New Caraval Bookmark and Another Giveaway?!

Caraval Bookmark #2 – The Prince of Hearts

For the month of March, I couldn’t resist giving the spotlight to the Prince of Hearts himself! And how better to feature him than with one of his magically tantalizing apples?

Remember, these are limited! They will only be available for a month or until they sell out, whichever comes first! Only 50 are being printed so don’t drag your feet if you want to add mischievous Jacks to your collection.

CLICK HERE to order yours now!


GIVEAWAY!

Whaaaaat? Two giveaways back to back? That’s right! This month, we’re giving away a copy of the Faecrate edition of The Rightful Bearer, the thrilling conclusion to The Maiden Ship trilogy! This hardcover edition features a gorgeous hidden cover and artwork on the reverse side of the dust jacket and sprayed edges. Click here to enter this giveaway!


Current Preorders:

We have two preorders currently available in the shop!

Into the Churn by Hayley Reese Chow is a sci-fi romance perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and The Scorpio Races. (Releases April 4, 2023)

A Daughter of the Trolls is turning one year old! To celebrate, we have an all-new jacketed hardcover up for preorder. Releasing on April 21, 2023, this anniversary edition will have an exclusive design on the hard case that won’t be available anywhere else!


Free Gift with Purchase

Don’t forget! All orders over $10 (before shipping) receive this postcard of Jude and Cardan absolutely free! They’re limited to 50 though and once they’re gone, they won’t be coming back for a very long time (if ever)! Don’t forget, my shop prices are shown in CAD (Canadian dollars) so if you’re in the US or UK, you’re getting a better deal due to the exchange rate. And shipping is more affordable than ever now that orders are shipped from the US.

We’ve also got lots of discounted items in the shop, including discontinued prints, imperfect books, and slightly flawed prints. These are always changing based on our current inventory, so check often!


Check out the new art released over the past few weeks!

OFFICIAL TRAILER – Into the Churn

EZREN! FOSTER! RUN!

INTO THE CHURN!

Earth was tame. Belethea is not. ⛈🪐⛈

Seventeen-year-old Ezren Hart interns in her mother’s terraforming lab, studying Belethea’s deadly storms with the dream of giving her backwater planet open teal skies. But when budget cuts threaten to shut down her mother’s lab, Ezren enters Belethea’s Race Royale, the system’s deadliest and most lucrative race. To win, she’ll have to run, drive, and fight her way across Belethea’s barren landscape while navigating its savage and volatile storms. With her planet’s future, and her family’s, on the line, she can’t afford to lose. But first, she’ll have to convince her handsome royale partner that their planet is worth saving.

Foster Sterling is a jaded ex-prodigy royaler still reeling from his partner’s death in a training accident. When Ezren Hart comes charging into his life, her passion reminds him of what he once loved about racing and his dream of returning pride to their planet. Still, no matter how fast they go, they can’t outrun the mysterious string of deadly accidents following them like a curse. As Foster falls harder for Ezren, he races to piece the clues together. But with time running out and their survival on the line, he’ll have to decide if their dreams are worth their lives.

Perfect for fans of underdog heroes, slow burn romance, and high stakes sci-fi, INTO THE CHURN races across a new planet of savage storms and dazzling tech. Fall in love with Ezren and Foster as they battle side-by-side to save their scrappy world on a ruthless interplanetary stage where appearances are everything, speed means survival, and the only thing deadlier than the storms are the other racers. ⛈🪐⚡️☄️

Touching Base for the New Year!

I can’t even believe it’s already 2023! For this first post of the new year, I wanted to highlight some of the exciting things that will be coming to Whimsical this year.

If all goes according to plan, Whimsical Publishing will release, at minimum, two new books! Hayley Reese Chow’s is the first, it’s an action packed, sci-fi romance INTO THE CHURN will be releasing on April 4th (preorders are open now – also be sure to check out the endorsement reviews I’ve attached at the bottom of this post!)

One exciting new feature that Whimsical’s editions of INTO THE CHURN will have is a jacketed hardcover option! This will have an EXCLUSIVE design on the hard case. You won’t be able to get this edition anywhere else but on Whimsical! Plus, remember every pre-order from my shop (hardcover or paperback) will include the pre-order incentives that you also won’t get anywhere else!

The second book we’re launching this year will be the much-anticipated sequel to A Daughter of the Trolls by McKenzie Catron! We’re hoping for a late fall / early winter release… with plenty of excitement leading up to it. Title and Cover reveal to come soon, along with ARCs and a preorder campaign. Be sure to check to watch my social media for updates!

Whimsical is also hoping to have the Sleeping Beauty retelling that I’m co-authoring with Bryn Shutt released in 2023, but Bryn and I are both slow writers, mostly because we want to give you all a story worth waiting for!

There are also some exciting things for 2023 that I can’t share just yet, but the year ahead is full and I’m so so excited and blessed to have these opportunities. I’m looking forward to each and every one!


We still have some leftover fine art prints from the old manufacturer! These are 50% off (price already reduced and cannot be combined with any discount code). These are limited and many have only 1 or 2 left in stock.

The artwork itself is not being discontinued, so don’t panic! We’re just clearing out the old paper style since we have a new manufacturer in the US for fine art prints.


We are also now offering slightly imperfect books for sale at a discount in the shop! These are perfectly readable copies that might have incorrect finishes or minor dings/scratches on the cover or spine.


