The Curious Case of Mary Ann Receives Favorable Review in Lewis Carroll Society Journal

Greetings, frabjous folkses! Now that I had a moment I wanted to share with you some amazing news. My Wonderland murder mystery, The Curious Case of Mary Ann, was recommended by the reviewer in the May edition of The Lewis Carroll Review, the reviewing journal of the Lewis Carroll Society!

To say, I'm both honored and delighted is an understatement!

If you'd like to check out the review, you can see it online here! (Mary Ann is on pages 17 and 18.)

https://issuu.com/frankendodo/docs/lewis_carroll_review_56_may_2018_on

If you're interested in a copy of The Curious Case of Mary Ann of your very own, you can snag it on Amazon in the countries Amazon serves in ebook, paperback or audiobook forms. (The link for the US one is here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0983804583/ )

I'm currently working on the next book in Mary Ann's adventures. I'm also working on the next humorous sci-fi book in the Greater Communicating Universe, a space caper following the exploits of my character, Rollie Tsmorlood.

That said, what I am still doing here? I have lots of work to do! --Jenn

99 Cent All the Things! Humorous Sci-Fi and Fantasy Ebooks on Sale

Heya, folkses! I decided to put all my e-books on sale for just $0.99 now through this Sunday. So if you’re missing a book or two in the There Goes the Galaxy trilogy or you want to try out The Curious Case of Mary Ann, this is a great time to do it!

And if you’re outside the US, the e-books are also proportionately reduced. So I hope you’ll check it out or share it with your reader buddies who might need a little humorous sci-fi or fantasy in their lives.

• There Goes the Galaxy (There Goes the Galaxy Book 1): https://www.amazon.com/There-Goes-Galaxy-Jenn-Thorson-ebook/dp/B005M2RRRA
• The Purloined Number (There Goes the Galaxy Book 2): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FLYGDWE
• Tryfling Matters (There Goes the Galaxy Book Three): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019CZV8X6
• The Curious Case of Mary Ann: https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann-ebook/dp/B073C7MLS3

Feel free to ask any questions! And when I say “feel free to ask any questions,” I mean about the books or writing or the sale. Not, like, life problems or whether you should invite your weird Uncle Edgar for Christmas. (You should; he can’t spend every holiday alone with his 29 taxidermied squirrels.)
 

99 Cent Sale for THE CURIOUS CASE OF MARY ANN EBOOK!

Heads up, folkses! I decided to put my latest book, THE CURIOUS CASE OF MARY ANN (ebook version) on temporarily sale for $0.99 (and proportionately inexpensive in the UK, Canada, etc.).

I know budgets are tight right now and I thought this might be a nice way for readers to get a fun and escapist read on the cheap. You get mystery, murder, humor, and silliness all with a Gothic twist.

While it's a new story in a version of Lewis Carroll's Wonderland/Looking-Glass-Land, I've written it so that there's no need to have read those books to enjoy this tale.

My sale will end when Sunday does. :)

For convenience, the links to the ebook are here:

In the US: https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann-ebook/dp/B073C7MLS3/

In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann-ebook/dp/B073C7MLS3/

In Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann-ebook/dp/B073C7MLS3/

In Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann-ebook/dp/B073C7MLS3

If you're more of a paperback or audiobook fan, Amazon has those versions of MARY ANN, too-- they're just not on sale for $0.99.

TGIF, good peoples!--Jenn

THE CURIOUS CASE OF MARY ANN is now an audiobook!

When was the last time someone read YOU a story? Well, now actress Emily Lawrence can read you one of MINE because announce my Wonderland-inspired humorous mystery novel, THE CURIOUS CASE OF MARY ANN, is now available on AUDIOBOOK via Audible,Amazon and iTunes! Many thanks to Emily Lawrence for bringing Mary Ann and an amazing array of Tweedles, royals, and dangerous beasties to life. I've always been a big audiobook fan; listening to authors like Terry Pratchett and PG Wodehouse in the car certainly have helped ease my daily commuter angst-- and probably even saved lives. :) So having my own book in audio format is incredibly exciting to me personally, and I hope that you will enjoy the audio adventure, too.

As a reminder, for folks who aren't into audiobooks, the book is also available on Amazon in paperback and ebook form, in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany and many other locations. If you're curious about any of the available versions, you can start your journey here:

US:
https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann/dp/B0767MKV38/

UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann/dp/B0767MHZ68/

Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann/dp/B0767LJC29/

Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann/dp/B0767MKV42/

Germany:
https://www.amazon.de/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann/dp/B0767NWGWM

Thanks for your time, and happy adventures!
—Jenn

New Humorous Fantasy Novel Out: The Curious Case of Mary Ann

I'm so excited to report that my humorous fantasy novel, THE CURIOUS CASE OF MARY ANN, is now available in both paperback and ebook form in a number of countries. The book is set in Lewis Carroll's Wonderland/Looking Glass Land and has a whimsical gothic mystery bent to it. The summary is as follows:

Things that start with the letter M: Murder... Motives... Mary Ann

Mary Ann Carpenter, housemaid to Wonderland’s White Rabbit, misses all the action when Alice drops into town.

