No magic for two weeks? What's a fairy to do? Go to Vegas, of course!
Princess Talista of the fairy clan Serendipity has been sent, like all young fairies, to a remote forest in humanspace for mandatory survival training. But headstrong Tali's got different ideas about where to spend two weeks without magic. What better place than Las Vegas to
learn to live like humans, a true test of survival?
Tali might not blend, but she'd like to be shaken and stirred with stage magician Jake Story. Their attraction is instant and electric.and Tali senses there's more to Jake's show than flashy tricks...
Jake always knew he was different, even before he developed an unusual
flair for hypnotism. He has no trouble mesmerizing the luscious Tali
during act three, but the lights that appear around them when they
kiss weren't part of the program.
When the authorities from Tali's homeland track the missing princess
to Vegas, Jake and Tali end up on the run. In between magic
experiments, evil gnomes and astonishing sex, Tali learns what it
really means to be human-by falling in lust, followed closely by love.
But Tali's not human. And Jake doesn't believe in fairies. The truth
will either bind them together-or tear the fairy realm apart.
Warning, this title contains the following: Intoxicating sex, misuse
of magic, gorgeous cross-dressers and flesh-eating gnomes.
Reviews for Survival of the Fairest
"Ms. Wallace has written a wonderfully entertaining story of love,
magic, fairies, gnomes and almost anything else you can think of. I
hope she has more stories set in this world to come. Anyone who likes
fantasy stories containing the ingredients I previously mentioned
should run and get this book. Just make sure you've got plenty of time
to savor it because you won't want to put it down once you start." --
Diane Mason at The Romance Studio
"Survival of the Fairest is a magical romp through the City of Sin.
Romantic, suspenseful and laugh-out-loud funny in places, it will keep
you spellbound from page one." -- National Bestselling author Anya
Bast
"Any book that hooks you well enough that you laugh, cry or feel tired
along with the characters is a good one. My opinion: This is one of
the good ones." -- Valerie for Manic Reviewers
Recommended Read! "Wallace has created a fun and believable fairy
world that I truly enjoyed. Anytime I had to put down my Kindle and
stop reading, I found myself getting irritated at the interference. I
wanted to hang out with Tali and Jake in real life - that's how good
this book was! Her world building was excellent as were her
characterization, motivations and the plot. I devoured every word." --
Ana Thierry for Erotic Romance Writers & IReadRomance (Recommended
Read!)
"All in all, this is an above average comedy fantasy romp from an
author that may just appeal to you if you like fantasy romantic
comedies that are amusing but not too over-the-top amusing." -- Mrs.
Giggles for Herself
"Adventures Galore are in store for the reader as author Jody Wallace
takes the genre to new levels of fun and fantasy... Tali meets Jake, a
magician, who rescues her from being run over by numerous vehicles,
and finally takes her to the hotel where he works, and helps her get a
very simple room. This act of kindness starts a chain reaction that
kept this reader laughing until my hubby brought me Kleenex for my
tearing eyes." -- Susiq2 for Ecataromance
"I liked this story a lot. What a fun book Survival of the Fairest
was. Talista may be concerned that she will stick out, but in Vegas
where anything goes, she has nothing to worry about. For a human Jake
is pretty cute. I enjoyed reading when Talista first experienced human
food and alcohol. Things between Talista and Jake get really hot and
heavy in the bedroom. I was wondering how it was all going to turn out
between Jake and Talista, and I have to say I was happy with the
ending. Survival of the Fairest is my first book by Jody Wallace, and
I loved every minute of it." -- Cheryl for Fallen Angels Reviews
Jody Wallace grew up in the South in a very rural area. She went to
school a long time because she couldn't find a decent job and ended up
with a Master's Degree in Creative Writing. In addition to author, her
resume includes English teacher, technical documents editor, market
analyst, wife & mother, web designer, and general all around pain in
the butt. She is currently published in romance fiction under the
names Jody Wallace and Ellie Marvel. She has always lived with cats,
and they have always been mean. To learn more, please visit
www.jodywallace.com or the cat's website, www.meankitty.com.
Backlist
As Jody Wallace
LIAM'S GOLD (Samhain Publishing)
A SPELL FOR SUSANNAH (Samhain Publishing)
As Ellie Marvel:
MEGAN'S CHOICE (Red Sage Publishing)
"Heat" in SECRETS 22 (Red Sage Publishing)
"Birthday" in SECRETS 17 (Red Sage Publishing)
An Interview with Jody Wallace
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Jody, thank you for talking with us at TRS. Please tell us about your featured book, Survival of the Fairest.
