Four Bargain Ebooks: Pax Arcana Series by Elliott James

 

The first four books in the Pax Arcana series by Elliott James is are on sale for $1.99 each right now to support the fifth book's release, Legend Has It. This is a fun series that plays with the Prince Charming archetype. It's compared to Supernatural and Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden. For me the biggest selling point is admittedly Patricia Briggs blurbing it since she is one of my current favorite paranormal authors.

I have featured the first book a few times on sale but not the other three. I didn't even own them yet in ebook format which shows they are not frequently if ever on sale.

Charming (Pax Arcana Book 1) by Elliott James

Sharp, sarcastic, and efficiently lethal, John Charming is set to join the ranks of your favorite fast-talking anti-heroes like Dean Winchester and Harry Dresden in the first book of this page-turning urban fantasy series.

John Charming isn't your average Prince. . .

He comes from a line of Charmings -- an illustrious family of dragon slayers, witch-finders and killers dating back to before the fall of Rome. Trained by a modern day version of the Knights Templar, monster hunters who have updated their methods from chain mail and crossbows to Kevlar and shotguns, John Charming was one of the best -- until a curse made him one of the abominations the Knights were sworn to hunt.

That was a lifetime ago. Now, John tends bar under an assumed name in rural Virginia and leads a peaceful, quiet life. That is, until a vampire and a blonde walked into his bar. . .

Charming is the first novel in a new urban fantasy series which gives a new twist to the Prince Charming tale.

Daring (Pax Arcana Book 2) by Elliott James

Sharp, sarcastic, and efficiently lethal, John Charming would feel right at home having drinks with Dean Winchester and Harry Dresden. DARING, the second book in the Pax Arcana series, is just as addicting as the first.

Something is rotten in the state of Wisconsin.

Werewolf packs are being united and absorbed into an army of super soldiers by a mysterious figure who speaks like an angel and fights like a demon. And every Knight Templar -- keepers of the magical peace between mankind and magickind -- who tries to get close to this big bad wolf winds up dead. No knight can infiltrate a group whose members can smell a human from a mile away. . .no knight except one.

John Charming. Ex knight. Current werewolf. Hunted by the men who trained him, he now might be their only salvation. But animal instincts are rising up to claim John more powerfully than ever before, and he must decide if this new leader of wolves is a madman. . .or a messiah.

Fearless (Pax Arcana Book 3) by Elliott James

Prince Charming rescues a student in a small college town in this fast-paced urban fantasy with rich world building and a strong female lead.

Someone, somewhere, has declared war on Kevin Kichida, and that someone has a long list of magical predators on their rolodex. The good news is that Kevin lives in a town where Ted Cahill is the new sheriff and old ally of John Charming.

The attacks on Kevin seem to be a pattern, and the more John and his new team follow that thread, the deeper they find themselves in a maze of supernatural threats, family secrets, and age-old betrayals. The more John learns, the more convinced he becomes that Kevin Kichida isn't just a victim, he's a sacrifice waiting to happen. And that thread John's following? It's really a fuse . . .

Fearless is the third novel in an urban fantasy series which gives a new twist to the Prince Charming tale.

In Shining Armor (Pax Arcana Book 4) by Elliott James

This fairy godmother's got claws.

When someone kidnaps the last surviving descendant of the Grandmaster of the Knights Templar, it's bad news. When the baby is the key to the tenuous alliance between a large werewolf pack and the knights, it's even worse news. They're at each other's throats before they've even begun to look for baby Constance.

But whoever kidnapped Constance didn't count on one thing: she's also the goddaughter of John Charming. Modern-day descendant of a long line of famous dragon slayers, witch finders, and wrong righters. John may not have any experience being a parent, but someone is about to find out that he can be one mean mother. . .

In is the fourth novel in a series which gives a new twist to the Prince Charming tale.

SurLaLune's Small Print:

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.

Bargain Ebook: Charming (Pax Arcana Book 1) by Elliott James

Charming (Pax Arcana Book 1) by Elliott James is on sale in ebook format today only for $2.99. This is the first book in a series.

Book description:

John Charming isn't your average Prince...

He comes from a line of Charmings -- an illustrious family of dragon slayers, witch-finders and killers dating back to before the fall of Rome. Trained by a modern day version of the Knights Templar, monster hunters who have updated their methods from chain mail and crossbows to Kevlar and shotguns, John Charming was one of the best--until a curse made him one of the abominations the Knights were sworn to hunt.

