I am so excited to announce that I was contacted not too long ago by Verity Linden at Curiosity Quills. Curiosity Quills is an active community site built around literature aficionados of various bents. This website posts articles about writing tips and marketing your books, as well as genre discussions. The site is also host to high quality free fiction in the form of a small number of serialised novels, and professionally edited short stories. They presented me with their idea for a new weekly review blogger column:
Review blogs are well established by now as one of the best and most popular routes by which readers find recommendations for good quality books in the endless slush pile of new and otherwise unknown authors. This is word of mouth, made grand and far-reaching by the power of the internet age, and Curiosity Quills plan to host a weekly column about it.
The column will focus on and interview a different review blog every week, talking about the blogger’s passions, favourite books, how and why they blog, personal projects and what makes them chose to review one book over another (as the TBR pile is always so much higher than the time available!), among other things. We want to highlight blogs readers can rely on for quality, unbiased reviews to help them find books they will truly enjoy.
And guess what? I am the FIRST review blog that they have interviewed. I was so honored that they contacted me. Plus, I think it's great that they are helping out us book bloggers by featuring us and our work.
I just want to say I had a great time doing this interview, though I found being on the other side of the interview quite nerve-wracking. I now give major credit to the many authors who I have interviewed lately because now I know how it feels. Though I know I wasn't the best interviewee ever, I still had fun, and I am so grateful to Curiosity Quills for this amazing opportunity to be a featured blogger this week. So, without further ado, please check out my interview by clicking this link: http://curiosityquills.com/book-blog-spotlight-reading-writing-urban-fantasy-paranormal-romance/
I also wanted to mention that CQ also runs Curiosity Quills Press, a small, independent publisher with a small stable of carefully chosen authors. Their catalogue for Review Copies can be found at http://curiosityquills.com/request-review-copies/.I actually took advantage of this and am currently reading Worlds Burn Through by one of their amazing authors, Vicki Keire.
After the end of Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series, I was undeniably depressed. I both love and hate when a series ends. I love that I got to be a part of a character's world and see their adventures to the end. But I'm also sad because I know I will miss reading about my favorite characters' lives. So you can imagine how ridiculously excited I was when I realized I had bought the branch off of the Weather Warden series called the Outcast Season series and simply forgot. It is set in the same world and my favorite characters from the Weather Wardens also make appearances. I devoured book one in under a day and now I am on book two. I LOVE this new series and am counting the days until book three comes out, which is on February 1st. Yaaaay.
Title:Unknown Series: Book #2 of the Outcast Season Series Author: Rachel Caine Teaser: They (bikers) surrounded my Victory in a ring of metal and bodies.
I straddled the motorcycle, tossed the empty bottle effortlessly in the trash twenty feet away, and said, simply, "Move."
They laughed.
"That's a whole lot of bike for you, lady," one of them said. "You sure you can handle it?" That woke suggestions from several about what else I could handle, or might want to.
For answer, I gave the speaker a brilliant, false smile. "Your bike is also nice," I said. "Is it a ten speed?" pg 106
Make sure to leave a link to your teaser so I can take a look. Thanks for stopping by.
Blogspiration is a Brand Spankin' New weekly meme hosted by both GrowingUp YA and Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers and writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation and just a little SOMETHING.
I don't have anything too inspirational for this week. But I did find this interesting YouTube video that made me smile. So I wanted to share that smile with the rest of you. Plus, I never put a video on a post before so this is kind of a practice run to see if I can do it. It's pretty sad when my adventure for the day is embeding code in a post for a video. :D
Hope everyone has a great week. Blogger Power Unite!!!
Esther Bochner, Senior Publicist of Macmillan Audio, contacted me recently. He generously offered to let me giveaway one paranormal romance audiobook of Retribution (Book #20 of the Dark-Hunter series) by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I want to thank him for providing such a wonderful prize to giveaway on my blog. He also gave me a sample audio clip that can be found at the bottom of my Review of Retribution. Please enter to win below.
Harm no human...
A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.
Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meets the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.
A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster...
Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.
Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect
Publisher: Dente's Heart (Self-Published) (December 2011) Genre: Dark Fantasy / Horror Pages: eBook Source: Review Request by Author Purchase at: Amazon Rating: ★★★★★
(5 stars)
Summary Father Polycarp has a Gift. He can bring peace and rest to the restless dead.
At his touch, each hungering corpse lies still at last. But to do this, he must first look into each one's blind eyes and find the remnant of the soul caught within the shambling corpse. He must witness each one's secrets, each one's suffering -- all that each had loved and feared and regretted in their brief lives. Only then can he absolve them and set them free. Only then will they cease to walk and feed.
