Enchanted Kingdoms for Kids’ Autism

☆ ☆☆‿➹⁀☆ 99c for 20 novels ☆‿➹⁀☆ ☆ ☆

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Support Kids with Autism ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

☆☆☆Only 99c for a few more hours! ☆☆☆

Oh WOW!!!! We’ve made 6722 sales for kids’ autism in 6 days!

This is amazing. We’ve hit many bestseller lists, including:

☆#1 in Fairytales in Amazon

☆#1 in the Nook store

☆#1 in the ibooks store

☆#131 in the entire Kindle Store!

Phenomenal results from enthusiastic readers who are supporting a great charity!

If we can get a few more sales, we may even hit the USA Today bestseller list! That would the the biggest type of AWESOME ever! Can you help us? Can you donate a dollar for charity? Can you share this post?

20 action-packed novels with rave reviews…

Over a million words to read from best-selling authors!

Go on , give Enchanted Kingdoms a chance!

☆.•°°•.☆ ENCHANTED KINGDOMS! ☆.•°°•.☆

YOU’RE INVITED to the ball. ESCAPE from the witch’s tower. ENCOUNTER a dragon or three! STEAL AWAY with Robin Hood into 20 tales you know all too well…

Or so you may have thought… Enchanted Kingdoms puts a new twist on old tales.

20 novels for $0.99 for a limited time! 100% of proceeds will be donated to Puzzle Peace United, a charity for children with autism.

Get in quick before the clock strikes and the 99c spell fades away. ACT NOW!

24 best-selling authors and a support team have been working for over a year to bring this collection to life and propel it up the charts to raise funds for Puzzle Peace United.

Enchanted Kingdoms contains 20 brand new retellings of your favorite fairytales in one stunning box set, all for just 99c with 100% of the proceeds supporting Puzzle Peace United, a children’s autism charity.

But the price goes up soon, so get in quick!

"When the pied piper stole the children, she was left behind."

Explore

a world of your favourite fairy tales twisted into new and enchanting tales

Rediscover

20 fairy tales you loved as a child

Experience

20 happy ever afters from over 20 best-selling authors

Enchanted Kingdoms is available on Apple, Amazon and Nook here.

International Team Spinning Fairytales for Autism

An international team of best-selling and award-winning authors from USA, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden, have pooled resources to help children with Autism. Fueled by their enthusiasm for supporting a good cause, these authors are putting a new twist on classic fairytales in Enchanted Kingdoms, an e-book box set of twenty novels. All funds from this venture will be donated to Puzzle Peace United, a New Jersey-based charity that supports children with Autism and their families.

If readers are hoping their fairy godmothers will grant their wishes for fantastical adventures, they’re in for a treat. For 99 cents, they can plan an escape to Enchanted Kingdoms and enjoy the fairytales they loved as children, now twisted into bewitching stories that will transport them to new worlds. Handsome princes, spellbound princesses, kick-butt heroines, dragons, shape shifters and beasts join the fundraising effort in Enchanted Kingdoms.

The effort is spearheaded by J. A. Armitage and Rhianne Parkes, directors of Enchanted Quill Press, and J.A. Culican, director of Dragon Realm Press, small independent publishers who’ve had online success, including their books hitting the USA Today bestseller list multiple times.

On its first day on sale, the Enchanted Kingdoms box set has become an international bestseller, hitting #256 in the entire Amazon Kindle store, and #5 on Apple iBooks.

Armitage says, “We’re delighted to support such a worthy cause and know Puzzle Peace United makes a real difference to the families of autistic children. With the Enchanted Kingdoms box set, we’ll add some magic to their lives by enthusing fantasy readers around the world to support their cause.”

Rhianne Parkes adds, “We’ve had a lot of readers purchase this 99c box set of twenty novels because they have family members who have Autism. It’s great to see everyone get behind the project.”

J.A. Culican, who is both a USA Today Bestselling author and president of Puzzle Peace United, is thrilled the authors have chosen to raise funds for the non-profit organization. Culican holds a masters in special education and has taught students with Autism for over fifteen years. She also has a daughter on the autistic spectrum.

