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HarperTeen, 2011
Tess knows she wants more out of life, but also knows there's a slim chance that will ever happen. So she's content for now with her position at Moorcliffe as an attendant to Irene, the only daughter of the wealthy Lisle family. But one errand will open the door to another life, one more dark and sinister than Tess could have imagined.
Trying to get back to the manor as quickly as she can, Tess realizes something is following her, but the intervention of a handsome stranger creates a barrier that saves her. When she turned around, she saw the feral eyes of a large black wolf, ready to hunt....
For days afterward, all Tess can think about is the handsome stranger who saved her life. His cryptic warnings of danger cannot overcome the thoughts that lurk in Tess's mind. But the drudgery of her job working for the terrible Lady Regina dispels those thoughts....until Tess realizes she'll be part of the Lisle family going to America.
Tess's excitement at the prospect of traveling by ship to America is full of promise, as well as the hope she can escape her servanthood and find herself in a new country. The excitement grows even more when she also spots the handsome Alec, who saved her that fateful night. But there is another sinister, dark man also watching her every move....
And so everyone prepares to board the Titanic one very fateful day.
I picked this book up from a recommendation of a student, who loved this book. So I set aside the analytical librarian book reviewer part of it and ready it like a teen girl. Then I understood why she loved it so much.
The characters Gray creates are vibrant, but more than that, the relationships, both troubling and romantic, draws the reader in. What a genius idea of pairing supernatural beings like werewolves with a historic disaster like the Titanic. It's a supernatural historical fiction plot I've never heard of. And that's what the hook is....The reader is left with the question of who survives and who dies. Teens who enjoy supernatural romance will eat this book up and would be a nice addition among all the vampires, ghosts, angels and ghouls.
COMMON CORE PAIR: Iceberg Right Ahead!: the tragedy of the Titanic by Stephanie McPherson. Minneapolis: 21st Century Books, 2012
Random House has another excerpt to share! This time, check out a sample from Lara Adrian’s Edge of Dawn.
Edge of Dawn by Lara Adrian (Excerpt) by
If you enjoyed reading this excerpt, you can order Edge of Dawn from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the links below.
About the Book:
In this pulse-pounding and thrillingly sensual novel, New York Times bestselling author Lara Adrian returns to the mesmerizing world of the Midnight Breed, following new characters into a dark future where an uneasy peace can unravel into war—and a great betrayal can mask an all-consuming love.
Twenty years after the terror of First Dawn—when mankind learned that vampires lived secretly among them—the threat of violence reigns as the two species struggle to coexist. The only group preserving the fragile harmony is the Order, an elite cadre of Breed warriors dedicated to protecting humans and vampires alike. And in this precarious world of torn loyalties and shattered trust, Mira, a fiery squad captain, finds that every fight bears an intensely personal cost.
Raised among the Order, Mira has always believed in the warrior’s code of swift—and even lethal—justice. But the one thing she desires more than the Order’s hard-won acceptance is Kellan Archer, a sexy but troubled Breed fighter. In love with him since childhood, Mira once broke through his tough exterior during an unexpected night of rapture, but the next day he mysteriously disappeared, never to return.
Kellan didn’t think he would ever see Mira again—or have to confront the truth of why he left. After abandoning the Order years ago, he now leads a band of human rebels intent on carrying out their own vigilante rule of law. Yet a high-profile kidnapping assignment brings him face-to-face with the past he sought to avoid, and the striking woman he has tried desperately to forget. And as tensions mount and the risk of bloodshed grows, Kellan and Mira must take sides—between the competing missions that dominate their lives, and the electrifying passion that claims their hearts.
Thanks to Penguin, I have a copy of City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte for one of you to win! I really enjoyed this quirky book, and I think you will,too! To enter, just fill out the widget below. Earn extra entries by following.
About the book:
Cosmically fast-paced and wildly imaginative, this debut novel is a perfect potion of magic and suspense
Once a city of enormous wealth and culture, Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it’s whispered, hell portals. When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. Prague is a threshold, Sarah is warned, and it is steeped in blood.
Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.
City of Dark Magic could be called a rom-com paranormal suspense novel—or it could simply be called one of the most entertaining novels of the year.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Didn’t win? You can purchase a copy from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the links below.
Adrian Faulkner, author of The Four Realms, is visiting the virtual offices today. Please welcome him.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Adrian Faulkner] Ex-pop culture journalist turned Urban Fantasy writer. Lover of books, movies, TV and games. Good sense of humour. Complete & utter geek.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about The Four Realms?
[Adrian Faulkner] The story really starts with a dead body. When the novel starts we see half-vampire, Darwin and his friend and fallen angel, Cassidy running along the streets of London after Darwin smells the blood of the corpse. Cassidy’s had him surviving on rat’s blood for a while now to stop him killing, and it’s left Darwin gaunt and sickly. So Darwin sees a freshly dead corpse as a way to get a proper meal and keep Cassidy happy. It’s on the corpse they discover a notebook in a mysterious language.
It’s not long before Maureen Summerglass, an 82 year old gatekeeper between worlds, learns of the death of one of the wizards of the Friary of New Salisbury whilst visiting London. Suspecting a cover up, she breaks a lifetime of protocol and sneaks through the gateway in her cellar into New Salisbury hoping to find answers.
Darwin soon finds that someone else is after the notebook and willing to wipe out every last vampire if necessary. Maureen discovers danger in a world that is unlike that she has been lead to believe but instead one of fast food, black market goods and Tuk Tuks.
Darwin tries desperately to escape the mysterious Mr West and his cohorts, trying to save the vampire survivors in the process. Maureen, meanwhile, discovers that she might just be the first human female to be able to do magic; which is going to come in handy as people are trying to kill her as well.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Adrian Faulkner] The concept for the land of Venefasia where the city of New Salisbury lies was born out of watching a news report on a remote Amazon tribe and seeing one of the kids wearing a Nike T-Shirt. It got me thinking how if the wardrobe from CS Lewis’s Narnia novels existed, it wouldn’t be used for wartime evacuees to go to tea with Fauns but for smuggling black market goods, weapons and drugs. As a result, the world of Venefasia has a bit more of a third world / Iron curtain feel than the typical medieval basis of a lot of fantasy.
At the time I first started work on The Four Realms, Buffy and as a result the kick ass female was really prevalent. I wanted to do something different and as a result decided there weren’t enough elderly protagonists. From that Maureen was pretty much there from day one. She’s been a load of fun to write.
Darwin and Cassidy took a bit more time. Originally they were a bit more “Lone wolf and cub” – an elderly warrior / protector and young innocent. As time went by their ages came closer together. Darwin became a bit more of an idealistic young man, and Cassidy became a lot more fun and kooky. She’s probably the most difficult to write as it’s hard to keep her light and fun with everything Darwin and her go through.
Mr West was the character who brought it together though. Who and what he is… well, that’s a bit of a spoiler but I’m hoping readers will like it and get an idea of the direction I’d like to take the story in through future novels.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Darwin?
[Adrian Faulkner] “lack of identity” – He’s half vampire and the vampire council has always viewed him as a bit of a freak. But at the same time it’s hard to identify as human when you need blood to survive. Cassidy wants to bring more of the humanity out of him but that puts him in conflict with his desire to be seen as an equal by his vampire brethren.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name one thing Maureen won’t leave the house without.
[Adrian Faulkner] Probably her handbag. It would hold her keys, her purse and about a hundred tissues
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things will you never find in Darwin’s pockets?
[Adrian Faulkner] At the start of the book both he and Cassidy are homeless, so I guess a mobile cell phone, keys and money would be obvious answers.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Maureen’s greatest regret?
[Adrian Faulkner] I think over the course of the novel, we see it’s her dedication to the Friary. She’s served them unquestioningly since the mantle of gatekeeper was passed to her by her mother. And as we get to see, they haven’t been too good at looking after her. Her house is a bit ramshackled. She dare not let anyone into the house in case they find the big oak door in the cellar. So she suffers with no heating, in fear of her nosey neighbours, only to discover that the Friary is thinking of closing her gateway and throwing her out on the streets.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Adrian Faulkner] I have three. The first is Star Wars which just unleashed my imagination. It was like an explosion going off in my head when I first saw it. The second was the GI Joe comic book. On the surface it was a stupid toy tie-in but writer Larry Hama didn’t let that stop him from writing some fantastic characters. I remember looking up from one issue back in the 80s / early 90s and thinking to myself “Good story is character driven.” It was a revelation at the time. The final influence is Lord of the Rings, a book so detailed, so imaginative, it still blows my mind.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Adrian Faulkner] A computer. I have been known to write draft chapters in longhand when they’ve been particularly tricky but mostly I like to type them directly into the computer
Diet Coke. This is my poison of choice. I drink way too much of the stuff.
Music. I find it difficult to write without music and own a ridiculous number of orchestral scores from films, television and games.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Adrian Faulkner] Probably Lou Morgan’s Blood and Feathers. I know Lou so thought I had a good idea of what to expect, but sometimes a friend’s book can surprise you in a really good way. Thoroughly enjoyed it
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Adrian Faulkner] Probably CS Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I’d been a big reader before I read that at eight years old but that book was the one that made me want to be a writer. Looking back now, I can see all the faults, but even so I still have a fondness for it.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Adrian Faulkner] In my spare time, I’m a very active Geocacher. This is the hobby where you go hunting for hidden Tupperware in the countryside armed only with a GPS. It’s a lot of fun and is a good source of exercise. That said, I’ve been so busy with the book, I’ve hardly had time to do any these past few months
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?
[Adrian Faulkner] I have my own website over at www.adrianfaulkner.com where I blog and give updates. I’m also fairly active on Twitter as @figures
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!
