Happy Cover Reveal for Frogs At Noontide by Janeen Ippolito! This a fresh, fun retelling of The Frog Prince suitable for YA and up.
If you’re looking for a quirky story snack with clean/sweet romance, dark whimsy, bits of humor and banter, a Happily Ever After, and a LOT of frogs, this is your book.
Frogs At Noontide is the third book in the Star-Crossed Fairy Tales, but can be enjoyed as a standalone.
As a Christmas treat, for this weekend only you can preorder the ebook on ‘Zon for only 99 cents!
You can also preorder an autographed paperback direct from Janeen (jiauthor.com) for only $11 (+s/h) which will include an exclusive bookmark and a sticker.
An outcast lady. A trapped prince. A slimy scheme to overturn a dynasty.
She’s marked by her past.
Lady Zeraphethina (Zeth, please) has finally escaped imprisonment by a malevolent hag and is ready to marry her prince—only he’s been transformed into a frog. At least, she thinks he’s been transformed. Frogs aren’t known for talking, and her relations with the royals at the court are already strained without making outlandish claims. Instead, she turns to her tinkering skills, creating a trinket that might turn him back. Or make things worse.
He must free his people.
As the carefree youngest prince, Milos figured committing to his true love was enough responsibility. But now he finds that not only is he a captive amphibian, but so are many servants from the palace. And some of his fellow prisoners are looking far too comfortable in their frog bodies. Burdened by their plight, he must risk his life to rescue them and discover the culprits behind the slimy affliction.
They fight for their future.
Bound by chains of curse and law, Milos and Zeth must work together to end the enchantment and bring the culprits to justice. Otherwise, Milos and his people will lose themselves and become frogs forever.
AUTHOR BIO
Janeen Ippolito does all the things! She’s an award-winning, bestselling author of over 25 books in the genres of urban fantasy, fairy tale retellings, superheroes, and steampunk. She’s also an experienced editor and marketing strategist and ran a publishing house for seven years. She hosts the Author Culture podcast and is an in-demand speaker who helps scifi and fantasy authors achieve success in the chaotic publishing world. In her spare time, she helps her husband with his youth swordfighting programs, cooks fun food, reads whatever she feels like, and plays the ukulele. Connect with her at jiauthor.com.
Today is the release day for a fantastic fairytale retelling.
A young queen. Her imaginary friend. A kingdom on the verge of death.
She believes she’s crazy.
Queen Usilea has a secret–and he lives in her mind. Ever since she was six years old, her imaginary friend has been her closest companion, and her arranged marriage has been a great dread. When she learns her betrothed and the royal family have suddenly died, she feels obligated to attend the funeral in the foreign land of Absteph–and perhaps learn more behind their mysterious passing.
He only wants the truth.
Petar endures great pain to protect those he does not remember. His only solace is a shadowy woman who he loves–even though she denies that he exists. When a terrible tragedy occurs in his kingdom, that mysterious woman is his only hope of bringing justice to light. For the cage that imprisons him grows harsher every day, and he is losing the fight.
But there are thorns at sunrise.
Brought together on the barest thread of reality, Usilea and Petar must discover what really happened to the royal family. But Petar’s time is running out. Soon not even a Mender like Usilea will be able to save him.
This YA romance features a gender-swapped Sleeping Beauty in an original fantasy world on the brink of doom.
Thorns at Sunrise is the second book in a series of unique fairytale retellings from author Janeen Ippolito.
While the first book Met by Midnight was a loose take on Cinderella, Thorns at Sunrise sets out to tackle Sleeping Beauty. If the Prince had been the sleeping one. Although the girl is now, the hero Thorns at Sunrise maintains a balance between both POVs and avoids the easy “girl power” narrative. Urlisa and Petar have a healthy relationship and the feels are there for those who came for the romance.
Like Met by Midnight, Thorns at Sunrise also includes original poetry, that compliments the prose. The author is also a poet in her own right and I wondered which came first, the story or the poem?
If you live for fairytale retellings, this is one series you won’t want to miss. Met by Midnight and Thorns at Sunrise share characters, so I recommend reading them in order for maximum enjoyment.
I was blessed with an early review copy from the author, the above review is my fair and honest evaluation of the provided work.