But Polycarp may be burned for it.
In this alternate history of second-century Rome, the lives of the early martyrs are retold as a chapter in humanity’s long struggle with hunger and with the hungry dead. This isn’t your parents’ Sunday School. It isn’t your college bible study or history class. It’s the old stories coming back, with teeth, carved open so you can see every beat of their hearts. The Zombie Bible is a lethal series that wrestles with the violence of human hunger and the power of hope. This novel is its second installment.
The Good If I was going to write a one word review, it would be WOW. Just like the previous book, I was speechless when I finished What Our Eyes Have Witnessed. Litore once again surrounds us in a world so realistic, so horrific that you want to shield your eyes from the words that so effortlessly paint a picture of hope, despair, and hunger.
Father Polycarp has seen the withered souls of the walking dead in their sightless eyes. He knows what causes the dead to rise and devour without thought. It is the very people of Rome that curse themselves. In a time when Rome was fresh with rising power, its people appeased their dead ancestors with food while men, women, and children wasted away on the streets for circumstances beyond their control. Their dismal placement in the caste hierarchy dictates their future. A future of slavery, of hunger, and of death. But if the people of Rome could only see that it's this very separation, their rejection of people who they consider lower than themselves that has brought the very destruction they so helplessly want to end, then maybe Rome could thrive. Polycarp sees this. His followers see this. Regina, his closest friend, follower, and insula manager sees this. But the person who could do the most good, initiate the most change refuses to see. Cauis has lost too much already to yield. No, he will see the destruction of Polycarp no matter the consequences.
You can't help but admire Polycarp's determination and courage in this story. He looks the dead in the eye, sees their true selves, and sets their tortured souls free. He helps those who others throw away. He provides for those who cannot provide for themselves. And he stands up to his convictions even when faced with the possiblity of a horrific death by fire. And even when it is obvious that Cauis and the jury of his peers refuse to see the truth, Polycarp holds firm to his beliefs and faces the prospect of death with stoic calm and grace. This is a man I could truly admire.
I wanted to hate Cauis. A man with power who refuses to do what's right. But I found that I could easily sympathize with him. Because to him his acts of violence and unreasoning are the right solutions. Forcing himself to be blind to alternatives, he truly believes that the destruction of Polycarp, the desecrater of Rome's ancestors, the man who spreads his mass delusion to the youth of Rome, is the answer to silencing the dead that bang on the doors of the living. He is driven by the atrocities in his own life, and he truly wants to save Rome and its people. He is simply ignorant and rigidly set in his ways. To change the very social structure of Rome is unthinkable. He would rather hold onto the lies that Rome lives on while Polycarp would rather face the truth head on and find a resolution that benefits all. Cauis will always do what he thinks is best for Rome's aristocracy, even if it dooms them all.
Personally, I think this story is truly about Regina. The freed pleasure slave that has found a home in Polycarps insula. There she is domina, the head of the household. Her love for the man who freed her, Polycarp, is a love of depth, gratitude, and admiration. Though Polycarp may struggle with his attraction to Regina, he never allows such lust to come to fruition, even though Regina may wish it otherwise. In Polycarp's eyes she sees a better future for herself and all of Rome. I fell in love with Regina's character very easily. Her emotions are so strong and heart-wrenching that I almost wept for her pain. Her faith in Polycarp and his God may be tested, but she never fails to amaze me with her courage to stand up for what she believes in when it is most important. I loved the underlying tone of female empowerment in this book. In a time when women were considered almost worthless, Regina shows that women can also have the power to make a difference.
Litore has created a cast of characters like no other. They all have honor, strength, and devotion in their own way (well, almost all of them). Their faith, valor, and love are all tested, and in the end, each one comes out a hero (even Cauis in a small way) through their actions and words.
Though What Our Eyes Have Witnessed provides us with an alternative biblical history, it is not a religious story. It is a story of poverty, injustice, human frailty, as well as hope, courage, and belief in oneself. Oh, and zombies. Can't forget the zombies. Litore has a way of writing action scenes so chilling and real that you can feel the breath of the dead warm the back of your neck. There were many times that I couldn't help but hold my breath as zombies made their presences known. Their moans becoming louder as they neared. The sight of their disfigured bodies as they reached for another victim. This book was definitely chock full of zombies to satisfy any zombie-loving reader.
The historical content was abundant and obviously thoroughly researched. The characterization was superb, as well as the detailed description.