Commission and Endorsement Requests

When I receive requests for commissions or endorsement reviews, often I’m not able to accept for a variety of reasons… but one of those is sometimes that I just don’t have enough information to provide an informed answer. To help with that, I’ve created a few request forms for interested parties to fill out.

Please note that completing a form does not guarantee I will accept your request. This is purely for me to prioritize requests that I feel confident and inspired to complete.

For commission requests, please use THIS LINK. This will allow me to review your request and determine if I am able to take on a commission depending on your specific needs.

If you are requesting an endorsement review from any of the Whimsical Publishing authors, fill out the form at THIS LINK. This does not guarantee a review.


Did you know Whimsical has a growing database of human artists? To help combat the rise of AI art, we’ve created a database of human artists, which is accessible via my website.

Due to my unpredictable health and busy schedule, I’m not always able to accept commission requests. This database also serves as a great place to find alternate artists if I am unable to fulfill your needs for a commission. Or if you’re not looking to commission custom artwork, these talented people also have portfolios and shops for you to browse! Take a look!

Click HERE to view the list, or fill out the form to join if you’re an artist.


If you’re an indie author, we’re also creating a database for you to join as well! AI presents a problem for everyone in the arts, not just artists. Please consider joining our network of indie authors by clicking HERE and completing the form!

Are you a reader looking for your next great read? Check out the list of amazing indie authors. I’m sure you’ll find something to spark your interest!


Are you an author seeking publication from Whimsical Publishing?

View our current submission criteria and submit your manuscript HERE!


BEFORE YOU GO!!!
The reviews are coming in for ITC and I wanted to share these two with you today!

 

“Hayley Reese Chow’s Into the Churn is a romantic Science Fiction thrill ride with brains and heart. Ezren and Foster have chemistry to spare, and the world of Belethea and its killer storms is just giddy-making good. I can’t wait to read what she does next!”

—Alaya Dawn Johnson, Nebula Award-winning author of The Summer Prince

“Into the Churn is a whirlwind of a book that will sweep you up into its stormy world and won’t let you go.”

—Bridget Tyler, author of the Pioneer duology

 

 

COVER REVEAL and PREORDER CAMPAIGN!

Unknown planet from outer space. Space nebula. Cosmic cluster of stars. Outer space background. 3D book render.

So excited to reveal the cover of Hayley Reese Chow’s INTO THE CHURN! This award winning author will blow your socks with this romantic high stakes sci-fi, that races across a new planet of savage storms and dazzling tech. Fall in love with Ezren and Foster as they battle side-by-side to save their scrappy world on a ruthless interplanetary stage where appearances are everything, speed means survival, and the only thing deadlier than the storms are the other racers.

Preorder campaign begins today! You can order your choice of a paperback, hardcover, or exclusive dust-jacketed hardcover here on Whimsical and as preorder incentives you will get a bookmark, two character art postcards, a map postcard, and a signed  bookplate for free. ORDER HERE NOW! If you are looking for the ebook book version, you can preorder it via Amazon now (preorder incentives are not included with order through Amazon.)

BOOK BLURB:

Seventeen-year-old Ezren Hart interns in her mother’s terraforming lab, studying Belethea’s deadly storms with the dream of giving her backwater planet open teal skies. But when budget cuts threaten to shut down her mother’s lab, Ezren enters Belethea’s Race Royale, the system’s deadliest and most lucrative race. To win, she’ll have to run, drive, and fight her way across Belethea’s barren landscape while navigating its savage and volatile storms. With her planet’s future, and her family’s, on the line, she can’t afford to lose. But first, she’ll have to convince her handsome royale partner that their planet is worth saving.

Foster Sterling is a jaded ex-prodigy royaler still reeling from his partner’s death in a training accident. When Ezren Hart comes charging into his life, her passion reminds him of what he once loved about racing and his dream of returning pride to their planet. Still, no matter how fast they go, they can’t outrun the mysterious string of deadly accidents following them like a curse. As Foster falls harder for Ezren, he races to piece the clues together. But with time running out and their survival on the line, he’ll have to decide if their dreams are worth their lives.

Earth was tame. Belethea is not.

Author – Hayley Reese Chow is a PowerPoint ranger by day and writer by night, but the book that Whimsical will be publishing in 2023 is heavily influenced by her experiences as an All-American collegiate fencer and ultramarathoner. Her first self-published novel won the 2020 YA Florida Author Project and was the 5th place finalist in the 2021 Book Blogger Novel of the Year Awards. She currently dodges hurricanes in Florida with her two wild boys, her long-suffering husband, and a dog that thinks she’s a cat. Follow Hayley on her website hayleyreesechow.com or on Instagram @hayleyreesechow

Here’s my review:

You know those books, the ones you can’t put down, and when you’re forced to do so, all you can think about is getting back to it as soon as possible? Well, that’s exactly what INTO THE CHURN is like!

Even if sci-fi isn’t your go-to genre, you will still love this YA, action romance––the pining, the kisses, the slow burn––OH MY HEART! And the action too! The Race Royale takes place in heart of Belethea’s churn belt, a portion of the planet where temperatures are unliveable, lightning rages, and tornados tear the planet apart. This is a life threatening triathlon of epic tech proportions where neighbouring planets compete for resource rights and interplanetary glory. The thing is, our heroes, Ezren and Foster, are the underdogs, and not only will you melt over their romance, you’ll be biting your nails and praying for their safety until the very end.

Don’t miss this, just don’t.

~Micheline Ryckman, author of The Maiden Ship series.