{Blog Tour, Guest Post, & Giveaway} A Royal Masquerade by Allison Tebo

Hello, Spirits! Today, I'm thrilled to feature Allison Tebo, author of A Royal Masquerade!

About the Book

Book III of the Tales of Ambia

Burndee can barely tolerate the mischievous Prince Colin, but the two of them are invariably thrown together in a way that keeps them at one another’s throats.

While attending a noblewoman's wedding, Burndee and Colin's private feud comes to a climax when Burndee loses his temper and does the unthinkable. With Prince Colin unable to attend to his royal duties and Burndee bound by an inconvenient spell, can the two of them work together long enough to unsnarl the mysterious goings-on around them?

A madcap and magical retelling of The Goose Girl from a unique perspective.

Amazon // Goodreads

Guest Post from Allison Tebo: The Spiritual Themes of Fairytales: Finding Christ in The Goose Girl

One of the reasons I love fairytales is because of the spiritual messages woven throughout them. No matter what the fairytale, you can always spot something deeper, something of Truth, inside them.

To me, the theme of The Goose Girl is about identity -- a true identity versus a false identity.

The princess in the tale is suffering under a lie that someone has told about her, that she is not really who she knows herself to be.

Thousands upon thousands of people suffer under this curse every single day. They are held captive by what someone else has told them about themselves.

We are all made in the image of God -- but so many refuse to embrace that identity. I am a Christian, a royal child of God Most High, and yet, so often, God's children live under a curse of false identity. We listen to the lies that Satan whispers to us and allow him to have power over us, forcing us to suffer under false ideas. We became a servant to the lies, instead of standing firm in our birthright and declaring that we are royal.

The princess in the Goose Girl retelling has her identity ripped from her from a malicious interloper that is jealous of her identity and her destiny. Satan is jealous and furious at God's children -- there is no salvation for him -- and so he tries to steal our victory in Christ and weave a web of falsity around us. You're a failure. You're not good enough. You're not special. Nobody has this problem but you. You're ugly, you're unlovable, youire untalented. And on and on it goes.

But like the princess in the tale, we are given a special charm that will protect us as long as we wear it -- the Bible. Armed with Scripture, we can fight off any lie that tries to attach itself to us. The word of the Lord is sharper than a two-edged sword, and can send any attack to flight.

But sometimes the attacks persist. Sometimes, we forget to use the weapons that God has left us with. What happens then? We suffer more, but by God's grace, even when we embrace the lie about ourselves, His stamp is still evident, His truth still fights to get out. Even though we often exude an identity other than His -- there is a seed or truth in our hearts that the world sees and cannot deny.

In The Goose Girl, as the princess struggles through her false identity as a goose herder, a young lad named Conrad recognizes that there is something different about her, something that does not correlate with the rags, something he can’t understand.

The world often doesn't know what they see in us. Some are drawn to the truth inside us and wish to be a part of that royal identity. Some, like Conrad, grow angry and abusive -- but they still cannot deny that there is something inexplicable about us, some hidden power.

But the seed isn't enough for us to break free -- we need even more help. We need someone to pull us out of the lie. How fortunate for us, that we have a rescuer. There is a prince that knows who we really are. The king in The Goose Girl recognizes his true love despite the deceit -- and claims her as his bride. This is what Christ does for us. Despite the lies that surround us, despite the rags we are clothed in, God's children cannot escape His love.

The Goose Girl encourages me to remember that no matter what label someone might apply to me (positive or negative) no matter how many times I stumble and cling to something else besides Christ -- that the King will come to rescue me. He invites me to confess and then He claims me and reminds me of my true identity.

No cheers and no jeers should ever move me from this bedrock -- that I am God's child, and no matter what the circumstances, no matter what lies are thrown at me, I should act like the daughter of the King.

My identity should be solely based in the fact that I belong to Christ and I am a daughter of God. No other modifier can compete with this identity. Not my job, not my hobbies, not my denomination or my diet or my appearance -- just Christ. Christ is the beginning and the end. He is who I am. My identity is not my failures, my sin, my inadequacies or my fears -- it is the love of God the Father, that surpasses all understanding.

In the final scene of this tale, The Goose Girl shows us that those that would deliberately try to entrap us in false identities will receive their just punishment. When Christ returns, all lies will be dispensed with forever -- and Christ will not tolerate those that have tried to ensnare his children.

The Goose Girl shows us that there is a way out -- we don't have to live entrapped in a false identity. We merely need to hold onto the truth inside us, and run to the one who loves us for salvation. Draw close to the King, and He will draw close to you... and that is the best ending of all.

About the Author

Allison Tebo is a Christian author in her mid-twenties. A sales associate for a major transportation company, she writes books in her spare time. A graduate of London Art College, Allison also pursues children's illustration and cartooning. When she is not creating art with words or paint, she enjoys narration, singing, quilting, and, naturally, baking. Allison blogs at www.allisonswell.com about the love of Christ, the joys of living, and, occasionally, all about the wonder of gifs.

Website // Facebook // Twitter // Goodreads

Giveaway

Allison is kindly hosting a Goose-Girl-themed giveaway! The first-place winner will receive a paperback copy of A Royal Masquerade, a Briarwick candle, a glass goose figurine, and Godiva chocolate. The second-place winner will receive a Royal Masquerade paperback and a $5 Amazon gift card. Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

Nov. 11th (Sunday)

Hannah: Spotlight

https://therosesheart.blogspot.com/?m=1

Angela: Spotlight / Review

https://thepeculiarmessenger.wordpress.com/

Nov. 12th (Monday)

Faith: Spotlight

thefloridsword.blogspot.com

Liz: Spotlight / Author Interview

www.homewithhummingbirds.com

Nov. 13th (Tuesday)

Erika: Spotlight

http://restinglife.com/blog/

Abigail: Spotlight

https://bookslifeandchrist.wordpress.com

Nov. 14th (Wednesday)

Katie: Review

https://iamcharlesbakerharris.wordpress.com/

Eva: Author Interview

https://classicsandcraziness.wordpress.com/

Nov. 15th (Thursday)

Deborah: Review

https://deborahocarroll.wordpress.com/

Jessica: An Interview With Burndee

http://www.jessicagreyson.com/2018/09/little-books-big-releases.html

Nov. 16th (Friday)

Gracelyn: Spotlight

https://gracelynbuckner.wordpress.com/blog/

AbigailM: Spotlight

http://novelsdragonsandwardrobedoors.blogspot.com/

Rayleigh: Review

https://literatureapproved.com/

Nov. 17th (Saturday)

Serethiel: Guest Post: The Spiritual Themes We Find In The Goose Girl

https://the-book-sprite.blogspot.com/

Victoria: Spotlight

https://rufflesandgrace.com/

Squee! I can't WAIT to read A Royal Masquerade! 😀 Congratulations on your new release, Allison! 😊

Spirits, have you read A Royal Masquerade, yet?

Happy reading!

~Serethiel