In addition, special edition hardbacks of Met by Midnight and Thorns at Sunrise are also available.
The special edition hardbacks will feature all-new illustrated covers by Kristen Hildebrand/Magpie Designs.
Janeen Ippolito writes about misfits who defy expectations, whether in fairy tale, steampunk fantasy, urban fantasy, humorous paranormal romance, or poetry. She also spreads wordtastic joy in her work as a fearless book strategist, nonfiction author, and coach. In her spare time, she swordfights and posts cute animal memes.
*This site takes part in the Amazon Associates Program. That means if you click an Amazon link in this post and buy the product promoted the blogger will make literal pennies at no extra cost to you.
*This site takes part in the Amazon Associates Program. That means if you click an Amazon link in this post and buy the product promoted the blogger will make literal pennies at no extra cost to you.
Hello again. I’m back with more from Janeen Ippolito. In her never-ending quest to do all the things, she is now getting ready to release a fairytale retelling of sleeping beauty. And boy does this release have a lot to it. We’re talking pre-order swag and Special edition hardcovers. Keep reading for all the details.
A young queen. Her imaginary friend. A kingdom on the verge of death.
She believes she’s crazy.
Queen Usilea has a secret–and he lives in her mind. Ever since she was six years old, her imaginary friend has been her closest companion, and her arranged marriage has been a great dread. When she learns her betrothed and the royal family have suddenly died, she feels obligated to attend the funeral in the foreign land of Absteph–and perhaps learn more behind their mysterious passing.
He only wants the truth.
Petar endures great pain to protect those he does not remember. His only solace is a shadowy woman who he loves–even though she denies that he exists. When a terrible tragedy occurs in his kingdom, that mysterious woman is his only hope of bringing justice to light. For the cage that imprisons him grows harsher every day, and he is losing the fight.
But there are thorns at sunrise.
Brought together on the barest thread of reality, Usilea and Petar must discover what really happened to the royal family. But Petar’s time is running out. Soon not even a Mender like Usilea will be able to save him.
This YA romance features a gender-swapped Sleeping Beauty in an original fantasy world on the brink of doom.
The book is available for preorder in eBook and paperback format.
To mark the cover reveal, the ebook of Met by Midnight (book 1 of the series) is on sale for $0.99 for Amazon Kindle until January 31. Amazon Kindle*: https://amzn.to/3HrV8zA
Author Bio:
Janeen Ippolito writes about misfits who defy expectations, whether in fairy tale, steampunk fantasy, urban fantasy, humorous paranormal romance, or poetry. She also spreads wordtastic joy in her work as a fearless book strategist, nonfiction author, and coach. In her spare time, she swordfights and posts cute animal memes.
Author Janeen Ippolito is on this blog quite a lot for her snarky urban fantasy offerings. But once in a while she appears for her insightful poetry,
You can check out her previous poetry visits: A Storm Grows here and Embers, Dreams, and Dustfire here.
In fact, as a Christmas Gift to everyone Janeen is making all three of her previous poetry collections FREE Today (12/14) and tomorrow (12/15) Find them all here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q99GDGP
Into the Depth
Release Date: January 11, 2023
Blurb:
the water is deep and though I can see crystal-clear in the depths the water is deep and I’m not able to swim
A poetry anthology of mental health, mental illness, trying to cope, and persevering despite the difficulties.
-This time, she wouldn’t rush into danger in lounge pants and a tank top.
From Fire that Unites by Janeen Ippolito
Happy release day to Fire that unites, the second book in the Arcane Market Adventures. Scroll to the end for some sweet character art of Josie and Oliver.
All Josie wants is to keep the man she loves safe. And stop the truth-knife from stabbing her soul.
Neither of these goals is happening.
After a harrowing escape from fire dragons, Josie ends up making a deal with the one man she shouldn’t—her ice dragon ex, Rafe. He’s willing to protect Oliver and her if she helps him stop the horrors of the Arcane Market. And she has to put up with his not-so-secret desire to win her back.
On top of that, her truth-knife has decided to turn on her. Suddenly every lie Josie speaks inflicts searing pain on her heart. How’s a woman supposed to guard her rogue fire elemental mate without lying? Especially when he keeps getting beat up just for existing.