The Bad There really wasn't anything bad about this book. I loved reading every minute of it. I don't know how Litore did it but it even surpassed the first book of the series, Death has Come Up into Our Windows.
The Snuggly I loved the sexual tension in this book. It was nothing risque, it was actually quite charming.
Overall I still can't get over the beautiful horror of Litore's writing. This is a story of tragedy but with a glimmer of hope for the future. Regina was a breathtaking character that stole the show for me. She, and people like her, are what Polycarp is fighting for, and I can only hope that his teachings will show up in Litore's future Zombie Bible books. What Our Eyes Have Witnessed was another awe-inspiring take on the zombie genre that truly changed me as a reader. Even as I write this review my eyes mist over because Litore has created a world that even today slightly holds true. Looking past the zombies, you will find that Litore writes about the very core of human error and it has both humbled me and made me appreciative of the life I live. Highly recommended.
Quotes The alley was filled with dead. The light of the lamp Polycarp held brought them out of the dark, showing the gashes and bites in their gray skin in stark detail. For a moment, his hand shook, and the light guttered. The dead slouched and slid along the wall of the insula toward him; several milling at the outlet to the Via Aquae Bruneae turned their heads with unnatural slowness, and their eyes reflected back the lamp. Their mouths opened, filling the alley with the low groaning of their hunger.
~
The guardsman slid his captives from his shoulders; Regina felt the pavement hit her back and rump hard, and sucked in her breath. The fourth walking corpse bent and snatched at her hair. But the guardsman’s knife slid from its sheath in a song of metal, and he drove his blade into the creature’s chest. That did not slow it. Regina cried out as she felt her head lifted by the hair, her wrists tied helplessly beneath her. The thing’s face a shadow above her, its teeth reaching for her. She tried to speak, to beg, to scream – no sound came.
~
"We are all on trial,” he cried. “Our dead are here to demand answers, and we are out of time. We have to choose, now, this day. Will we have a City divided into the eaters and the eaten – a City populated in the end only by the hungry dead! – or will we build a City where we break bread together, all of us, Roman and Greek and Syrian, male and female, master and slave, not feeding on each other but feeding and sustaining each other? Give me your verdict, please, then let me rest. The past few days have been more exhausting than any in my life. I will admit that I would rather die in my bed than in a fire. But now, if you can’t manage to look at the truth and decide what to do about it, I am done talking with you.”
This Week's Question: Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why?
Answer: I really love all genres but I do try to avoid books with endings that are so horribly sad that I want to sit in bed and cry myself to sleep. But, when I really think about it, I do not like reading memoirs very much. I have read some pretty good biographies from famous or historical figures but memoirs by people I don't know is a no-go for me. I don't think I am interested in the western genre, but I am not really sure since I never read a book from this genre yet. Hmm, maybe I should read a western book first so I can say for sure if I like the genre or not. Probably shouldn't assume.
TGIF at GReads is a Friday Feature hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.com! The point of TGIF is to re-cap on this week’s posts and answer the question of the week!
This Week's Question: Buy or Borrow: Where do your books that you read come from? The bookstore? The library? Do you prefer to own a book, or have it on loan?
Answer: The majority of my books I buy from amazon. I love buying books in bulk about every one to two months. I never get books from the library. I like to own my books, plus I am a Germaphobe and library books creep me out because I know they have millions of germs on them. I have never been a part of book loaning or swapping either. I do get free books from publishers and authors occasionally, both ebooks and hard copies. I have recently signed up for netgalley.com which I am starting to love. So I will probably be getting my books evenly from amazon and netgalley for now on.
I still and will always love owning my own books. I love the feel of them in my hands and looking at the beautiful colors and designs of their covers. I like being able to reference back to them and marking them up when I find a quote I like.
Follow me and leave a comment and link to your Follow Friday or TGIF so I can follow back and leave a comment as well.
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (August 2011) Genre: Paranormal Romance Pages: 420 (Hardcover) Source: Personal Library (Purchased) Purchase at: Amazon / Book Depository Rating: ★★☆☆☆
(2 stars)
Summary Harm no human...
A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.
Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meets the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.
A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster...
Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.
Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect.
The Good I actually bought this book a couple months ago when it just came out. I read the first chapter then put it down and haven't picked it up again until a couple days ago. For some reason, Retribution just didn't keep my attention at first. But I did start getting into it the more I read.
Jess was an interesting character. He has a past that still haunts him, but he lives his life as a Dark Hunter with determination. He's strong, courageous, and sexy as hell. You can't help but feel bad for him with what he went through, so you really want him to have a happy ending.