“We work with parents, teachers, schools, businesses, community leaders and families to enhance the lives of children with Autism,” Culican says of Puzzle Peace. “It’s wonderful to add an international team of authors to our support crew. I hope everyone gets behind this initiative and helps Enchanted Kingdoms to succeed.”

As well as J.A. Culican, many of these fantasy authors have worked in the health arena or have friends or family members with Autism. Some are former nurses, mental health workers and one is a transformational life coach, but they all have something in common — compassion for those on the autism spectrum, and a desire to help readers escape to other worlds.

Their tales span a variety of genres that reflect each author’s passion — traditional high fantasy, epic fantasy, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, historical fantasy and fairytale retellings. All of the novels are suitable for young adults.

NZ AUTHORS SUPPORT THE CAUSE

When local award-winning New Zealand authors Eileen Mueller and A.J. Ponder heard about the initiative, they were thrilled to join the cause and teamed up to write a retelling of Snow White and Rose Red, using modern fantastical characters.

“We both have friends or family with Autism and wanted to be part of an intentional effort to make a difference,” says A.J. Ponder, who writes fantasy for children and young adults.

Eileen Mueller, author of the bestselling young adult dragon series Riders of Fire, of which two books hold NZ Storylines Notable Book Awards, adds, “We couldn’t resist adding dragons to our story. Snow and Red is a paranormal romance in an urban fantasy setting with dragon shapeshifters, street gangs and mages. Our teen advance reading team loved the story so much we’re developing it into a series, The Dragon Shifters’ Hoard, which will launch in 2022.”

“It’s been a lot of fun,” says Mueller. “Just the sort of virtual adventure the world needs during these covid-stricken times.”

Ponder adds, “We’re very happy with the international reception to Enchanted Kingdoms and hope Puzzle Peace does well.”

Fairytale retellings include:

Alice in Wonderland by J. A. Armitage and J.A. Culican
Cinderella by Kimbra Swain
Snow White and Rose Red by Eileen Mueller and A.J. Ponder
Beauty and the Beast by Beth Hale
Aladdin by Zara Quentin
Rumpelstiltskin by Craig Halloran
Sleeping Beauty by Stacey O’Neale
Wizard of Oz by Amanda Marin
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves by Lacy Sheridan
Red Riding Hood by May Dawson
Rapunzel by Anne Stryker
Robin Hood by Jacque Stevens
Little Match Girl by Lee Ann Ward
The Snow Queen by Laura Burton and Jessie Cal
Little Mermaid by Nadira Golde
The Pied Piper by Alice Ivinya
Mulan by Charlotte Daniels and Charlie Daniels
The Girl without Hands by Daphne Moore & D. Fischer
Nix of the Mill Pond by Astrid V.J
Thumbelina by Robin D. Mahle and Elle Madison

Look at all the gorgeous covers!

22 November 202030 November 2020

Your 1020 Names for Snow and Red – a Dragon Shifters’ Hoard novel – Enchanted Kingdoms

Dragon Shifters Hoard - Snow and Red - an Enchanted Kingdoms novel

Wow, you’ve done it again! 1020 names for our dragon shifters!

I love my readers. You’re such an awesome community and I’m so glad to have your creativity on board when I create new stories! But, 1020 names for dragon shifters and friends? How in the name of the First Egg did we do that?

A few weeks ago A.J. Ponder and I asked you to name some characters and magical artifacts in Snow and Red, our Dragon Shifters’ Hoard novel. Snow and Red releases in February next year in the Enchanted Kingdoms box set, a collection of 22 novels raising funds for Puzzle Peace, a charity that supports kids with autism! We also intend to continue the Dragons Shifters’ Hoard and add more books later!

When we asked you to name our characters, we knew you’d jump on board… but that many?

There were so many cool suggestions, it was hard to choose.

Snow and Red have their names from the traditional fairy tale of Snow White and Rose Red, who are sisters who provide a home for a bear in winter, only to discover that an evil dwarf cast a spell upon him, and he was actually a prince all along. They rescue the dwarf several times in the course of the story, and finally end up marrying the prince and his brother when they break the curse.

