Bloodmaiden Blog Tour and Giveaway!

I'm happy to have author Christine Schulze here today promoting her fantasy novella, Bloodmaiden!

Bloodmaiden: Inspirations Behind the Horrific Fairy-tale

I have always tried to be very unique in my tales, even as a child, but more so now that I’m older and have written so much; I want each new piece to be fresh, not just a mirror image of an older work of mine.

So what spurred this author’s thirst to craft Bloodmaiden, a book different than any I’d written before and any I am likely to write hereafter?

Several factors intertwined to create this fantasy adventure weaving legend, romance, horror, and even fairy tale elements.

One of the first inspirations was the photos, a couple of which you can see displayed here. It is hard to remember which exactly came first—the desire for the photos, the book, or perhaps they occurred simultaneously. Whichever inspired the other, the photos did help set some of the mood for Bloodmaiden, especially its opening chapters.

Those opening chapters help set it apart from other of my works up until that point. I was taking a college fiction writing course at the time which made me aware not just of plot and characters, which I was already very keen on being intricate with, but on the actual writing style and language. Deciding to try something new, I lured readers in by writing from Crisilin’s view, first person and present tense, to make readers feel like they were right there, experiencing everything she did. Crisilin is both a sort of avatar to help readers move through this new world she herself cannot quite comprehend while being her own character, aware of who she is and unabashed by it. I also wanted girls reading the book to feel like they could be Crisilin, so her age goes unmentioned; in my head she was always thirteen, though she could clearly be older.

Another new factor added to my writing was the great use of metaphorical language. One of my favorite and most quoted lines from the novel is: “The field of sunlit gold has become the field of rubies.” A pivotal and chilling line.

One of the books I’m sure must have invoked some of my inspiration is Nancy Springer’s Chains of Gold. I bought it from a book sale as a teenager, devoured it, and added a bit of its themes to Bloodmaiden. I’ve been told Bloodmaiden also compares to The Hunger Games, which I’m keen to read. I also find a bit of it in The Forest of Hands and Teeth, which was a brilliant feast for the page-turner’s soul.

Finally, there was my desire to do something with dragons. I’d never really been interested in dragon books as far as fantasy went, and I didn’t really connect with books like Eragon. So I wanted to create my own dragon book, adding my own, unique lore about dragons to create a book that I myself, as well as other dragon skeptics, would like. And, of course, the dragons fans would hopefully enjoy a new volume to add to their shelves.

All these things finally came together, along with the characters—who really must come to life for there to be a story at all—to create Bloodmaiden. As for the characters themselves, some are named after good friends and hints of their real characters. Crisilin is a type of myself though, and Chalom, though he plays the role of a quiet supporter throughout much of the story, represents my own strength and protector in times of trouble.

About the author:

Christine E. Schulze has been creating books since she was too young to even write them in words. Her collection of YA fantasy books, The Amielian Legacy, is comprised of series and stand-alone books which can all be read separately but which weave together to create an amazing fantasy. Her fanatsies also incorporate many other genres, such as Christian fantasy, romance, and even a spark of horror at times. She hopes to inspire readers throughout the world with these books by publishing in both traditional and electronic formats to make them available to all readers.

Christine has published several stories with Calliope and Kalkion magazines and is an active member of the WEbook online writing community. She has also published several Christian/fantasy books which are available at various online retailers, as well as publishing several eBooks via Writers-Exchange.

Her latest and most exciting venture includes her publications with Old Line Publishing: Bloodmaiden and Tears of a Vampire Prince: the First Krystine. She also anticipates her upcoming publication with Old Line, Lily in the Snow, as well as releasing The Chronicles of the Mira with Writers-Exchange in both paperback and electronic forms.

Christine currently lives in Belleville, Illinois in her first and most thrilling apartment.

You can purchase Bloodmaiden at the following places:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

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Giveaway: Leave a comment for your chance to win an ecopy of Bloodmaiden! Be sure to include your email address so we can contact you!

Next stop on this tour: Nyx Book Reviews - May 21st