The Four Realms is available now! Please click the link to order a digital copy from Amazon.
About the book
Half-vampire Darwin stumbles across a corpse on the streets of London, and in a pocket discovers a notebook in a mysterious language. Divided between human ethics and vampire bloodlust, Darwin finds himself both condemner and saviour of a race who’ve never considered him one of their own. Now, he must try and lead the survivors to sanctuary in New Salisbury before Mr West completes his genocide of the vampires in his quest to obtain the book…
Maureen Summerglass is eighty-two years old, and a prisoner in her ramshackle home. She is afraid to let people enter in case they discover the oak door in her cellar. Threatened with homelessness and retirement from her job as a gatekeeper between worlds, Maureen breaks protocol when the death of a close friend is covered up… and enters the city of New Salisbury to search for his missing notebook. There, she discovers a world unlike the one of myth and fairy tale she imagined, and instead one of black market economies, brand names and tuk tuks. As she investigates, not only is she in extreme danger, but discovers she may be the first human female able to use magic…
“An imaginative foray into a dark world of danger and adventure. Hang onto your hat!” – Gail Z. Martin, author of The Dread
About the author
Adrian Faulkner has been writing stories since he was 7 and has never really stopped making things up.
He created and, for 10 years, edited Action-Figure, a global entertainment news website covering geek market (toys, collectibles, comics, movies). The site hit a quarter of a million audited page impressions a day and was considered a market leader and industry benchmark. During this time he worked with a number of celebrities including Good Charlotte, Rob Zombie, Mike Mignola and others on promoting entertainment properties and associated merchandise. He has interviewed a number of celebrities including Charlize Theron, Kate Beckinsale and Stan Winston.
He has also written for numerous magazines including ToyFare, Ultimate Adventure, Area51 and Memorabilia (where he was contributing editor) and along with Steve Holland, Alex Summersby, Steve White, Toby Weidmann and Tim Muray has written a book on Sci-Fi Art.
In 2009, he sold the site to allow more time on his fiction. In 2011, he had a short story published in the British Fantasy Society’s BFS Journal.
Adrian lives in Berkshire and in his spare time likes to play World of Warcraft and go geocaching. He is independently ranked within the top 50 geocachers in the country.
Nico Rosso is visiting the virtual offices today to chat about Ironheart, which is part of the Holding Out for a Hero. This superhero anthology is super fun, so if you haven’t read it yet, I recommend giving it a chance. To make it easy for you to get a copy, Nico brought along a digital copy for one of you to win!
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Nico Rosso] I’m a romance writer married to another romance writer (Zoë Archer), and I’m happy to talk writing or whiskey or whatever else inspires.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Ironheart?
[Nico Rosso] Ironheart is the story of two superheroes, Vince “The Anvil” and Kara “SnapDragon” in a desperate fight. Yes, there is a super villain, but Vince and Kara’s real battle is for a second chance at romance. They had a brief fling that she cut off. Now she’s back, but for the right reasons?
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Nico Rosso] I knew I wanted to explore the difference between a bad-boy hero and a newer heroine starting to learn what it is to fight crime with super powers. Vince needed to be a little rough around the edges, so the idea of a man who is harder than iron seemed natural. Giving Kara her powers from cosmic energy took her literally and figuratively off the earth, so at first, she would be less grounded and searching for herself.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Vince?
[Nico Rosso] Tough. Principled. Rough.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Kara had a theme song, what would it be?
[Nico Rosso] Fire Woman by The Cult. It has some lilting melodies, like she flies on her power wings, and the song also rocks hard, the way she fights when it’s all on the line.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Name one thing Vince is never without.
[Nico Rosso] The Red Line, a small earpiece phone that connects all the members of the Heroes Guild.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things will you never find in Kara’s bedroom?
[Nico Rosso] A nightlight. Her cosmic energy glows red, so she can easily light up a room.
-A handgun. Even without her powers she’s a formidable fighter. With her power scales around her and linked together in a lashing whip, she is a living weapon.
-Plane tickets. She can gather her energy scales into wings and fly wherever she wants to go.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Vince’s greatest regret?
[Nico Rosso] Even though it was from circumstances out of his control, I think he will always be haunted by the fact that his parents didn’t live to see him saving the world.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Nico Rosso] I like to pull ideas from all kinds of sources, from observing people out on a date, to ancient myths, to fine art and photography. Inspiration can come from anywhere, so I try to keep my eyes open as much as I can.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Nico Rosso] I need inspiration, a hook or some way in to the piece I’m writing. It could be emotional, a interesting plot twist, or just a unique way of describing the environment.
-I guess I don’t need quiet, but I like it. I’ll often listen to music on headphones in order to keep the noise of the outside world out of my head.
-I need to eat. Usually I’ll write until I get hungry, break to eat, then write again.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Nico Rosso] Honestly, the last book I read that really floored me was my wife’s second Nemesis, Unlimited book Dangerous Seduction. I’m really lucky that I get to read her work months before it hits the shelves.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Nico Rosso] Because I grew up deep in movie culture, I came to reading late (except for reading comic books). I remember nearing the end of my college years and really being taken by the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Nico Rosso] Usually, when I’m not writing, I like to be doing something physical or with my hands. Cooking or woodworking or hiking or photography.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?
[Nico Rosso] I can be found on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nico_Rosso
-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nico-Rosso/113422452057013
-My Website: http://nicorosso.com
[Manga Maniac Café] Thank you!
GIVEAWAY TIME!!
Ready for your chance to win a digital copy of Holding Out For A Hero? Just fill out the widget below. Earn extra entries for following.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Didn’t win? You can order Holding Out For a Hero from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the link below.
About the book:
Scarlett Fever, by Christine Bell and Ella Dane
After five years in training, it’s finally time for Scarlett Fever and her fellow superheroes to leave the United Superhero Academy and test their powers out in the real world. There’s only one problem. She’s been assigned to partner with arrogant, by the book, and irritatingly hot, Blade of Justice.
Blade’s whole life has gone according to plan, and he’s more than ready to move on to the big time, protecting a metropolis of his own. But his perfectly ordered life is derailed when he’s teamed up with the fiery maverick, Scarlett Fever.
Sparks fly the moment they arrive in Plunketville, Oklahoma, as they each set out to force the other to request a transfer. They soon discover there’s more going on in this single stop-sign town than blowing up mailboxes and cow tipping. If Scarlett can get Blade to listen to his gut, and he can teach her to use her head, they just might have a fighting chance.
Ironheart, by Nico Rosso
Vince might be hard as steel, but he’s not invincible. Not when iron touches him, especially in the hands of an evil minion. Not when Kara ran away after a whirlwind affair, just when he thought he might be falling in love. And definitely not when she returns, looking for his help.
The archvillain TechHead is coming for Kara and her superhero teammates, and he’s determined to use their combined power to create the ultimate weapon. But Kara can’t fight him alone. She needs Vince’s brutal skill, though being with him means she risks losing her beloved secret identity, leaving her nowhere else to hide.
When TechHead makes a play to capture Kara, Vince has more to lose than just his heart. But he will do anything for the woman he loves, even if it means putting his heart on the line again.
Playing With Fire, by Tamara Morgan
Fiona Nelson has always been one hot ticket—even before she took the conversion serum that gave her superhu¬man abilities. Fiona’s powers come at a price: lack of human contact, or she won’t be the only thing burning. When she loses control of her emotions, her fire powers run rampant… and she’s hurt enough people already. Including herself.
But when the man behind her conversion returns to black¬mail her into helping him gain power, the only person she can turn to is Ian Jones, the man who broke her teenage heart. The man determined to expose the criminal known as Fireball, whose explosive escapades are just a little too close to Fiona’s M.O.
Ian is convinced Fiona’s dangerous, convinced she’s Fire¬ball, and convinced he’ll damn himself if he doesn’t resist a heat that’s always drawn him to Fiona like a moth to a flame—but Ian has his own secrets.
And he’ll learn far too soon what happens when you play with fire.
From the Ashes, by Adrien-Luc Sanders
Sociopath. Killer. Deviant. Monster, devoid of morals, incapable of human emotion. The villain known as Spark has been called that and more, and as a super-powered aberrant has masterminded count¬less crimes to build his father’s inhuman empire.
Yet to professor Sean Archer, this fearsome creature is only Tobias Rutherford–antisocial graduate research¬er, quiet underachiever, and a fascinating puzzle Sean is determined to solve.
One kiss leads to an entanglement that challenges ev¬erything Tobias knows about himself, aberrants, and his own capacity to love. But when his father orders him to assassinate a senator, one misstep unravels a knot of political intrigue that places the fate of hu¬mans and aberrants alike in Tobias’s hands. As danger mounts and bodies pile deeper, will Tobias succumb to his dark nature and sacrifice Sean–or will he defy his father and rise from the ashes to become a hero in a world of villains?
  | Title: Something Strange and Deadly Author: Susan Dennard |
May Contain Spoilers
From Amazon:
There’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia. . . .
Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about.
Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper:
The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.
And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor . . . from her brother.
Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including the maddeningly stubborn yet handsome Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.
Review:
I was disappointed with Something Strange and Deadly. Honestly, I don’t know if anything could have lived up to the hype surrounding this title, and since I was waiting with such a sense of anticipation, it fell short for me. The beginning was intriguing – Eleanor is searching for a sign from her brother that he’ll be returning home soon, and poof! A stinky, reanimated corpse gives her a note from Elijah. That’s so much better than using a carrier pigeon! Just wrestle up a corpse when you need to pass a note to somebody! It will terrify the recipient, but who’s going to try to incept your missive?