That was a lifetime ago. Now, John tends bar under an assumed name in rural Virginia and leads a peaceful, quiet life. That is, until a vampire and a blonde walked into his bar...

CHARMING is the first novel in a new urban fantasy series which gives a new twist to the Prince Charming tale.

New Book: Fearless (Pax Arcana) by Elliott James

Fearless (Pax Arcana) by Elliott James was released earlier this month, the third full-length book in his series that pulls from Prince Charming fairy tale tropes.

Book description:

When your last name is Charming, rescuing virgins comes with the territory -- even when the virgin in question is a nineteen-year-old college boy.

Someone, somewhere, has declared war on Kevin Kichida, and that someone has a long list of magical predators on their rolodex. The good news is that Kevin lives in a town where Ted Cahill is the new sheriff and old ally of John Charming.

The attacks on Kevin seem to be a pattern, and the more John and his new team follow that thread, the deeper they find themselves in a maze of supernatural threats, family secrets, and age-old betrayals. The more John learns, the more convinced he becomes that Kevin Kichida isn't just a victim, he's a sacrifice waiting to happen. And that thread John's following? It's really a fuse...


FEARLESS is the third novel in an urban fantasy series which gives a new twist to the Prince Charming tale. The first two novels are Charming & Daring.

Short Fiction in the Pax Arcana world:
Charmed I'm Sure
Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls
Pushing Luck
Surreal Estate
Dog-Gone
Bulls Rush In
Talking Dirty

Bargain Ebook: Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer for $2.99

Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer (her daughter) is bargain priced at $2.99 for ebook format. The book is usually in the $9.99 range. It is also the companion book to their other book that plays with fairy tale tropes, Between the Lines, which has been on sale previously but is currently $9.99.

Off the Page has higher review ratings than the previous book. I haven't read either book yet--but now both are in my library. I do like the cover for this one. I would have snatched this one off the shelf when I was a teen reader and probably not put it down until I was finished reading it.

Book description:

From #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jodi Picoult and her daughter and coauthor, Samantha van Leer, comes OFF THE PAGE, a tender and appealing romantic YA novel filled with humor, adventure, and just a little bit of magic.

Meet Oliver, a prince literally taken from the pages of a fairy tale and transported into the real world. Meet Delilah, the girl who wished Oliver into being. It’s a miracle that seems perfect at first. Sure, Oliver doesn’t know that you shouldn’t try to open your locker with a dagger or that there’s no such thing as “the ruler” of the local mall. But he also looks at Delilah as if she’s the only girl in the world—the only girl in any world—and Delilah can’t help feeling that being with him is a dream come to life.

But not every story can have a happy ending. Because the book wants Oliver back. And it will turn both worlds upside down to get him.

Oliver and Delilah will have to decide what—and who—they’re willing to risk for love and what it really means for a fairy tale to come true.

Full of humor and witty commentary about life, OFF THE PAGE is a stand-alone novel as well as the companion to the authors’ #1 bestseller Between the Lines. Fans of Sarah Dessen and Meg Cabot are sure to appreciate this novel about love, romance, and happily-ever-afters.

“Off the Page is just so sweet and magical. In high school, I would have given ANYTHING to crawl inside one of my favorite books to escape the real world. I wish!”—SARAH DESSEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Saint Anything

Bargain Ebook: Charming (Pax Arcana Book 1) by Elliott James for $1.99

Charming (Pax Arcana Book 1) by Elliott James has been temporarily reduced to $1.99 in ebook format in anticipation of the third full length novel in the series, Fearless (Pax Arcana Book 3), coming out in August. It is usually in the $6-7 range. The second book in the series, Daring, was released last year and is currently $9.99 in ebook format. There are also several novella prequels to the series that I shared when the series launched in 2013.

Book description:

John Charming isn't your average Prince...

He comes from a line of Charmings -- an illustrious family of dragon slayers, witch-finders and killers dating back to before the fall of Rome. Trained by a modern day version of the Knights Templar, monster hunters who have updated their methods from chain mail and crossbows to Kevlar and shotguns, John Charming was one of the best--until a curse made him one of the abominations the Knights were sworn to hunt.

That was a lifetime ago. Now, John tends bar under an assumed name in rural Virginia and leads a peaceful, quiet life. That is, until a vampire and a blonde walked into his bar...