That’s how our main characters got their names!Of course, our story has a lot of twists not in the original…

Let’s hear who came up with the names that our characters are now wearing! Or will be, in future Dragon Shifters’ Hoard books. Now, for your names: *drumroll*

Hazel is Snow and Red’s mother — named by Coty.
Endora is Dante and Zeph’s mother — named by Kitty Kelleher.
Valnor is Dante and Zeph’s father — named by Christopher P Barrett.
Jena is Snow’s friend from school — named by Alicia Love.
Brock is Snow’s friend from school — named by Guy F Worley.
Riz Baker is an aggressive policewoman with a buzz cut— named by Carol Sue Breckenridge.
Black Oak is the name of a suburb in Pinevale where shifters live — named by Sandré Moore.
Starglow Sapphire, a precious artifact from the dragon shifters treasure hoard — named by Jasmine Breeden.

Thank you for all of your brilliant suggestions. It’s always fun to see the names readers come up with and to integrate your creativity into our writing process. We’ll acknowledge your contributions when we publish Snow and Red in the Dragon Shifters’ Hoard series. (It won’t be possible to include your names in the acknowledgements for Enchanted Kingdoms because we don’t have control of that publishing process).

Enchanted Kingdoms

To support kids with autism, please pre-order your 99c copy of Enchanted Kingdoms: 22 fairy tale retellings — that’s 22 novels in a variety of young adult fantasy genres by best-selling authors!

You can order your copy here. Once you’ve ordered, you can claim your FREE companion set of short stories here, including Draki Twins, our prequel.

Enchanted Kingdoms, a young adult fanatsy box set of 22 fairytale retellings by bestselling authors. — Best-selling authors are taking part in a fundraising box set for Puzzle Peace a charity that supports kids with autism. Enchanted Kingdoms is a collection of 22 novels based on fairytales and is only 99c on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and ibooks.

26 May 201626 May 2016

Call of the Sea

Call of the Sea – Living Through Loss

Thirteen years ago today, my son died. He was half of fraternal twins – the healthy half. His twin sister had been chronically ill for two years, and I had been housebound caring for her. Tough times for an extrovert.

After her recovery, we had a normal life for three months, out & about with the twins and their older brother. Having fun.

Then Tommy died, overnight of strep A.

Plunged into an abyss, I had to keep mothering, keep going for my kids. I’m so thankful I had them to wake up to. My husband and I clung to each other in an ocean of grief. Our family was our life raft. The community rallied around us, keeping us afloat. It was fourteen months before I laughed again. Two years before I felt anywhere near normal. Our family would never be the same again.

We now have four healthy kids and one somewhere ‘on the other side.’

My story, Call of the Sea, in the At the Edge anthology, explores how easily people lose their sense of identity when they lose a child. In order to survive, we need to be nurtured. Kendra, estranged from her cheating ex-husband, doesn’t get this support. As her life disintegrates, she journeys to the edge of insanity. Or is she sane? Maybe the rest of the world just can’t see what she does.

Tiny excerpts from Call of the Sea:

From the first scene…

“Wind moans through the tunnel on the deserted playground. The ropes on the massive climbing frame jerk. Grey waves thrash the shore, flinging spray over the naked sand. The Pōhutukawa dance, the silver underskirts of their dark green leaves flashing, like shy debutantes ‒ as if to tempt an unsuspecting fool into loving them.
My hands itch for a brush and canvas.
Breathing deeply, I shove the swing harder than I need to.
“Higher, Mum,” Aihe calls, swinging her legs for momentum. But she doesn’t get far. The gale is against us.”

… and from the second scene…

“Is that Mr Lenton?” a woman’s gravelly voice asks. “Mr Terry Lenton?”
Mr? Definitely not work. “Speaking.”
“This is Inspector Turner of Wellington Central Police.”
Terry clears his throat. “Yes?”
“Sir, we have your children in custody.”
“What? My kids!” Terry’s pulse bounds, fork clanking onto his plate.
“Could you come down to the station right away, please?”
“What’s happened? Where’s Kendra?”
“We were hoping you could tell us.”

