#UtahBooks Guest Post! Utah Author Danyelle Leafty

Slippers of Pearl (Tales of a Cobbler Mage, #1)

Shoes, unlike magic, are predictable. They don’t change shape, bite, or alter a person’s destiny.

And that’s just how Faryn likes it.

But his Uncle Harvey has a bad habit of dying. While inconvenient, this hasn’t ever been a problem until now. Thanks to an evil witch and a poisoned apple turnover, Harvey is dead again—permanently this time.

As his uncle’s heir, Faryn has to give up shoemaking in order to accept and refine his magic.
Magic he never wanted.

Unwilling to let go of his dream, but unable to escape his destiny, Faryn combines the two and discovers a knack for making magical shoes. He also learns that turning a person into a goose is a lot easier than turning her back, and that he severely underestimated how much trouble magic can be.

The witch who killed his uncle is trying to control all the magic of the land, and it’s up to Faryn to stop her. If only he can get his magic to cooperate in time.

E-book version will be available on July 8, 2012.
Paperback, 445 pages
Expected publication: August 18th 2012 (first published July 2nd 2012)



~Collector of dragons, talking frogs, and fairy godmothers~


Shoes and Fairy Tales

There’s a fine tradition of shoes in fairy tales.

Whether they serve as a clue for the prince to find his princess (Cinderella), serve as a tie between the regular world and the magical (12 Dancing Princesses), or as a punishment for the wicked (Snow White), shoes have an important—and often overlooked—role in stories.

Stories, particularly fairy tales, are a medium by which we explore what it means to be human. What makes us tick? What unites us, and what divides us? What, despite all the variables in a person’s life, is something we all share simply because we’re human?

Sometimes stories answer those questions. Sometimes they serve as mirrors that allow us to find the answers within ourselves. Other times, stories make us look deeper so we can ask more questions.

And then there’s the shoes themselves.

"When you get a piece like this," [Faryn’s] Uncle Brogain had said, running his fingers over the leather, "you've got to visualize what the shoe will look like, how it will fit the foot. It's important to understand the fabric before you cut into it, else you'll end up making the wrong shoe."
"But wouldn't I make whatever shoe I wanted?" [Faryn] had asked, confused. The material, whether silk, leather, or satin was material, wasn't it? So long as he traced and adapted the pattern correctly, the resulting shoe would always be the right shoe, wouldn't it?
His uncle had looked at him, the disdainful pity of a master to his underling. "If you just want to make something that will cover a person's foot, yes. But if you want to make a shoe, a real shoe, it's got to come from here." He had jabbed Faryn in the chest with his ruler. "If you want to make it in this business, you've got to learn the difference between a shoe and a foot covering."
Slippers of Pearl, Chapter Seven

You can learn a lot about a person by studying their shoes. Where they’ve been, where they’re going, and what they’ve been up to. If eyes are the windows to a person’s soul, then their shoes are the map.


Blog: http://myth-takes.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.danyelleleafty.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Danyelle-Leafty-Author/130543827024830
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanyelleLeafty
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15719387-slippers-of-pearl


Giveaway Time :)
Today I would like to offer a ecopy of her newest book Slippers of Pearl to anybody interested! Please just comment below showing your interest in receiving a copy and let me know if you prefer Nook or Kindle with your email address I will contact you on August 25th!! (Last day to enter is the 24th at midnight)
***Remember this is for an ebook Kindle or Nook version only***

Comments

  1. Ooh! Please enter me for a Kindle version :) My email is tianalei (@) gmail (.) com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I always love seeing Danyelle's twist on common fairy tale tropes. Thanks for the giveaway! I'd love a copy for Kindle.

    Email: hopefairy7[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous8/21/2012

    Fun guest post! I'd love to be entered. And I've added this to the Utah Book Month list.

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  4. I decided to send all three of you a copy! check your emails :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8/26/2012

      Thank you so much! Kindle for me please. :)

      Delete
  5. Krista, I got my copy! Thank you so much! Excited to read this!

    ReplyDelete

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