Abigail has had just as hard of a life as Jess. She was brought up to believe lies that has pit her against the one person who is vital to her destiny. She has gone above and beyond to gain strength in the hopes that one day she will defeat the person who killed her parents. But we learn that Abigail might have been fighting the wrong side this whole time.
I like when girls get to kick just as much butt as the boys, so Abigail was a fun character for me. You can't help but feel horrible for her when she realizes most of what she has believed in has been a lie. But her determination to make things right is honorable, even if you want to yell at her to fight harder to live for the people she loves. And she does love Jess. Even in the small amount of time they had together, they find something in each other that they can't live without. And we learn their destiny goes farther back than anyone can imagine.
The action was non-stop and Kenyon's obvious research was very in-depth. You will learn a lot about Native American culture in this book. I loved the side characters, too. Ren and Sasha were hilarious. Choo co la tah was...interesting. At first I found him annoying because of his constant spewing of wise sayings but then I realized that's just how he rolls. *giggles* He is a little eccentric and it actually makes him more mysterious.
The Bad You might ask yourself why I didn't really say anything about the actual story. Well, that's because I just didn't like it at all. This is probably the worst book out of the whole series. The plot was confusing because Kenyon interwove so much Native American legends and mythology that I just couldn't keep track. I felt like she overcomplicated this story to the point that I wanted to give up trying to understand what the hell was going on.
Though I liked Jess and Abigail as characters, I did not like them as a couple. They tell us they love each other but it happens so fast it's unrealistic. I don't want to give too much away but their love comes more from past incidents. So I felt like we got jipped since we were not there to witness their love build.
A lot of the conversations were a little too corny for my taste. This book was filled with so much cheese that is was hard to swallow.
The ending was very dissatisfying. They spend this whole time chasing the bad guys then almost nothing is resolved at the end. Really? I mean REALLY? I don't like pointless books. The only thing Retribution does is set up a new dilemma for the Dark-Hunters to fix. Yay. In case you didn't catch it, that was a sarcastic yay.
The Snuggly One sex scene that seemed so out of place that I couldn't really enjoy it.
Overall I only mildly enjoyed reading some of this book. I liked reading about the characters and their personal stories of loss and pain (because that's the only time I felt emotion towards them), but that's about it. I would have given this book one star if not for the bonus scene at the end that shows Ash and Tory having their first baby. That was all kinds of fun right there. If you read this series, you might as well read this book since events in this installment will be important to know for the next books in the series. But I would not recommend this book for people who do not follow this series. However, I would recommend the series as a whole. I have always loved the Dark-Hunters and will continue reading every one of their stories.
Quotes "You keep talking to me like that, cowboy, and you might get lucky tonight."
"I already got lucky tonight."
"Mmm, so you're a one-shot-a-night guy, huh?"
He laughed in her head. "Ah, now, sugar, I didn't say that. The stallion never minds an all-night ride, especially when it's a wild one."
"Stallion? That's some ego you have there."
"It's not ego when it's true."
~ Jess pulled a couple (tissues) out and wedged them into his nostrils. He gave Abigail a sheepish smile. "Sexy, right?"
"Oh yeah, baby. You're so hot right now, if I was chicken I'd lay hard-boiled eggs."
I bought Retribution a while back when it was actually the latest published book of the Dark-Hunter series. But I didn't get to it for a little while. I started reading it a couple months back and just stopped. I couldn't get into it. Now I am almost done with it and found I liked it better as it went on.
Title:Retribution Series: Book #21 of the Dark-Hunter Series Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon Teaser:
"Oh my God! Are you all right? Are you alive? Did I hurt you?" She clutched at his body as if trying to find an injury. "Jess? Can you speak?"
It was so wrong, but he couldn't help grinning at her panic. No woman had been this scared for him in a long while. "Yeah, I can talk. But I kind of like the attention you're giving me. You want to grope a little lower, it'd be even better." pg 201
Please leave the link to your teaser so I can check it out.
Blogspiration is a Brand Spankin' New weekly meme hosted by both GrowingUp YA and Saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers, readers and writers alike. An inspirational quote/picture/video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation and just a little SOMETHING.
A friend of mine posted this on Facebook. It literally sent chills down my spine when I read it. You can't deny that this is the best, shortest horror story ever. It's so simple, yet its impact is huge.
There are so many scenarios that ran through my mind about what would happen next. I want to know who the hell is at the door! I actually found this story very inspirational in my writing.
Summary To escape the emotional turmoil of his father’s death 12-year-old Kevin Tobin has retreated inside himself, developing his imagination into a dangerous foil and a powerful ally. While he antagonizes everyone with his superhero antics, his ability to escape inside himself becomes critical to his survival after his life is once-again turned upside down a year after his father’s death.
