It started innocently enough. I volunteered to be part of H.L. Burke’s Coiled Blog Tour. I love celebrating new books, and one that’s a retelling of the Eros and Psyche myth caught my attention.
Then I got the email.
Would I be interested in a guest post?
Well, sure! Why not? Little did I know that a…ahem…snek…would be the guest! I tried to protest. This is a happy blog! No scary creatures allowed! But before I could say ophidiophobia, this sneaky little critter wrestled for control of the blog.
And won.
Without further ado, here’s the result *hides eyes*
A sneaky snek takeover ahead
Warning, if you have Ophidiophobia this is not the post for you.
Why?
Because this post includes snakes.
Actually it includes sneks but that’s mostly semantics. For the ssssake of thissss post should we ssssay sssemanticsssss? Maybe? No, I’m not going to do that. That’s just annoying. (or issssssssssss it?)
So why sneks?
I think the questions should be, why not?
After all, sneks are charming.
On a scale of one to ten, sneks are at least an 8 (because 8 is the snakiest number. Just look at it and tell me it isn’t).
And also because in Coiled, Prince Calen has a problem, and that problem is snek related. In fact, he’s literally related to a snek because his brother, Volen, turns into a snek any time he’s alone or in darkness. This would be a big problem, a snek brother, but for the most part it is easy to fix (just never let Volen be alone or in darkness), so it’s not the biggest snek related problem in Calen’s life. Nope, that would be his own snek-hood. You see, Calen has the other half of Volen’s half. The half the turns you into a snek whenever someone looks at you, so unless Calen is alone (or in darkness) POOF! Snek!
You’d think Calen would be okay with this, but no, you see, there are a lot of things one can’t do as a Snek, and looking adorable and all sleek and scaly will only get you so far. For instance, sneks are messy eaters.
Sneks can’t play most instruments. Sneks can’t write. Sneks can’t fly on planes, no matter what misleading movie posters would have you believe (you just try to get a snek through security). Snek life is adorable, but limiting.
What’s worse is that Calen isn’t in control of his snek-instincts when in his snek form. Calen really doesn’t want to hurt anybody, but the inner snek wants what the inner snek wants, and that is often to bite and squeeze.
But Calen is not a killer. He’s protector! Especially when Laidra, a princess with her own curse, comes into his life.
Calen just wants to keep Laidra safe, especially from his own snekky self, but that might be harder than anticipated.
If you want to the full story of how Calen struggles with his inner snek, and whether he can break his curse to become a prince once more, you’ll have to read Coiled.
Because … sneks.
Phew! We made it to the other side! Now that the snek is contained (for now!), check out the other posts on the tour:
- June 5 Liz Delton Author Interview (scavenger hunt)
- June 7 Monsters, Misfits, Mushy Stuff Guest Blog (scavenger hunt)
- June 8 Brianna Merritt Book Spotlight
- June 10 Rebekah Gyger Greek Gods Guest Blog (scavenger hunt)
- June 12 A.R. Silverberry Guest Blog (scavenger hunt)
- Â June 13Â Heather Hayden Author Interview (scavenger hunt)
- June 14 Lea Doue Author Interview
- June 15 Allie May Author Interview (scavenger hunt)
- –> –> June 20Â Jebraun Clifford Guest Blog <– <–
- June 22 Pages and Hope Author Interview (scavenger hunt)
- June 23 Olivia Fisher Book Spotlight
Seven stops on this blog tour contain special Scavenger Hunt Clues, presented by #TheodoretheDragon and #PistachioSnek. Look for a photo of either or both of those little guys holding up a note. Each note is part of our secret phrase. When you have all seven pieces of our secret phrase, click here to share your clues. All correct entries will be put into a random drawing for a signed paperback of Coiled. The winner will be drawn at the Facebook launch party June 23.
Look out! There might be sneks!
In the vein of Eros and Psyche, two cursed souls find each other on a forsaken isle and together must shed the darkness inflicted upon them–or else live as monsters forever.
A healing touch. A hideous face. A looming curse.
As the ugly twin to a perfect sister, Princess Laidra lives her life in the shadows—until her parents offer her as bait for a giant serpent.
Her escape attempt leaves her shipwrecked on a secluded island with only one inhabitant: Prince Calen, who lives under a curse. If anyone looks upon him, he turns into a giant serpent. Speaking to him in the darkness, Laidra sees past the monster to Calen’s lonely soul, and she determines to free him from the magic’s hold.
But if Laidra can’t break the curse in time, Calen will become a mindless creature of scales and fangs forever.
Buy it now! –> –> –> on Amazon or Kobo, Nook, and iBooksÂ
Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.
An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.
Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.
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Thanks for joining me for this fun look at Coiled! Any questions for the author?
Jebraun Clifford always wanted to step through a door into an imaginary kingdom, so it’s no surprise she now calls Middle Earth home. Too short to be an elf and too tall to be a Hobbit, she lives in a gorgeous town smack-dab in the centre of New Zealand’s North Island filled with thermal activity, stunning lakes, and enough Redwoods to make her California heart swoon. Her unpublished YA fantasy, The Two Queens of Kyrie, won both the American Christian Fiction Writer’s 2015 First Impressions contest and the 2016 Genesis contest. She loves coffee, tree ferns, dark chocolate, and Jesus, and harbours a secret penchant for British spelling.
jebraunclifford.com 
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