I have to admit that I was not too excited to start this one as I make my way through the Twisted Tales series. Ariel isn’t one of my favorite princesses and I’m not crazy about her story but I kept an open mind. This was also one of the longer books in the series too so you can understand my hesitation. I actually ended up really liking it, though!
Ariel’s character was believable in this story. The twist is that she never stopped the wedding of Eric and Ursula. Her father was captured and turned into a disgusting polyp and she returned to the sea defeated. Her kingdom of Atlantica made her serve as queen, supposedly as punishment for all the trouble she caused but really none of her older sisters wanted to do it. That part was a little wonky to me, but hey it’s a fairytale. At the start of the story she is already queen and has matured a lot since her days of dreaming of the Dry World. I liked her.
I really liked Eric’s development into this tortured and miserable Prince who is under Ursula’s spell but still feels in his heart something isn’t write. To deal with his depression from being married to a horrible woman he turns to music, specifically writing operas which is original, and the ocean. He always loved sailing out on the ocean but his new wife won’t allow it so he walks the beaches talking to himself, helping him get the nickname The Mad Prince.
Ursula is stuck living as the human Vanessa in the Dry World, but she actually seems to like it because of her status as Princess and ruler. She gets to do whatever she wants and Eric never says anything because he’s busy walking beaches and writing operas and being distant. She still has her evil plans and a bunch of those seaweed looking poor unfortunate souls trapped in jars, including Ariel’s father. Once Ariel finds this out she can’t let that go, of course.
I liked this book better than the first few only because it jumps right into the story without giving 25% of the book to novelizing the original movie before getting into the twist. A lot of people seemed to complain about that and they finally addressed it and laid out these books differently, which is nice. I breezed through this despite being over 400 pages. It genuinely held my interest. The ending wasn’t wrapped up into a happily ever after but left open between Eric and Ariel to develop into whatever the reader wanted to think. That was different and kind of nice. I highly recommend this series if you’re a Disney fan and a Disney Princess fan, and I recommend this particular book in the series as well.
Today’s author spotlight is on Christina Resnover. Thanks for participating, Christina! Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?
I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, I’m a a graduate of Indiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Philosophy. My hobbies include playing video games, watching DC and Marvel movies, scouring flea markets for vintage comic books, and travelling. My most recent trip was out of the country for the first time to London and Paris.
Wow! Paris AND London? That’s an awesome first adventure out of the country! So, What genre(s) do you write in?
My first book was Poetry and Prose. I am hoping to expand into Young Adult Fiction, and Children’s books.
That’s quite a range but definitely manageable. I write in four different genres, all very different for each other so it can be done! Are you traditionally published, independently published, or both?
I am Independently published.
Me too! I find having complete creative control over my work fits best with who I am. What made you choose the publishing path you’re on?
I was working in Michigan at the time. My cousin told me about how our employer has written books and knew a woman who ran an Independent publishing service. My employer made contact with her and it went from there. I looked into being traditionally published but I realized months could go by if I even hear back from traditional publishers. Or the thought of possibly having anything changed about my book. I want to remain in control of everything for the most part. I want to retain my creative process from beginning to end.
I see we have another control freak author in the house! Haha, I say that with kindness because that’s totally me. I even have to make my own covers because I know exactly what I want (lol) Why did you choose to write in the genre(s) you’re in?
I love poetry, specifically free form. I wanted to express what I was feeling at the time when I started my book. I love how writing helps me express myself when I cannot find the words to say it.
It’s funny how most writers are very similar in that they can’t express themselves normally through spoken words so they take to writing. That’s me to a T. When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
I don’t think I fully realized it but I first started writing a book when I was 19. When I go back to read it, I’m like wow. But I ran into writer’s block and being a writer wasn’t on my mind until I was 25. I attend Bible study one night at a church I was attending called “Progressive Life Ministries” here in Indianapolis. The Pastor’s wife (The First Lady) randomly asked me if I had a journal that I kept and wrote in. I told her no and she told me to come by the church the next day and gave me a journal. I didn’t use it immediately. I only wrote in it as it came to me. Some days I would write more than one poem.