When a mysterious package arrives in the mail, Kevin and his best friend are hunted by a ruthless villain who is determined to retrieve the package, which holds the key to his plans for world domination. After enlisting Kevin’s teenage sister and her pizza-delivery boyfriend in a battle for control over time itself, the group escapes into the mountains west of Boulder, Colorado and eventually discover that Kevin’s entire existence is because of the love of someone we never expected.
Kevin's Point of View is Del Shannon's debut novel and shows a deep appreciation for the powers of imagination, family ties, and the desire of young boys to both escape reality and prove themselves within it. The fast-paced, adventure-filled storytelling style makes this a book with wide appeal for readers of all ages.
The Good Kevin's Point of View is not my typical read. But when Shannon contacted me to review his book, he presented it in such a way that I had to know what this book was about. And I can honestly tell you I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It has non-stop action, a great protagonist that you continuously cheer for, and a seriously evil bad guy that you can't help but yell out "Why won't you die?" every time he shows up to once again wreak havoc.
I was surprised how heartfelt some of this book was. Kevin has not been the same since his father died. The only way he can deal with the pain of his father's death is to retreat into a fantasy world where he has complete control of his surroundings and actions. A place where no emotions and real-world problems can find him. Surprisingly, Kevin's creative imagination becomes vital when Devin, the bad guy, stops at nothing to retrieve his Influxitron. The very item that was mailed to Kevin by mistake. Through the help of his family and friends, Kevin escapes Devin's reach time and time, but this frightening chase of cat and mouse is not simply a scary adventure. The Influxitron, the very thing Devin is after, has the power to change the future in a catastrophic way.
Kevin made this book. I literally cried from laughing so hard in just the first few chapters. Kevin's antics as Captain Disaster was down-right hilarious. How he created a fantastical world in his head and related it to the real world was pure genius. If for no other reason, I had to keep reading this book just to see what shenanigans Kevin got himself into next. And his friend Tony is the perfect contrast to Kevin. Tony is a realist, he can't hide from reality as Kevin so easily does. And so Tony is the constant worrier, though I can't blame him. If I had Devin and his lackeys trying to chase me down and kill me, I'd be freaking out like crazy. I think Tony's fear is what helps Kevin take charge of every situation. He has to be the brave one if they both want to get out of this situation alive.
I loved the fact that Betsy, Kevin's sister, and her boyfriend, Scratch, were caught up in the mix. Scratch, the pizza delivery boy, really made me smile every time he showed up. He had a way of making light of a dire situation to the point that I was in hysterics, even when the bad guys were winning. Scratch was the much needed comedic relief that helped me get through this book, even when I was tense with anxiety (which was all the time).
Devin is the perfect devious bad guy. I truly hated him from the start and wanted bad, bad things to happen to him. There is no redemption when it comes to Devin.
Shannon has somehow weaved together an adventurous and mysterious plot with a mosaic cast of characters that when brought together produces reader gold. How he could amp up the action with every turn of the page is beyond me. Reading this book is like being on a constant adrenaline high. And even through all the action and suspense, Shannon found a way to evoke emotions that even the most cold-hearted person could not deny.
And the ending. Can anyone say 'wow'? The conclusion of this nerve-wracking tale is nothing short of brilliant. How everything was wrapped up and explained had me walking away satisfied.
The Bad Halfway through the book, when we have not only Kevin and Tony running for their lives, but Pudge, Betsy, and Scratch, too, I felt Kevin was put on the back burner. He was the character I came to love from the get-go so I wish the focus stayed on him throughout the novel.
Pudge was a little childish for me, especially since he was suppose to be an adult.
The Snuggly This is a very clean book. Great for schools to carry.
Overall I have to applaud Shannon on a job well done. I truly enjoyed reading Kevin's Point of View. I am so happy I decided to go outside of my comfort zone and read a book unlike my usual genres. And I want to thank Shannon for sending me a signed copy of his book. This was an expertly and cleverly written story that caught my interest and never let go.
Quotes "What on earth possessed you to jump out the
bathroom window without clothes on, Kevin?" she asked in her
'my-life-is-too-hard' voice. "What will our neighbors think? I'll tell you what
they'll think. They'll think I let my children run around naked in the backyard
before school because I'm two sandwiches short of a picnic. Then they'll cart me
off to the asylum, which might not be that bad, because then I may actually get
some time to myself."
~
"Have you ever noticed that the way you puke is unique?" Kevin offered after Tony's last gag.
