tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92198947932575588012024-03-15T20:10:28.743-05:00ElenatintilThe Author Blog of Elizabeth Amy HajekElizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.comBlogger1378125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-50416662188219299172024-02-09T14:25:00.000-06:002024-02-09T14:25:00.773-06:00"The Marvels" restores hope to the Marvel Cinematic Universe If you have not yet watched "The Marvels," chances are, it's because you heard some negative things about it. Or, perhaps, you've been burnt out on Marvel. Or maybe you just aren't interested in Carol Danvers. But you should think again, and here's why (sans spoilers):Guys, I didn't like the first Captain Marvel movie. It's the only Infinity Saga film that I haven't managed to get Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-56504008820835373862023-11-25T12:22:00.000-06:002023-11-25T12:22:02.412-06:0024-Hour FLASH sale on PaperbacksI excited to share that my paperbacks are on sale for 24 hours only! (Yes, even Lilibet Lynn and the Austen Cipher!) I've NEVER marked them down before, but thought this would be a good time to experiment! This is the best price you will get on these books in 2023 (and maybe 2024 too).SHERWOOD is $8.00, AUSTEN is $9.00 and MERMAID should drop to $13.33 anytime, just waiting onElizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-20032199618206303372023-11-14T00:00:00.004-06:002024-02-09T14:07:40.226-06:00Jane Austen Movie Adaptations In honor of the release of Lilibet Lynn and the Austen Cipher, Lilibet and I have assembled a list of our Jane Austen movie recommendations, in the order we suggest for new viewers.Lilibet Says: Hi everyone! My name is Lilibet Lynn, and I'm guest blogging today to tell you all about the BEST Jane Austen films and which order you should watch them in. Of course, the books are awesome, but ifElizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-37194487224707432542023-10-31T12:34:00.000-05:002023-10-31T12:34:01.039-05:00Lilibet's 2nd Adventure is coming soon!Lilibet Lynn is soon heading off on her second adventure through time! Lilibet Lynn is dying to explore history, but her mom has other ideas. The past is dangerous, and the secrets of using the thimble safely have been lost to time.When Lilibet learns of a secret code that might unlock the lost laws of time travel, she decides to take matters into her own hands. After all, a quick trip to Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-55359701972364298002023-09-11T10:10:00.002-05:002023-09-11T10:10:26.008-05:00Book News Hello friends! I'm now regularly sharing monthly updates over on my free Substack. This month's update has some major book news that I don't want you to miss! Check it out here and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future updates! (If you are already subscribed and don't see this in your inbox, check your promotions folder!)Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-5648374341496382712023-08-29T09:31:00.002-05:002023-08-29T09:56:04.378-05:00Debating Darcy "Another Pride and Prejudice retelling? Really?"I hear you, readers, I do. I pick up most Austen spin-offs with trepidation. But Debating Mr. Darcy by Sayantani DasGupta deserves a look, as it stands above most rewrites and adds to the Austen conversation.In Debating Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet is reimagined as Indian American teenager, Leela Bose. Darcy is also Indian Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-45022059379672416752023-06-16T21:00:00.000-05:002023-06-16T21:16:34.249-05:00Behind the Scenes - Thoughts on the Writing Process (Updated 2023)Dear 2023,It's been six years since I first wrote this post and, having published a second book and written several hundred thousand words on a few others, I thought I'd annotate and republish this piece with updated thoughts. Read on for tips on overcoming writer's procrastination, now with an additional half decade+ of experience. Annotations in purple!Hello from 2017! It's been a bit of a Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-65588730566287218172023-06-09T10:21:00.003-05:002023-06-09T10:21:31.287-05:00The WWII Historical Fiction of Jennifer Ryan One of my favorite adult authors this past year has been Jennifer Ryan, so today you get four book reviews for the price of one! (The price being amount of effort from me, obviously you're not paying anything to read this, lol.) Although the market is over saturated by World War II historical fiction, Ryan's novels stand out. They are respectful of the seriousness of the historical events Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-29565098087013226192023-04-19T09:57:00.000-05:002023-04-19T09:57:06.758-05:00Riveting History Reads for Young ReadersAre you looking to spark an interest in history and reading in your elementary or middle schooler? Or maybe you are just trying to keep up with a new reader who flies through books quicker than you can fill the shelves! Either way, I'm here to help!I was extraordinarily blessed to have my early love of historical fiction fed by a diligent mother who kept my book list stocked with great reads. Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-51205673563738626322023-03-08T16:59:00.001-06:002023-03-08T16:59:35.405-06:00The Dead Queen's Club (A Review)What if Henry VIII’s six wives had a club, and brought their ex to justice? That’s the premise of “The Dead Queen’s Club” by Hannah Capin, which re-imagines the historical drama against the setting of an American High School. And, cheesy as that premise might sound in theory, in action it ends up being one of the best-realized, most engaging, and thoroughly intelligent pieces of Tudor fiction Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-16499504836542544802022-11-28T15:05:00.000-06:002022-11-28T15:05:41.217-06:00My books and Libraries This is an older post that I've updated to include relevant info for "Lilibet Lynn."Yesterday I discovered that my local library system has three copies of "The Mermaid and the Unicorn" on order! I didn't do anything to make this happen, so at least one person must have placed a request. Here's the part where I also need to thank my reviewers, because the great reviews that I've been getting Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-34242707447636048172022-11-22T13:28:00.001-06:002022-11-22T13:31:53.927-06:00Welcome to Print, Lilibet Lynn! Or, How a Broken Foot turned into a NovelShe's here! It's been six years, but I've finally got a new book--and a new heroine--in print! "Lilibet Lynn and the Children of Sherwood" is available on Amazon now, and I'm here to share how that all happened because of a broken foot.My first book, "The Mermaid and the Unicorn," was published over six years ago. Two difficult pregnancies just 14 months apart plus some theological tangles Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-86060809984960135142022-11-17T16:37:00.002-06:002022-11-17T16:37:32.409-06:00Coming Soon: Lilibet Lynn and the Children of SherwoodA long-vanished world of archery and injustice shimmers at her fingertips...If fitting in as a tween in the twenty-first century wasn’t hard enough, one unexpected gift on Lilibet Lynn’s twelfth birthday and she’s lost in the Middle Ages! At least she manages to befriend a young archer—only for him to be accused of a terrible crime. The penalty: death.Navigating a kingdom filled with strange Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-86249882964033481302022-10-29T18:48:00.003-05:002022-10-29T18:48:58.518-05:00New Instagram and New Book News After a long hiatus, I'm coming back with fresh book news and a social media revamp! Follow my new author account on Instagram for the first peek next week!Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-68699781680723401732021-01-02T12:06:00.003-06:002021-01-02T12:06:37.524-06:00Our Favorite Baby and Toddler Books Two years ago, I asked my Facebook network what children's books they considered the very best. I was at the time pregnant with my first child and turning my attention to building her library. The thread garnered over 100 comments, full of great suggestions. At the time, however, I did not purchase many of the books. Last month I was browsing through my memories and came across the Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-33554557716018786702020-04-07T13:49:00.002-05:002020-04-07T13:51:51.634-05:00Pemberly: Mr. Darcy's Dragon
"Jane Austen but with dragons" is a premise that has potential to be terribly awful or terribly good. I'm very excited to tell you that "Pemberly: Mr. Darcy's Dragon" by Maria Grace is very good. So good, in fact, that I barely restrained myself from blogging about it before I finished the trilogy!
Elizabeth Bennet is the eldest heir of her father's ability to hear dragons. She is not, Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-43719186443711882792020-04-03T13:43:00.000-05:002020-04-03T13:43:00.836-05:00Off to be the Wizard
A nerdy computer whiz discovers a computer file that allows him to manipulate the world around him...and promptly finds himself on the run from the government...in medieval England...where he uses his newfound 'magical' powers to pretend to be a wizard...what else is going to go wrong?
