YA Fantasy author J.N. Tomczak is pleased to present her newest release, Edenhart’s Rivalry.
Check out the stunning cover and blurb below!
Also, get to know the author with J.N. Tomczak’s bio and social media links.
And don’t forget to enter the release giveaway!
AN ANCIENT CURSE. A KINGDOM IN PERIL. ONE FAERIE TO SAVE THEM ALL…
Darkness is spreading across the kingdoms—and one faerie stands between destruction and survival. Aurora’s peaceful existence is shattered by an unexpected tragedy that leaves her as the last surviving heir to the throne. But her reign is threatened before it can even begin.
Her court swells with spies and traitors. There are growing tales of a mysterious blight. Strange riders abroad are hunting for something—or someone.
On the day of her coronation, she and her loyal friend, Percy, the newly appointed Flight Captain, discover an ancient prophecy sealed away and guarded in a secret chamber beneath the castle. There they uncover a sinister plot that will spiral her people into a war they cannot win on their own. Her courage and wit will be her greatest weapons if she hopes to succeed where others have failed. She must ask herself just how far is she willing to go to save her kingdom and at what costs?
I recently had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Jennifer Kropf, author of the gorgeously festive fantasy novel A Soul as Cold as Frost, about her upcoming projects and where she finds inspiration for her stories.
Here’s what she had to say…
Hi Jen! It’s lovely to finally get to chat with you. Tell us a little bit about yourself. First of all, where are you from?
I’m from Canada, where it snows too much and often smells of pines. I have a husband and three kids, and we live in a little town on the cusp of Stratford, Ontario that has all the small-town-charm you can imagine. I like to write late at night, and I’m one of those weirdos who would rather brew a hot beverage and snuggle up with a book on a weekend instead of going out to do things.
That sounds like the dream! I’m definitely one of those weirdos too. When did you start writing and what inspired you?
Growing up, my dad used to read The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis to me and my siblings before bed. We became obsessed with the world of Narnia, and Aslan. When I started having kids, I imagined having those same experiences with my kids at Christmas time, so I started writing A Soul as Cold as Frost with the hopes that every year at Christmas we can spend the month of December snuggling by the fireplace reading exciting Christmas stories, and bonding over them as a family.
What a lovely idea, that sounds like the perfect family tradition. Aside from The Chronicles of Narnia, what are your favourite books?
My favourite books to read have always been fantasy books, especially with exceptionally built worlds.
Those are my favourites too. Speaking of which, tell us a little about your debut novel.
I published my first book last year called A Soul as Cold as Frost, which centres around a girl whose eyes are opened to another realm at Christmas time, and throughout the series, will face all sorts of mythical villains pulled out of old Christmas legends.
It sounds like such a magical read, where do you find inspiration for your characters?
Obviously I love Christmas, so a lot of my characters are drawn from Christmas stories or legends. I have a few different versions of Santa Claus (multiple characters who impersonate different versions of Santa) in my books, along with The Snow Queen, The Gingerbread Man, and the Nutcracker.
I love characters inspired by myths and legends! What are you working on right now?
Right now I’m working on Book #2 of The Winter Souls Series (A Soul as Cold as Frost #2) which I’m calling A Heart as Red as Paint. AHARAP centres around my main character, Helen, who gets a visit from a ghostly being (inspired by the ghost of Christmas past/present/future in the story A Christmas Carol) who gives Helen three warnings in the form of a riddle. She has to solve the riddle before her time runs out, or she’ll face the dreadful future she was warned about.
I’m so excited to read it next Christmas! What one piece of advice would you give aspiring authors?
Market your books way ahead of time. With the pandemic, most of my marketing plan was squashed when our province started going into lockdown and all my kids ended up being home for most of the year, but your best way to get people excited about your book is to start telling people about it way in advance.
Thank you so much for chatting with me Jennifer, it’s been lovely getting to know you and your books better. Where can we find out more?
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Jennifer Kropf better, I highly recommend A Soul as Cold as Frost, it’s going to become a modern Christmas classic and would make the perfect family read over the winter months. And keep an eye out for book two, A Heart as Red as Paint.
Jen is also contributing a story to Enchanted Waters, Merrily Merrily, which tells the origin tale of snow pirate, Zane, with cameos by other ASACAF characters you’ll recognise! You can preorder Enchanted Waters for just $2.99 and get more than ten fantasy short stories from bestselling, award-winning and up-and-coming authors, with all profits going to Oceana to help save the world’s oceans.
I’m a big fan of fantasy books, and the only thing I love more than a fantasy story is several fantasy stories in one boxset! I’ve collated a few of my favourite boxsets and anthologies below, from short stories to full length novels, and clean YA tales to steamy-as-you-like fantasy romance.
Enchanted forests.Deadly bargains.Welcome to the magic of Faerie.
Sadly, this short story collection is no longer available to buy, but you can find the authors on Instagram and head to their websites to get your hands on these stories.
My favourite so far is Heir of Bitter Thorn by Kay L. Moody, and I cannot wait to dive into her series, The Fae of Bitter Thorn. Because, did I mention, every one of these shorts leads into a full length fantasy series?? So good.
If you like your fairytales with a pinch of spice, this is the anthology for you! Over twenty fantasy romance writers have joined together to recreate your favourite fairy tales with added steam and sass.
Find the authors on Instagram to find out more about the stories, and add it to your Goodreads shelf too.
Coming March 2022, you can preorder this collection on Amazon now for just 99c/77p!
This USA Today bestselling collection of twenty-two full length fairy tale retellings is FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Does it get better than that?
Many of the books included are the first in a series, so there’s plenty more where that came from. Discover your new favourite author between the pages of this boxset and you won’t be running out of reading material for a long time…
This anthology is a collection of diverse YA fantasy tales, showcasing diverse characters and stories from #ownvoices authors. With twenty short stories by some of my favourite authors, there’s bound to be something for every fantasy lover.
Alice Ivinya’s story features a girl with a stutter and chronic muscle weakness, set in an Asian-inspired fantasy world! (Alice Ivinya features in no less than three of the anthologies I’ve sharing today because I adore her incredible words.)
Coming 22 June, you can preorder the ebook on Amazon now.
I couldn’t share the anthologies I’m most excited about without mentioning Enchanted Waters! My story, Daughter of the Selkie King will be featured in this collection of ten water-magic fantasy stories this summer.
With tales featuring every fantasy water creature you can imagine (and some you almost definitely can’t), from mermaids and kelpies, to sirens and selkies, you’re bound to find at least one story to fall deep in love with. Discover your new favourite author in our captivating collection of short fantasy stories.
Hopefully I’ve helped you to build your TBR with a couple of those anthologies, but if you’d like to get your hands on a free ARC of Enchanted Waters in exchange for an honest review, keep reading…
When you become a member, you’ll get access to our private Facebook group and your free gift of two stories by authors from the anthology!
Once we reach our goal of 100 street team members, you’ll be entered into a giveaway to win ten ebooks and short stories from the authors. And if we hit 250 members, another huge giveaway will be announced, so invite your friends and let’s get to our goal!