After it is apparent that Elijah has decided, yet again, to delay his homecoming, Eleanor’s mother decides to use the opportunity to hold a séance, instead of the already planned and paid for welcoming party. She has to marry Eleanor off, if they hope to retain their current lifestyle, since Elijah isn’t doing his job and providing for them. With Elijah a constant no-show, Eleanor’s mother is getting desperate. With her husband dead and her son failing to care for the family, desperate measures are called for.
I loved the séance. It’s creepy, and her mother’s foolishness calls forth a very dangerous spirit. Whoa! Who would have thought that a parlor game would have such frightening results? The evil spirit dogs Eleanor’s footsteps for the entire book, so, yeah, thanks, mom, for messing around with stuff you are obviously not capable of handling.
I am trying to put my finger on why this story didn’t work for me, and I think it was because there is so much going on. And because Eleanor is constantly leaping into danger. There are zombies lurching around the graveyard? Let’s go check them out! There are headless corpses wandering the streets? Let’s go out without a chaperon and see what we can find out. While all of the sneaking around showed that Eleanor was headstrong and wasn’t going to take a backseat to anyone, it also proved that she lacked the one thing necessary for living a long and zombie-death free life. Yup, that common sense stuff. Eleanor needed to display a little more of it. A lot more, actually.
Another thing that drove me batty was how the characters snarled, shrieked, growled, and screamed at each other. All of those noises! Nobody just talked or held a quiet conversation. Nope! That’s just a pet peeve of mine, though, and your mileage may vary.
There is a dreaded love triangle, between handsome, wealthy Clarence and Daniel, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks who is on the run from the law. He’s a gifted inventor, though, and his devices help battle the zombies. I never liked Daniel, which was another impediment to my enjoyment of the book. I didn’t like the way either potential love interest treated Eleanor, but Daniel’s demeanor was particularly grating. Nicknaming her Empress, he was constantly dismissive of her, at least until the very end of the book when she saved his bacon. I don’t know that I would have thrown myself into the midst of a zombie horde to save anybody in this book, other than Jie.
While Something Strange and Deadly failed to impress me, it will appeal to action lovers. If the book hadn’t been so hyped for me, I think I would have enjoyed it more.
Grade: C/C-
Review copy obtained from my local library
By: Julie,
on 10/8/2012
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Ingrid Paulson is the author of Valkyrie Rising, a book I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on. Ingrid very kindly took some time out of her busy day to answer a few of my questions.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Ingrid Paulson] Science nerd and avid reader turned young adult writer. Former Olympic athlete (not really).
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Valkyrie Rising?
[Ingrid Paulson] I’m a huge fan of girl power stories, so I set out to write the kind of book I would want to read. In a nutshell, Valkyrie Rising is about a girl (Ellie) who comes into her own while visiting her grandmother in Norway. Boys start mysteriously disappearing, including her brother, and it’s up to Ellie to save them all and overthrow an ancient power. And along the way learns a few unexpected things about her family history.
But I think the copy on the back of the galley says it best:
Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s astonishingly epic coming-of-age.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Ingrid Paulson] A few years ago, I went on a trip Norway with the Paulson women, and I was so inspired by the mountains and fjords that I wanted to write a book based on the setting alone. I knew right away it would include Valkyries—I’ve always loved the idea of strong warrior women.
I was actually working on a different book, but Tuck and Ellie captured my imagination so suddenly and completely that I sat down and started sketching out scenes. The rest of the story came together around those two characters and the setting.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What was the most challenging aspect of writing the story?
[Ingrid Paulson] There are about a million challenges in writing a book–it’s hard to pick just one! But I think I struggled most with the ending and ended up re-writing it several times. I’d set up big stakes in the first three-quarters of the book and it was hard to tie everything back up together in a satisfactory way while keeping the action fast and light. Fortunately, I had an amazing editor who helped me work through those issues.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Ellie?
[Ingrid Paulson] This is hard because Ellie changes a lot during the course of the story. But the girl she becomes by the final scene is determined, resilient, and brave.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things Tucker would never have in his pocket?
[Ingrid Paulson] Tucker is the type to always travel light. It’s not likely he’d have anything but his cell phone and a credit card or two. But he’d definitely never have another girl’s number, even if he’s likely to be slipped more than a few. He also wouldn’t be caught dead with anything relating to school or homework. Part of his casual confidence thing is never admitting he puts work into anything.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Ingrid Paulson] I love reading and that definitely inspired me to start writing. And this might sound creepy, but I also really enjoy people watching (I’m a shameless and painfully obvious eavesdropper). I think that contributed a lot to creating the other people who reside in my head. In the case of Valkyrie Rising, travel was also a huge influence—I was fortunate enough to stumble across incredible vistas in Norway that made me itch to describe them on paper.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Ingrid Paulson] I need coffee and silence. When I hit a tricky scene or plot issue, I often work it out on a long run, so I guess I need running shoes too.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Ingrid Paulson] That is a hard question! I think the biggest contributor to my love of reading was a father who would sit and read to me for hours and hours on end. His love of books is infectious. However, I was a huge fan of Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein and can still recite embarrassing amounts of their works.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Ingrid Paulson] Lately, I feel like I’m always either writing or secretly thinking about writing while pretending to pay attention to something else. But I live in San Francisco, pretty close to the bay, so I just love being outside and wandering the city with my daughter. I love to travel (who doesn’t) and spending time with my friends.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?
[Ingrid Paulson] My websites is: www.ingridepaulson.com
I’m on twitter @ingridepaulson.com
Facebook: Valkyrie Rising
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!
You can purchase Valkyrie Rising from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the widget below. Available in print and digital.
By: Julie,
on 10/9/2012
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There are a couple of big buzz titles this week. Velveteen, Mystic City, and Valkyrie Rising are at the top of my wish list. What’s on yours?
Click the covers for the Amazon product page.
All You Never Wanted by Adele Griffin (Oct 9, 2012)
After by Ellen Datlow (Oct 9, 2012)
Samurai Awakening by Benjamin Martin (Oct 10, 2012)
The Bridge by Jane Higgins (Oct 9, 2012)
Bushman Lives! by Daniel Pinkwater (Oct 9, 2012)
Guardian (A Halflings Novel) by Heather Burch (Oct 9, 2012)
Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh (Oct 9, 2012)
The Katerina Trilogy, Vol. II: The Unfailing Light by Robin Bridges (Oct 9, 2012)
My Own Revolution by Carolyn Marsden (Oct 9, 2012)
Mystic City by Theo Lawrence (Oct 9, 2012)
The Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzab (Oct 9, 2012)
Paradise by Joanna Nadin (Oct 9, 2012)
Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay (Oct 9, 2012)
A Thunderous Whisper by Christina Gonzalez (Oct 9, 2012)
Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone (Oct 9, 2012)
Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson (Oct 9, 2012)
Velveteen by Daniel Marks (Oct 9, 2012)
What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton (Oct 9, 2012)
Demon Eyes (Witch Eyes) by Scott Tracey (Oct 8, 2012)
Foxfire (An Other Novel) by Karen Kincy (Oct 8, 2012)
The FitzOsbornes at War (The Montmaray Journals) by Michelle Cooper (Oct 9, 2012)
By: Julie,
on 10/10/2012
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Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
Yeah, yeah, everyone seems to be waiting for Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans. Me, too! I’m officially tossing my hat into the waiting pile.
In stores January 2013
s
In this gripping exploration of a futuristic afterlife, a teen discovers that death is just the beginning.
Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost—family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.
Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian—a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life—comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.
Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.
What are you waiting on?
Sean Cummings dropped by the virtual offices to chat about his new release, Poltergeeks. Check out what he has to say!
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Sean Cummings] Middle-aged introvert with obsessive compulsive tendencies. Life long cat person who is morphing into the crazy old man on your street.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Poltergeeks?
[Sean Cummings] Poltergeeks is book with a strong female protagonist who is snarky, fearless, loyal to those closest to her and who is desperate to prove herself to her over protective mother. It’s a book that is brooding vampire-free where there are romantic elements that differ from a lot of the love triangle formula you see in many young adult books these days. Julie and her best friend Marcus are quintessential geeks (Marcus, more so) who are quite happy about their social standing and comfortable in their own skin. There’s a bit of high school in the book but most of the story takes place on the streets of my hometown of Calgary. The reader is introduced to some very eccentric characters and Betty Priddy tops the list – she’s a blast to write about and the fact that she’s an immortal spirit who steals bodies at death’s door so she can manifest in the mortal plane creates a couple of interesting choices by which she pops into Julie’s life. This is a fun and funny story that gets very dark, very quickly. It’s non-stop action because the clock is ticking for Julie if she plans to save her mother’s life.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Sean Cummings] The book started with the title, actually. The word POLTERGEEKS just popped into my head and I started jotting down ideas. Given that it’s been nearly thirty years since I was in high school I took a gamble when I decided to write something aimed at young adults and I wanted to make the characters as genuine as possible. So there’s mother-daughter angst. There’s a protagonist who wants very much to prove herself. There’s a missing piece to my protagonist’s life in that her father died when she was very young. All of this started to gel once I sat down and worked on an outline and the actual plot took shape very quickly once I sat down with a sheet of paper and a pencil. I wanted to write something different than a lot of urban fantasy featuring teenagers, so I adopted a mindset very quickly that my characters, though low on the social scale at school should still be quite comfortable with their standing in life. In Julie you have the hero’s journey. In Marcus, you have the Watson to Julie’s Sherlock Holmes.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Julie?
[Sean Cummings] Feisty. Fearless. Irresponsible at times. Grounded in her friendships. Extremely loyal. Extremely self-sufficient. Comfortable in her own skin. She’s also a very, very powerful witch – more so than other witches her age. And finally, she’s snarky. A good female protagonist in an urban fantasy needs to be snarky, and Julie’s level of snark jumps right off the page.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things Marcus would never have in his pocket?