"Off to be the Wizard" by Scott Meyer is exactly as lighthearted and whimsical as it ought to be. Although Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-36692780979788435872020-03-31T16:55:00.002-05:002020-03-31T16:55:56.950-05:00How to Survive Quarantine (without going crazy!) Part 2
As I prepared to talk more about surviving social distancing and quarantine during Covid-19, I realized that my experience with being housebound goes beyond my own chronic ill-health, but includes being homeschooled in the country in a state with notoriously bad winters.
Right now that probably sounds really rough, right? But ACTUALLY it was great. We had so much space (physical and mentally)Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-67458874346604761082020-03-13T14:38:00.002-05:002020-03-31T16:56:44.034-05:00How to Survive Quarantine (Without Going Crazy) Part 1
With mass quarantine rippling out worldwide in the wake of the Coronavirus, I thought I would share some tips on surviving being stuck at home for long periods of time. As many of you know, I've suffered chronic health issues for over a decade and have a lot of personal experience in making the most of life in the same four walls for weeks or months on end. So if you are looking on how to Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-32019896752763349172020-01-07T14:57:00.002-06:002020-01-07T14:57:33.547-06:00The Mandalorian (Season 1)We were supposed to start "The Mandalorian" on December 27th, 2019, the day episode 8 dropped. That was the plan. Wait until it was all out, then binge the whole thing! No nasty cliffhangers.
Then some friends basically said "here you go, have some Disney Plus, and WATCH THE MANDALORIAN."
Well. We couldn't argue with that.
For the most part I'm tremendously grateful. Except for the part where Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-24898780909923745522019-12-31T15:40:00.002-06:002019-12-31T15:40:43.573-06:002009 and 2019, dreams and realityFor many of you reading this, the '10's have been the biggest decade of your lives. College, career, travel, marriage, children, vocations, and many amazing personal achievements are some of the things I see my friends celebrating on Facebook.
I also see honest acknowledgement of the hardships that have made us grow. The sorrows of the '10's have also been harsh. Illness, divorce, abuse, Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-58184516040472494422019-09-03T17:20:00.000-05:002019-09-03T17:20:01.005-05:00Brightly Burning (or Jane Eyre in Space)
I recently ordered a bunch of books from the library that were supposed to appeal to the same crowd as Marissa Meyer's "Cinder." The first three or so I read were...okay. A couple were depressing. One ("Stitching Snow") was actually pretty good but I'd recommend only with caveats for those who have abuse trauma. And at last, "Brightly Burning" by Alexa Donne was FANTASTIC.
Honestly? I put off Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-18719292089744428702019-08-29T14:30:00.000-05:002019-08-29T14:30:03.328-05:00How's Mom? A four-month updateMy daughter was four months old yesterday, which means this blog is WAY overdue for an update! Since we want to respect our daughter's privacy, this post will focus largely on myself and how I've made the transition to motherhood. However I can share that Katie is very healthy, VERY strong, meeting all her milestones, and charming us every day with her easy temperament and infectious laughter.
AsElizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-59283154948235188502019-04-23T17:32:00.002-05:002019-04-23T17:32:09.006-05:00Due Dates, Prodromal Labor, and ExpectationsWhere is baby? Her due date is tomorrow!
Still hiding out!
(I swear, I start mentally composing blog posts about non-baby topics, but never have the energy to actually type them up. So here's a baby update for the curious, and for the non-baby-interested crowd...thanks for your patience. Go check out the new Padme Amidala book "Queen's Shadow" by E.K. Johnston. Slow start, but awesome read for Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9219894793257558801.post-46282943862873512422019-03-14T11:16:00.000-05:002019-03-14T11:16:18.556-05:00What's in a Name?I've been thinking a lot about names lately. Big surprise, right? It's a common pastime for most parents-to-be. And now at the end of the third trimester (I'm due in 6 weeks!), we get two questions over and over again.
#1. Do you know if it's a boy or girl?
A: Girl!
#2. Do you have a name picked out?
A: We have some top contenders, but we are not deciding until we see the baby. We're keeping Elizabeth Amy Hajekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01190748325255565418noreply@blogger.com3