#escapist book tours

[fazilareads]

A Shade Of Madness (The Ashes Of Avarin #2) By Thiago Abdalla | BOOK REVIEW | Escapist Book Tours

TITLE : A Shade Of Madness (The Ashes Of Avarin #2) AUTHOR : Thiago Abdalla GENRE : Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Political Fantasy FR RATING : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5 Stars) DATE OF PUBLISHING : January 24, 2023 PUBLISHER : The Alterian Press (Self-Published) NO OF PAGES : 480 Welcome to my tour stop for A Shade Of Madness (The Ashes Of Avarin #2) by Thiago Abdalla, hosted by Escapist Book Tours. I am so…

[beneathathousandskies]

Cover Reveal: Down Below Beyond - T.A. Bruno

[fairrryprose]

[BOOK TOUR] WILD AZURE WAVES (ROCKIN' FAIRY TALES #3) // LESLIE O'SULLIVAN

I'm incredibly thrilled today to present WILD AZURE WAVES, the third book in the captivating swoonworthy magical romantasy ROCKIN' FAIRY TALES series of Shakespeare/Fairytale mashups by LESLIE O'SULLIVAN, hosted by ESCAPIST BOOK TOURS. I've previously talked about the first book, Pink Guitars and Falling Stars, and Wild Azure Waves is every bit as deliciously romantic, every word like a shot of magic into your veins. Such seamless blending of magic and whimsy and romance makes this series quite beloved in my heart, and I so look forward to every book. This third book, additionally, is laced through with an undercurrent of melancholy that makes it at once heart-wrenching as it is heart-mending. To check out other stops on the tour: https://escapistbookcompany.com/2023/01/30/the-heros-journey-wild-azure-waves-by-leslie-osullivan/

///

Book Blurb:

In book three of the Rockin’ Fairy Tales series of Fairy Tale/Shakespeare mashups, The Little Mermaid meets The Tempest in a fantasy romance where fated mates, second chances, and a supernatural love triangle determine the destiny of all.

Rai Cloud, a once promising singer, faces the loss of his record company and his career until one fateful night a mystery woman saves him from a stormy sea and sings him back to life. The voice of his elusive rescuer must be the missing piece to reignite his musical gifts. If only he could find her!  

Before Tani Emerson’s spirit can cross over to the afterlife, the Sea Witch, Sulaa Kylock, intercedes to offer Tani a bargain to earn a way back to the living and reunite with her first true love, Rai Cloud.     

Tani must now succeed in challenges set forth by the Sea Witch. In spirit form, she’s charged with convincing Rai she’s not merely an illusion and they will be granted a second chance at love. 

Harder still is the need to sabotage the steamy romance brewing between Rai and Azure Tempesta, a sweet and sexy singer from the popular musical act, The Mermaids, who inspires Rai to make the music he thought only his mystery savior could awaken.      

See Also: 

(This is our attempt at a bit of fun. We ask our authors to come up with a few short, clever, possibly pop culture laden, descriptions of their books just to give a little taste of what’s to come for readers.)

Mermaids Are Real • Splash and Sing • Tattoos Never Lie

///

Book Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Azure-Waves-Rockin-Fairy-Tales-ebook/dp/B0BS74YYFH/

///

My review:

4/5 stars

At the heart of this book is a tale of heart's fate and destiny's message, of redemptive love and soul-twines and music and passion, greed and parental control and what it means to be alive and to belong. All our characters here are dealing with grief in one way or another -- Rai Cloud, our island rock musician, sweet and sensitive, grappling in the aftermath of losing his whole family and first love to a tragic fire, pining after lost and imagined and newfound loves, while facing a decision as to what to do with Cloudpath Music, the record label lovingly started by his parents, to honor their legacies and wishes; Tani, half-alive and longing to return to form to be with her first love Rai, so much so that she strikes a deal with a manipulative sea witch; Azure Tempesta, mermaid and daughter of said sea witch and part of the sister musical ensemble The Mermaids, the name so apt in more ways than one, bound by her mother's expectations to a life confined underwater when she wants to roam both land and sea -- and manipulations and magical battles ensue.

Melancholy and magic are intricate twins in this tales, woven delicately and with gorgeous evocative prose as always, set in a beguiling island landscape of moon deities and sea songs and fate. Sweet, sexy, and stirring all at once. Oh, and as you can see in the artwork above, we have a cute feisty little fox Kitae, Rai's companion, who is so fun and adorable!