She has her own problems. As witness to the murder of her estranged father, Mary Ann must go under-underground to learn more about the man she barely knew and the motives for his death. But the more she discovers, the more M-words keep coming. Like magic mirrors, monsters, mistaken identity and a murderer who is the mysterious manservant to the Queen of Hearts.

Mary Ann is mightily moved to unmask his malicious machinations, but can she unearth the evidence, expose the killer and keep a cool head?

-----------------------
For folks who enjoyed my THERE GOES THE GALAXY trilogy, this is a little different from that but features a lot of the same sort of character-building and humor.

I hope you'll check it out, if you have a chance!

Paperback:

US: https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann/dp/0983804583/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann/dp/0983804583/


Ebook:

US: https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann-ebook/dp/B073C7MLS3/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann-ebook/dp/B073C7MLS3/
Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann-ebook/dp/B073C7MLS3/
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Curious-Case-Mary-Ann-ebook/dp/B073C7MLS3/

#wonderland #lewiscarroll #books #ebooks #kindle

Writing Project Update and Book Newsletter

Hiya, folks! Long time no write, I know! And why? I have been diligently working on my current book, a humorous fantasy called The Curious Case of Mary Ann!

While it's intended for adults, it's based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, set in a version of those lands. It follows the White Rabbit's housemaid Mary Ann, who fans of the original Wonderland might recall was mysteriously absent from the home when Alice showed up.

In my novel, Mary Ann is caught up in her own trials and tribulations, including trying to solve a series of murders, hunting a Jabberwock, performing backwards chores, and rescuing a Knight from his lost sense of humor.

You won't have to have read either Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass to enjoy the book-- I'm working hard to make it understandable for everybody-- but I think folks who are fans of the stories, as I am, will have mad fun with it. And people who enjoyed my There Goes the Galaxy series should feel at home here rather quickly.

I'm about 35,000 words into the first draft, which translates to being between a third and halfway through.

That said, I am building a email list for anyone who would like to be notified about book releases and other news. Don't worry-- I would not email very often. I've just found that social media, like Facebook and Twitter, is a little spotty and doesn't reach all the of the people who sign up to see my posts. So if you would like to sign up, just fill out the form below and follow the easy instructions.

I hope all is well with you guys! Thanks so much for stopping by! --Jenn

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My Next Book Project, Wonderland-Inspired "The Curious Case of Mary Ann"

I figured it would be a good idea to clue you good folks here into what I've been up to since finishing the There Goes the Galaxy trilogy. (While I remember, The Purloined Number is on sale this week only on Amazon for $0.99 and reduced similarly on international Amazon sites, so if you haven't grabbed a copy, you can get it here in the US:  https://www.amazon.com/Purloined-Number-There-Goes-Galaxy-ebook/dp/B00FLYGDWE/ and in the UK here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00FLYGDWE/)

But as I was saying, I have a new book project I'm working on. It will still be humorous, but this time it will have a Victorian Gothic fantasy spin. It's based on characters from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, but with a number of people and twists you might not expect. It's called The Curious Case of Mary Ann and I'm really excited about it. I've been a Lewis Carroll fan ever since I was a kid. The stories just spoke to me because they took such a magical, playful look at life. You could find wonder and mystery in something as simple as a cake or a tiny door, the unexpected places between. I want to tap into that aspect of it.

So to give you a sense of it, I thought you might enjoy just a taste of the draft I'm working. Likely this will change a bit in subsequent drafts, but I think it sets a tone.
_______

How many Unbirthdays was it for the Queen so far this year? Three? Four? Mary Ann Carpenter wondered, as she wound along the path to her father’s house. At least three, she tallied, the last one still quite vivid in her mind. Oh, the FUSS Mr. Rabbit made about having his uniform just so, and the gift presented thus and his coronet polished to a dazzling shine. As if Mary Ann would ever fail him in any of those tasks. As if she had some long history of negligence—of slatternly methods—and hadn’t been running the household silently, smoothly, all along.

And now the fussing had begun anew. Mary Ann only prayed the Queen’s latest gift would live up to expectations. The young housemaid had truly stuck her neck out for this. She wasn’t even sure how it happened. Her employer had been working himself into the usual tizzy over Royal gift-giving, and in a mad moment of actual vocalization Mary Ann heard herself say WORDS. And those words suggested Mary Ann’s very own father should craft the piece for the Queen’s special day. She’d baffled herself with the very sound of it. This was a land where outstretched necks met the swift, sharp chop of the executioner’s axe should Her Highness not be properly delighted.

Now she wished she hadn’t spoken at all.

