Book Spotlight: The Druid Next Door by E.J. Russell

The Druid Next Door
(Fae Out of Water #2)
by E.J. Russell
Date Released: August 21, 2017

About The Druid Next Door
Professor Bryce MacLeod has devoted his entire life to environmentalism. But how effective can he be in saving the planet when he can’t even get his surly neighbor to separate his recycling?

Former Queen’s Enforcer Mal Kendrick doesn’t think his life could get any worse: he’s been exiled from Faerie with a cursed and useless right hand. When he’s not dodging random fae assassins in the Outer World, he’s going toe-to-toe with his tree-hugging neighbor. And when he discovers that the tree hugger is really a druid, he’s certain the gods have it in for him—after all, there’s always a catch with druids. Then he’s magically shackled to the man and expected to instruct him in Supernatural 101. 

All right, now things couldn’t possibly get worse.

Until a mysterious stranger offers a drunken Mal the chance to gain back all he’s lost—for a price. After Mal accepts, he discovers the real catch: an ancient secret that will change his and Bryce’s life forever.

Ah, what the hells. Odds are they won’t survive the week anyway.


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About the Fae Out of Water series
Once upon a time, there were three brothers, nobles of the Seelie Court of Faerie, who set out to seek their fortunes. The eldest—

Scratch that. Rrrrrewind.

Nowadays, when tales are told in 140 character bursts on tiny LED screens, rather than spun out by the glow of a midnight campfire, even Faerie’s elite have to get with the program.

The Kendrick brothers have traded longbow for briefcase, battle steed for Harley, and enchanted harp for electric guitar.  But while they’re finding their feet in the modern world, instead of finding their fortunes, they stumble straight into love.

#faeoutofwater

Learn more about the Fae Out of Water series on Riptide Publishing.


A Guest Post by E.J. Russell
Electric Folk and Dysfunctional Relationships

In case you can’t tell from the way my books are awash with myth and legend, I’m a folklore junkie. I love ‘em all, but especially tales from the British Isles. I credit the British band Steeleye Span for kicking off my obsession.

I discovered the band in the early seventies while browsing in a Denver record store (we still had record stores then). Their album, Below the Salt, was playing on the store’s sound system and I was immediately captivated. I fell into a conversation with the sales clerk about the band and walked out with the album (as well as Leo Sayer’s Just a Boy, if I remember correctly—but I digress).

I played Below the Salt more times than I could count that year, fascinated by the rock arrangements of traditional ballads—aka “electric folk.”

In later albums, the band mixed traditional songs with more modern tracks, sometimes with guest artists. David Bowie played sax on “To Know Him is to Love Him” on Now We Are Six. Peter Sellers played ukulele and contributed vocals to “New York Girls” on the Commoners Crown album—and no, that’s not a typo. There’s no apostrophe in “Commoners” because its plural, not possessive. If you look closely at the album cover, you’ll see that the crown is made of tiny people—commoners. 

In Below the Salt, however, all the cuts were traditional. My two favorite tracks were the ones that bookended side two: "Saucy Sailor", the last cut, and "King Henry", the first.

It’s interesting that the two tracks are sort of flip sides of dysfunctional relationships.

The sailor in question proposes to his girlfriend, only to have her spurn him for his ragged appearance and less than savory smell. While he acknowledges his sartorial deficiencies, he also informs her that he doesn’t just stink—he’s stinkin’ rich, whereupon she changes her tune. He doesn’t fall for her profession of insta-love however, and takes off for the sea again, heart-whole and giving exactly zero shits.

The eponymous King Henry, on the other hand, gives his monstrous lady visitor everything she asks for, no matter how outrageous—not that she appears to be grateful for each offering.

King Henry always seemed a little wimpy to me. All his companions got the hell out of Dodge. Why did he stick around? Furthermore, why not just tell her no once or twice? I suppose if she could eat a horse, several greyhounds, and drink a pipe of wine, yet be frisky enough to propose an impromptu wedding, she wasn’t a wench to mess with. But still.

It’s like the worst blind date ever.

But the King’s compliant nature is rewarded when his new bride improves significantly on the morning after, and (we assume) the two achieve their HEA. (We might also assume that the bride mends her appetite and table manners—although the song doesn’t go into details about the wedding breakfast.)

If you’re interested in listening to either of the songs, here are the links:



About E.J. Russell
E.J. Russell holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business-intelligence consultant. After her twin sons left for college and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class, she returned to her childhood love of writing fiction. Now she wonders why she ever thought an empty nest meant leisure.

E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, the only man on the planet who cares less about sports than she does. She enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

Connect with E.J. Russell
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads


Giveaway
To celebrate the release of all three books in the Fae Out of Water series, one lucky winner across all three tours will receive a GRAND PRIZE of a $50 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 23, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the Druid Next Door tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info! 

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Comments

  1. Thank you for the interesting post. It sounds like a wonderful read.
    humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the post. The jacket for Commoners Crown is really cool!
    legacylandlisa at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it? When I first bout it (more years ago than I care to count), I think I stared at it all the way home from the record store.

      Delete
  3. Congrats, E.J., and thanks for sharing about electric folk. This sounds like a great series. I love fantasy and fae, and to put them in a modern setting with all that entails will be a joy to read about. - Purple Reader,
    TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the very interesting post.
    serena91291@gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'd heard of Steeleye Span, but didn't know where to start--good to know!

    vitajex at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should definitely check them out! They're awesome!

      Delete

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