There is one thing I loved even more than today’s book, and that’s the book’s author. The way she speaks about not just women, but the women-man interaction is the smartest thought on the matter I’ve come across to. Read on to see what I mean. Plus, the book is great. I’ve hosted the novella before this full-length novel, and the entire story is fantastic.

The book is Shifters and Glyphs by Christina Bauer  (Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #2), out today in the Paranormal, Young Adult genre.

Synopsis:

“A fun romp for Twilight Fans” – School Library Journal

After being raised by the meanest fairies in the history of ever, Bryar Rose is now free to live her own life. For the first time, she’s attending West Lake Prep, a regular high school. Well, mostly regular. Some students are actually hidden members of the Magicorum. In other words, they’re really wizards, fairies, or shifters. Bry doesn’t mind, though. She’s thrilled to enjoy all the new experiences of being around normal kids her age, from locker pranks to lunchtime mystery meat. Everything is going along great, except for one thing.

Bry’s dreams about the pyramids of Egypt have gotten darker and more sinister. Every night, she sees her new man Knox and her best friend Elle in danger.

With no other choice, Bry plans to leave school to explore the pyramids on her own. But her new man Knox discovers the scheme and is having none of it. He wants to stay by her side, no matter what. It’s a good thing too, because Bry must solve the mystery of her attraction to the pyramids and soon. Otherwise, it could cost the lives of those she loves most.

And that means not only Knox, but also her best friend Elle.

“Must-read YA paranormal romance!” – USA Today

“Exciting and well-conceived” – Kirkus

Perfect for readers who love young adult books, contemporary fantasy, fairy tales, satire/comedy, paranormal romance, fairies, magic users, shapeshifters, and coming of age stories.

A chat with the author:

Christina Bauer knows how to tell stories about kick-ass women. In her best selling Angelbound series, the heroine is a part-demon girl who loves to fight in Purgatory’s Arena and falls in love with a part-angel prince. This young adult best seller has driven more than 500,000 ebook downloads and 9,000 reviews on Goodreads and retailers. The first three books in the series are now available as audiobooks on Audible and iTunes.

Bauer has also told the story of the Women’s March on Washington by leading PR efforts for the Massachusetts Chapter. Her pre-event press release—the only one sent out on a major wire service—resulted in more than 19,000 global impressions and redistribution by over 350 different media entities including the Associated Press.

Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.

Because Christina is very involved in women’s issues, I asked her how does she think, if she thinks, that fiction can help the cause?

As part of the launch tour for my new book, SHIFTERS AND GLYPHS, the lovely Viviana MacKade asked me to write on how YA fantasy stories can help women’s issues. Considering how I did public relations for the women’s march—and also write YA fantasy novels—I have a unique perspective on the subject that I’m thrilled to share! Thank you for asking the question, Viviana!

I’ll start with some background on the psychological power of stories….

The Software in Your Head

Experts believe that when we’re born, our brains come pre-loaded with a kind of ‘software’to run our lives, what Carl Jung calls archetypes. These symbols tell us what it means to be a mother, father, sister, leader … you name it. Therefore, a powerful story at the right moment can activate a new set of skills or approaches in either a single person or an entire society. All of which leads me to…

Female Leadership Energy

Now, female leadership energy can be expressed through either a man or a woman. That said, female leadership energy has some unique qualities, such as community, cleverness, and channeling the soul. Community means that leadership happens through consensus. Clevernessrefers to using brains over brawn to settle disputes. Channeling the soul refers to the fact that you act in a certain way because it is consistent with your inner beliefs, not only as a means to an end. The goddesses Isis and Athena have tales that exemplify this.

By contrast, male leadership energy (which again can be expressed through a man or a woman) is often characterized by solo action, brute force, and a mentality that the ‘ends justify the means.’ On a mythic level, think about Zeus and his thunderbolt: he acts alone, there is nothing clever about blasting someone with a thunderbolt, and the peace he brings justifies his heavy hand. Male leadership energy works well in stories where a society is under threat (by a giant or whatnot) and needs to be protected. When the big bad’s about to crash in your skull, there’s no time for building consensus.

On the other hand, female leadership energy works well when the core of society must be reimagined in order to become sustainable going forward. Isis’s story(from ancient Egypt) encapsulates this concept perfectly: Isis must find a way to restore the power of her lost husband Osiris in order to avoid a cosmic imbalance and related havoc.

KEY FACT: Guess who channeled female leadership energy? Why, the founders of the United States, of course. Their ideal was to become a gentleman … as in gentle plus a man. Our country was built on consensus, cleverness, and acting from a true altruistic place.

Today, our culture is LOUSY with male leadership energy gone wild, both in our leaders and in our storytelling. The whole situation is absolutely toxic. Why? As women and other groups rise to share an equal voice, those who have only known male leadership energy assume all women channel that same leadership method. We don’t. At all.In fact, females channeling a male leadership style tend not to do well, but that’s a post for another day.

Suffice it to say that I believe it’s absolutely CRITICAL to tell compelling stories with both men and women channeling the tenets of female leadership energy. There’s no better way to explain and support the future we all drive for. In other words, this isn’t a race to grab Zeus’s thunderbolt and blast everyone else to Hades. This is a collaborative effort to build a sustainable community. (Vivi here. I took the liberty to underline this because this is the core of what we need to strive for. This is IT.)

But if you don’t have any reference for what that’s like, what do you do?

Hopefully, you read one of my books and start to imagine on an unconscious level what it means to be a kickass chick … or just as important, a true gentleman.

Stalk Christina On Social Media – She Loves It!

Blog: http://monsterhousebooks.com/blog/category/christina

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorBauer/

Twitter: @CB_Bauer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christina_cb_bauer/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-bauer-481b12139/

Web site: http://monsterhousebooks.com/authors/cbauer

For more about Christina and her books, follow the entire tour here:

http://xpressobooktours.com/2018/08/17/tour-sign-up-shifters-and-glyphs-by-christina-bauer/