Mary Ann’s father was, of course, not only a talented contractor but the finest woodworker around. He put real passion into the items he carved, and Mr. Rabbit had commissioned a piece that was likely to astound. The designs alone had been enough to send the furry gentleman’s gloved hands a-flutter, whiskers quivering in anticipation, sweet words predicting a future of royal favoritism, rich comfort and bright possibility.

Humorous Sci-Fi $0.99 Sale Cosmicness!

Heads up to my reader buddies on here!-- I decided to have a little summer sale for my humorous sci-fi books during the next week. Both There Goes the Galaxy and The Purloined Number are now available on Kindle, Nook and Smashwords for $0.99 a piece. They're also available proportionately cheap in the UK, Canada, etc. on Amazon-- I just didn't want to overload folks with too many links.

So if you were looking for a good time to pick up a copy of either of those to books, this might just be the time to snag them. Or if you know someone who enjoys sci-fi in the general Hitch-hiker's Guide or Terry Pratchett tradition, I'd love it if you would pass the sale info along. The details are as follows:

Kindle US:

THERE GOES THE GALAXY:
http://www.amazon.com/There-Goes-Galaxy-Jenn-Thorson-ebook/dp/B005M2RRRA/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0YS20BHKMBK785SVFVNA

THE PURLOINED NUMBER:
http://www.amazon.com/Purloined-Number-There-Goes-Galaxy-ebook/dp/B00FLYGDWE/


NOOK:

THERE GOES THE GALAXY:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/there-goes-the-galaxy-jenn-thorson/1106635958?ean=2940013437449

THE PURLOINED NUMBER:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-purloined-number-jenn-thorson/1117024694?ean=9780983804536


Smashwords:

THERE GOES THE GALAXY:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/370575

THE PURLOINED NUMBER:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/370632

Thank ye much, and I now return you to your regularly scheduled Tuesday! :)

Folks who have already read The Purloined Number will understand why a friend drew my attention to this photo and said, "It's happening, but with Nine." :)

Hope everyone has a good Wednesday. And that all your numbers are in order and your floors are right where they should be. :)

Of Words, Birds and Bathwater -or- Is Print Really Dead?

With the Kindle, and now the introduction of the unfortunately-named iPad--

(a moniker which was supposed to call to mind a user-friendly suite of products. But which instead sounds like it should involve commercials where two women walk in a sunny field and speak confidentially about monthly discomfort)...

--Er, where was I?

Oh. Yes.... With the introduction of the Kindle and iPad, our friend the Paper Book might be viewed as having taken a hit.

But ever since ancient Egyptian best-selling authors said, "Hey, I've still got two more chapters to write and I've run completely out of wallspace. I'm feeling optimistic about that pile of dried fronds over there," the printed word has shown its ability to evolve.

Wholly-Accurate and Completely Trustworthy History of the Printed Word To-Date

• Dawn of Time, noonish- First dirty limerick on cave wall well-received by early fans. Critics, however, dub it "the work of Neanderthals."

• 3800 BC- Ancient Sumerians develop increasingly more elaborate pictograms, these featuring familiar images of birds, bare feet, sheaves, and a man in a bowler hat with an apple in front of his face. The hieroglyphics were originally used to share religious rituals, and to pass down favorite beer recipes. Old Mesopotamia, Old Mesopotamia Lite, Pain in the Asp and Golden Sarcophagus were top award winners at the 3787 BC "Pharaoh of the Brew" competition.
  

• 3200 BC- Ancient Egyptians realize tombs are not terribly portable, growing tired of forcing slaves to roll the tomb from place to place using clever pulley and lever systems every time they want to share sports scores and the livestock market. Egyptians develop new fad of writing directly on barges and slaves.

• 2800 BC- Writing on stone tablets invented after space on slaves becomes limited. These tablets are portable, but heavy and prone to damage.

• 200 AD- Chinese win the race as Word Superpower, inventing inkblock printing on fabric two seconds before the Egyptians. Japanese adapt the technique for mass producing colorful images of big-eyed young girls in schoolgirl uniforms and brandishing superpowers.

• 400 AD- European monks use pulp paper to craft elaborate illuminated manuscripts with the forethought of displaying them in the British Library 1500 years later, along with Beatles lyrics on cocktail napkins.

• 1824 AD- Industrial revolution makes mass printing possible, creating a whole print industry including publishing houses, editors, and slush pile readers hired specifically to reject Charles Dickens' work.

• 1836 AD- Charles Dickens invents self-publishing. And cliffhangers.
  

• 2005 AD- Self-publishing meets the information age, allowing everyone, including your great-aunt who smells like mothballs to finally share her 1,000 page collection of incisive cat haiku.

• 2010 AD- iPad and Kindle demonstrate that they can go where the printed page has never gone before.... Except for the bathtub.

So as you can see, print is designed to evolve and adapt. And as human society, we must adapt with it.

Why, now that we've created a hard tablet with words printed on it, which is heavy and prone to damage, where will we go next?

My theory is we're probably just one step away from having the very walls of our homes used as a surface to receive and view all important information...

We'll learn eventually.
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Humorbloggers