Journaling can be a great way to break through that writer’s block. I try to journal too (though sometimes I just get too busy. If it comes down to reading or journaling at night I always pick reading lol) But journaling is so reflective. That’s why on top of writing fiction I took to designing journals, usually because I wanted one and couldn’t find it. Why don’t you tell us a little about your writing processes and your writing space.
I tend to find myself writing more at night than during the day. It usually starts off as an idea that I’ve had. So, I try to figure out what kind of message or story am I trying to present. I try to present it in order. At least that’s how it was for my first book. I mostly talked about my life after my mother’s death. Telling the story in order from beginning to finish. Sometimes I find myself writing in my room, at Applebee’s (former job), or the library. I sometimes write while listening to Classical music to free my mind and I find it soothing.
Yes! The writing in your downtime at your day job! I get my best writing done then. What are your favorite books to read? I tend to get a lot of inspiration from the stories and writing styles of whatever I’m reading.
Some of my favorite books would have to be “If You Come Softly” by Jacqueline Woodson, “The Henna Wars” by Adiba Jaigirdar, “Black Buck” by Mateo Askaripour, “Friends and Lovers” by Eric Jerome Dickey, and lastly “The Marathon Don’t Stop” (The Life And Times of Nipsey Hussle) by Rob Kenner. I haven’t finished that last book as I am currently reading it but it’s brilliant.
Interesting. I’ll have to check out those titles because I’ve never heard of them. Thanks for the recommendations! So to touch on something all authors seem to hate the most, what does marketing look like for you? Are you an avid believer in social media or do you like paid advertisement more? Do you DIY or do you have someone else or a company handle it?
I hope to branch out more marketing wise. I am still figuring out all the kinks. Self-publishing isn’t easy for sure. You have to do everything and I am not mad about it. From writing the book, figuring out what platform or service to go through if not using someone who runs their own self-publishing company, promoting your book by whatever means you decide. But it’s showing me a deeper appreciation for the art and for other Indie authors. For now, I have been using social media. I wouldn’t mind paying for advertisements.
Don’t sweat it. I have a Master’s in Business Admin and Marketing and I’m still working out the kinks too. Social media is so great, especially Instagram I’ve found. That’s where I put most of my efforts. So, I like to ask this because I’m a research nerd. If you have to do any research for your books, how do you like to accomplish this? What is your organization of research like? How long do you usually spend on research?
I did a great deal of research. I know a few people have been asking me questions. I don’t mind. But I still had to do my own research and figure out other things on my own. The woman who I went through to help me put my book together was only knowledgeable about getting my book on Amazon. I looked at other sites on what they offer. At some point I want hardcover books. Amazon has now made this option available but when I put out my first book, the paperback was only available.I looked up on how to put together a good blurb on the back cover. I did research on trying to find someone to translate my book in Spanish. I received a recommendation to use someone on Fiverr. But she didn’t feel comfortable translating my book in Spanish because of it being Poetry. She recommended another translator to go through on Fiverr. He had a team of editors and other people he worked with. So more than one set of eyes looked at it.
I’ve made use of Amazon’s hardcover new option. I still wish they would come out with a dustjacket hardcover option but we can’t have it all right now I guess. Which of your books is your bestseller and why do you think it is? What do readers say they like about it?
I haven’t quite reached bestseller status as I am still new. Many people don’t even know I have a book out. Even people I know that follow me don’t see the posts probably because of social media’s algorithm so most times that goes over their head. But I will keep writing more books. My goal was to have my book made and available to those who need it the most. People have told me they liked either because of the honesty I have presented or the unknown facts that they didn’t know about me. I am mostly referring to family and friends who didn’t know what I was going through until they read my book. I think people liked that they could relate to those feelings I wrote about.
All you can do is keep putting the word out and people will eventually find it! Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming release.
I am currently working on two projects. I have a few others but these two right now are the most important to me. One of them is continuing my first poetry book and the other is my first YA. I’ve been out of the country to London and Paris. So I will say my YA book will mostly be taking place in London and Paris. If you’ve read “Just One Day” by Gayle Forman it won’t quite be the same but somewhere along those lines. Also another favorite book of mine. I love Gayle Forman and her other book “If I Stay”. Check those out.
Funny how works in progress pile up on you. I have at least five more ideas for books and series on the back burner while I wrap up the four series I already have started! That’s so great you have a fun new location to use for your books. I am an avid user of Google Maps street view so I can virtually walk through places I’ve never been that I decide to use in my books. So not the same, but works for descriptions. Of all the characters you’ve created, who is your favorite? (I know, it’s like choosing a favorite between kids)
I don’t want to say too much. But my YA book that I am working on. Robyn is probably going to be my favorite character because she will be like me. But mostly in a funny creative way that most people don’t know about me or have seen. I only have one book out but I plan to write more.
There’s a little bit of all us authors in our characters! Thank you so much for sharing your author experience with us! If anyone would like to follow Christina or find her books please use the links below.
Week three has gone a lot better for me than one or two. I caught up on all the writing I was behind on and it feels great! I am right on track and I am loving how Zooey Zombie’s second story is developing. In the first book it was so short it was just an surface introduction to Zooey and her friends and the situation they’re in with her being brought back to life after being a zombie by the “cure”. Now in book two, being almost twice as long, I can dig deeper into who these characters really are, what they believe in, what they value and hold important. I’m also getting to set the scene in my beloved Boston more which is always fun (Thanks Google Maps street view lol I’ve only been there once for a short weekend a decade ago so this comes in handy to see what it looks like today without taking a trip). I can’t wait to share this story with the world. I hope they enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
Now that I’m in the routine of writing every weekday (I take weekends off), I feel that slump floating away. I don’t have that detrimental thought of “If I just skip today because I’m feeling lazy I’ll be okay. I can catch up.” It’s soooo less stressful to already be on track. I’m a perpetual procrastinator so it was hard to get into this groove, but now that I have I’m glad I did! How is your NaNoWriMo 2021 going now that we’re more than halfway through it? Tell me in the comments and share your projects!
If you’d like to follow my project on NaNoWriMo you can do so by clicking this button below.
This was a great conclusion to the Practical Magic series. I loved that all the ones that came out prior to this were all prequels to Practical Magic. This is the only one that follows up what happens to the family after their adventures in Practical Magic. Sally’s girls are in their 20s and on their own, protected from knowing about magic all their lives but that catches up to them. For someone like me who has read the book once but seen the movies a thousand times, it gets confusing for me because the characters are inverted; Sally’s girls are opposite in the book and the aunts are opposite in the books, or I guess in the movie. Messes with my memory of the story and I have to stop and think, wait which one is this?
The story is all about breaking the family curse that keeps Owens members from falling in love, which is something I’m sure everyone who knows the story has been waiting to see if it’s possible or not. So many have tried before and failed. One of Sally’s daughters finds herself in a race against time to save her boyfriend’s life due to the curse. It takes her across the pond and she meets some very interesting and unique characters and villain. Sally meets another new and interesting man. To me, this relationship always felt a little off, like it never really would happen but it didn’t hinder the story at all.
If you’ve read the other books in the Practical Magic series then you HAVE to read this one. It wraps the story up nicely. I love Alice Hoffman’s writing.
Hi. My name is Hayley Mills. (Yes, named Hayley after the actress my mother loved) I was born in Manchester, England, immigrating to Australia on the S. S. Australis with my family in 1974. It was an unbelievable life shift.