CHARMING is the first novel in a new urban fantasy series which gives a new twist to the Prince Charming tale.

Fairy Tales in Advertising: Gas Jeans: Prince Charming

Gas Jeans: Prince

Prince charming eater.

Okay, this one is just disturbing in a not so good way. And then a little funny. But I can't consider frogs for food ever since seeing The Muppet Movie at an impressionable age. Didn't happen to me with Charlotte's Web and pigs. But, The Muppet Movie insured I would never want to eat frog legs. I love Kermit.

Campaign info from Ads of the World:

It's true. Share your true experience at gasjeans.com
It's a multi-level campaign where the models are artists, actors, performers or normale people. Their stories are told on the web site and on the MaGasine, a catalogue with the stories and experiences of those young guys. The advert shows how everyday situations can be turned in particular and ethical actions with a sharp head line.

Advertising Agency: Attila&Co, Milan, Italy
Creative Director: Nuria Martin
Art Director: Jacopo Cinti
Copywriter: Marco Cetera
Photographer: Sergi Pons

Fairy Tales in Advertising: Fiat 500: Prince Charming

Fiat 500: Prince Charming

Fun going there. Fun coming back.

Okay, this is amusing and a little disturbing. But all in fun. Reminds me of the old Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog Looney Tunes cartoons where the characters clock in and out for the day. Always loved those. So does John the Hubby.

Campaign info from Ads of the World:

Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett Iberia, Spain
Executive Creative Director: Juan García-Escudero
Creative Director: Fernando Martín
Art Directors: Alejandro Hernán, Fred Bosch, Javier Martínez
Illustrator: Freeuno, B-ita
Group Account Director: Ricardo del Campo
Account Director : Eduardo Gómez-Escolar
Account Executive: Jaime Blanco

Author Guest Post: The Charming Tales by Jack Heckel

I posted recently about Once Upon a Rhyme: Volume I of the Charming Tales and the upcoming Happily Never After: Volume II of the Charming Tales by Jack Heckel. Now I have a guest post about the books to share with you.

The Charming Tales: A Few Thoughts On the Long and Winding Road to Publication by Jack Heckel:

Recently, SurLaLune was nice enough to mention the release of my debut novel Once Upon a Rhyme, the first volume of The Charming Tales, in a blog entry. In that post a mention was made of the fact that a number of recent releases have been told from Prince Charming’s perspective, and it got me thinking about the original inspiration for the novels, and how quixotic is the journey from concept to page.

The Charming Tales originally came from my obsession with Gregory Maguire’s novels, and particularly from a vacation spent reading Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Although nothing about Maguire’s prose is simple, I was enthralled with the way simply switching perspective could change the way you experienced a story. That in turn led me to reread, cover to cover, my very ragged copy of The Annotated Brothers Grimm by Maria Tatar. I love this volume, because I learn something new every time I read her commentary.

Anyway, there I was reading these stories I knew so well and imagining how they might be different if told from the perspective of one or other of the characters, when I came to my favorite Grimm story, The Seven Ravens. If you’re unfamiliar with the tale of The Seven Ravens, and I know it isn’t among the pantheon of Cinderella or Snow White or Beauty and the Beast, it is the story of a girl who takes up a quest to rescue her brothers, who have been cursed to live as ravens. It is an unusual story because the girl goes on her quest entirely alone and unaided. It is also unusual in that it lacks the presence in even a peripheral way of a romantic interest for our heroine.

In the annotated volume, the story is preceded almost immediately by Cinderella, with its unnamed, but earnest, shoe-bearing prince hero, and is followed immediately by Little Red Riding Hood with its woodcutter deus ex machina. The absence of a rescuing hero figure in The Seven Ravens struck me, and I thought what would happen to the stories of Cinderella or Snow White or Sleeping Beauty if their “Prince Charmings” never showed up?

From this kernel of a thought the Charming Tales grew, but as they do between conception and execution the vision changed.

As you probably don’t know, I am the combined persona of two co-authors, John Peck and Harry Heckel, or as I call them, Thing 1 and Thing 2. Thing 1’s original thought was how sad and tragic would it be for Prince Charming, a man destined to be a great hero, if he failed. To what depths of despair would he be driven? How tormented would he be as the fairytale spun on without him? However, when Thing 1 told Thing 2 about the idea of the story, Thing 2 didn’t see the story as a tragedy, but as a comedy. And the more Thing 1 and Thing 2 talked the more the comic potential of a book based around Prince Charming became apparent.

