Hooray! I’ve been waiting for this blog tour date to come around for a while…and today it’s here!

Today and tomorrow, May 17th and 18th, I am staying over at the Fragments of Life blog, hosted by my lovely friend Precious from the Philippines!

On May 17th (today), Precious will be reviewing Enchanted, and then on May 18th (tomorrow), she will be featuring an EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENE read by yours truly, dressed in costume, on YouTube.

Click over today (and definitely tomorrow) to celebrate my international slumber party!

*throws pillow*

The ever-lovely Soumi (who is quickly becoming one of my best blogger-friends) has posted her review of Enchanted, as well as her interview with my up at her Pages from my Thoughts blog.

“Reading the book felt like living a magical dream. I was completely bewitched by this enthralling fantasy that transitions well from light humorous moments to moments of dark magic. I was amazed to see how richly imaginative this fantasy world is, as well as its characters.”

I am SO honored. Check out what the rest of Soumi has to say in her review here.

And then read our very fun exclusive interview here.

Thank you, Soumi!

xox

…you should sing about them.

Thank you, Adam Ezra Group, for making my day SO MUCH BETTER. See you at the Iota show on Monday!

(Everyone’s joining me for my Last Hurrah Party, RIGHT?!?)

More bloggers share the love and their thoughts about Enchanted!

“The story is simply magical and so much more than a typical romantic fairy tale.” –Luxury Reading

“Enchantments abound in Enchanted: balls, magic both dark and light, true love, sorcery, and lyrical writing.” — Misfit Salon

“Enchanted offers a new way to read some of your old favorites. Kontis pays a fitting tribute to the classics, while weaving a new fairy tale romance for readers to fantasize about.” –Novel Novice

“It’s the details in the writing that make this world come alive, and I would be happy to read more fairy tale stories set in the same world. I feel there is much more that can be explored!” –Escape Through the Pages

The sneakiest preview of The Wonderland Alphabet you’ll ever get! How cute is this book?!?

Still working on getting a definite date when this will be out — I know Amazon has had a different release date every other day (now it says June 19th), but who trusts Amazon anymore? They don’t even have the proper cover image.

I can tell you that Archaia has the book (or they couldn’t have made this video!) and it will be shipping to stores very, very soon. Fingers crossed that it shows up while I’m on book tour!

xox

I have just spoken to my dear fairy godmother at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt–she reassured me that this restructuring is actually cause for celebration, and so I would like to pass this reassurance on to you, my friends & family.

Things at this particular publisher have indeed been a mess ever since the Houghton Mifflin and Harcourt merger back in 2008, and this bankruptcy filing (which they are required to do by law) is the last step in resolving those issues, clearing the cobwebs, and moving onward with a stronger, more focused and united company.

Enchanted is not in danger in any way, nor will my blog or book tour plans change at all. We are moving ahead, full steam, into the sunrise.

So, no panic. No worries. Sally forth and purchase many copies. And, if we’re lucky, there will be official news of a sequel on the horizon.

Stay tuned! And thank you all so very much for your texts, tweets, emails, and phone calls of support. I love you all to pieces!! xox

Yes, one of my publishers did just enter a Chapter 11 bankruptcy for about 3 billion dollars. You can read the New York Times article about it here.

What I remember from working in publishing back in the day, back when Houghton Mifflin and Harcourt were two separate companies, is that their scholarly divisions (all those anthologies you had to read for English class) outweighed their trade by quite a lot of titles, and scholarly divisions are typically a Giant Mess. [UPDATE: apparently the scholarly divisions weren't too bad; it was the tiny digital company who bought them that added to the fray... As you can see, this is a complicated subject.]

All that aside, the trade books division of (now) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a very strong trade books division, including titles like The Lord of the Rings and The Princess Bride. My little fairy tale is in very good company.

Chapter 11 is a restructuring…and while $3 billion is a lot to restructure, it’s not impossible. Some of you may have visions of Dorchester dancing in your heads, but don’t. Remain calm. HMH is going to pull through this, I am sure. And so will Enchanted. Please continue to purchase the book and audiobook (Brilliance Audio is doing just fine!) and move about your day as if nothing happened.

That’s what I’m doing.

[UPDATE post on the HMH Bankruptcy here.]

xox

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Please note: The Enchanted hardcover is the only title I have under the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt umbrella. The Enchanted audiobook, the AlphaOops books, and The Wonderland Alphabet are all with other publishers. I encourage you to please order books from these publishers (if you haven’t already) to support my writing. I have some handy-dandy links for you right here: http://aletheakontis.com/2012/05/amazon-affiliate-links/

Are you ready, world? Today, Eleusinian Mysteries is unveiling another EXCLUSIVE YOUTUBE VIDEO of Princess Alethea, all dressed up and reading an excerpt from Enchanted.

This one is a brief, sweet, painfully touching scene that takes place after Sunday thinks she’s lost the best friend she ever had, and the closest thing she’s ever felt to true love.

But don’t take my word for it, click on over to Eleusinian Mysteries and see for yourself!

xox

Dear friends and family:

If you order any of my books off Amazon, please use these links. As part of the Amazon Associates program, I get a (very small) kickback from advertising fees. I turn that $$ into Amazon Gift Cards, which I use to purchase more inventory to have on hand while I travel (in case the bookstores don’t…which does happen).

While you’re there, please hit the “Like” button, or add a review!

I have updated all the links on the Books page, so if you can’t find this post, you can always find that page from my Bibliography tab.

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Enchanted (hardcover)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547645708/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwaletheakon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0547645708

Enchanted (audiobook)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469202891/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwaletheakon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1469202891

AlphaOops: The Day Z Went First (hardcover)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0763627283/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwaletheakon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0763627283

AlphaOops: The Day Z Went First (paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0763660841/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwaletheakon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0763660841

AlphaOops: H is for Halloween  (hardcover)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0763639664/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwaletheakon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0763639664

AlphaOops: H is for Halloween  (midi hardcover)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0763656860/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwaletheakon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0763656860

The Wonderland Alphabet
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1936393867/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwaletheakon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1936393867

Elemental (SF anthology)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PO684C/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwaletheakon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001PO684C

The Dark-Hunter Companion
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312363435/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwaletheakon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0312363435

Every Monday while I’m on book tour for Enchanted, I’m going to share a fun music video that features love, fairy tales, magic, or my inspirations.

This week’s song is “Fairytale” by Sarah Bareilles. My dear friend Kit McCormick introduced this one to me a couple of years ago. As a Grimm Grrl, I love the lyrics. As a former stage actress, I love the video. Together, it’s complete perfection!