As a reimagining of The Little Mermaid, I read it as Azure, being the titular mermaid of course, and Tani both representing different aspects of the fairytale. Azure, the mermaid who falls for and rescues the washed-up Rai (singer, dreamer, wanderer, lover) on the shore; giving up her singing voice; longing to belong to both land and sea. Tani, half-alive and unseen, desperately longing for human form, to pursue her prince. Both of them are The Little Mermaid, and you can't help but feel for both of them and the love that drives them, the quest for humanity.

The only things I would've appreciated being added to the tale is more exploration of Tani and Rai's relationship before her death, to cement the desperation that drives Tani to the deal with Sulaa the sea witch to get back to Rai, and more of Azure and her sisters, whom I feel have untapped potential for more exploration of their characters and struggles and their bond.

///

Book Information:

Wild Azure Waves by Leslie O’SullivanSeries: Rockin’ Fairy Tales #3 Genre: Romantasy Intended Age Group: Adult Pages: 275Published: February 9, 2023 Publisher: City Owl Press, Mystic Owl imprint

///

Content/Trigger Warnings:

Shown on Page (things clearly told to the reader): 

Supernatural captivity

Fairy tale violence

///

Author Bio & Information:

Leslie O’Sullivan is the author of Rockin' Fairy Tales, an adult romance series of Shakespeare/fairy tale mash ups set against the backdrop of a fictional Hollywood music scene. Coming in September 2022 is her Behind the Scenes contemporary romance series that peeks into the off-camera secrets of a wildly popular television drama. She’s a UCLA Bruin with a BA and MFA from their Department of Theater where she also taught for years on the design faculty. Her tenure in the world of television was as the assistant art director on “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.” Leslie loves to indulge her fangirl side at cons.

Linktre: https://linktr.ee/LeslieOSullivanWrites

Website: https://www.leslieosullivanwrites.com

Newsletter Sign Up: https://www.leslieosullivanwrites.com/about-5

FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/leslieosullivanwrites/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leslieosullivanwrites/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeslieSulliRose

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@leslieosullivanwrites

FB Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/acompanyofreaders

[theladyragnell]

☕️ Something you’ve read recently that you want to talk about! (positive/negative/whatever!)

So there's this trend I've been bothered by for a while.

(I am immediately going off-track here.)

I feel like the publishing industry has been beating the drum for quite some time now about main character agency. They need to be driving the story, making the plot happen, they need to grow and change and learn. And I don't disagree! If there's not at least some of that happening, you need a good reason for them to still be the main character.

However, there's a fine line between "this character's choices drive the plot" and "everything is this character's fault" and I've read a few books this year that fall over that line to greater or lesser extents.

The book "Once Upon a K-Prom" by Kat Cho really coalesced this for me. It's a YA romcom whose premise is pretty clearly an escapist fantasy: girl's childhood best friend moved back to Korea, they fell out of touch, he became a k-pop idol, when he's on US tour he comes back to ask her to prom based on a childhood pact as a publicity stunt. She's unpopular, her peers and her family are largely unkind to her or ignore her. It's pretty much the perfect setup for some escapist Cinderella fluff! There are places where she could drive the plot, but instead she is forced to learn, over and over, that the way she's treated is because SHE is pushing other people away, or judging them, or otherwise the agent of her own unhappiness. And yeah, there are situations where that's true, but at a certain point, agency was super outweighed by fault, and I ended the book feeling unhappy, and really sad for any kids who picked this one up looking for escapism.

"Chilling Effect" by Valerie Valdes did this for me too, in different ways! I had other issues with the book I won't go into at the moment, but consistently what drove the plot wasn't the main character's choices, but her mistakes and missteps, and whenever anyone was unkind to her and I was on her side, again I felt like the narrative took pains to make it her fault.

And then there's a whole very weird trend in romance where the heroine (it's always a woman, and usually in f/f romance, I'm not sure I've run into it in a sapphic) is a one-woman disaster zone. Life disasters happen around her! She simply doesn't know how this happens! And there they get the fault without even the agency. That one might be Bella Swan aftereffects, I'm not sure.

Characters can and should make mistakes, I don't dispute that, but it feels to some extent like a lot of books sacrifice escapism (through competency particularly, but also the Cinderella fantasy above) for an agency that isn't even agency at all, but simply the load of responsibility for everything that goes wrong in the story.

