Moana (the Movie): Let's Break it Down

Fair warning: this post has nothing to do with my books or my writing. It does, however, look into the elements of one specific story and the underlying messages that story conveys—intentionally or not. This is very different from my usual topics, but the realization hit me hard and seemed worth writing about. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well!

Movie poster from the Disney site.

So, as you can tell from the post's title, I want to talk about Disney's Moana—a movie one review called "the perfect Disney movie" (Tasha Robinson, The Verge). Let me be clear: I like the movie; this post isn't about bashing it.

But upon watching it (not for the first time, thanks to it being on Netflix), I realized something about the basic underlying story. This post will include details from the movie, so if you haven't seen it, you may not want to read on.

So, Moana broken down:

Man assaults woman then freaks out when she—instead of taking it lying down—gets angry, taking zero responsibility for his own actions.

Mortal Musings Has a Brand New Cover!

Thank you so much to everyone who cast their votes and helped me pick the new cover! Thank you especially to the members of the Real-world Romantics who gave me feedback on countless mockups and helped me discover this combination. 💕

And the new cover is:

What do you think?? Personally, I love how the artist (Jade Foster) did Allie's hair. And to celebrate this new design, I've decided to temporarily drop the price to $0.99!

So if you haven't already done so, you can grab your copy at:

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play | Smashwords

This also seems like the perfect time to unveil the new logo for Dreams to Dishes—Brett's local diner in Mortal Musings:

And I've created a collection of keepsakes featuring the logo!

Now you can bring a piece of this world—and a touch

of Allie's inspiration—into your life:

Dreams to Dishes collection

Giveaway:

Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you think of this new cover for a chance to win a fold-up bag featuring the new Mortal Musings cover as well as a pair of Dreams to Dishes coasters!

Open through 7/22/18, void where prohibited. Check back on 7/23/18 (or enable comment notifications) to find out if you are the winner.

Taking Chances is Now Available in Print!

Update: And the winners are...Heather C. and Linda R.!

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Happy July!

Mini spoiler: The last scene in Taking Chances takes place July 4th. So this week seemed like the perfect time to release the paperback version!

Now Available Through:

Wordery (free US shipping!) 

Book Depository (free international shipping!)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | My Store (signed!) 

Of course, such good news deserves a giveaway. 😇

Enter below for a chance to win either:

1. A Forging Forever prize pack, including signed copies of all three available Forging Forever books, a guitar pick necklace, 2 Cavaliere Vineyards wine glass charms, and a Mending Heartstrings magnetic art print, all wrapped up in this Taking Chances bag:
   
2. A signed copy of Taking Chances, an art print of "From My Lips" (featured in the story), and a guitar pick necklace

Open Internationally! Please note: international winners may receive unsigned books, depending on country (only because shipping can be extremely pricey).

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway