I rambled poetic on the release day post about how much the blog and this release means to me. But what I didn’t mention is how Hollow Tree became what it is today almost accidentally.

When we first opened its doors, Tales was supposed to be a place to share all things YA fantasy. Book reviews, legends and myths, bookish pop culture, and the occasional free read, known then as Fantasy Dipped Fridays. (Still love that name).

While we spent a significant amount of time ravaging books and talking about movie adaptations and having a great old time discussing things with followers (thanks to those of you who started conversations! it’s so fun to be able to discuss things with you!), the schedule was a daily obligation that soon became too much for Lisa and I to handle alone. We contemplated taking on other bloggers, even made a hiring call, but in the end, I’m glad we kept it between us (and our sister in fiction, thepheonix!).

It feels like home now. Like family. And I’m so thrilled that we chose to keep the best part of the blog alive because I feel it’s become quite the magical place since its reincarnation.

So go ahead and give Volume 1 a try! It’s currently available on Kindle, Nook, and special edition .pdf. This collection has eight stories previously published on the site, and two (one from both Lisa and I) that are exclusive to this collection.

So that’s my little history lesson for the day! As part of the blog hop I will be giving away a FREE PDF copy of our collection! This copy is GORGEOUS. So trust me when I say it’s worth your time. All you have to do is comment and let me know what you’d like to see at Hollow Tree. Any themes you’d like to see tackled? Would you be interested in seeing prompts? A write off between Lisa and I? Ha ha. That’d be fun, actually. Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered in the drawing.

And we’re also having  a special giveaway on Friday, if you go to all the posts in the hop and collect keywords from each giveaway post.

My keyword is:

MALCOLM

Head back to the Hollow Tree blog on Friday to enter in that word for a chance to win some special Hollow Tree swag! (It is SO cute!)

And in the meanwhile, add us on Goodreads! Might just get you an extra entry. 

Stay tuned for the location of tomorrow’s blog hop post to collect your next clue!

I am so excited to bring you a collection of the short stories that Lisa and I have been bringing you week after week. This project has been a real labor of love and more than anything has forced us to stretch our creative legs, to write even when we didn’t feel like it, to envision big moments wrapped in tiny packages, and to draw you- the reader- into our worlds in only a few short words, making sure you take that journey with us.

Friday has undoubtedly become my favorite day of the week because of the challenge it poses. Will I be able to come up with something good? Something moving and interesting? Something original and unlike what I’ve done before?

It can certainly be difficult to think outside the box. If you read our blog, you know I’m fond of retellings and fairytales, mostly because I believe every story can be retold in countless different ways. I tend to lean toward the Desolation aspect of our titles, while Lisa is very much full of magic and Enchantment, though every once in a while, we tend to surprise even each other (after all these years, who knew that was possible, right, Lis?)

I’m thrilled about the extra story I have in the collection, one I’ve never posted on Hollow Tree and one that’s never seen the light of day until now.  It came to me while listening to a song that made me stop and think… what if? And aren’t those the magical words every author wants to mutter? What if? Let’s just say the story has a touch of gold. Hint over.

I posted a teeny tiny snippet of it on Twitter and my Facebook Fan Page today (which, if you haven’t checked out, I highly recommend! I post all kinds of sneak peeks and upcoming projects!). But if you haven’t had a chance to visit me there, I’ll post it here as well, for you to enjoy.

She used to whisper to him through the thin rice paper of the room dividers, telling him of the effervescent sunshine or the falling of the leaves. At times, she told the stories in such vivid detail, he could actually feel the cold sting of a snowball in the face, or smell the sweet, floral aroma of the plumeria bush in the garden.

Anyway, we really hope you’ll enjoy it! It’s currently available through Nook, Kindle, and limited edition PDF on our sidebar over at Hollow Tree. For only 0.99 cents, you can’t go wrong.

Whichever your poison, I hope that you’ll get lost in the magic of it all. And if you feel so compelled, drop us a line or leave us a review. Those are like chocolates for authors. They make us happy. :)

Happy Friday, guys! And happy release day!