Caught between her icy-hot ex, her irrepressible mate, and the agony of her blade, Josie’s ready to do the one thing she can’t. Even if it costs her safety. And her life.
Buy now and enjoy a humorous paranormal romance with a side of action and twisty plot. Features a sensible firebird shifter with a feisty side, a rascally fire elemental with a tragic side, and an ice dragon who hoards antiques. Clean PG-13 – there’s heat, danger, and fighting, but nothing graphic.
Author Janeen Ippolito has a new novel coming soon in her ever expanding Steel City Genie Universe. This one is a direct sequel to Cut to the Heart and is the second book in the Arcane Market series branch.
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All Josie wants is to keep the man she loves safe. And stop the truth-knife from stabbing her soul.
Neither of these goals is happening.
After a harrowing escape from fire dragons, Josie ends up making a deal with the one man she shouldn’t—her ice dragon ex, Rafe. He’s willing to protect Oliver and her if she helps him stop the horrors of the Arcane Market. And she has to put up with his not-so-secret desire to win her back.
On top of that, her truth-knife has decided to turn on her. Suddenly every lie Josie speaks inflicts searing pain on her heart. How’s a woman supposed to guard her rogue fire elemental mate without lying?
Especially when he keeps getting beat up just for existing.
Caught between her icy-hot ex, her irrepressible mate, and the agony of her blade, Josie’s ready to do the one thing she can’t.
Even if it costs her safety. And her life.
Buy now and enjoy a humorous paranormal romance with a side of action and twisty plot. Features a sensible firebird shifter with a feisty side, a rascally fire elemental with a tragic side, and an ice dragon who hoards antiques. Clean PG-13 – there’s heat, danger, and fighting, but nothing graphic. ___
Hey there, I hope everyone is recovered from all of the crazy ales we had last weekend. Because I have another new book to tell you about.
Janeen Ippolito has just released her newest book in The Steel City Genie series.
My city is under attack by shadowfiends. Apparently, this is my fault, thanks to the family I’ve never met.
At least the attack interrupted my first couples therapy session with Cendric. Small blessings, right?
Then my long-lost dad—yeah, the one that’s supposed to be dead—shows up to tell me that the shadowfiends are controlled by Raith, an old family member who’s here to recharge his magical batteries by any means necessary, including destroying Pittsburgh and me. Oh, and centuries ago, Raith picked a fight with the local dragons, so they’re after me as well.
Now I have to learn my family’s magic, stop Raith’s path of destruction, and make nice with the dragons. Speaking of which, did I mention my oh-so-quiet secretary has eloped with one of the dragons’ worst enemies?
Personally, all I want for Christmas is to survive until New Year’s. And maybe, a vacation.
Buy now and enjoy the Steel City Genie series: snarky urban fantasy with a blue-collar genie, a load of trouble, some romance with heat (nothing graphic), and gleeful send ups of many romantic fantasy tropes, plus otter-shifters and coffee addictions.
Janeen Ippolito doesn’t just write quirky series with snarky characters. B\No, She writes MCU level crossovers with Easter eggs and character cameos.
Check out the full universe below complete with Amazon links:
If you are up for the challenge try reading them in chronological order:
My Alien Boyfriend Steel City Genie one: If Wishes were Curses Cut to the Heart Steel City Genie 2: Wish you Weren’t Here SCG 3: Wishing Against the House My Alien Engagement (concurrent with Wishing Against the House, occurs within it)
Janeen Ippolito believes you should own your unique words—and make them awesome! She’s a multi-published author of bestselling fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She’s also an experienced editor and marketing strategist, plus the head of Uncommon Universes Press, a publishing company with award-winning books. In her spare time, she helps her missionary husband with his youth swordfighting ministry, indulges her foodie ambitions, reads whatever books she feels like, and explores a slew of random hobbies. Her life goals include traveling to Antarctica and riding a camel while wearing a party hat. This extrovert loves to connect, so join her on social media or at janeenippolito.com
Wishing Against the House is the official third book in the Steel City Genie series.
As a result of this pretty much anything I write in this review is going to be spoiler for an earlier book in the series.
You have been warned.
Before I start into spoilers, I will say that if you have read any of the previous books by Janeen Ippolito, then you will find the same snarky humor, and same heart touching character dilemmas as can be found in her other books.
Possible spoilers to follow.
Allis’s character, despite having gone through considerable growth already, continues to discover new things about herself, her powers, and her family.
At first I thought it was strange that Allis was dealing with some of the same hang ups she had in book one. Feelings of being worthless and unloved resurface, even with the ever growing number of friends and family she has collected over the course of her series.
But I can see how the events of this novel bring all those feelings right back to the front of her mind since this story does tackle the question of just who Allis’s father was and why he abandoned her. It is a tough topic for her as it drags up all of the abandonment and abuse that she went through as a child and even as an adult.
One of the best things about this series though is the romance. There’s no triangles or will they/won’t they. it’s just a healthy relationship between a married couple. They have problems, as couples do, but they work it out or try to anyway. It’s nice to see Allis and Cendric going to counseling and talking out their problems.
If you are looking for a humorous urban fantasy that has some clean steam (clean because she doesn’t describe it, but steamy because you know they did it.) between a married couple then I really recommend you check out the Steel city Genie series.
A huge thank you to Author Janeen Ippolito for providing me with an advanced copy of Wishing Against the House. This review is my own honest opinion of the book and is given willingly and without coercion.
Welcome back today’s cover reveal is the newest installment in the Steel City Genie series from author Janeen Ippolito. If you are new to my blog or maybe you just missed my posts on the first two books in this series you can find them here.
To Celebrate the cover reveal for book three Janeen has made the first and second books for on Amazon for a few days so grab them while you can. (Please verify prices before ordering, as free promotion may not carry over into all markets.)
And now introducing book three: Wishing Against the House.
My city is under attack by shadowfiends. Apparently, this is my fault, thanks to the family I’ve never met.
At least the attack interrupted my first couples therapy session with Cendric. Small blessings, right?
Then my long-lost dad—yeah, the one that’s supposed to be dead—shows up to tell me that the shadowfiends are controlled by Raith, an old family member who’s here to recharge his magical batteries by any means necessary, including destroying Pittsburgh and me. Oh, and centuries ago, Raith picked a fight with the local dragons, so they’re after me as well.
Now I have to learn my family’s magic, stop Raith’s path of destruction, and make nice with the dragons. Speaking of which, did I mention my oh-so-quiet secretary has eloped with one of the dragons’ worst enemies?
Personally, all I want for Christmas is to survive until New Year’s. And maybe, a vacation.
Preorder links:
The Release date isn’t until November 29th so make sure you get your preorder in so you don’t forget about this hot holiday release.
So you know that phrase about saving the best for last? well the last post of June is going to be a big one. Not only am I spot lighting a new book from Janeen Ippolito, I get to plug my upcoming novel at the same time. Yes I am actually publishing this one. I have a release date. I’m committed But first here’s a little about Janeen’s book.
Get more out of your writing prompts!
Weird Writing Prompts is a short book loaded with questions to jumpstart your creativity, dive deeper into your characters, and rev up your book marketing.
Oh yeah, and some questions are weird. Like “trap your characters in an elevator with an emu” weird. Because everyone needs a little weirdness to refresh their writing lives!
Grab this book to:
-Get Deep & Random – Expanded prompts with ideas to make your characters epic, plus absurd situations to unlock your creativity with play
-Get Sharing & Marketing – Author-centric questions to fuel your marketing brain and help with social media content creation
It’s time to refresh your brain, supercharge your story, and have fun with your marketing!
“Having fun is vital to goo writing, good marketing, and good sales.” – Janeen ippolito
My review
Weird Writing prompts is a great writing prompt book. Instead of just offering you more story ideas to add to your “to write” list, this prompt book actually helps you develop the story you are already working on.
The book is divided into two parts, character questions and marketing questions. The character questions may seem random and silly, but each one is formulated to help you learn something about your characters.
The marketing questions are also fun and are great for helping you decide what kind of giveaway items you want on hand for when you your book releases. The author also includes ideas for how to adapt the questions for a classroom setting which is great for English teachers and homeschoolers.
I really enjoyed all of the odd little questions and having to think about how they would apply to my story.