At the Edge available from 1 June 2016 on Amazon

Step up, as close as you dare…

…to a place at the edge of sanity, where cicadas scritch across balmy summer nights,
at the edge of town, where the cell phone coverage is decidedly dodgy,
at the edge of space, where a Mimbinus argut bounds among snowy rocks,
at the edge of the page, where demon princes prance in the shadows,
at the edge of despair, where 10 darushas will get you a vodka lime and a ring-side seat,
at the edge of the universe, where time stops but space goes on…

From the brink of civilisation, the fringe of reason, and the border of reality, come 22 stories infused with the bloody-minded spirit of the Antipodes, tales told by the children of warriors and whalers, convicts and miners: people unafraid to strike out for new territories and find meaning in the expanses at the edge of the world.

Compiled by award-winning editing team Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray, and including a story by Arthur C. Clarke finalist Phillip Mann and introduction by World Fantasy Award winner Angela Slatter, At the Edge is a dark and dystopic collection from some of Australia and New Zealand’s best speculative writers.

At the Edge will be launched next weekend at Au Contraire 2106, the National New Zealand Convention of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

8 January 20167 February 2016

Sneaky Tip – Four More YSWW

I had a real surprise today! I got a text from my publisher, saying Four More You Say Which Way Adventures is live as a box set on Amazon today!

4 More YSWW cover V7 slim — Four More YSWW Adventures!

Four More YSWW Adventures contains the four newest You Say Which Way books:

Dragon’s Realm
Dinosaur Canyon
Deadline Delivery
& Creepy House

This box set contains four interactive e-books by New Zealand authors:

Creepy House by D M Potter
Dinosaur Canyon by Blair Polly
Deadline Delivery by Peter Friend

Dinosaurs, dragons, pirates, wild dogs, monsters, weird divers and a spooky house – all in one boxed set. Kids will have hours of fun exploring Four More YSWW Adventures and finding lots of cool endings. Be the hero in your own story with You Say Which Way.

28 December 20152 January 2016

Dragon Tales is live!

Dragon Tales is live on Amazon!

Dragon Tales by Eileen Mueller — Dragon Tales – short stories for kids

Happy New Year! Well, we finally got here. 2015 is fading and 2016 beckons on the horizon. This has been a hectic year, and the holiday season has been no exception!

My latest book, Dragon Tales, has just been released by Phantom Feather Press. Dragon Tales, a collection of dragon-themed stories for kids, will be at a special introductory price of $0.99 for the next few days, so family and friends can grab a bargain before the price goes up. Available on Amazon.

Whether you’re looking for a nip, a nibble, or a chomp-sized story, wing your way to an adventure with Dragon Tales.

Dragon, dragons and more dragons… modern dragons, medieval dragons and dragons in unexpected places! The full Dragon Tales blurb is here.

I wish you a happy start to the New Year and a great 2016. May many great books come your way! If you’d like to know when my new books are out, sign up for reader updates!

4 November 201424 May 2016

The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales Book Launch

The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales is about to hit the shelves and is already a rip-roaring success. Many happy readers have pre-ordered books, cards and e-books using the Pledge Me Twisty Christmas page. If you want to have a peek, there is only an hour to go before Pledge Me closes.

Thanks to all our wonderful supporters for helping us to reach our goals.

If you’d like to come along to our Best of Twisty Christmas Tales book launch, feel free to download an invitation here: Twisty-Christmas-Invitation We’d love to see you at The Children’s Bookshop on Thursday 13 November at 6pm, to join in the fun. (Address is on the invitation.)

To join our Facebook event – for both the print and e-book launches, sign in here.

The e-book is available on Amazon on pre-order. For those who love e-books, this is great for us, as pre-orders boost our Amazon rankings immensely! Thanks again for your support!

See you at the launch – with Twisty Christmas music, nibbles, drinks, art and books galore! A great start to the festive season!

19 October 2014

Sneak Preview – Twisty Christmas Cards

Our The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales artist, Geoff Popham, has worked his magic again, creating cool Christmas cards from four of the illustrations in The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales. Kids will love receiving a card along with their copy of the book when you tuck their stockings full of goodies this Christmas!