"What?" Tony asked, not really believing Kevin would be asking such a stupid question right now.
"Well, you've been puking for the last few minutes and I couldn't help but notice that the way you hurl is kind of unique," Kevin continued. "It's your own personal thing. Like the way you write, or the way you walk. You can't hide the way you puke because it's the way you are."
Let me introduceS.A. Archer once again. He is the fabulous author ofCursed (click for review), book 1 of the urban fantasy series Touched. For the Cursed blog tour, he has supplied us with a fascinating guest post that anyone who loves urban fantasy must read. And don't forget to check out my interview with him where he reveals how he came up with the idea for his many books in the The Sidhe world. And especially don't forget to enter the giveaway where one winner will receive all 5 books of the Touched series.
Playing Fair with Readers in Urban Fantasy
by S.A. Archer
Back before I started writing stories in the world of The
Sidhe, my partner S. Ravynheart and I role played these characters. When you
role play, you need to have certain rules so all the players are on the same
page. For our game we determined that all fey characters could use
teleportation and Glamour, which could disguise one’s appearance. The Sidhe
would be the only type of fey to possess the magic of the Touch, and it
required skin contact. And then lastly, each Sidhe would possess a single focus
of magic. So Rico, who appears in Cursed, has ‘storm’ as his aspect of magic.
Not only can he cause rain to start and stop at his command, but any possible
aspect of a storm would potentially be within his domain. So he could also
produce lightning or hurricane force winds.
Even with such nicely defined rules clearly stated on the
game page, occasionally we had players who wrote scenes where their character
did something beyond their defined capabilities. I had a hard time explaining
this to one player in particular. Her character was a Sidhe whose aspect of
magic was healing. In her scene she wrote that her character manifested a
fireball and threw it at an enemy. As the moderator, I paused the game and
reminded the player that she could only use teleportation, Glamour, the Touch,
or her healing power. If she could not explain how her character created a
fireball from one of those abilities, she was going to have to re-write her
scene. She argued that her character used magic to create it, because the Sidhe
were magical creatures. She thought her character could do anything she had a
notion to do, and simply state magic was how it was accomplished. On her second
attempt, her character levitated an object. Once more, I called her aside and
explained that her character could only do the clearly defined magic that was
within her capabilities. Third time was a charm. She realized she couldn’t use
any of her magic defensively in the situation. Instead, she had the character
grab a pistol from a fallen enemy and shoot at her approaching attackers.
Bull’s-eye. It was a wonderful scene with a creative solution to the problem
and it stayed within the rules of the game.
While having rules to govern magic makes sense in a role
playing game, you need to have the same rules when writing any sort of fantasy
world. Just like you want to play fair with other players in a game, you have
to play fair with the readers. Even if you don’t spell out all of the rules in
your magic system, as a writer you need to know them and understand how they
work. In a story an author might be tempted to use ‘cheater magic’ and just have
their character cast a fireball at the villain, but if their character is not a
fire-wielder then they just cheated their readers. How much more exciting to
find your character facing a situation that their magic can’t get them out of,
and then think outside the box and come up with a creative solution? The
readers will be thrilled by the story twist and the impact of the action will
be far more intense.
London presented a wonderful challenge in Cursed. As a human
among the fey, she is at a disadvantage. It’s easy to give in to temptation and
have her go all ninja on the fey who attack her, but she is not an expert in
ninjutsu. Beyond some simply street fighting and her average ability to fire a
bullet in the general direction she intended, she has to rely on her wit and
determination. And occasionally on the belated good sense to just get the heck
out of Dodge. It makes her more real and the story more believable. It also
heightens the tension and excitement for the reader.
I would like to introduce S.A. Archer, the author of the Touched series, one of three interlacing stories of The Sidhe super series. Archer recently sent me the first ebook of the Touched series, Cursed (click for my review). Suffice it to say, I fell in love. I was blown away with Archer's eloquent writing and amazing ability to weave a story that both awed and surprised me. Archer was gracious enough to answer a few of my questions about his writing and his life. And...wait for it...he is actually letting me giveaway the whole, five book Touched series in the giveaway at the end of this interview. Don't miss out, make sure to enter for a chance to win.
Jennifer: I
have to say, I was blown away with how much story, action, and drama you could
pack into one novelette. No one can deny that you have spun an intriguing and
unique world of Sidhe, vampires, werewolves, and wizards. How in the world did
you come up with the concept for Cursed, as well as the Touched series?
Archer: Actually, the
world building for the stories developed out of an intensive year-long role
playing game between S. Ravynheart and myself. At the time it was just for fun.