[prettyrealm]

ateez san ideal type reading

this reading is a paid commission, thank you so much for trusting in me! <3

overall:

someone who is exactly who they appear to be (he doesn’t want any tricks or surprises nor does he find this exciting, he just wants an honest person), someone who has overcome a rough childhood (maybe he had one as well?) and has the knowledge and wisdom to act as a right hand to him giving him good advice & guiding him through emotions, someone generous, nurturing & loving with an angelic vibe (like a genuinely innocent person), someone who he can gossip about others with, a soulmate type connection that others will see and be jealous of (he wants to be viewed as like “love birds”), someone who can trust to always take his side (if he doesn’t like someone then his partner doesn’t like that person either now), someone devoted to a higher power or belief system (even if it’s someone who looks up to a life coach or reads self-help books), someone that will get up and move with him at any time without complaints (he may even want to travel the world with someone, or be able to take them with him on tour), someone who he can live with comfortably, someone wounded that he can help fix, but he doesn’t want this person to have a victim complex or seek sympathy, he wants to be able to work to grow with them.

turn ons:

when someone really intense or crazy about him (like, if a partner were to seek revenge on his behalf even on a small scale, he would be really into that), someone almost “toxic” (i think he likes obsession & possessiveness tbh), when someone shows determination or bravery, when someone stands their ground or comes out on top despite the odds, when someone can preach realness, but also practice it (if you can talk the talk you better walk the walk), someone genuinely kind and compassionate, but at the same time i think he wants his partner to have a “cruel” or “cold” edge and be able to detach enough to still be able to advance their own interests (so kind of business minded & putting themselves first when needed be), someone who doesn’t hang out or associate with people he thinks are morally corrupt or trashy, someone who he can trust, but specifically trust enough to tell everyone else’s business to (whether it be group mates or just random industry tea, he would like to be able to spill and rant about it without worries), someone with short hair, freckles/moles or imperfections on the face, on the taller side (or with long proportions), big boobs & big butt.

turn offs:

someone who holds racist views (maybe he can put up with ignorance or insensitivity, but straight up hatred of another race seems to be something he can’t look past), stupidity, people who run away from their problems or have escapist tendencies (he seems to be the type to think you should fight whatever has you in a rut head on), people who don’t like trying new things, when someone can’t commit to things or has what he thinks is no real direction in life (he thinks everyone should have goals and spend their lives going after these goals relentlessly), people who lack self control and discipline, people who engage too much in what he may see as trashy behavior (partying, drugs, drinking), people who act as if they can’t take control of their own lives (he hates excuses), when someone says self-deprecating things, when someone engages in destructive behavior or ignores the consequences of their actions, very short height, when someone doesn’t take care of themselves (messy hair, sloppy looking, not put together), & a wide waist.

[variousqueerthings]

Thoughts on Jonny Lee Miller please?

sdfghjhgfdsadfgh FRIEND YOU JUST MADE ME VERY HAPPY

(we need to send asks more!!!!!! in this interwebs tumblr cultúre)

JLM THOTS (JLM thot)

okay so I cannot remember when I started watching Elementary, but that was my first conscious JLM (I had watched Trainspotting, but I was but a babby at the time -- I have seen it... some times since then), and listen. we through around the word ND on this here site, but I think Mr. JLM as Sherlock Holmes is one of the original tumblr ND regents, and still absolutely Peak! this man knew what he was doing!

and then I went on a little JLM tour, and I am here to give you the top movies I saw with him at the time (after which I will do the list of movies I want to watch now): Hackers, Trainspotting + T2, Plunkett and Mcleane (seriously, this movie is underrated!), The Flying Scotsman, Mansfield Park, Regeneration -- also most underrated Mr Knightley in Emma + in a fun, odd little show called Eli Stone (I also watched Mindhunters, Byzantium -- which is some great Gemma Arterton -- The Escapist, Aeon Flux, and Dark Shadows, and I'm not necessarily saying don't watch these... well, maybe don't watch Dark Shadows... but they weren't my favourite. although Byzantium is fascinating. misogynist vampires)

Movies I have yet to see that I want to watch: Dead Man's Walk, Complicity, Love Honour and Obey, and Dracula 2000

MOVIES TO SHORTLY GIVE AN EXTRA SHOUTOUT TO

I'm not going to talk about Hackers (famously dreaming about wearing a latex bodysuit and getting railed by his future irl wife Angeline Jolie) or Trainspotting, but T2 -- is it good? yeah, it's not bad actually. did it need to exist? no, no it didn't. did it enjoy textually pointing out that Renton and Sick Boy have some kinda Sexual Tension? yeah, yeah, yeah! actually kind of feels like the main reason it exists is to go "hmmm do you think Renton and Sick Boy are a bit... youknow?"

also shoutout to Robert Carlyle who's in the Trainspotting films and also co-starred with JLM in their very own homoerotic duo film, which includes Liv Tyler "Plunkett and Macleane" loosely based on the history of two real highway men, and it's. just such a great movie. it's one of my "please it's so fun and so silly and such a product of the 90s! Craig Armstrong did the music!" it's kind of got some polyamory going on?