[Sean Cummings] That’s a good question. He would never have car keys in his pocket because he’s all about saving the planet. He wouldn’t have a Starbucks gift card because he hates evil corporate entities save for McDonald’s. He wouldn’t carry lip balm unless he’s analyzed its chemical components first.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Julie’s single most prized possession?
[Sean Cummings] The faint, wispy memories of her late father who died when she was four. He’s the missing piece in her life – his non-presence has shaped the person that she’s becoming. His legacy is coming back to haunt her in a very dark and dangerous way.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Sean Cummings] Comic books top the list. Anything written by Alan Moore because he re-imagined what a comic book can possibly be with Watchmen. Stephen King, obviously, but also authors like Robert R. McCammon, John Saul and Simon R. Green. Believe it or not, Buffy didn’t influence me, though I did enjoy the show immensely.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Sean Cummings] 1) Silence. I need absolute silence. 2) Coffee. I need that kick start first thing in the morning. 3) Early morning. I can’t write after twelve in the afternoon. I’m a morning person and my creative juices are always flowing when I’ve crawled out of bed to begin pounding away at the keyboard.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Sean Cummings] The one that stands out the most is BLACKBIRDS by Chuck Wendig. I believe that in Miriam Black, Wendig has completely re-written the rules for what’s possible in dark fantasy with a strong female protagonist. Like, completely and utterly demolished them. No, I’m serious. He hopped his ass into a Sherman Tank and bloody well smashed through them with his main cannon firing. Miriam Black is unbelievably damaged goods – she touches your skin, she sees your death. BOOM! How can that NOT mess your mind up? How can you NOT smoke a three packs of cigarettes a day or guzzle whiskey to numb everything. It’s gritty, frightening and at times downright hilarious. This is the first book in a long time where I don’t have a bloody clue the direction the main character is going to go because Miriam doesn’t really have a clue where her life is leading her either. BLACKBIRDS is the best book of the year – hand’s down. I expect you’re going to see a lot of authors writing books with similar style characters because they’ve been influenced by Wendig’s writing. God knows, I have.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Sean Cummings] Oh that’s easy. WHEN THE WIND BLOWS by John Saul. It’s the first "adult" book I ever read and the irony is that its main characters are children. All of Saul’s books deal with themes that can resonate with someone writing young adult. The setting is always a small town where everyone knows each other. There’s always something dark and terrible in that house two blocks away from your house. There’s always something evil lurking in the shadows and it usually revolves around young people.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Sean Cummings] I’m a massive English football fan. Love love love the game! So I watch it on the dish Saturday and Sunday mornings at an obscenely early hour when I should be writing. I like to hang out with my son. I read, obviously. I watch a lot of science fiction and fantasy with the better half. I basically immerse myself in being a happy middle aged man who lives in a nice neighborhood (finally).
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?
[Sean Cummings] I’m on Twitter (saskatoonauthor). My website is sean-cummings.ca. I’m on Facebook. My email is info AT sean DASH cummings DOT ca.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!
You can order Poltergeeks from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the widget below
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
I love the title for Stephen Blackmoore’s February release – Dead Things just sounds so cool!
In stores February 2013
Necromancer is such an ugly word, but it’s a title Eric Carter is stuck with.
He sees ghosts, talks to the dead. He’s turned it into a lucrative career putting troublesome spirits to rest, sometimes taking on even more dangerous things. For a fee, of course.
When he left L.A. fifteen years ago he thought he’d never go back. Too many bad memories. Too many people trying to kill him.
But now his sister’s been brutally murdered and Carter wants to find out why.
Was it the gangster looking to settle a score? The ghost of a mage he killed the night he left town? Maybe it’s the patron saint of violent death herself, Santa Muerte, who’s taken an unusually keen interest in him.
Carter’s going to find out who did it and he’s going to make them pay.
As long as they don’t kill him first.
What are you waiting on?
Cover Shot! is a regular feature here at the Café. I love discovering new covers, and when I find them, I like to share. More than anything else, I am consumed with the mystery that each new discovery represents. There is an allure to a beautiful cover. Will the story contained under the pages live up to promise of the gorgeous cover art?
There are a ton of intriguing February 2013 releases! Soulbound by Tessa Adams is the first book in a new urban fantasy series, and it looks really good! I love the intense expression and the pop of red from Xandra’s dress. I am looking forward to giving this a read next year.
In stores February 2013
As the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter—and a member of Ipswitch’s Royal family—Xandra Morgan should be a witch of incredible power. But things don’t always turn out like you expect…
While she hasn’t lived up to her family’s expectations, Xandra has come to terms with her latent magic and made a life for herself in Austin, Texas, running a coffee shop where she makes potions of a non-magical nature. While things aren’t perfect, Xandra is happy—until she runs into powerful warlock Declan Chumomisto.
Xandra hasn’t seen Declan in years, and though she’s still overwhelmed by his power, she doesn’t trust him. And when her own powers awaken one night and lead her to the body of a woman in the woods bearing the symbol of Isis—the same one that has marked Xandra since the day she met Declan—she’s filled with a terrible suspicion, soon confirmed: the woman is connected to him.
Xandra doesn’t want to believe that Declan is capable of murder, but as the body count mounts, and Xandra’s own powers spiral out of control, she’s not sure she can trust her own instincts…
Today I have an excerpt from Alchemists Academy by Kailin Gow! This excerpt is from Elemental Explosions, the second book in the series.
“What are we doing out here?”
“Trying to help you reach your potential. Weren’t you listening?”
“Um…” Wirt couldn’t help a glance down at the distant ground. “How exactly do we do that?”
“Like this.” Ms. Burns didn’t push him hard. But then, she didn’t have to. Wirt wheeled his arms for a moment in an effort to keep his balance, and then fell, unable to keep from screaming as the air rushed past him. This wasn’t the safety of the transport tubes. This was outside the tree, where falling meant making an unpleasant dent in the ground below, not to mention being spread over more of it than Wirt really wanted.
The only glimmer of hope came when Ms. Burns appeared across from him, falling into view having obviously stepped off the branch too. She didn’t seem concerned by the prospect of imminent death.
“Do something,” Wirt urged.
“You do something,” Ms. Burns shot back.
“What can I do?”
“Think of something. What do you wish to happen?”
Wirt didn’t know what Ms. Burns meant but at that moment he was willing to try almost anything. Already, the ground was approaching far too fast, rushing up to meet them in a way that suggested Wirt didn’t have time to think.
If you enjoyed the excerpt, you can order Alchemists Academy from your favorite bookseller of by clicking the links below:
About the book:
What do you learn here…at the Academy? Wirt asks. Magic? The responsibility to use your powers responsibly? Uh…something like that, his roommate Spencer said. More like how to rule worlds. Wirt, is used to being shuffled from foster home to foster home, adopting a devil-may-care attitude toward the world along the way. Now he’s in a school he can’t escape, learning to develop his latent magical abilities, for what use, he doesn’t know…to save his world or to destroy it…
By: Julie,
on 12/11/2012
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| | Title: Demon Love Spell V 1 Author: Mayu Shinjo |
May Contain Spoilers
From Amazon:
By the creator of Ai Ore! and Sensual Phrase
Miko is a shrine maiden who has never had much success at seeing or banishing spirits. Then she meets Kagura, a sexy demon who feeds off women’s feelings of passion and love. Kagura’s insatiable appetite has left many girls at school brokenhearted, so Miko casts a spell to seal his powers. Surprisingly the spell works—sort of—but now Kagura is after her!
Reads R to L (Japanese style) for teen plus audiences.
Review:
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Mayu Shinjo’s works. Her titles usually feature a douche bag uber alpha hero and a timid, naïve heroine. I usually don’t enjoy reading stories where the hero treats the heroine, his supposed love interest, like crap. That’s one of the problems I have with Black Bird, though I find myself helplessly flipping through whatever new volumes happen to end up in my hands. I don’t want to like it, but I do. Ugh! Demon Love Spell reminds me a lot of Black Bird, so if you are a fan of Kanoko Sakurakoji, you might want to give this series a try.
Miko is a shrine maiden, and while everyone else in her family can see spirits, she can’t sense them at all. Disappointed in herself because she has no sixth sense, she nonetheless studied hard to recognize and banish demons. So while she is familiar with their characteristics and their powers, she can’t see them, which makes carrying on the family tradition unlikely. Still, she has hopes and she is dedicated to both the shrine and her family legacy.
When an incubus begins to prey on girls at her high school, a moment of high emotion gives her the strength to seal his powers and confine him into an itty-bitty demon form. Once the most powerful demon, Kagura is now helpless against stronger demons, and he can’t revert back to his former self, a tall, stunningly gorgeous young man who knocks the ladies dead. He is a sitting duck, and so is Miko. Since she was powerful enough to seal away Kagura’s powers, all the demons want to kill him and eat Miko to gain her strength. Eek! She can’t even see her enemies unless she is holding chibi Kagura! How can she defend herself against a bunch of big, bad, ugly monsters? To make matters worse, she can’t remember which spell she used to seal away his powers, so she can’t change Kagura back to his powerful self. She isn’t even sure that she wants to; he’ll just go back to preying on innocent women and stealing their life essences, anyway!
Kagura can enter Miko’s dreams when she’s asleep, so he steals into them and seduces her in order to gain back some of his strength. Miko can’t remember a thing in the morning, but she feels a burning sense of embarrassment, and she’s exhausted. Like she was up all night long. Which she was, in her dreams, romping around with Kagura. She begins to question why she is forming an emotional attachment to the perverted demon, and wonders if he has cast a demon love spell over her. She doesn’t trust him, but she can’t stop her growing feelings for him.
