Thursday, November 15, 2018

Takeover Thursday with Laurie Lucking ... and a GIVEAWAY!


Laurie is here to share a bit about her latest release, Common She has offered to give away a hard copy (US ONLY) or electronic copy (US or International).  You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the end of the post. (Giveaway ends November 22, 2018. If you are the randomly chosen winner, I'll contact you.)  Here's Laurie...


When I first felt inspired to write a book, I wanted to write something serious and meaningful. Something that would make people think and provoke discussion, maybe even win an important national award. But every story idea that came to mind involved teenage girls falling in love while trying to find purpose and establish their place in the world. These stories brought me back to my own days as a middle schooler and high schooler, when I often felt more at home in the fantasy worlds I explored in books than among my peers. Those books formed and changed me, and once one became a favorite, I read it over and over again to revisit those beloved characters. Eventually, I decided maybe that’s how I would make my impact instead. By touching the hearts and minds of pre-teens and teenagers (and hopefully even adults!) with stories that inspire as they entertain.

The specific idea for Common arose from the central relationship between the main characters, because I am first and foremost a romantic at heart :) I began with an idea for a friends-first romance, but then my love of fantasy and fairy tales sparked the central conflict and a broader plot. What if he was a prince and she a maid? What if his parents wanted him to marry a foreign princess? What if the maid discovered a plot against the kingdom and had to save the day? From there, my story was off and running!

 As my ideas progressed, I found my maid would need some help saving the kingdom. I wanted to create characters who could perform extraordinary feats not from our typical understanding of magic, but from a deep, tangible connection with their Creator. I ended up with a group of nuns full of power, personality, and incredible devotion, who have since become many readers’ favorite characters.

Above all, Common is the story of an ordinary girl trying to help her friend and do the right thing, even though she’s scared and feels completely unequipped for the task in front of her. I hope readers will be inspired by what God can accomplish through seemingly “common” people and have as much fun reading this romantic fairy tale adventure as I had writing it! 

Blurb...

Only one person knows of the plot against the royal family and cares enough to try to stop it — the servant girl they banished.

Leah spends her days scrubbing floors, polishing silver, and meekly curtsying to nobility. Nothing distinguishes her from the other commoners serving at the palace, except her red hair.

And her secret friendship with Rafe, the Crown Prince of Imperia.

But Leah's safe, ordinary world begins to splinter. Rafe's parents announce his betrothal to a foreign princess, and she unearths a plot to overthrow the royal family. When she reports it without proof, her life shatters completely when the queen banishes her for treason.

Harbored by an unusual group of nuns, Leah must secure Rafe's safety before it's too late. But her quest reveals a villain far more sinister than an ambitious nobleman with his eye on the throne.

Can a common maidservant summon the courage to fight for her dearest friend?

Purchase links...



About Laurie...


An avid reader practically since birth, Laurie Lucking discovered her passion for writing after leaving her career as an attorney to become a stay-at-home mom. When she gets a break from playing superheroes and driving windup cars, she writes young adult fantasy with a strong thread of fairy tale romance. Her debut novel, Common, released in February from Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing, and her short story, “Threshold,” was published in a Fellowship of Fantasy anthology titled Mythical Doorways. Laurie is the Secretary of her local ACFW chapter and a co-founder of Lands Uncharted, a blog for fans of clean young adult speculative fiction. A Midwestern girl through and through, she currently lives in Minnesota with her husband and two young sons. Find out more by visiting www.laurielucking.com.

Where you can find Laurie online...


a Rafflecopter giveaway

5 comments:

  1. I love Common! Really looking forward to Book 2 in this series as well her other fairy tales.

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    1. And I really liked the idea of a friends-first romance. Most of the time Cinderella figures meet their princes for the first time at a ball/dance or watch them from afar. This is different.

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    2. Thanks for stopping by, Melissa. Yes, I agree about the friends-first romance.

      Good luck!

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