New questions replaced the earlier ones. How insufferable would a man be if he knew he was destined to be a great hero? How quick would he be to fulfill his quest when to undertake it would also be to risk his reputation and his celebrity should he fail? To what lengths would such a man go to regain his reputation once the “rescue” of the maiden, his sole raison d’etre, had been taken from him? And what about the princess, wouldn’t she be a little miffed to miss out on her “prince charming” moment?

Another wonderful thing about exploring Charming’s altered character arc from a place of humor rather than tragedy is that it allows us to play fast and loose with the ridiculousness of the literal fairytale world. So, even though the main plot of Once Upon a Rhyme may resemble a twisted version of Sleeping Beauty, with a slumbering maiden being rescued from the clutches of a dragon, it was also possible to engage in a game of fairytale mixology a la Into the Woods and weave in other elements as well, including Cinderella’s famous glass slippers, the dwarfs from Snow White, an aged beast from Beauty and the Beast, a family of gruff billy goats, trolls, talking frogs, and so on. At times, and in the best traditions of fairytale, the story and characters seemed to take on a life of their own, telling themselves rather than being told.

It brings to mind one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite authors, Terry Pratchett, “People think stories are shaped by people. In fact, it is the other way around.” At least for me The Charming Tales certainly prove Pratchett’s point, shaping itself to fit a mold that even I could not have foreseen.

Want to read more about fairy tale from Jack Heckel? Try these posts at Tor:

Fairytale’s Most Wanted: The Five Most Well-Known Character Types

Been There, Done That: Why We Keep Retelling Fairy Tales

Power Corrupts? Absolutely!

Slarom, the Backward Morals of Fairytales

Are All Princesses Really Waiting for Princes to Come?

SurLaLune Shop Debut: Property of Prince Charming

The hubby made me some new t-shirt designs for my birthday. Which was in May. It's not entirely my fault it has taken this long to get them online and available. There were technical glitches that frustrated me with CafePress in the spring so I gave up for a while. But now it's October and every October the best selling design in the SurLaLune store is the Prince Charming t-shirt I designed eight years ago. I imagine it's one of those "Here's my costume, you're lucky I'm wearing this, and it's funny so I'm charming--says so, right here on my shirt," things for Halloween. I was reminded of this when I saw that the first and only sale of the month was, no surprise, a Prince Charming t-shirt!

So now we have Property of Prince Charming, too--perhaps a bit trite but the hubby says you will like it--and it is now available for ordering. I plan to debut his other designs next week, but wanted to get a head start today.

And folks, I don't make a lot of money off these--I really do it more for fun compared to time vs. financial return--but every little bit helps defray my costs of running SurLaLune. The $ amount these days is actually so low that I have considered taking down the SurLaLune Shop altogether. I did that with Zazzle last year after some repeatedly bad customer service experiences with them. But to date, the products I have received from CafePress have been good and the customer service has been fine despite technical glitches I have on the creation side at times. So it's still here. And I will be adding more designs this month. Because I have some and should share them so perhaps John will make us more, yes?

New Book: Once Upon a Rhyme: Volume I of the Charming Tales by Jack Heckel

Once Upon a Rhyme: Volume I of the Charming Tales by Jack Heckel was released last week. It is the first in an ebook series from Harper Voyager Impulse, part of the new trend of publishing some titles digitally only, at least at first, depending on how well they sell. The next book in the series, Happily Never After: Volume II of the Charming Tales, will be released on November 11, just a few months from now. These are shorter books, about 100 pages each, but they are also priced accordingly at $1.99 each. All part of that digital marketing trend which I won't delve into here as much as it fascinates me.

The premise sounds fun but I am now seeing that the newest fairy tale trend is to focus on Prince Charming. We've had Christopher Healy's hit trilogy, The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, followed by Elliott James' new series, starting with Charming (Pax Arcana Book 1). This has never been all that common--the only other example I can think of is from decades ago, Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming by Roger Zelazny and Robert Sheckley. I'm sure there's been others, but that I am not aware of them means that they have been rare. My knowledge is extensive but far from complete. After researching these things rather heavily for the last 16+ years, I do tend to know fairy tale related titles.

Book description:

The dragon is dead. The princess has been saved. There is but one problem: Prince Charming had nothing to do with it.