I enjoyed this introduction to the series. It’s a fast read, it’s brainless, and it’s fun. Despite some awkward proportions, Mayu Shinjo’s art is attractive, and her guys are hot, hot, hot. The characters are engaging, and though the plot is predictable, I found a lot to like in the first volume of Demon Love Spell, and I will follow the series for at least a few volumes to see how things work out for Miko and sex obsessed Kagura.
Grade: B
Review copy provided by publisher
Here is the second excerpt from Pledged. Pledged is the kick off to Gwynneth White’s Soul Wars saga, and the book is available from Swallow Press.Make sure to read last week’s excerpt if you missed it, and order the book if it sounds interesting!
Here’s the synopsis for the book:
Everyone has a soul mate. But what do you do when your soul mate would rather give his soul to the demons than be with you?
Seventeen-year-old Erin has a problem. Seth has been hers forever, but now an ancient promise is tearing him away. And Reuel, the demon to whom the promise was made, will stop at nothing to force Seth to forsake Erin and to worship him.
How can Erin win against a pledge so binding that it has damned countless others to the same fate she and Seth will face if Reuel wins – an eternity alone?
The answer lies in the past. To find it, Erin and Seth must risk all, travelling back in time to a dangerous world where love is forbidden, and life – and death – hang on a promise.
Follow Erin and Seth as they travel to ancient Shenaya to break the pledge that has plagued their families for millennia. Caught in a war between the Angelic Guardians and the Gefallen, the disembodied dead, they must fight to keep their souls in tact and their love untainted.
EXCERPT: Pledged by Gwynneth White
Meet Caleb and Talitha . . .
Erin flicked her hair behind her ear and watched Caleb straighten his clothing. He took a deep breath and entered the hut. They followed right after him, drifting through the closed door as if it didn’t exist. Seth laughed, holding his hand up to Erin for a high-five – until he noticed that Caleb’s Gefallen had also wafted into the cabin with them. Even though he had no idea how to defend Erin from a ghost, he stepped in front of her to protect her. But the wraith ignored them and sailed over to Caleb.
A tall, blonde-haired girl with almond-shaped brown eyes was waiting for Caleb. For Erin, the recognition was instantaneous; it was Talitha. “She’s so beautiful!”
“She’s okay,” Seth replied, looking her over critically. “But I don’t think Caleb’s here for her looks.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You said yourself that Caleb’s a good-looking guy. I bet he could have any girl he wants around here.”
Erin frowned; then she smiled as understanding dawned. “So, in guy-talk, you’re saying he loves her?”
Seth chuckled as he picked up Erin’s hand and put it on his heart. “Tell me what you’re feeling?”
Erin gasped at a disconcerting pulse thrumming in Seth’s chest, over-riding his own heartbeat. “It’s . . . no . . . It’s not possible.”
“I’ll bet it is. It’s Caleb’s heart beating.”
“How do you know it’s him? It could be Talitha.”
“It started the moment I saw him. It’s like it’s there to stop me denying that he and I were once friends. And I was watching Talitha when he walked in. She smiled, and it felt as if someone had just shot a thousand volts through him.”
“It’s amazing you’re so connected that you can feel him.”
Seth wasn’t so sure he agreed; it made being here just a little too real.
Erin felt her own heart and could faintly discern Talitha’s heartbeat; it was nowhere near as strong as the thump in Seth’s chest, but then, she figured, she wasn’t in denial the way he was.
They fell into silence as Caleb opened his arms to embrace Talitha. She draped her arms around his neck, twisting the dark curls tumbling onto his shoulders. He kissed the nape of her throat and ran his lips up her neck, over her chin to her mouth.
By: Julie,
on 8/17/2012
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Candace Havens is the author of Take It Like A Vamp, a new release under Entangled Publishing’s Covet line. Candace stopped by the virtual offices for a chat, and she brought along a present! One of you can win a digital copy of Take It Like A Vamp! Find out how after the interview.
[Manga Maniac Café] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Candace Havens] I’m awesome and freaky busy. That’s how my assistant describes me. 
[Manga Maniac Café] Can you tell us a little about Take it Like a Vamp?
[Candace Havens] Nick and Casey are neighbors in a hi-rise condo development that he owns. They’re best friends, who are secretly in love/hots with each other. That friendship develops into something more. There are supernatural councils, nasty witches and a lot of other fun stuff involved that make things tough on the couple. It’s light, fun and I hope it makes you laugh out loud.
[Manga Maniac Café] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Candace Havens] My publisher mentioned she needed a vampire book. I told her I don’t write vampires. She said she’d love a friends to lovers story and pow! The whole story was in my head and I started telling her about it. I wrote it in four days.
[Manga Maniac Café] What three words best describe Casey?
[Candace Havens] Loyal, friendly and curvy.
[Manga Maniac Café] What are three things Nick would never have in his bedroom?
[Candace Havens] Evil witches, bad wine and anyone who wasn’t Casey.
[Manga Maniac Café] If Nick had a theme song, what would it be?
[Candace Havens] In Love With A Girl, by Gavin Degraw
[Manga Maniac Café] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Candace Havens] Hmmm. That’s tough. I think books in general and other authors. From Nancy Drew when I was a kid, to Jodi Thomas, one of my early mentors. I’ve been really lucky that way.
[Manga Maniac Café] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Candace Havens] Big bottle of water. Tunes. And my dogs, Harley and Gizmo. I know that’s four, but the dogs are kind of a pair even though one is a Great Dane and the other is a Japanese Chin/Maltese.
[Manga Maniac Café] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Candace Havens] Gosh, I’ve been really lucky with my picks. I guess the last one is Seducing Cinderella by Gina Maxwell. Love her hero in that one.
[Manga Maniac Café] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Candace Havens] Nancy Drew.
[Manga Maniac Café] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Candace Havens] I covet sleep, but it never happens. I’m always writing. I do write about TV and Film, so that’s fun. Some day, I’d like to take a vacation to Paris where I don’t have to worry about anything except where I want to eat, shop or go next.
[Manga Maniac Café] How can readers connect with you?
[Candace Havens] I am everywhere. (smile) My website is www.candacehavens.com I’m @candacehavens on Twitte
Here is the final excerpt from Pledged. Pledged is the kick off to Gwynneth White’s Soul Wars saga, and the book is available from Swallow Press. If you missed the previous excerpts, they are here and here. Be sure to order the book if it sounds interesting!
Here’s the synopsis for the book:
Everyone has a soul mate. But what do you do when your soul mate would rather give his soul to the demons than be with you?
Seventeen-year-old Erin has a problem. Seth has been hers forever, but now an ancient promise is tearing him away. And Reuel, the demon to whom the promise was made, will stop at nothing to force Seth to forsake Erin and to worship him.
How can Erin win against a pledge so binding that it has damned countless others to the same fate she and Seth will face if Reuel wins – an eternity alone?
The answer lies in the past. To find it, Erin and Seth must risk all, travelling back in time to a dangerous world where love is forbidden, and life – and death – hang on a promise.
Follow Erin and Seth as they travel to ancient Shenaya to break the pledge that has plagued their families for millennia. Caught in a war between the Angelic Guardians and the Gefallen, the disembodied dead, they must fight to keep their souls in tact and their love untainted.
EXCERPT: Pledged by Gwynneth White
Meet Seth and Erin . . .
Despite the heat, Seth felt icy. Dread could do that to him. Or so he had recently discovered. Deep breathing usually calmed him, so he sucked in a lungful of desert air and told himself to relax. It didn’t help. By the time he’d walked from the aircraft to the immigration hall he’d ripped off a jagged piece of thumbnail, already bitten raw. He handed his US passport to the Botswanan border official, and, after a frown, and a stamp, he joined the crowd at the baggage carousel. Botswana in southern Africa was the last place on earth he’d ever have picked for a holiday destination. But he wasn’t here on holiday. Not even close.
His backpack was slow in coming. Tired from his long-haul flight from New York, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Almost as if to mock him, the hated vision that had brought him to Botswana burst into his mind. In an instant he was back in ancient times, watching a man he knew only as Gideon. As usual, Gideon was huddled on a windswept hill with his band of hopeless soldiers, waiting to be slaughtered by a huge army gathered in the valley below.
Seth snapped his eyes open to stop the battle from waging in his mind. It wasn’t that he was particularly squeamish; he’d watched enough movies to iron clad his stomach against gory visuals. But no movie had ever left him icy with dread the way Gideon’s battle did. And the reason for that was simple. The moment the visions had started, he had known that the war, fought so long ago in a place he’d never heard of, was far from over. And, as reluctant as he was, he too was being enlisted to fight in a cause he didn’t understand or want.
He forced himself to focus on the present: Erin, who waited for him in the arrivals hall; his brother Kyle, whom he’d come to Botswana to visit; Kyle’s expedition to find the Lost City of the Kalahari . . .
He ripped off another piece of fingernail. Thinking about the search for the Lost City was almost as bad as the war-vision. I hope Kyle never finds the damned place. He slapped his hand on his thigh. Enough! Grabbing his backpack off the carousel, he set his face into a smile and strode into the arrivals hall.
The first hurdle was finding Erin. She was due to arrive an
Here are some cheap reads to feed your Kindle or Kindle app! Today’s reads are Young Adult PRN.
Spectral
by Shannon Duffy – $2.99
That day I knew for sure. I’d lost control of my tears then. They fell in huge, mocking drops. I stared at Joshua through those bitter tears, my heart missing beats as I tried to remember to breathe.
I finally knew what the glow meant.
I was a freak and Joshua was going to die.