The Flying Scotsman is about a real amateur cyclist, and it's a pretty by-the-numbers inspirational tale, but I quite like those when they're about real underdogs and Graeme Obree certainly was that. From memory (it's been a few years now) I believe I watched this film and went "ah so that's where some of the early development of Sherlock Holmes mannerisms stems from," so it's also just fun as a study of JLM the actor

Regeneration -- gotta mention this one, because of it being about Siegfried Sassoon. he doesn't play Sassoon, but he's very good in it and generally it's a fascinating piece based on a book that I for some reason have only read the sequels of, and I'd recommend anything about Sassoon, I'm easy like that

I also didn't mention Frankenstein up above, but I watched both versions of it back whenever it was being shown with National Theatre Live and he was fucking stunning in both roles. as Frankenstein he's a little different to how I often picture him (read: JLM is not giving pathetic twink, although he is giving twitchy weirdo), but JLM is so physical throughout, so pitch-perfect in how he's interpreting the role. and as Adam/the creature it's like every bit of tension he's ever been able to control is just unleashed, it's sooooo (argh gotta see if I can find a torrent of that so I can rewatch him)

Now the thing about JLM is that he's often cast as kinda the straight man in a lot of his stuff, but he's... so not.... that man is silly! and you can tell! his physicality is a bouncy little weirdo, and for a good long while his body was that of a bouncy little weirdo -- and then he got fuckn Big 🥵😂 (you can take the man out of the bouncy little weirdo, but you can't take the bouncy little weirdo out of the man...... smthin like that. the more i look at this sentence the more I feel like this is an innuendo, oh well. now it's intentional)

the thing I really like about him is that he seems totally un-self-conscious while playing characters who are often under great scrutiny, either for being considered criminal and/or for being visibly non-neurotypical and/or otherwise non-normative. he's a hacker, he's an addict, he's a creature that was created from the bodies of other men, he's a bipolar cyclist, he's giving us Thee Sherlock Holmes of modern times, stimming, kinky, caring, blunt, overstimulated, relapsing, deeply unconventionally in a relationship with Watson that doesn't attempt to fit them into any mainstream language at any point!

also he has the best grimace of ever. he's so good at looking simply. perturbed. uncomfortable. get me out of this party. when he's 70 or 80 he's going to be the best old man face 🥺🥺🥺

also if I am very very lucky and very very nice to my mum, she'll take me to watch him in his current play in London, wish me luck!

TL;DR underrated character actor JLM, broader than you think he is, the hero of portrayals of weirdos and freaks and outcasts, I think it's wild that he's danced around playing queers this entire time, make him kiss a man stat!

(there's a whole other, very specific analysis of his gender in Hackers and how that relates to a wider feeling about his particular take on masculinity in a lot of my favourite portrayals of his, and also there was a youtube video that i just spent 15mins trying to find on Hackers from a transgender perspective that's mostly correctly-so about Cereal Killer/Matthew Lillard, but touches on the gender-fuckery of JLM and Angelina Jolie)

(okay I wasn't gonna talk about Hackers, but we cannot forget this scene, we simply cannot!)

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I am continuing to run out of John + Elis Radio X episodes at a mildly distressing rate, I'm into August 2018 now and they run until March 2019. Yes there are several hundred BBC episodes after that, but they'll be different, and I've got used to these ones. The Radio X episodes are escapist, from when the world was easier. The BBC episodes are going to run through 2020 and I just can't listen to those initial months where they'll say everyone should wash their hands and make jokes about the Imagine video.

Luckily, the side project of following all John Robins' other things alongside the radio chronology will extend this a bit. Their book came out in October 2018, though I think it was written by August, so I could listen to that audiobook pretty much any time now and call it in line with where I'm at in the radio show. I'll get on that soon.