In order to save his royal reputation, Prince Charming must begrudgingly enlist the help of accidental hero William Pickett. The two set out on an adventure that has them fighting trolls, outwitting a scoundrel, and drinking the foulest ale ever, collecting bruises to both body and pride along the way. Meanwhile, the rescued princess, Gwendolyn, turns out to be one dangerously distressed damsel, and an evil presence takes over Castle White in Charming's absence …

Enter this rollicking world and discover just what happens when a fairytale leaves the well-trodden path of "once upon a time."

Biography
Jack Heckel's life is an open book, actually, the book you are in all hope holding right now (and if you are not holding it, he would like to tell you it can be purchased from any of your finest purveyors of the written word). Beyond that, Jack aspires to be either a witty, urbane, world-traveller who lives on his vintage yacht, The Clever Double Entendre, or a geographically illiterate professor of literature who spends his non-writing time restoring an 18th century lighthouse off a remote part of the Vermont coastline. Whatever you want to believe of him, he is without doubt the author of the premier volume of the Charming novels, Once Upon a Rhyme. So, no matter what rumors you might hear about Jack, particularly those spread by either litigious dwarves or litigious dwarfs, ignore them, because he is currently working on a sequel. Because more than anything, Jack lives for his readers.

Despite whatever Jack may claim, in reality, Jack Heckel is the pen name for John Peck and Harry Heckel.

Bargain Ebook: Charming (Pax Arcana Book 1) by Elliott James for $1.99

Charming (Pax Arcana Book 1) by Elliott James has been temporarily reduced to $1.99 in ebook format in anticipation of its sequel, Daring, coming out in September. It is usually in the $6-7 range. I posted about this new series in September last year, there were several short story and novella prequels before Charming's release. I haven't read this yet but I am still "charmed" at the idea of a series about Prince Charming. I'm not sure how much fairy tales appear in the novel but some of the short fiction definitely drew some inspiration from the tales.

Book description:

John Charming isn't your average Prince...

He comes from a line of Charmings -- an illustrious family of dragon slayers, witch-finders and killers dating back to before the fall of Rome. Trained by a modern day version of the Knights Templar, monster hunters who have updated their methods from chain mail and crossbows to Kevlar and shotguns, John Charming was one of the best--until a curse made him one of the abominations the Knights were sworn to hunt.

That was a lifetime ago. Now, John tends bar under an assumed name in rural Virginia and leads a peaceful, quiet life. That is, until a vampire and a blonde walked into his bar...


CHARMING is the first novel in a new urban fantasy series which gives a new twist to the Prince Charming tale.

Short Fiction in the Pax Arcana world:
Charmed I'm Sure
Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls
Pushing Luck
Surreal Estate
Dog-Gone

New Book: The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy

The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw by Christopher Healy will be released tomorrow.

As I mentioned before, this was a definite preorder for me, especially for my 11-year-old niece Leighton who has loved the series. She read the first book--The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (which is bargain priced right now for $1.99 ebook)--during her visit at Christmas 2012 and my copy went home with her after her puppy dog eyes look. Which she does not use very often--she's not that type of child actually and doesn't reread books nearly as often as I do. I had listened to her laugh and laugh while reading it, so I knew it was a happy, fun book for her voracious reading tastes. And it is. She reads everything from Rick Riordan to Dork Diaries to college level nonfiction regularly and isn't impressed with too much in her jaded reading experience already. Her biggest literary crush is Sherlock Holmes actually.

Another SurLaLune reader mentioned that it's nice to have the princes/heroes DOING something for once, which is also refreshing I admit. This should be a fun read for the boys and girls in your life including yourself.

Book description:

The League of Princes returns in the hilariously epic conclusion to the hit series that began with Christopher Healy's The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, which the Los Angeles Times called "one of the more clever, hilariously successful incarnations of the current literary rage to rip apart and rewrite fairy tales."

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You think you know those guys pretty well by now, don't you? Well, think again. Posters plastered across the thirteen kingdoms are saying that Briar Rose has been murdered—and the four Princes Charming are the prime suspects. Now they're on the run in a desperate attempt to clear their names. Along the way, however, they discover that Briar's murder is just one part of a nefarious plot to take control of all thirteen kingdoms—a plot that will lead to the doorstep of an eerily familiar fortress for a final showdown with an eerily familiar enemy.