Guest Post & Giveaway by Jodi Lamm

Why I Fill My Books With Fairy Tales, by Jodi Lamm

When I was a child, I rifled through my parents books like a thief, except they didn't mind what I took. Every once in a while, I would find something miraculous: a well-worn paperback called Jonathan Livingston Seagull, an out-of-print illustrated copy of Alice in Wonderland and, most remarkably, my mother's childhood book of fairy tales. Its cover was filled with faded pastel illustrations. Its binding was held together by a few threads and not much else. But I was gentle, and I read it regularly, always putting it right back on the giant family bookshelf when I was done so no one would know how often I read it.

These were not Disney-style stories by any stretch of the imagination. While I don't think the darkest tales of the Grimm collection were there, I discovered some lesser-known tales and fell in love with them, which led me to seek out fairy tales wherever I could find them. I learned that fairy tales were dark and beautiful and horrifying. It was love at second and third and fourth sight. I've never gotten over it. Folklore amazes me. There's something haunting about a story composed like a game of Telephone by countless people. These are tales that have been distilled over hundreds of years until what remains is the essence of us—of what makes us human. If you ever wish you could connect with the people who came before you, I believe the best thing you can do is listen to their lore.

So it shouldn't be surprising that folklore makes a huge appearance in Titan Magic. Marcus collects it and gives it to Madeleine, who loves the same stories I did (shocking, I know), and he often communicates to her through fairy tales. It's like a language between them, and it makes up the basis for their relationship. And the magic of a Titan is made of belief, which is manipulated by stories. In other words, Madeleine owes her very existence to a legend. Even the novel I'm composing right now was inspired by Arabian Nights. I can't seem to let these stories be. But I don't think they were meant to be left alone. The beauty of folklore is that it will never belong to any one person or corporation or government. It belongs to anyone who can appreciate it. These stories are meant to be retold, re-imagined, cut to pieces and put back together again. It's their nature to evolve, like us. I think that's why I love them so much.

If you'd like to know more about Jodi, feel free to connect on her website, Goodreads, or Twitter.

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And now the Giveaway!! Jodi has generously offered a signed paperback copy for one lucky winner. This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL!!! Trust me, you want this book. Look at how pretty it is. I trust you all know what to do, rafflecopter is below.

Goodreads / Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:  Mute, heartless, and tormented by auditory hallucinations, Madeleine Lavoie never questions why her family has hidden her from the world. But the night her brother casts her out, she learns the mysterious voice she thought existed only in her mind is no delusion, and no matter how hard she tries, she can never disobey it.

Now Madeleine must find her own voice in a cacophony of powerful tyrants, monsters, and gods. If she fails, she will forfeit her life and the lives of everyone who loves her. But if she succeeds, she may finally gain the ability to love someone in return.

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