Between the two of us, we drafted a history and a system to govern the rules of
magic. We each created and played several different characters. The innate
conflict between the Seelie and Unseelie Sidhe spawned a massive adventure. It
was an amazingly intense and in depth experience for both of us that became
something of an obsession for a while.
As amazing as it
was for us to be immersed in this world, it seemed a shame that we couldn’t
share our excitement with anyone else. Outside of role playing, I was already a
fiction author. Ravynheart was already a graphic designer. We had the skills to
morph the intense role play into a high-impact adventure with deeply developed
character that (we hoped) would thrill readers.
Because each
character believes in the rightness of their cause, we didn't want to say
'these are the good guys and these are the bad guys.' We wanted readers to be
able to see the Seelie Sidhe, the Unseelie Sidhe, and the 'outsiders' like
London and the vampires and wizards, and choose for themselves who they wanted
to cheer for. The most natural solution was serial fiction. We developed three
mini-series, which includes the Touched mini-series as well as The Champion of
the Sidhe and the Rise of the Unseelie mini-series. By using the smaller story
arcs of novelettes and hopscotching them along as the characters grow and their
stories develop, we are able to interlace the series. Because this is all part
of one massive world, the things that happen in one series will have
repercussions in the others.
Jennifer: That's pretty much the most fascinating reason I have ever heard to write a series. But for those out there who have yet to sample your genius, can you tell us a little more about Cursed and the Touched series?
Archer: Thank you! You
flatter me!
Well, as you
mentioned, Cursed is the first of five books in the Touched mini-series. London
Eyer is a private investigator, and a human, used to working with parahumans.
Parahumans are the supernatural individuals who were once human, such as vampires
and werewolves. As you can imagine, these cases require both skill and
discretion. While London is accustomed to the ways of the parahumans, she is
not at all prepared for the fey. Recently, she had an assignment for a couple
of wizards to locate a Changeling named Deacon and bring him to them. Sounded
simple enough. And once the job was over, she thought she could move on with
her life. Only, she didn’t realize there was a centuries-old feud between the
fey, who are innately magical, and the wizards, who view the fey as livestock.
That’s where the
story in Cursed begins. Rico, a Sidhe who is devoted to keeping the wizards out
of Ireland, discovers what London has done. Because she is obviously not to be
trusted, working for wizards and all, he ‘hires’ her in a way that will ensure
her loyalty and devotion to him. He Touches her. While the Touch of Sidhe magic
is a natural and enjoyable thing for the fey, it is a curse to humans. Once the
magic saturates a human they will forever crave it. After the magic wears off,
if they do not receive the Touch again, it will become a desire so desperate
that it will drive them to any length to get it again. Throughout the Touched
series, London will be struggling with the consequences of her addiction to the
Touch. More than anything, she wants to regain control of her life.
Jennifer: Just
reading the synopsis again gets me super excited. I think I'll go read Cursed
at least one more time. But before I do that, I have to know, what kind of
books do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors and which novels are
your favorite? Have any inspired you and your writing style?
Archer: I am
definitely an urban fantasy fanatic. I'll at least give a book a shot if there
are psychics or fey characters. I'm a little more picky about the vampire and
werewolf books, just because there are so many out there now, and a lot of them
revisiting well-worn themes. i.e. the regretful vampire in search of redemption
or the werewolf who despises his inner beast. Anytime I find a story about
someone who has something about themselves that is uniquely special and they
waste time bemoaning the fact that they are not boring and normal it loses my
interest. If I want boring and normal, I can find it on my own. I don't need an
author to transport me into a world aspiring to achieve it.
My favorite
authors are the ones who write characters that burst into life, who can weave
an intense plot, and who masterfully incorporate supernatural or magical
elements. I have read Firestarter by Stephen King probably a hundred times. I
really liked Watchers and Lightning by Dean Koontz. For me, reading anything by
Christine Feehan is like looking at an oil painting, her descriptions are so
beautiful and rich. More recently I was blown away by Nightlife by Rob Thurman.
All of these books have the elements that grab me by the collar and drag me
into a story world and won't let me go until I reach the end. That is exactly
what I am striving to create with the Touched series.
Jennifer: Great choices. I love King, Koontz, and Feehan. I agree, Feehan has a way
with words that depicts such a beautiful picture you can't help but keep devouring
every word she writes. So we have some insight about you as a reader but how
about you as a writer. Do you have a specific writing technique or process you
follow? Any tips you have to share with fellow writers just starting out?