Also, I've reached the radio episodes in which John Robins is telling us about filming his digital television internet-based quiz show. Specifically, he's telling us about the production company hiring someone to buy him new clothes, because he's not allowed to wear Queen-branded or brewery-branded t-shirts while presenting a show on Dave. I was looking forward to this radio show letting me know what happens to a comedian the year after they win the Perrier Award (I'm aware that it wasn't actually called that when he won it in 2017, but I cannot be bothered to look up what it was called in any given year), and now I know. Apparently it's extending a tour to the point where you develop different medical ailments every week from the stress of traveling and at one point turn up to a radio show an hour late because you forgot you were recording, and they give you a digital television internet-based quiz show for which they buy you new clothes that do not advertise breweries or rock bands. It sounds very glamorous.

I've referred to it as a comedy panel show before, because for some reason I thought it had comedians as guests. I've just looked it up and learned it actually features members of the public, like a regular quiz show. And that sounds quite bad. I didn't have terribly high expectations anyway, but this has lowered them. Sunil Patel's all right, though. I mean, I think he's all right as a comedian. Don't know what he's like on this TV show, haven't watched it yet.

But I've got it downloaded and I think I'll get into it this weekend, as I've reached that point in the chronology. I looked up the Chortle review, and its opening paragraph is exactly what I imagined this show would be, based on the synopsis:

This next bit of condemnation comes off as significantly harsher, just because it could function fairly accurately as a description of John Robins' broadcasting/comedy style as a whole, and not just being about this one quiz show that I assume John Robins does not hold up as his greatest artistic achievement:

Sick burn and everything, Steve, and you do have a point that John Robins' habit of going into a vaguely Partridge-inspired voice can sometimes blur the line between parody that works and just actually doing a thing that doesn't work. However, that is some harsh criticism coming from someone who doesn't know how to put a period at the end of a sentence. Maybe learn to use punctuation first, Steve, and then you can talk shit about digital DJs who watched too much Alan Partridge when they were growing up, and possibly base just a touch too much of their persona on ironically imitating that.

Actually, that sounds all right. I enjoy watching John Robins at once try to embrace and stay at arm's length from things. Maybe it won't be so bad.

I think I will start watching this show this weekend, I'll let you all know if it's terrible. Or, tell you what, I'll let you all know if it's good. I don't need to report on it every time I expect something to be bad, but watch it anyway due to my brain's relentless drive toward completism, and it meets my expectations. If it surprises me, I'll definitely let you all know.

[isfjmel-phleg]

Why I like it: Psmith in the City

After I read and enjoyed Mike and Psmith, I interlibrary-loaned the rest of the series and read them in rapid succession.

And honestly, my greatest appreciation for this book came during rereads and the need to overanalyze the text for annotations and conversations with a very longsuffering Allie.

Mike and Psmith's friendship comes about in the first book, and we get to see how much Psmith is willing to sacrifice for his friend, but their connection really comes to the forefront during Psmith in the City.

There's something delightfully escapist about these two friends rooming in Psmith's luxurious flat, braving the drudgeries of their shared misfortune of working at the bank by day, and living it up in Edwardian London by night. It's a setting that feels very real--and it was! Wodehouse peppers the narrative with real locations, and when I was in London, I was able, using this information, to take a little private walking tour of Psmith's part of town and experience it. Even with the reality of the locations, though, there's a certain glamorization. Thanks to Psmith's father's money, the boys are able to afford an experience of young adulthood and a first job that isn't available to most people, either then or now. And perhaps there's some glamorization of the friendship too.

Because it isn't easy to be Psmith's friend, and this starts to be evident. Psmith is a jerk in a lot of ways in this book, more so than in the others--even in his interactions with Mike. But these moments are easily brushed aside, and the friendship never really suffers. This is a Wodehouse novel, so we can be confident that when things get really bad, Psmith will come through as the good friend that he really is, and he'll find a way to save the day for Mike. The worst of his behavior vanishes by the last part of the book, never to be seen again in how he treats his best friend. Not especially realistic, but it is compelling. A real-life Psmith would be absolutely dreadful to put up with; the page, however, allows us a distance that assures us that despite it all, his intentions are good and he himself is good at heart.

And on the whole, he is. We know this because he really does care about Mike, because he's capable of dropping the flippant mask to show compassion when the situation requires. He's just...a complicated mess here. He's under a lot of stress that he hides most of the time. He's angry at his father and taking that out on his awful boss. He's an arrogant rich kid with more money than is good for him. He has one (1) and only one friend whom he's clinging to like the only thing keeping him afloat in life. (Psmith's got attachment issues, I'm starting to realize. That may be another post.) He's a very complex character, not just the comic relief or the trickster archetype, and because of that, he goes beyond hilarity to being interesting, even if he's not always easy to like.

