Poppy Lawless Guest Post & Giveaway

The Glass Mermaid

Kate

I'm the last mermaid.

I’m back on shores of Lake Erie, but the cold waters are silent. There is nothing here for me but ghosts and the beach glass that litters the rocky shore. Long ago, I lived below the waves. Now, I am the sole survivor, and at long last, my mermaid glamour is leaving me.

Every day, I walk the beach. Every day, I wonder what happened to my people. The little pieces of colored glass that wash ashore give me simple pleasure. They are gifts from the lake, reminders of home. I fashion them into trinkets: necklaces, earrings, bracelets. They are beautiful things. The humans seem love them.

Every day, I walk the beach. Nothing ever changes, until the day he says hello.

Cooper

I’m dying.

It’s not a question, it’s a fact. The cancer is eating me alive. They told me I have six months to live, maybe less. I came home, back to Chancellor on Lake Erie, to die. The sunsets are vivid there, and I will relish every one.

I've never seen anything more beautiful than a Lake Erie sunset until I see her.

All life is as fragile as glass.

What would you sacrifice to save the one you love?

The Cupcake Witch

They say the course of true love never runs smooth.

That’s nothing a magical cupcake can’t solve.

Julie

Buttercream. Vanilla. Fondant. Dark chocolate. Brown sugar. Molasses. Baking has always been my true love, but it wasn’t until my mother’s death, and the unexpected inheritance of Serendipity Gardens, that my bliss called me. Bittersweet. But Serendipity Gardens has more to offer than just a potential shopfront. An unusual recipe box left to me by a distant relative might be the key to unlocking my dreams.

Too bad the most powerful family in Chancellor has plans that could turn those dreams to ruins—literally.

Too bad the son of that powerful family is just the kind of guy I’ve been looking for.

Horatio

I suppose being heir to the Hunter family’s Blushing Grape Winery should make me happy, but nothing could be further from the truth. With my mother gone, my father has taken me under his wing, and I despise everything about the way he does business. Sour grapes, indeed. Instead of raising money for charitable causes, my true passion, I’m chasing my father’s manifest destiny.

Too bad his dream includes paving paradise.

Too bad the property owner is the sweetest woman I’ve ever met.

The Bee Charmer

When your heart makes a wish, even impossible dreams can come true.

Viola

After years of working for my family’s business, I’m finally back in college and ready to chase my dream of becoming a perfumer. It seems like the stars are all aligning when Chancellor College invites a preeminent French fragrance expert to speak at a symposium. Everything is working out just right, as long as I can continue to ignore my growing feelings for a certain hippie beekeeper. That, it seems, is turning out to be easier said than done.

Rayne

The elders sent me on a mission to Chancellor to help Alice, owner of the local bagel shop, find true love. So far? Well, not so good. The bees and I have to double up our efforts if we have any hope of helping our girl find the road to happiness. While I know Alice should be my priority one, my heart, however, seems to have a mind of its own. If I could just get Viola Hunter out of my mind, I could focus on my task. That, it seems, is turning out to be easier said than done.

Welcome to Chancellor where fairy tales live and happily ever afters always reign supreme

I’m delighted to stop by today to discuss my series, The Chancellor Fairy Tales. The Chancellor Fairy Tales is an adult fairy tales series set in the little lakeside town of Chancellor. When I began writing the series, I knew the town would be an important piece of the puzzle. I think that many times the settings of stories are a lot like characters. Think about how Hogwarts changed over the course of the Harry Potter series. In the first book it was a light, bubbly, and magical place. By the last book, the place had taken on a dark and gloomy atmosphere. The setting was like a person reflecting the theme of the book. For me, world-building and setting is really important.

The first book in The Chancellor Fairy Tales is The Glass Mermaid. Setting wise, it all begins with Kate. Kate is a mermaid. But she is unique. She is a mermaid, or actually, a lumpeguin, from Lake Erie. She represents a new kind of mermaid. I wanted her to be different, a freshwater mer pulled from early American mythology. As well, I spent a significant portion of my adult life living along the shores of Lake Erie, and I know how magical the place seems. Lake Erie sunsets have been voted amongst the most beautiful in the whole world.

I envisioned Chancellor as a place that is magical at its core. Sometimes we visit places that just seem to have a magical vibe. Chancellor is a place much like that. Our mermaid Kate isn’t the only supernatural creature floating around. In Chancellor, we also have our witches and their historic grove. As well, Chancellor’s fairy population currently numbers at two. There are also many other unique magical people and creatures floating around in Chancellor. We’ll see more of those soon.

I wanted Chancellor to be the scene of a lot of many lovely old folktales such as the magical waterfall and waterwheel at Falling Waters restaurant, Arden Estate and its unusual stained glass windows that may be more than they seem, and many curious and quaint little shops. As I wrote Chancellor, I envisioned European style small towns with brick or stone sidewalks and sweet little shops: cafes, restaurants, bookstores, boutiques, etc. It was like my Pinterest boards spring to life! I wanted a town that appealed to me aesthetically. With rows of grapevines and lavender fields perfuming the air, delicious cupcakes to eat, gourmet food for dining, and all the works, I wanted Chancellor to be a magical place that was a feast for the senses. And of course, this special little town needed a host of unique characters.

There are seven books planned for this series and a 5 book spin-off surrounding Viola and her upcoming Blushing Girl perfume brand. I love writing these little tales. The words and characters seem to take shape so easily, at times I feel like I’m just channeling them. I hope you will enjoy them too!

Thank you so much for having me by today!

The Chancellor Fairy Tales Series:

The Glass Mermaid, Book 1

The Cupcake Witch, Book 2

The Bee Charmer, Book 3

The Stitch Witch, Coming Summer 2016

The Glass Mermaid ~ Review

The Cupcake Witch ~ Review

The Bee Charmer ~ Review

Romance author. Cupcake connoisseur. Certified herbalist. Beach bum. Fan of all things Starbucks. Holistic healing advocate. Surfer girl wanna-be. Lost guru. Maker of dandelion wine. Counselor. Paranormal buff. Etsy addict. Secretly Jedi. So not a geek girl. Gifted in sarcasm. Hot wife. Ninja mom. And now, I'm ready to share a whole head full of witty, mouthy, smart, lovely, heart-warming, and hot characters with the world. Are you ready?

Poppy Lawless is the author of The Glass Mermaid. Poppy holds degrees in English and Psychology. She is a counselor in the field of mental health and is a trained herbalist. Poppy's new series blends the best of romance with a Practical Magic or contemporary Bewitched appeal.

Places to find Poppy Lawless:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page | Newsletter

It’s giveaway time!  Poppy is offering up an audiobook of your choice from Audible.  To enter, simply tell us what your favorite fairy tale is.  Be sure to enter the name you comment under, in the giveaway widget below.

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