#Blog Tour #Guest Post by Christina Bauer #My Inspiration for Dare (Pixieland Diaries 3) by Christina Bauer @Xpresso Book Tours

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Dare – the third instalment in Christina Bauer’s series Pixieland Diaries. I am a big fan of the series and I’m really excited for this new release and Christina’s guest post!
But first, let’s have a quick re-cap of this enchanting series:

Pixieland Diaries Series

1. Pixieland Diaries
2. Calla
3. Dare
4. Winter Prince
5. Ley Queen

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• 

• 

Pixieland Diaries

If you don’t like pixies, don’t read this diary.

If you don’t like loud-mouthed pixies who are really cool but sometimes get told they’re immature (for no reason), then definitely stop reading.

Oh, and if you’re His Awfulness The Elf Prince ‘Dare’ Darius, then you can kiss my butt. My hatred for you burns with the fire of a thousand suns. Thanks for getting me kicked out of Pixieland and exiled to attend some rando human high school on Earth. You’re the worst, even if you have a cute smile. And nice eyes. Your hair looks okay sometimes, too. But you’re still a creep and I loathe you.

And to everyone else: if you’ve read this far, then you better finish my entire diary.

My story is supernatural, whacked-out, and overall awesome.

Calla
Big news in Pixieland! The Blue Fairy is sending our fave pixie, Calla, and her crush, Dare, on a mini-quest. Unfortunately, it’s an adventure that requires a lot of togetherness. We’re talking tons of touching, people.

Blue believes that since Calla and Dare are just friends, then this situation shouldn’t be awkward.

It’s totally awkward.

Dare
by Christina Bauer
(Pixieland Diaries #3)
Publication date: March 30th 2021
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:
What happens when a pixie outcast seizes the throne of Faerie… while her beloved elf prince becomes a wanted criminal?

Sassy pixie Calla loves the prankster life, even if it does make her an outcast among other fae. But everything changes when Calla’s magic erases an evil blight destroying the Faerie realm. That’s when the pariah pixie becomes something unexpected: a Fae Queen.

Yet no sooner does Calla take the crown than a new and unstoppable plague appears. Things get even worse when Calla’s longtime crush, the elf Prince ‘Dare’ Darius, appears to have masterminded the outbreak before fleeing to the mountains. According to the Faerie elders, there’s only one way to end this disease…

Calla must hunt down Dare and destroy him.

Yeah. Like that will ever happen.

Instead of killing anyone, Calla vows to cure the plague while proving Dare’s innocence. And if she must pull a few mega-pranks to make it all happen? Not a problem. Even so, the path ahead is still fraught with trouble. Secret enemies scheme to manipulate the outbreak—as well as Calla’s feelings for Dare—in order to bring our favorite prankster down, once and for all.

Goodreads

Purchase Links
Amazon  / B&N  /  IBooks / Kobo / GooglePlay

The Inspiration For My New Book, DARE
By Christina Bauer Author

As part of the launch tour for my latest book, DARE (Pixieland Diaries #3), the lovely folks at Reading Tonic have asked me to share the inspiration for the Pixieland Diaries series. Fun!

So without further ado, here goes…

A huge inspiration for this series was a book called Faeries, which is now available in a 25th anniversary edition. The original version came my way during my teenage years (I say teen years, you think secret hell.) It got my imagination going and provided a mental escape hatch in what was otherwise a crap time. The book is a clear and driving force behind wanting to explore the world of pixies in this book series.

Wondering what the big deal is about with Faeries? There’s a great guided video tour here.

But for the purposes of this post, I’ll quickly share why I love this work: the illustrations are sublime. Because of these images, I added a ton of drawings to the Pixieland series as well.

There are two artists who created this book. The first is Alan Lee, a guy who’s arguably best known for illustrating the Lord of the Rings novels. Then there’s Brian Froud, someone I consider the go-to guy for all faerie art. Both are mind-blowing in terms of their creativity and skill.

Here’s why the Faerie illustrations are special (to me, anyway). These artists don’t just draw a cute elves. They really think through the particular world behind each creature. For instance, a beautiful elf may have clothing with lovely geometric patterns… which then match designs behind them… and all carry a subtle visual theme of swords. The resulting message is one that combines beauty and death. Perfect for the fae.
And when it comes to evil creatures? Their work is even better. Some fae have a particular texture to their flesh… or no skin at all. I’d link in a bunch of their images, but that can get me in trouble. (I’m not even kidding. I’ve gotten–and paid–hefty fines in the past.) Instead, I’ll share a few pics that I own from my upcoming book, DARE.

I’ll kick off with the antagonist.

The Usurper

What I love about this illustration is how it takes an old image–namely a mysterious figure in a dark cloak–and adds something fresh. The extra arms are often used in Eastern art to show higher power levels, and I think that idea is conveyed here as well. The sword is a great addition (and it plays right into my story, but that’s a post for another time). And the style of illustration is rough and harsh, which also tells the story of the character. This piece is created by a Russian artist who goes by the name of Warm Tail.

Lady Kae

In a lot of ways, this is a standard image of a gorgeous elf. What makes this illustration special is the cone-style hat and unusual jewelry. This lady is clearly not your average fae. And in DARE, she certainly plays a special role. This pic is an adaptation of a full-color piece by one of my favorite artists, Majorgaine.

And here’s a snapshot of me happily coddling my 25th anniversary edition. So exciting to find it on a rare books Amazon page as the original is out print. Bucket list item… done!

On a final note, if you want to find out more about DARE, you can check it out on Nook,Amazon,GooglePlay,Apple & Kobo.

AUTHOR BIO:

Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too. 

Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.

Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter

Blog / Facebook / Twitter -@CB_Bauer / Instagram / LinkedIn  / website

Thank you to Christina for her guest post!

The Blog Tour schedule:

March 29th
–cupcakesandbookshelves >> Excerpt
–Aubrey Wynne: Timeless Love >> Excerpt
–Lisa Loves Literature >> Excerpt
–Literary Gold >> Excerpt
March 30th
–Living in a Bookworld >> Excerpt
–breen.rb >> Review
–Adventures in Writing >> Excerpt
March 31st
–Books, Tea, Healthy Me  >> Guest post
–diary of a wannabe writer >> Review
–The World of Celia McMahon >> Excerpt
April 1st
–thescorpion.bibliophile >> Review
–Rockin’ Book Reviews  >> Guest post
April 2nd
–Stuck In Books >> Excerpt
–Drunk On Pop >> Excerpt
–Angel’s Guilty Pleasures >> Excerpt
–The Avid Reader >> Review
—
April 5th
–My Fiction Nook >> Excerpt
–Natasha Brooks’ Favorite Books >> Interview
–The Reclusive Reader >> Review
April 6th
–Lady Hawkeye  >> Excerpt
–Jazzy Book Reviews >> Interview
–Westveil Publishing  >> Review
April 7th
–Candlelight Reading >> Excerpt
–Amazeballs Book Addicts >> Review
April 8th
–Sadie’s Spotlight >> Excerpt
–The Book Junkie Reads . . . >> Review
–Reading Tonic  >> Guest post
April 9th
–Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author  >> Excerpt
–Teatime and Books >> Excerpt
–Books A-Brewin’ >> Excerpt
–BookishKelly2020 >> Excerpt