Mike is still the everyman, perhaps even more so because his story is such a relatable portrait of what it's like to be eighteen, fresh out of school, and having to take on for the first time an adult world that you're unequipped for. Mike's classical education and cricket skills aren't particularly useful now that he has to make a living. The former class clown and jock is now an awkward mess of social anxiety. Wodehouse pokes as much fun at Mike as he does anyone else in the story, but he also takes Mike's struggles and pain seriously--because much of it was probably his own. Mike's grief at losing the glorious future he was promised, his increasing frustration and despair at being trapped in a dead-end job that stifles his talents and personality--they're very real, and poignant.

Mike and Psmith may inhabit a glittering dream world in their version of London and maintain a desirably close friendship that would have probably fallen apart eventually if it existed in the real world. Their shenanigans are sheer comedy with no grounding in reality. But the heart of the story is two eighteen-year-olds on their own in the adult world for the first time, with no support system but each other, trying to figure out life and often failing--and this is what makes the story resonate, because we've all been there.

And sure, their ending is a fairy tale, down to the final lines in which Mike imagines his future as pretty much perfect from now on (which will not turn out to be the case!), but...well, when you're a twenty-something in your first non-college job, taking the bus, feeling incompetent, dealing with difficult coworkers...a fairy-tale ending alongside a true friend is pretty appealing.

[moonpile]

For the Love of Fantasy - at Ald Velothi Harbor House | ESO Housing

Total reskin of Ald Velothi Harbor House.

For Heart's Day I wanted to illustrate the slightly-less-common definition of "romantic". A build about what many of us love about ESO: Fantasy. Inspired by a Neil Gaiman quote (below).

Visitor Tips:

I currently don't use Home Tours but my houses are accessible via the visit script, or search in addons: PTFH; EHT Housing Hub.

Crouch at the foot of the bed, face the door & in 1st person view look skyward.

In the bed, try /sleep xD

A creature escaped the pages of a lorebook left unshelved. Can you find which?

⚠️Please explore primarily in 3rd person view! (1PV is low & narrow; many details & scene compositions can only be seen from the wider FOV & high angles enabled by 3PV.)

Relevant & inspiring excerpt by Neil Gaiman, from the article: "Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming")

“Fiction can show you a different world. It can take you somewhere you've never been. Once you've visited other worlds, like those who ate fairy fruit, you can never be entirely content with the world that you grew up in. Discontent is a good thing: discontented people can modify and improve their worlds, leave them better, leave them different. And while we're on the subject, I'd like to say a few words about escapism. I hear the term bandied about as if it's a bad thing. As if "escapist" fiction is a cheap opiate used by the muddled and the foolish and the deluded, and the only fiction that is worthy, for adults or for children, is mimetic fiction, mirroring the worst of the world the reader finds herself in. If you were trapped in an impossible situation, in an unpleasant place, with people who meant you ill, and someone offered you a temporary escape, why wouldn't you take it? And escapist fiction is just that: fiction that opens a door, shows the sunlight outside, gives you a place to go where you are in control, are with people you want to be with(and books are real places, make no mistake about that); and more importantly, during your escape, books can also give you knowledge about the world and your predicament, give you weapons, give you armour: real things you can take back into your prison. Skills and knowledge and tools you can use to escape for real. As JRR Tolkien reminded us, the only people who inveigh against escape are jailers.”

In TES, We are all Prisoners, escaping 😉

[jasfhercallejo]

Most travel slogans tempt you to travel to "escape". But of course, one never escapes from oneself. As you may have read in my previous blogs, I also consider myself as an escapist. I travel to find peace of mind, reflect on my previous actions, and learn how to deal with the real world with the eagerness to do better, and thirst to challenge myself to do things I am most afraid of.

Perhaps going out of our comfort zones provides us with a point of access, that most are unfamiliar pursuing. Travel is simply another door to experiencing oneself. Before, I travel to see the world. Now, I travel to let the world see me. The always trying version of me. The Jasfher that is loving and caring, and is unafraid of other people's opinion.

Dave has shown me that there's more to life, and that being in the present is so much simpler when surrounded by people who truly matter. I wholeheartedly take pleasure on the thought that I never have to be someone else for him to accept me.

Traditionally there are tours A, B, C and D. Each tour offering a set of 5+ beaches, islands, lagoons and snorkeling spots. Originally, we booked tours A, B and C. But after giving it some thought, we removed Tour B fro our itinerary, to give time and try scuba diving in the morning, and food crawl from afternoon till night. Probably oune of our best decision during this trip.