The four illustrations featured on the cards come from these stories:

A Modern Kiwi Christmas by Kerrie Ann Spicer
Rumbled by Eileen Mueller
New Neighbours by Anne Wilkins
Jimmy’s Night In by Lyn McConchie

We can’t tell you which card matches which story, because we don’t want to give away any spoilers! Have some fun this Christmas! Surprise kids with matching cards and great NZ Christmas stories in The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales!

You can order these cards The Best of Twisty Christmas Tales on Pledge Me – a cool fundraising system that helps kiwis get behind projects they love.Pop over here and order your copy now! E-books, cards, and many more exiting rewards await you.

As part of the team at Phantom Feather Press, I’d like to say a special thank you to all of our wonderful supporters so far, for providing some fairy dust to help our Christmas wishes come true this year. Please share our Pledge Me campaign with your friends, encourage more children to enjoy great kiwi literature this Christmas, and support the Muscular Dystrophy Association of New Zealand.

2 July 2014

Lost in the Museum Hits the Headlines!

Te Papa stories — Tim Jones and Eileen Mueller are Lost In The Museum, or outside it! Photo by Ross Giblin, used with permission of Fairfax Media NZ – 629542114.

Lost in The Museum was featured in the Dominion Post last weekend, on the Capital Day page. Both Tim Jones and I had fun in the glaring sun with the fresh Wellington wind creating new hairstyles and making our eyes water! What a photo! Brilliant!

The Cook Strait News also ran an article last Monday. I know that Dannevirke News mentioned Lost In The Museum with Lyn McConchie featured as their local author and that other newspapers are also keen on this quirky collection which is is set in our national iconic museum, Te Papa Tongarewa — NZ’s home of national treasures.

Behind Lost In The Museum is a great team who has put in long hours, selecting stories, editing them, formatting, proof-reading and typesetting. I’d personally like to thank Alicia Ponder and Lorraine Williams for accepting my stories and providing great editing feedback, to Mary MacCallum for her editorial input and keen eye, and to everyone who helped in the book production.

Our cover artist, Geoff Popham, did a brilliant cover. Everyone comments on it! We look forward to working with such a talented young artist again. William Carden-Horton added richness to the anthology with his offbeat illustrations.

Thanks to all the authors. It’s an honor to have my work in an anthology with yours!

Check out the articles! Or this review on Beattie’s Blog. Lost In The Museum can be purchased from NZ bookstores, or from Amazon.

Lost In The Museum DomPost — Lost In The Museum in the Dominion Post

Cook Strait News features Lost In The Museum

22 April 201422 April 2014

Lost In The Museum – Launch at Conclave II

The Lost in the Museum book launch

2pm, Saturday, 26 April at Surrey Hotel, Auckland

at Conclave II, the New Zealand National Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention

Join Conclave II Guest of Honour, Lynn McConchie, & authors Alicia Ponder & Eileen Mueller

Get lost in the museum where past, present and future collide.

What does Weta’s giant mechanical baby do after hours? Who is altering the time space continuum? Where or when has James gone? And what secrets is Tui Merriweather hiding?

Dive into mayhem at a well-known Wellington waterfront destination. Going to the museum will never be the same again.

Authors: Tim Jones, Tracie McBride, Lyn McConchie, Glynne MacLean, Phillip Mann, Rob Campbell, Lillian Hetet, Jenny Hammond, John Homes, Eileen Mueller, Jeena Murphy, A.J. Ponder, Vic Scott, Jean Stevens, Lorraine Williams

Copies of Lost In The Museum in all good bookstores soon.

19 April 201419 April 2014

Lost in the Museum – Cover Art.

Lost in the Museum is coming soon!

Last year I joined Phoenix Writers (the Wellington-based arm of Phoenix Science Fiction Society) just as they were closing submissions for this collection of crazy capers in Te Papa – NZ’s national museum. My stories squeaked in before the deadline and were accepted. Over the past two months, I’ve spent some time helping this book come to life.

Geoff Popham has created beautiful artwork for the cover (this is not the final version, but close.) He is one talented graphic designer and illustrator. We’re lucky to have him for Lost in The Museum.

Stay tuned for launch details and a sneak preview of the final cover art!