If you are stuck on your current project and would like a prompt book to help you move forward then check out Weird Writing Prompts.
To see sample questions and how I used them for my story, keep reading to the end.
Weird Writing Prompts releases July 13.
But you can pre order the ebook now for only 99 cents.
Janeen Ippolito believes you should own your unique words. She’s a multi-published author of bestselling fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She’s also an experienced editor, marketing strategist, and businesswoman, plus the CEO of Uncommon Universes Press. When not writing, she explores random hobbies or posts cute animal memes. Connect at janeenippolito.com
Runaway Lyrics is a retelling of the Snow White and Rose Red fairytale, with a light steampunk aesthetic. The main characters are Snow and Rose, identical twin sisters who are both talented at music. There are also Bayare (the oldest) and Wickham, half brothers and princes. Placed under a curse that causes Bayare to turn into a great brown bear every night and for Wickham to become a great golden owl every day.
So let’s start with the ultimate random question:
What would each of your characters do if a bird pooped on them?
Bayare would look around to see where Wickham, in owl form, was. Then when he found him he would instantly accuse him of doing it. Wickham would deny everything. Honestly he knows that Wickham would never deficate on anyone but he loves teasing his little brother.
If Snow was pooped on she would flinch, but then wipe it off and keep going, hopefully to someplace where she could take a bath.
Rose is a bit different. She would complain. Long and loud, about how gross it was and why, of all the places for a bird to poop, did it have to be on her.
Wickham, as a part time owl, knows the bird that did it. He knows that bird did it on purpose. And Wickham is already planning his revenge.
“Writing is hard. Marketing is hard. We can use all the fun that we can get.” – Janeen Ippolito
Would each of your characters rather: sort 1,000 pieces of paper OR stand on a public stage for an hour to entertain a crowd of young children?
This is easy. Rose, Snow and Bayare would take the stage for an hour. Rose and Snow love playing music and that’s how they would entertain the kids. Bayare doesn’t know what he would do on stage, but he hates repetitive tasks like sorting. Besides who doesn’t like kids?
Wickham that’s who. Oh he loves attention and it’s not that he hates kids, he just doesn’t know what to do with them. They find the crudest things hilarious. They require so much talking down too. Nope give Wickham the stack of paper and lock him in the library.
“They say you have to go deep or have silly fun. I say you can do both.” – Janeen Ippolito
You can hire anyone to compose music for your story. Who do you choose and why?
It would be Lindsey Stirling. I listened to her music on a loop while writing this novel. Even though Snow and Rose can play multiple instruments, Linsey Stirling is the reason that they prefer the violin. Her Music videos also inspired the way the magic system in my world works.
Runaway Lyrics will have an official cover reveal and release date soon. So I hope you’re ready to hear me talk more about myself in the next couple month. But don’t worry I’ll still keep doing book reviews for others as well.
What was your favorite question I answered?
Are you excited to hear more about Runaway Lyrics?
Janeen Ippolito is a prolific author of fantasy novels, but she is also a poet and today she is releasing her second poetry collection titled Embers, Dreams, and Dustfire.
A poetry anthology of hope, joy, and endurance through all obstacles.
When you feel like you cannot go one step further, there is rest, strength, and hope for the future.
Always.
I think the cover is beautiful. So shiny with the word shadows rising like smoke.
After the nightmare of 2020, I think we can all agree that hope for the future sounds like something we all need.
If this anthology sounds like something you need, then I have good news for you. When you order an autographed paperback copy from the Author, she is going to include swag with your purchase.
Janeen Ippolito believes you should own your unique words—and make them awesome! She’s a multi-published author of bestselling fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She’s also an experienced book editor and marketing strategist, plus the CEO of Uncommon Universes Press, a publishing company with award-winning books. She hosts the podcast Own Your Unique Words, which helps gutsy fiction authors grow their businesses without burning out. In her spare time, she helps her missionary husband with his youth swordfighting ministry, indulges her foodie ambitions, reads whatever books she feels like, and explores a slew of random hobbies. Her life goals include traveling to Antarctica and riding a camel while wearing a party hat. This extrovert loves to connect, so join her on social media or at janeenippolito.com
C. O. Bonham 