Bryn Halbrook had always seen the glow. But it is only when her best friend dies that she discovers the meaning of those beautiful golden auras — Death. Alone, lost in the foster system, she struggles to understand who she is and why she was cursed with the ability to see the soon-to-be-dead.
The new foster kid, Aidan, isn’t helping any. Mr. Perfect seems to fit in no matter what, making her feel even more pathetic. But when his affections turn to her, Bryn finds him hard to resist. Impossible actually. A mystery himself, Aidan disappears, leaving behind a broken heart and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn might not be entirely human.
Bryn stands at the threshold of a journey of discovery. Will destiny help her find herself, find her purpose and her place in a world in which she’d never belonged?
Need
by Carrie Jones – $3.99 – I loved this book and enjoyed the entire series.
Pain shoots through my head. Fireworks. Explosions. All inside my brain. The white world goes dark and I know what’s about to happen.
Zara White suspects there’s a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She’s also obsessed with phobias. And it’s true, she hasn’t exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane…but Zara’s pretty sure her mom just can’t deal with her right now.
She couldn’t be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara’s overactive imagination. In fact, he’s still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There’s something not right – not human – in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.
In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you’d have to fear.
Forbidden (Book 1, The Arotas Trilogy)
by Amy Miles – .99
Roseline Enescue didn’t ask to become an Immortal, to have all of the guests at her wedding slaughtered, or be forced into marriage with a man whose lust for blood would one day ignite the vampire legend.
Willing to risk everything for a chance at a normal life, Roseline escapes to America. Terrified her husband Vladimir will find her, Roseline enrolls as a senior in Chicago’s elite Rosewood Prep school. Mingling with humans is the last place he would look for her.
But her transition into the human world isn’t easy. Mortal men flock after her while cutthroat girls plot her demise. Yet Roseline remains relatively unfazed by the petty hysteria until she falters into the arms of Gabriel Marston, reluctant MVP quarterback, unwilling ladies man, and sensitive artist in hiding.
Troubled by the bond that pulls her towards the mortal boy, Roseline tries to ignore him, but Gabriel is persistent. As their lives entwine, Roseline begins to realize that Gabriel is much more than he appears. His ability to toss a football the entire length of the field and grind concrete into dust pales in comparison to the glowing blue cross tattoo that mysteriously appears on his forearms.
Despite the forbidden bond between them, Roseline can’t help wondering what Gabriel is: He’s not human. He’s not Immortal. So just what is he?
Stained (YA Paranormal Romance) (Stained Series)
by Ella James – .99
After a fire destroys seventeen-year-old Julia’s home and kills her foster parents, she chases the half-demon responsible across the country and back, determined to avenge her family and discover why a host of celestial baddies want her dead. With Julia is enigmatic hottie – Cayne, who has his own score to settle with the half-demon, and who might be just as dangerous as the creature he and Julia hunt.
Linda Grimes is the author of In A Fix, a new Urban Fantasy release from Tor Books. It will be hitting store shelves next week, and in the meantime, Linda dropped by the virtual offices to introduce herself and chat about her book.
[Manga Maniac Café] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Linda Grimes] My tweetography, huh? Okay, let’s see … "Linda Grimes is a smartass writer of light urban fantasy who will do anything (except take her clothes off) for a laugh."
[Manga Maniac Café] Can you tell us a little about In a Fix?
[Linda Grimes] Yes, I can.
Oh, wait … you want me to actually do it? Okay, I’ll give you the short and long of it.
Short version:
Ciel Halligan, a kind of human chameleon, has a great job: she steps into her clients’ lives and fixes their problems for them—as them—but collecting her hefty paycheck can be a real killer.
Longer version:
Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she’s able to take on her clients’ appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don’t want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck. This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable…that is, until Ciel’s island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client’s about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated. Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she’s been crushing on for years – both skilled adaptors – step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client’s intended. Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.
[Manga Maniac Café] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Linda Grimes] Is it too "woo-woo" to say I think they were always there in my head, just waiting for the right trigger to make them spring into view? Because, weird as that sounds, that’s what happened. The trigger was seeing a vanity license plate with the name "Ciel" on it while I was riding along on the Fairfax County Parkway. Ciel—and her story—popped into my consciousness just like that.
[Manga Maniac Café] What three words best describe Ciel?
[Linda Grimes] Short, sharp, and hilarious.
[Manga Maniac Café] What are three things Mark would never have in his bedroom?
[Linda Grimes] Ruffles, a throw pillow, and a French poodle. (So, of course, Ciel will no doubt give him a ruffled throw pillow embroidered with a French poodle for his next birthday, because that’s just how she rolls.)
[Manga Maniac Café] What is Billy’s single most prized possession?
[Linda Grimes] Oh, that’s easy—his cherry-red 1957 Chevy Bel Air. Nothing else comes close. He was born in the back seat of it, so his connection to it goes back a long way.
[Manga Maniac Café] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Linda Grimes] You mean other than booze and chocolate? (Not really. Okay, maybe a little.)
No, clichéd as it sounds, I’d have to say good books (way too many of them to name here—besides, I’m terrified I’d leave some favorite off the list, and never forgive myself). Every time I read a book that really grabs me—that drags me into another world—I think to myself, I want to do that to somebody!
[Manga Maniac Café] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Linda Grimes] Booze, chocolate, and … oh, all right. I’ll try to be serious. I need my laptop, quiet, and a good night’s sleep. Without those things I’m pretty useless.
[Manga Maniac Café] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Linda Grimes] The Taken, by Vicki Pettersson. The rockabilly-noir sensibility, coupled with the paranormal aspects, just blew me away. It’s so original—I love it!
[Manga Maniac Café] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Linda Grimes] Astrid Lindgen’s Circus Child was the first book I could read all by myself. Once I broke the key, there was no stopping me! I read everything I could get my hands on.
[Manga Maniac Café] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Linda Grimes] Read, of course. But also hang out with my husband, and my kids (when they visit the nest). Not just because I’m related to them, either—they’re genuinely fun to be around.
I’m also quite fond of providing feedback to people on their cooking, as long as they don’t expect me to participate in the prep. I’m a wonderful culinary audience.
[Manga Maniac Café] How can readers connect with you?
[Linda Grimes] They can find me at my blog, Visiting Reality (lindagrimes.com), or on Twitter (@linda_grimes).
I’m also on GoodReads (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5029662.Linda_Grimes).
Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog, and for asking such fun questions!
[Manga Maniac Café] Thank you!
You can preorder In A Fix from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the widget below
Author Bio:
Linda grew up in Texas, where she rode horses and embarrassed herself onstage a lot. She currently resides in Virginia with her husband, whom she snagged after he saw her in a musical number at the now defunct Melodrama Theater in San Antonio. (There’s nothing like a rousing chorus of "If You Wanna Catch a Fish You Gotta Wiggle Your Bait" to hook a man for a lifetime.) Like her globetrotting main character, Linda has spent her fair share of time overseas, though fortunately under less stressful circumstances. Kidnapping and daring rescues are all well and good in fiction, but she prefers sanity in her real life.
Kim Curran is the author of Shift, one of launch releases for Angry Robot’s new YA imprint, Strange Chemistry. Kim dropped by the virtual offices to induce herself and to chat about her new paranormal thriller.
[Manga Maniac Café] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Kim Curran] Lives in pyjamas, wants to be a ninja. Hopeful, fretful, loyal. Laughs a lot. Hugs a lot. And (according to a 10-year old) is well cool.
[Manga Maniac Café] Can you tell us a little about Shift?
[Kim Curran] Shift is about a teenage boy called Scott Tyler who realises he has the power to undo any decision he’s ever made. At first, he thinks the power’s going to be really cool. But as he comes to terms with it, he realises that changing his choices can have terrible unforeseeable consequences. Consequences that could unravel his whole life. He’s helped along the way by the mysterious Aubrey Jones. Although he’s never sure if she’s getting him out of trouble or deeper into it.
[Manga Maniac Café] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Kim Curran] I was sitting on a bus on my way back from work one day, looking at the people all bustling home, thinking about all the choices they’ve made in their lives. At the same time I was thinking about a book I’d just read on quantum physics. And bang. The idea for Shift came to me. What if you could change your decisions, in the same way light can ‘shift’ from particle to wave?
As for the characters, I’d just finished a (trunk) novel written 3rd person with a female lead. So I decided I wanted to try writing 1st person. And for some reason Scott Tyler’s voice came to me incredibly clearly. On the surface he’s a bundle of anxieties and yet he has this inner strength. So maybe it was like a reversal of myself (I’m strong on the outside, wobbly on the inside!). I scribbled the prologue in a taxi on my way to work one day, and it’s remained virtually unchanged since. And as I had a male protagonist, I had to have a really cool female opposite, just to get him into trouble. So Aubrey Jones was born. She’s the kind of girl I always wished I could be when I was a teenager, but never was.
[Manga Maniac Café] What three words best describe Scott?
[Kim Curran] Self-depreciating. Kind. Strong.
[Manga Maniac Café] What are three things Aubrey would never have in her purse?
[Kim Curran] I’m not all together sure Aubrey would have a purse. But in her bag, she would never carry anything she might perceive to be too ‘girlie’. So nothing pink or glittery. She probably doesn’t carry much money in there either, as she’s not very good with it.
[Manga Maniac Café] What is Scott’s single most prized possession?
[Kim Curran] Oh, good question. Probably a vintage, still-the-box, action figure of some kind.