Of all the islands that we've been to, my favorite islands would include Shimizu island and Helicopter Island.

In Shimizu, the tall, black limestone mountains are guarded by beautiful palm trees and a stretch of white sand. The water is crystal clear and perfect for swimming and snorkeling. As a matter of fact, snorkeling at Shimizu Island is very popular. The island is considered to be one of the best snorkeling areas in El Nido and many tourists come here to explore the diverse marine life.

Helicopter Island, officially named Dilumacad Island, got its name because of the shape it takes when you see it from a distance. Once you get closer, its soft cream-colored sand and cerulean waters will lure you in and keep you entranced. It is a good place to relax, unwind, and enjoy the beautiful beachscape.

Going to Palawan with my boyfriend publicly holding hands is, to tell you the truth, invigorating (read: ganito pala feeling ng artista haha). It's like were sucked in our own little fantasy world where it's just the two of us, enjoying this little piece of heaven.

[fazilareads]

The Last Ranger (Ranger Of The Titan Wilds #1) By JDL Rosell | AUTHOR Q&A | Escapist Book Tours

The Last Ranger (Ranger Of The Titan Wilds #1) By JDL Rosell | AUTHOR Q&A | Escapist Book Tours

[beneathathousandskies]

Blog Tour (Book Spotlight): Curse of the Fallen (Fallen Light #1) - H.C. Newell

[fairrryprose]

[BOOK TOUR] THE HERO INTERVIEWS (THE HERO DIARIES #1) // ANDI EWINGTON

It's my pleasure to be hosting a stop on the book tour for THE HERO INTERVIEWS by ANDI EWINGTON today with ESCAPIST TOURS!!! This is a fantasy comedy following Elburn Barr, a Loremaster who once dreamed of being an adventurer, following in the footsteps of his parents and chasing down his missing brother who had left to become a Hero, as he sets off on a quest of his own to interview and chronicle heroes, villains, and everyone in between - everyone who contributes to the adventuring scene. Read below to find out more and check out my review for this book!

My review:

5/5 stars

This (mis?)adventure is riotously funny, fully fantastical, with a writing style that keeps you turning pages and chuckling and a whole assortment of interesting characters being interviewed, with some endearing recurring ones like a talking dead-adventurer skull and a skinny unassuming-looking 'Barbarian' whom you wouldn't think could do much smiting and smashing but manages to make a name for himself, as well as many references harkening back to all the ones we've already met and encountered and foreshadowing future encounters, threading them all together. I had such a fun time reading this!

While at first glance you may think the interviews are disparate, there's an underlying, some-may-say sinister, plot/conspiracy that Elburn stumbles into and slowly (unintentionally) uncovers throughout the interviews that we get to piece together.

It's written, of course, in the style of an interview, peppered with (short) footnotes that add to the humor as Elburn gives his observations and shares his private thoughts and opinions, giving us an insight into his character - personality, family, motivations - as well as contributing to the worldbuilding - little tidbits of factoids - that don't distract from the story but serve to enhance it )and, for the discerning reader, injects funny satirical references to our modern world and pop culture... like Blue Ticks....) I, for one, really enjoyed these footnotes!

The ending was a nice and heartwarming surprise, and was laid out quite well with scattered clues. This book may contain subtle political commentary that, while maaaybe bleak, we eventually learn that what makes one a Hero isn't just going off on countless quests and adventures and exploring dungeons and vanquishing evildoers (or clearing out rat-infested cellars!) and washing it all down with a pint of ale in a tavern, that it's not just conquests and exploits and chasing fame and fortune, as is oft portrayed in adventure stories/media. A true hero lies in the everyday.

And of course, I'd be so excited for the next book, to see where Devlin Stormwind's Elburn's adventures take him next!!!

///

About the Book:

The Hero Interviews by Andi Ewington

Series: The Hero Diaries

Genre: Fantasy Comedy

Intended Age Group: 15+

Pages: 925

Published: December 1, 2022

Publisher: Forty-Five Limited (Self Published)

///

Book Blurb:

Heroes… you can't swing a cat without hitting one. You can't even hatch a nefarious plan without some adventuring party invading your dungeon to thwart you. So, it stands to reason they're a force for good—right?

Well—yes and no…

Elburn Barr is a Loremaster who has turned his back on his family's tradition of adventuring and stepped out into the realm of heroes to interview a whole smörgåsbord board of fantastical characters from stoic, swear-shy Paladins through to invisible sword-carrying Mime Warriors.

