Making sure everything makes sense and flows nicely storywise. All that. I grow elated and discouraged by turn. A writer's problem, I'm told. If you want to know how I feel, just read the content of one or both of these links: 
https://twitter.com/darci_cole/status/595064965213474816

http://lisamantchev.com/tangled-writing/

(Writers, do definitely read those...they're hilariously yet terribly true).

     Reading. *Sigh* After finishing the epic Draven's Light by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, I'm having the hardest time getting into any other book!! I'm currently reading By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson and Swept to Sea by Heather Manning. About 20% into both. And while they're interesting enough, they just aren't holding my attention for long. So yeah...reading slump! Which is the worst, :(

     But then I find exciting new covers and that makes me a little bit happier! ;p Check these out:

     What think you of those lovlies?? :D

     Blog Stuff. I updated my About Me tab here on my blog...if you wanted to know. Also, I figured out how to get rid of the random white highlighting that has insisted on appearing on my posts lately. I'm SO THRILLED! I don't know, it just feels like a huge burden off my shoulders! XD

     I have some exciting blog posts to-be-published soon! One of them being my Faithful Fridays magic post! That will be up this Friday. I'm simultaneously looking forward to it and dreading it. Ha! Hopefully we'll just have some good conversations following!!

     Also, I have some cover reveals and blog tour posts coming up! Yay!! Oh, and who's excited for the Resistance Anniversary Ball on Facebook??? Nine more days! :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     So I want to know...what doings are happening in your life? What books are you reading or finished recently? Writing? Editing?

     Blessings!! <3 :)

Cover Reveal: A Dream Not Imagined

     And...another cover reveal. For my very own novella!! :D :D I am so excited to share with you today the beautiful cover of A Dream Not Imagined!

     AHH!! Isn't it gorgeous?? ;D I'm blown away by the work of my talented artist sister and an author friend...they've made my story a cover that I just adore! :)

Story Description:

A MAID, a PRINCE, and a DUKE. A GARDENER, a STEPMOTHER, and a secret...

     Ellie Abbington, a beautiful yet unassuming young woman, quietly longs for her life to change. Too privileged to associate with the servants—too underprivileged to associate with her own family; she dreams a dream of a prince and a happily ever after.

     But it could be that her own stepsisters, conniving Dezmarie and easily-influenced Adelaide, are dreaming the same dream...of the same prince.

     In the end, are dreams even all they're made out to be? Especially with deep and long-hidden secrets about to be unearthed?

A Dream Not Imagined is a non-magical fairytale novella based loosely on the classic tale of Cinderella.

Tentative Release Date: June 2015

About the Author:

     Well, that would be me, =) The very excited, about-to-be-published writer! I would love to connect with you here on my blog, or through other social media places:

Facebook: Shantelle Mary Hannu, Author

Twitter: @shantellemary

Goodreads: Shantelle Mary Hannu

Google+: Shantelle H.

Pinterest: Shantelle H.

About the Illustrator:

     Natasha H. is an aspiring photographer and also loves drawing and painting. A Dream Not Imagined is the first book she has drawn the cover picture for.

     Learn more about her work at her blog: Through My Lens.

Pinterest Pics for A Dream Not Imagined:

     Here's some fun pictures from my pinterest storyboard for this novella. Give you a taste of what's in this tale... :)

~ Ellie Abbington, our sunny-blonde haired, blue eyed "Cinderella" ~

~ Fine carriage. Wouldn't it be fun to ride in one? :D ~

~ A glass slipper! :0 :D ~

~ Royal ball ~

~ And, of course, a sweet scene... ;) ~

Bloggers Participating in the Cover Reveal:

Hayden Wand at The Story Girl

Skye Hoffert at Ink Castles (+ review)

Claire Banschbach at Claire M. Banschbach – Thoughts and Rants

Amber Stokes at Seasons of Humility

Ghost Ryter at Anything, Everything

Deborah O’Carroll at The Road of a Writer

Serena at Poetree (+ review)

Jaye L. Knight at Jaye L. Knight’s Blog

Alyssa-Faith at The American Anglophile

Natasha H. at Through My Lens (+ review)

Hannah Williams at The Writer’s Window

Laura Pol at Crafty Booksheeps

Brittney at Brittney’s Book Nook

Jesseca Dawn at Whimsical Writings

E. Kaiser Writes at …The Adventure Begins

Lena K. at Read, Write, Laugh, DANCE

Allison Ruvidich at The Art of Storytelling

Shannon McDermott at Shannon McDermott’s Blog

Tricia Mingerink at The Pen of a Ready Writer