[Manga Maniac Café] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Kim Curran] I’m hugely influenced by films and comic books. I’ve also been creatively shaped (for good or bad) by working in advertising for 15 years. So I’m always thinking about the audience and how to connect with them – and fast. As I say, not always a good thing, but there you go. As for writers, we’d be here all day, but the few that pop into my head right now are: Lauren Buekes, Anthony Horrowitz, Patrick Ness, Angela Carter, Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, Sergei Lukyanenko, Camus.
[Manga Maniac Café] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Kim Curran] I need very little. Something to write with (my MacBook Air or my Waterman pen) and something to write on! Other than that, a comfortable chair. I can write anywhere: at home on my own, in cafes, on buses. In fact, most of the first draft of Shift was written on a bus.
[Manga Maniac Café] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Kim Curran] Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway. For me it’s close to being perfect. Hugely fun and yet astoundingly well written. It’s rare, I find, that literary books are so joyful in their storytelling.
[Manga Maniac Café] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Kim Curran] Probably Roald Dahl’s BFG. I read it when I was about eight and then devoured all of his other books. That was when I realised I was a ‘reader’. And I never stopped.
[Manga Maniac Café] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Kim Curran] Unsurprisingly, I like to read. I find it hard to read when I’m writing as I pick up voices too easily. So when I’m not writing I try and catch up on my huge TBR pile. I also love coffee with friends, watching movies and the usual stuff. I used to fence a lot, but I’ve recently hurt my hip, so I’m looking for a new sport to get into. Capoeira maybe?
[Manga Maniac Café] How can readers connect with you?
[Kim Curran] I’m on Twitter, far too much twitter.com/KimeCurran, I have a Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Kim-Curran/222018584554942 and they can email me via my site www.kimcurran.co.uk
[Manga Maniac Café] Thanks!
You can order Shift from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the widget below. Available in print and digital
Jill Archer is the author of Dark Light of Day, an urban fantasy about a law student who is training to represent demons. I think the premise is brilliant! I don’t know what’s scarier – lawyers or demons! (Just kidding!) Jill dropped by the virtual offices to introduce herself and to chat about her new book.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Jill Archer] Eclectic night owl who loves Sour Patch kids, Twizzlers, organic salads, Vitamix smoothies, my Keurig coffee brewer, wine, books and movies.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about The Dark Light of Day?
[Jill Archer] In a nutshell, Dark Light of Day is about Noon Onyx, a first year law student who is being trained to represent demons. But the story’s as much about Noon’s magical and romantic struggles as it is about her academic ones. I should also mention that, even though the book is considered "urban fantasy," the setting is not contemporary. The story mostly takes place in New Babylon, a city with a circa 1900′s technology level that was built on top of the ancient battlefield of Armageddon in a country called Halja.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Jill Archer] Noon Onyx is very loosely inspired by the librarian Evelyn "Evie" Carnahan from the movie, The Mummy.
I used to be a lawyer. A few years ago, I was at a writer’s group event and sat next to a librarian during one of the lunches. We each commiserated with the other about how dull we felt our day jobs were, a feeling each of us couldn’t believe the other had. It led to a discussion about Evie’s character and I got the idea to see if I could somehow create a similarly bookish lawyer character who lived in some sort of "otherworld."
Around the same time, I came across my old copy of Scott Turow’s ONE L ("the turbulent true story of a first year at Harvard Law School") and thought, "Hey, how cool would it be to write a story about a first year law student who is being trained to represent demons?"
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What was the most challenging aspect of writing the book?
[Jill Archer] Weaving together the sub-plots. Dark Light of Day has fantasy, romance, and mystery elements. I tried to tie the sub-plots together with common themes, motifs, and/or plot nexuses.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Noon?
[Jill Archer] Strong, smart, and kind
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things Ari would never have in his pocket?
[Jill Archer] A cell phone, a match, and a flower. (No boutonnieres for Ari either!)
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is Noon’s single most prized possession?
[Jill Archer] Despite her privileged background, Noon’s not that into material possessions. She does love her collection of high necked sweaters, cloaks, and wraps though because they allow her to hide the telltale "demon mark" of a waning magic user.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Jill Archer] My love of nature, forests, and flowers helped me to create two of the main types of magic in the book: waning magic, the dark, destructive, fiery magic that’s used to control demons, and waxing magic, the soft, creative, nurturing magic that’s used to grow gardens and heal people. The idea evolved from my fascination with the duality of nature’s forces (forest fires versus summer blooms, tsunamis versus spring rains).
Other creative influences: demons and deities from around the world, Christian mythology, pagan holidays, even legal concepts. I played fast and loose with all of them. I tried to be respectful of my sources, while at the same time staying true to my primary goal, which was to write an entertaining story. I thought it would be interesting to create a world within which the traditional sides of bad and good were more muddied than they are in our world.
I’ve also been influenced by other authors. I admire writers such as Lois McMaster Bujold, S.M. Stirling, Colleen McCullough, Naomi Novik, and Elizabeth Peters. I would never, and could never, emulate their style, but just reading their work and knowing there are writers out there writing such fantastic novels influences me to put out the best work that I can. When I read the work of someone I admire, it’s an invigorating feeling!
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Jill Archer] An idea, a computer, and coffee.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Jill Archer] The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan. Last summer, I attended a writer’s workshop presented by him and Simone Elkeles. It was tearfully funny, but the point is the moment David described that book, I knew I would like it. I left the session and went straight to the temporary bookstore that had been set up in the hotel for the conference and bought it. When I finally read it, I didn’t just like it — I loved it.
I love that the story is told out of order. I love that it’s not told in chapters but in dictionary entries like "kerfuffle" and "cocksure." I love its ending, its humor, and its honesty. But most of all, I love how the reader has to work a little to get it. It’s not a story that’s spoon fed to you. And yet, it’s very light and easy to digest. You can read it in a night if you want or easily before bed over the course of a few. It was in my TBR pile for a year, but it was worth the wait.
If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien. My fourth grade teacher read it aloud to the class that year and I was hooked from that point on. What a story! I just read it to my kids this past year and then we all watched the movie. So fun!
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Jill Archer] I like to hike and bike, although I don’t have as much time to do those things as I would like. Of course, I love to read. I also love to watch movies and, occasionally, TV (I’ve been known to go on a streaming binge if I find a series I particularly like). I love to hang out with friends and family. We take a lot of day trips. My husband is a recreational pilot and we have a small Cessna that we fly around in on the weekends.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?
[Jill Archer] I have a website and blog through WordPress, which people can find at www.jillarcher.com. I blog about books, movies, interesting people I’ve met, day tripping in our little Cessna, and miscellaneous things I find interesting. Although it’s time consuming, I enjoy blogging. I like to write shorter pieces on a variety of topics just to keep things fresh and I love connecting with other people who have blogs on subjects that interest me. Recently, I experimented with a summer romance guest blog series and that’s been tons of fun! I’m also on Twitter (@archer_jill) and Facebook.
I appreciate your interest in Noon Onyx and Dark Light of Day. Thank you, Julie, for interviewing me for Manga Maniac Cafe. Best wishes and happy reading to you and your readers!
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!
Dark Light of Day can be pre-ordered from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the widget below:
By: Julie,
on 9/19/2012
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Laura Bickle is a favorite around the virtual offices, and I’m always delighted when she has time to drop in for a chat. Today we are going to talk about her soon to be released young adult title The Hallowed Ones. This is a scary glimpse at the end of the world! I enjoyed this thrilling, frightening, exciting read, and I wanted to ask Laura a few questions about it, so let’s see what she has to say.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Laura Bickle] Cat-rancher, Tarot enthusiast, and sometime salamander chaser. Writing urban fantasy and YA as Laura Bickle and Alayna Williams.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about The Hallowed Ones?
[Laura Bickle] Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers are free to experience non-Amish culture before officially joining the church. But before Rumspringa arrives, Katie’s safe world starts to crumble. It begins with a fiery helicopter crash in the cornfields, followed by rumors of massive unrest and the disappearance of huge numbers of people all over the world. Something is out there…and it is making a killing.
Unsure why they haven’t yet been attacked, the Amish Elders make a decree: no one goes outside their community, and no one is allowed in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man lying just outside the boundary of their land, she can’t leave him to die. She refuses to submit to the Elders’ rule and secretly brings the stranger into her community—but what else is she bringing in with him?
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Laura Bickle] I was thinking about what would happen if the end of the world came…I know this is a common thing to think about on an everyday basis! But that’s part of the joy in being a writer. I get to think about odd things.
I was wondering who would be best-equipped to survive a large-scale disaster. It occurred to me that the Amish would be uniquely equipped to survive. They are incredibly self-sufficient and are not dependent upon things we take for granted in our world, things like electricity and cars.
I live not too far from a large Amish settlement. When I was a child, my parents would take me to visit, and I was fascinated by a world very different than the one I lived in. I’d see Amish girls my age over the fence and wonder what their lives were like. And that’s where Katie came from.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you research Amish culture and traditions?
[Laura Bickle] I spent some time visiting the Amish settlement near where I live. I also did a good deal of reading…there are a lot of great books out there that look at the Plain way of life from a sociological perspective. National Geographic has also done a number of very good documentaries about the Amish. Many of the ideas were very foreign to me. For example, the Amish do not wish to be connected to the outside world, so power lines, phone lines, and electricity are not used. That kind of voluntary isolation is fascinating to me. The only parallel I can draw in my own life is when storms came through our area and we were without phone, cable, electricity, and internet for a week. It was very still and very peaceful.
I’m acutely conscious that I can’t know or understand everything about the Amish, never having lived in an Amish community. But I learned enough to develop an immense respect for the Amish way of life.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Katie?
[Laura Bickle] Katie is strong, quiet, and resolute. She’s a young woman growing into her power.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things would Elijah never have in his room?
