"Our kingdom was once beautiful, but now the towers are everywhere. They say that Queen Rapunzel has lost her mind--and I believe them. Before, I might have felt sorry for her, but now I just fear her. I fear the sound of her soldiers pounding at the door, demanding that I be taken away. I fear the towers." Years after the original tale of Rapunzel took place, the kingdom--left to the grief-stricken Queen after her husband's death--is falling apart. People live in constant fear of the many terrible towers across the land, built by her Majesty's decree to imprison any who dare question her. Bird's nothing but a girl from the north, but when someone she cares about is taken by the mad Queen's soldiers, she'll stop at nothing to save them. With nothing but her friends, a sled, and a mind full of songs, she sets out to get rid of the towers, once and for all. DISCLAIMER: this is a retelling of the *ORIGINAL FAIRY TALE* by the Brothers Grimm and has no connection to Disney's version whatsoever. DISCLAIMER PART II: I wrote this book when I was 15 and am still in the middle of huge revisions that I haven't posted here yet! Please feel free to read, but keep in mind this is a work in progress. :)

Meet May Bird: a very shy, very precocious young girl who wants nothing more than to live in a world where she’s accepted and loved. One day while walking in the woods she finds that world—or falls into it, really. Through a pond, May enters the Ever After, a world of ghosts. Here, towns glow blue beneath zipping stars and the people—are they really people?—walk through walls. Here, the Book of the Dead holds the answers to everything in the universe. And here, if May is discovered, the horrifyingly evil Bo Cleevil will turn her into nothing. May Bird must get out. Fast. As May journeys through fantastic lands, she gathers an unusual group of new friends who join together to overcome Bo Cleevil and find the way back home.

Lyra knew that one day she would be set into an arranged marriage like a chess piece. She had been preparing for it her whole life, and she was almost alright with her fate. But she never thought that her father would choose the man that he did. That decision changed everything. The King of Whales is ruthless, more than twice her age and surrounded by tainted gold and loads of unsavory rumors. There have been many wives of his before Lyra, with no explanations to the untimely deaths of the previous five. With each dead Queen came more money from their kingdoms, straight into the King's portly lap. Disguised as a young man, Lyra runs from her duty as the only Princess of Nordic. She cuts her hair, takes her steed and disappears into the night with her father's men hot on her heels. Enter Kaladin's team. Occupation: Mercenaries. Lyra uses skills taught to her by a close, childhood friend and plays herself into the trust of the dangerous strangers until they accept her, or rather, "Navani", into their group. What will happen to her once they see through her web of lies and tricks? Will Lyra give herself up as Princess when she is reunited with her long-lost friend, or will she carry on as a boy with the mercenaries? Follow Lyra to see what she will do when she comes to realize that things have gotten far too big for her to handle on her own. There are assassin's out for her head, king's thirsting for her blood, and an underground network of people who live for her ruin. But there is also an unlikely Prince to defend her, who has some tricks of his own to rely on. The Princess soon sees that she is not nearly as alone as she may have once thought. What will Lyra do when she comes to terms with her destiny? Will she face it this time with her new friends, or will she chose to run away again? Cover made by @-rebellixus-

Even in a land of twilight, secrets can't stay hidden forever... After an unexplained flash claims Eyelet Elsworth's father and shatters the rest of her world, Eyelet embarks on a quest to recover her father's prized invention-The Illuminator. With it, she hopes to be able to cure her debilitating seizures, that if discovered, could see her placed in an asylum for the rest of her days. Pursued by Professor Smrt-her father's arch nemesis and the bane of her existence, Eyelet locates The Illuminator just in time to see it whisked away by a strange young man. Determined to recover the machine, and keep it from Smrt, she pursues the mysterious stranger into the world of the unknown. As their lives intertwine it becomes clear, neither will be able to complete their intended missions, without first recovering some long lost information. Risking it all, they venture back through deadly Vapours and criminal-infested woods, to the City of Brethren, where Smrt awaits-only to discover, the 'miracle machine' they hoped would solve all their problems, may in fact be their biggest problem of all. Like to be the first to know about the release of Lumiere? Contact Jacqueline at jacquelinee(dot)garlick(at)gmail(dot)com, or visit her website at jacquelinegarlick.com (coming soon!) to register for her newsletter, and be the first to know about books releases, contests, appearances, and other cool stuff! Online you can find Jacqueline here: facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacqueline-Garlick/1395763840647691 Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jackiegp/lumiere-by-jacqueline-garlick/ Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7192419.Jacqueline_Garlick Twitter:@jackie_garlick Thanks so much for reading! :)