I became a young single mum of two daughters by the age of 19 after my partner since I was 14 passed away. Several years later daughter number three came along and I now also have eight beautiful grandchildren.
I have always loved to write, though I didn’t follow a writing career. Instead I chose Equine Industry Management, which I loved. When I changed career direction I began writing to fulfil my own needs, finding a happiness with pen and paper that gives me purpose.
What genre(s) do you write in?
I write Paranormal urban Fantasy with some romance. I would like to try my hand at writing a Paranormal Mystery Series.
Are you traditionally published, independently published, or both?
I am currently self-published, though I have a completed novel I would eventually like to experience the traditional querying process with.
What made you choose the publishing path you’re on?
I guess, with the information I had been offered at the time, I chose self-publishing to keep control over my own work and to ease into the writing world. Not having the supports and information I have now I made an awful lot of mistakes along the way. I have learnt a lot over the years and would do things a little differently now. I’m still learning.
Why did you choose to write in the genre(s) you’re in?
Originally I wrote an autobiography. On completion I burnt the book. It occurred to me that the anxiety I felt was my fear of someone reading what was personal to me and making judgements. After the pages turned to ash I immediately felt I had once again been silenced. That same night I had a dream in complete scenes that finished at the end of the story. I got up and wrote my first book with elements of my life mixed in with fantasy. I haven’t published this particular book, but went on to write and publish a Paranormal Fantasy Series, Lord Have Mercy and then Mercy on Your Soul.
When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
My dreams of becoming a writer began in 5th Grade primary school after my English teacher praised me for a story I wrote. Though it was full of red ink corrections for my appalling spelling and punctuation. My work is still full of red mark corrections.
Tell us a little about your writing processes and your writing space.
I have an upstairs office with beautiful views over the water. It can either be great for my imagination or a beautiful distraction.
When I wrote Lord Have Mercy, the story was handwritten in small journals. At its completion I handwrote it again with edits in larger journals, then typed it into the computer with more edits. I already knew the full story, however I wrote: plans, mind-maps, plots and character references along the way. Sometimes characters choose new directions, and scenes develop in ways I hadn’t originally imagined.
I chose to write Mercy on Your Soul directly into the computer with complete outlines of plots and characters. Each process had its pros and cons.
I have again chosen to handwrite Book 3 of the series into journals before typing it up.
I have two other completed handwritten novels waiting to go through the publishing process.
What are your favorite books to read?
I enjoy many books from the classics of Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice and Tolstoy’s, War and Peace, to Tolkien’s, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I like Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones series and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. Diana Gabaldon Outlander Series, Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series and Lainie Taylors Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. George R.R Martin, A Game of Thrones, Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden, Richard Adams, Watership Down, Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, Markus Zusak, The Book Thief. (Too many others to list)
What does marketing look like for you? Are you an avid believer in social media or do you like paid advertisement more? Do you DIY or do you have someone else or a company handle it?
I had no idea what was involved in advertising and social media when I first started. Though I’ve learnt a great deal, I’m in no way leading the charge. In fact, I’m probably the one at the back of the platoon running with sword held high, shouting war cries, swallowing bugs and tripping face first in the mud. Still, I scramble up full of determination and somehow turn myself about, heading in the wrong direction. Until a kindly warrior sets me straight, takes me by the shoulders and sends me back the other way. I continue to yodel my battle cries, but with far less enthusiasm.
I engage in social media such as with a Facebook Author page and my facebook group The Ink Pot, Instagram and Twitter, as well as Goodreads, Allauthors and Bookbubz. It is important to get your books out there, but I find it just as important to connect with people. It can be really difficult keeping everything balanced and take away the time necessary for writing, so set time schedules and then get off and get writing.. Another way to help is create several posts and schedule when they can be posted.