[Laura Bickle] Hmmm…Elijah is the boy Katie has grown up with, who she expects to marry someday. Elijah is something of a straight arrow. He’d never have the keys to a car, a secret stash of Star Wars action figures, or anything with a remote control.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things Alex would never have in his pockets?
[Laura Bickle] Alex is an injured man Katie finds outside the boundaries of her community. Katie brings him inside her barn to recover, but can’t be sure what kind of evil he’s bringing in with him.
Alex is a graduate student in anthropology. You wouldn’t find any of the following in his pockets: more than twenty bucks, a comb, or directions to the nearest church.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Katie had a theme song, what would it be?
[Laura Bickle] Hmmm. Katie doesn’t spend much time listening to popular music, but she was caught by her father humming “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones while milking the cows.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Laura Bickle] My herd of cats would say they’re my greatest influences. There’s always one or two draped on me while I’m trying to type, trying to hit the delete key.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Laura Bickle] Quiet, Coca-Cola, and someplace to sprawl out.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Laura Bickle] FEVER by Lauren DeStefano. Her voice is so incredibly powerful – I can’t wait for the third book in the Chemical Garden trilogy. Both WITHER and FEVER were books that lingered with me for a long time after I finished – I love it when a story takes up real estate in my head and haunts me like that.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?
[Laura Bickle] My all-time favorite is Robin McKinley’s HERO AND THE CROWN. I read it when I was a pre-teen, and fell in love with fantasy ever after. It was the first book I’d read that had a female protagonist who slew her own dragons. I was hooked.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
[Laura Bickle] In my day job, I work in a library. I get to pet all the new books and come home with armloads of books to read for research and pleasure.
My husband and I are amateur astronomers. We were excited to finally get a break in the cloud cover to see a bit of the Perseids meteor shower this year.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?
[Laura Bickle] I love to connect with readers! My website is www.laurabickle.com. I blog about nerdy stuff like my action figure collection at http://laurabickle.com/category/blog/ I’m also on Twitter and Facebook.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!
You can order The Hallowed Ones from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the widget below.
By: Julie,
on 9/19/2012
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Welcome to my Stuck in a Good Book giveaway, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Valerie from Stuck in Books. This hop runs from September 20th to September 25th, and you can win lots of new reads. Click here for a complete list of blogs participating in the hop.
I recently read and enjoyed Kim Curran’s SHIFT, and I like you will, too!
When your average, 16-year old loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he’s not so average after all. He’s a ‘Shifter’. And that means he has the power to undo any decision he’s ever made. At first, he thinks the power to shift is pretty cool. But as his world starts to unravel around him he realises that each time he uses his power, it has consequences; terrible unforeseen consequences. Shifting is going to get him killed. In a world where everything can change with a thought, Scott has to decide where he stands.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Just fill in the widget below for your chance to win. Earn extra entries by following. US shipping addresses only, please.
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May Contain Spoilers
From Amazon:
When the vampire tribes convene for the rare Blood Moon ceremonies, Solange’s fight with her feral nature, a mysterious stranger, family secrets and forbidden magic put all of the Drakes in danger.
The POVs are: Solange, Lucy and Nicholas.
Review:
I love the Drake Chronicles, and if you had told me a few years ago that I would be eating up a YA series about vampires, I would have wondered what you had been smoking. The vampire craze never made sense to me, and I find other paranormal beings much more compelling. Give me a good zombie story, with lots of screaming and running for your life, and I’m happy. Give me a vampire story where the vamps aren’t romantic leads but terrifying, ruthless killers, and I might have been interested. But a story about a large brood of single, sexy vampire brothers (and one very confused sister), and I’m, like, yawn, so I have to thank Bloomsbury for sending the first book in this series to me, because they got me totally hooked. Thanks, Bloomsbury!!
Blood Moon picks up right were the previous installment, Bleeding Hearts, left off. Solange is losing her battle against her feral nature, and not even her BFF, Lucy, is safe in her presence. Solange is so unstable that her strong family doesn’t know what to do or how to control her. She lashes out at everyone, and she falls under the sway of Constantine, a powerful vampire with hidden goals of his own. When Nicholas goes missing, not even his sudden disappearance can mend Solange’s broken relationships long enough to find her brother.
I loved this installment, right up until the non-ending. That is non-ending number two for the series, and it’s something that tries my patience. While I am happy that there will be another book in the series, stopping this one almost in mid-sentence is disappointing. Even when a book is part of a series, I still expect each installment to have a beginning and an ending. I expect minor story arcs to get wrapped up, leaving the bigger plot thread for another day. It’s hard to recommend a book to my friends that just slams into a brick wall and ends with a “Well, see ya next time!” The momentum is lost by the time I pick up the next book in a series, and there’s an awkward period of adjustment as I struggle to remember who everyone is and what everything is about. I would rather wait until all of the pieces are released before wading into the thick of things, and I usually advise my friends to wait until a series is complete. Sorry, that’s just the way I roll. I refuse to read another George R R Martin book until A Song Ice and Fire is finished, because I hate the years and years gaps between his books, and that is probably my favorite series.
Blood Moon examines the relationship between Lucy and Solange, returning to the series’ roots. The action starts off with Lucy having to taser an ever more unstable Solange. It seems that even being her best friend is no guarantee of her safety. With Kieran bleeding to death after a ravenous Solange can’t resist feasting on his rich, enticing blood, Lucy is desperate to get him the medical attention he needs, as well as keeping herself from becoming a vampire snack. The constant push and pull between the girls was compelling; Solange doesn’t want to keep striking out at Lucy, but she just can’t help herself. With Constantine there to encourage her drinking fresh from the vein blood, she is spiraling ever faster out of control. Her hunger drives her, and she can’t quench it. And, oh, yeah, she’s hearing a voice in her head, one that urges her to think of no one but herself and to hell with the consequences.
I wish that Nicholas and Lucy had more page time together, because they are my favorite couple. Alas, he’s abducted, making cuddle time impossible. Lucy’s frantic efforts to find him are in vain, and I loved the scene on the school roof, which has her screaming out her fear, rage, and helplessness into the night air. Poor Lucy! I could feel her emotional pain, and I think I, too, would have felt so frustrated that I would have screamed uncontrollably until my eyes bled. For a girl who is accustomed to taking charge, to acting to save her friends, her helplessness was agonizing. For the first time in the series, she gives in to her fear. There is nothing she can do to save Nicholas except wait for him to be found, and that does not agree with her heart, or her personality, one little bit.
I enjoyed this outing with the Drakes right up until the non-ending, and if I had known about it, I would have held off until January, when Blood Prophesy hits stores. I am by nature impatient, so I hate these waits to see how all of the cliffhangers will play out. I’d rather hold off until the final book is released, especially for a series that I love, instead of getting annoyed by these dreaded non-endings. How do you feel about cliffhangers? Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Leave a comment and share your thoughts about them.
Grade: B- (minor deduction for the cliffhanger ending)
Review copy purchased from Amazon (I also received a finished copy from Bloomsbury after I purchased a digital version from Amazon. I will be giving this away soon, so check back if you’re interested!)
Thanks to {teen} Book Scene, hunky Nick from Daniel Marks’ edgy Velveteen dropped by for a short visit.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Hey, Nick, what three words best describe you?
[Nick] Uh…are there three words that mean awesome? I’ll go charming, thoughtful and flexible. Though if you asked Velvet, I’m sure she’d come up with different ones, probably of the four-letter variety.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us what you think of your new co-worker, Velveteen?
[Nick] She’s pretty scary, but I’m into that, apparently. I don’t think I would have ever thought twice about a girl like her when I was alive. We just wouldn’t have run in the same circles, but now that I’m with her all the time. I can’t stop thinking about her. She says it’s Stockholm Syndrome, that I’m only into her because I’m stuck with her. I don’t really care. She can hold me hostage forever.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Empty your pockets right now – what did you have in them?
[Nick] Lint. Ash. There’s always ash in Purgatory. You gotta ask me that question when I’m possessing a dead body. It’s crazy what people shove in their loved ones’ pockets when they think no one will ever see. Crazy. I found a petrified mouse one time, and I thought at first it crawled in on its own, until I saw it’s collar.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Is it hard being the hunkiest guy in City of the Dead?
[Nick] Well. That sort of comes naturally. No. I’m kidding. I’m absolutely not the hottest. I’m the second hottest. So when he moves on to wherever he goes, then. Then. I’ll be golden. Nah. I dunno. That’s weird.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Nick, if you had a theme song, what would it be?
[Nick] Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult. My mom loved old 70s rock and that song really says it all, doesn’t it? Because there was no reaper, get it. Okay. Stupid joke.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you! I know you are a busy guy, so I’ll let you get back to business.
You can purchase Velveteen from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the widget below.
About the book:
Readers of Carrie Ryan and Richelle Mead will love this dark revenge fantasy.
At sixteen, Velveteen Monroe was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.
The problem is she landed in the City of the Dead. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven either. Grey, ashen and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do there. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.
Bonesaw.
Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment he deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days.
It’ll be brutal…and awesome.
But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting could actually crack the foundation of her new world, not to mention jeopardize her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.
Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules . . . or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.
Bio:
Daniel Marks writes young adult horror and fantasy, spends way too much time glued to the internets and collects books obsessively (occasionally reading them). He’s been a psychotherapist for children and adolescents, a Halloween store manager, and has survived earthquakes, volcanoes and typhoons to get where he is today, which is to say, in his messy office surrounded by half empty coffee cups. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Caroline, and three furry monsters with no regard for quality carpeting. None. Velveteen is his debut YA fantasy (Delacorte/Random House Kids). Follow the author on Twitter: @dannymarksya Check out his Youtube channel! youtube.com/dannymarksya
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