Through his transcribed journal, he'll take a cheeky peek at the truth lurking behind the hero myth—and everything associated with them. Across his many encounters, he hopes to uncover his brother's fate—a brother who has been missing for ten summers after brazenly setting out to forge a heroic name for himself.

Will Elburn discover what really happened to his brother, or will he fail in his quest and become another casualty of the adventuring trade?

The Hero Interviews is a departure from the usual swords and sorcery yarn—it's a sometimes gritty, sometimes amusing, but completely bonkers look at the realm of heroes.

See Also:

(This is our attempt at a bit of fun. We ask our authors to come up with a few short, clever, possibly pop culture laden, descriptions of their books just to give a little taste of what’s to come for readers.)

Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire! • You Talkin’ to Me? • So, Mr. du Lac, How Long Have You Been Dead?

///

Book Links:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Hero-Interviews-Andi-Ewington-ebook/dp/B0BFMBQXLR/ 

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hero-Interviews-Andi-Ewington-ebook/dp/B0BFMBQXLR/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62951981-the-hero-interviews 

///

Content/Trigger Warnings:

Shown on Page (things clearly told to the reader): 

Mention of an Orc Suicide-Watch

Toilet humor (poo jokes, etc)

that Barbarians punch Camels (in reference to Conan the Barbarian

Cats eating Mice (A Wild-Shaped Druid)

 Self-satisfying Treants

Some slapstick violence

Drug references

Ale references

Alluded to (things only mentioned in passing or hinted at):

Toilet humor

Sexual encounters

How a blind monk "sees" (using an herb)

Herbal use (drugs)

Drinking (ale)

///

Author Bio & Information:

Andi Ewington is a writer who has written numerous comic titles including Forty-Five45, Campaigns & Companions, S6X, Sunflower, Red Dog, Dark Souls II, Just Cause 3, Freeway Fighter, and Vikings. Andi lives in Surrey, England with a plethora of childhood RPGs and ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ gamebooks he refuses to part with. He’s usually found on Twitter as @AndiEwington.

///

Check out other stops on the tour for this fantastic book below!

[brandonwayneb]

War Wick

Up White Widow Maker

Down Pentecostal

Down Mormon

Down Free May Zen

Jehovah

Widow Maker

Daisy Meadow

Telepathic

Tell Hay Tea

Teacher Cherry

Jessica Bell Bella

Jacob Corn Corner

Auto Top Sea

Borgs Goggles

Xmen Scott Jean Gray

Hot Potato

Blame Silver USA

Blame Silver ENGLAND

Silverware Polish Dutch

Sweet Top Dandified

dandelion daffodils

skip to Mona Lisa, 007

skip to rapture USA

skip to rapture ENGLAND

RED+

PISH CYCLES

VISHNU BISON

“Biscuits” “CUT”

“Business” “Hélicoptères”

Taurus, “RUSS”

Brussel Sprouts

Helicopters “Silver Floor Russ”

Russ EYE ANNA.

Torrents+

united states coverups

england coverups

spell sausage sage pot

spell top surgery guy know mastered FLUSHED REALMS

SPELL FLUSH POT SAUSAGE

SPELL SARAH GATE

EXTORTIONISTS

STORK+

CUPID+

CASTLES+

RED+

Dragon Blood+

International Saviors

“Silver” escapist languages

FURBY+

SILVER FURBY

Future May

Future Fay

Free May+

Pocket D

Government lies

Clover Clover,

Red Row Ver

Verse Sion

Extortionists

Mckinney Texas,

dead children, mutilated public entities

Salute 7

List corrupt lingo jumps

“Brooklyn NYC”

“Dallas TX”

“Houston TX”

“Austin TX”

Boo Boo Book Brianna, Brooklyn

Dial Hairless Pocket Ass, Dallas

Hue Blue Hefty Head Ignore, Houston Blue Bell JESSICA cream, May, Mat tour re,

Austin, ODD TEN ADUITS

languages corrupt “usa”

hop, skip, edit..

Brooklyn, Saint Benard

Dallas, Saint Benard

Houston, Saint Benard

Austin, Saint Benard

Bindi Hindu

Saint Pandora

Saint Panera Bread

Mckinney, Texas

“Human trafficking and mutilation cover ups”

MAC KID KNEE STONE

CAMERA.

Smile!

SILVER WARLOCKS

Second Sights

Purists+

RED+

Vogue Dragons+