In the beginning I did a few paid facebook Ads. Unfortunately, they didn’t achieve anything for me. That’s not to say they won’t work for others. Creating your own book trailers and posts (Canva is a great app to use) are important to draw your audience in. Of course, if you have the money to pay someone or a company to do your advertising for you, that’s great and will take a load of stress off your shoulders. DIY is like a full time business. Creating a newsletter is apparently important (Again I have not tackled this yet) I will at some point; possibly when my writing projects settle down. I have noticed a huge increase in reels and tiktok for Authors (Not something I have become involved in) but it seems to have a great impact for others.
I wish you all well in this department. If you see me running in the wrong direction just give me a friendly shove and I’ll re-join the fray with my muddy, bug splattered face held high.
If you have to do any research for your books, how do you like to accomplish this? What is your organization of research like? How long do you usually spend on research?
Each of my books has required some element of research. With Lord Have Mercy. I researched a historical connection between Norman Gothic buildings in England and buildings in France that could have a connection to the Character Gargoyles, particularly Af. I chose William the Conqueror to be the bridge between the two worlds by commissioning the construction of Lincoln Cathedral after the battle of Hastings, and of course his birth connections in Falaise, Normandy and marriage at Notre Dame where he commissioned the creation of Af. I have woven history and mythology within both of my books. I will work hard to weave more research into book 3 where it’s needed.
I cross check websites and books and use memories of places I’ve been to and things I’ve seen growing up. Other books I will research by going on site where possible.
Which of your books is your bestseller and why do you think it is? What do readers say they like about it?
Lord Have Mercy has been out the longest, with Mercy on Your Soul only published this year. When I first began in the publishing world I didn’t have the advice and support necessary to help me though the process. If I had the knowledge then that I do now I wouldn’t have published at that time. For this reason, I have saved and found an editor/proofreader who has gone through Book 1 again. Once the corrections have been completed a new edition will be published.
An Amazon and Goodreads review gives a bit of insight into what someone felt about Lord Have Mercy.
What an amazing adventure it has been exploring her dual nature together with Mercy!
“Lord Have Mercy” by H.M. Mills is a book that has everything to make you turn the pages. Iconic characters like angels, demons, and Lucifer himself open up from the angles you’ve never imagined them before. My favourite characters in the book are the Gargoyles. Those guys make an impressive set you wouldn’t really want to encounter but imagining them while reading was truly fascinating.
I’m not a huge fan of 17-year-old protagonists, but I guess it’s because often they act either if they were ten or thirty. Mercy acts exactly as a 17-year-old girl would in the situations she has to face. I really liked that. She is impulsive, she doesn’t think twice before she acts, and she is easily confused by those older and wiser, especially when they masterfully tag at Mercy’s most painful cords.
Reading this book was like travelling to Hell and back. Descriptions of Hell and its inhabitants were so vivid I almost felt those flames and Lucifer’s wrath burning me through.
H.M. Mills has created a set of bright, relatable characters, and the story arcs that weave their lives together are highly compelling. I’ll definitely read the second installment in the Mercy Aymes series.
Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming release.
Book 3 is the final book in the Mercy Aymes trilogy. Mercy is a Demon/Angel hybrid thrown into the Immortal world she had no idea she belonged to.
Demons, Gargoyles and Angels rushing towards a war that began before the fall of Lucifer. Only the Demon King discovered a weapon that will tip the scales in his favour; a weapon that happens to be his fated mate. The only problem is she’s also the fated mate of a Guardian, a Gargoyle warrior of Lincoln.
Of all the characters you’ve created, who is your favorite? (I know, it’s like choosing a favorite between kids)
This really is a hard question to answer. It might sound funny that I don’t consider my MC Mercy my favourite, though I love all my characters. I have a particular soft spot for Lucifer and Xaphan, Azrael and Chayyliel. Actually, I’m just going to end up writing a long list of names. I also have favourite characters from novels I haven’t published yet.
Here are all of Hayley’s links if you would like to interact with her on social media! Thanks Hayley for doing an Author Spotlight with us!