JW:Survival of the Fairest is a fantasy romance about a fairy princess, Talista, who is supposed to be learning to live without magic. To practice this skill, fairies are transported to the nonmagical human world and plopped down in a remote wilderness area. It's like Survivorman, but with cantankerous fairies who don't want to sleep in tents.
Or at least that describes our heroine! Tali takes one look at the
forest and confirms that she is, indeed, a city gal. Before you can
say abracadabra, she uses some contraband magic to sneak off to Vegas,
where she meets our hero, Jake Story. He's a stage magician, a
weirdness magnet and sexier than Tali figures any human male has a
right to be. Of course, you know what they say about human
males...don't you? Tali does, and she decides to find out for herself
if it's true.
But Tali's escape precipitates a chain of events that begins with the
dude who's basically the fairy president coming after her and ending
somewhere I'm not going to tell you because that would be a total
spoiler.
HH: Your heroine is a fairy about to undertake survival training and
your hero is a magician who doesn't believe in fairies. Where did you
get the idea for this amazing tale?
JW: I don't know. The origins are lost in the mists of my personal
history. No, wait, that would be the fog of new motherhood. I came
with the idea when I was adapting to life with an infant after an
extremely challenging pregnancy. I think maybe I was a little crackers
and sleep deprived, and I kept seeing gnomes in the corner of my
vision.
HH: Your heroine chose Las Vegas as the location for her training and
that sets the stage. Did the addition of Vegas to your story prove a
challenge or a delight and why?
JW: It was a total delight. I got married in Vegas years ago and haven't
been able to stop thinking about it since. I loved doing the research,
finding photos online and digging through my own memorabilia. The most
interesting research I did, though, was about Area 51 and Tikaboo
Peak. I've never been much of a conspiracy theorist, but poring over
books and websites about what other folks believe was fascinating.
HH: How did you go about building Tali's fairy realm?
JW: I thought long and hard about what type of society would be formed by
a people who use magic to do everything from transport to prepare
food--or at least some of them do. I gave them a crisis from recent
history--the loss of magic from their Realm which resulted in the
deaths of many--and decided what reaction their government would have
after an incident like that. What was their Homeland Security like and
why was it that way?
I think they'd have wanted to make sure everyone was better trained to
get by without powers--hence the system of fairy survival training was
born, as well as our heroine, who absolutely refused to go several
weeks without any creature comforts whatsoever when she could be
experiencing all the delights that a human metropolis had to offer.
HH: What do you like best about Jake and why is he perfect for Tali --
despite what he believes?
JW: Jake has a high tolerance for flakiness. He's easy going and doesn't
judge people who are different from the norm. Wouldn't it be nice if
more people were that way? When Tali comes into the situation thinking
she's going to blend in with humans--come across perfectly normal even
though she's not--this open mindedness on Jake's part is essential.
His patience combined with his lack of condescension, even when she
expresses some wacky ideas, makes these two lovebirds a good match.
HH: I have to ask. Why the gnomes? <g>
JW: If I tell you, the gnomes will have to kill you.
HH: Fair enough. <g> What are you working on right now?
JW: I'm working on a book about an alpha werewolf named Harry who doesn't
want to be an alpha and the lady witch who loves him anyway. It's
nearly complete, and I hope to send it to my agent soon.
HH: What do you enjoy reading?
JW: I've got a yen for some good Southern fiction right now as well as
travelogues set in West Virginia, since that's where my WIP takes
place. I just finished LIKE A CHARM by Candace Havens, a fun
paranormal romance, and before that I read some women's fiction. I
also like sf/f and regular romance.
HH: Will you be attending any conferences, conventions, or other events
this year?
JW: Not that I know of, but there's always hope for spontaneity!
HH: What you are most looking forward to in your writing career this
year?
JW: Survival of the Fairest will be released in paperback in May -- I am
definitely looking forward to that! I hope I can do a few local
signings in the Nashville area. It's fabulous that Samhain offers
electronic versions of their books, and I'm glad they're able to make
paper copies available, too, because I know a lot of folks prefer
them. I am leaning more and more towards ebooks for my own use -- our
house is small and my bookshelves overflowed long ago.