Archer: I am a
discovery writer. I have to let the characters live and breathe and tell their
own stories. This can be the most amazing thing when it is flowing and the most
annoying when it is not. When you are a discovery writer, you absolutely cannot
shoehorn the characters into doing something out of their nature or they rebel
and cut you off. And on the flip side, when they are in the mood to reveal story,
if you can at all, drop everything and write it down; you are better off
writing at that moment than trying to remember the details and voice until a
more convenient time. I have been awakened at three in the morning and had to
get up and write for an hour or two until the scene played itself out. For me
the scenes almost never come out in order either. For example, the first book I
wrote for London was Enchanted. I just saw the opening scene and followed
London, who was entirely new to me at the time. After it was done, I knew I
needed to present the reader with how she became cursed in the first place, So
I asked her to show me that, and the story Cursed was the result. Eventually
her full story has been revealed, and now Enchanted is going to be her third
book.
Jennifer: I am
right there with you. I can't count the times my characters and I have fought
over how the story should proceed. The characters always win. So now we know
more about you as a writer, but what do you like to do when you’re not writing
amazing books? Have you always wanted to be a writer? What do your friends and
family think of your writing?
Archer: Not writing?
*Blinks. Blank look. Mouth open as I search for an answer for something I can’t
conceive.* Pretty much if I am not physically writing at any particular moment,
I am thinking about the stories and the characters. I have been informed that I
am (slightly) odd because I live in the world of the fey as much as I do in
reality, but I am ok with that. I have always wanted to be a writer. It was not
until the bold, new world of indie publishing did the possibility of actually
making a living as a writer seem possible. That is my dream and my goal, to be
able to work as a writer full time and submerge myself even more in the stories.
*Thinking about that and laughing to myself* Although, that doesn't necessarily
sound particularly healthy, psychologically speaking, I think I can manage it.
I’ll just be like J. R. R. Tolkien and create a wondrous and massive world that
exists beyond the story. A place where the readers will find the same enjoyment
and escape that I do. My family is supportive and they are cheering me on, even
the ones that don’t ‘get’ urban fantasy.
Jennifer: I laughed when you said "even the ones that don’t ‘get’ urban
fantasy." I have a couple of those in my family. They are my favorite to
turn. Okay, now it's time for an odd question, just a bit of fun to gain a
deeper understanding of the way you think. Out of all the characters you have
created, who would you most like to sit down and have dinner with? Why? What
would the two of you talk about and what would both of you eat?
Archer: I had to
chuckle at this question. Ravynheart and I have been out to restaurants
laughing and going back and forth about our characters. I’ll be expounding the
great and poetic wisdom of the noble and honorable Seelie, like my character
Lugh. All the while, Ravynheart will be countering me at every turn with the
inborn BS-detector of his Unseelie character, Donovan.
To answer your
question, though… I think I would really enjoy hanging out with Kieran, one of
the earthborn Unseeile Sidhe. We’d have dinner at the Glamour Club, a fey-only
night club Donovan set up in downtown Kilkenny, Ireland. Over hot wings and
nachos I’m sure Kieran would regale me with tales of his conquests. He’s
nineteen, too good looking for his own good, and even among the casually sexual
fey he’s got a reputation as a playboy. I imagine he would also share humorous
accounts about the progress in magic training for the other young earthborn
Sidhe. The fey are as graceful as cats. When it works it is amazing to behold,
a lithe body moving with agility and beauty. When it doesn’t work it is an epic
fail, and funny as heck. After laughing and sharing stories over bar food with
no nutritional value what-so-ever, we’d probably hook-up with some of the other
fey in the Glamour Club and dance the night away.
Jennifer: I
think it's great how you and Ravynheart have immersed yourselves into these
books and characters. It really shines through in your novels. Which leads me
to my next question. Can you tell us a little more about your other series
because I know that the Touched series is not your only realized form of
genius. What are you currently working on?
Archer: I am glad you
are enjoying them, Jennifer! You are right, the Touched series is one of three
series that are taking place simultaneously. We begin the other two series with
opposite viewpoints on the same event. After centuries of conflict, the Seelie
Court is about to unite with the Unseelie Court, much to the resistance of the
Unseelie. Many of the fey have always believed that if the light and dark
courts ever united it would destroy their world. And sure enough, at the very
hour the unification is to occur, the Mounds, the home of the fey, begins to
crumble. While many Sidhe die in the Collapse, at least two survive, Lugh and
Donovan.
The Champion of
the Sidhe series follows Lugh. As a proud and noble Seelie, he is positive that
the Collapse was caused by the treacherous slaying of the Sidhe All-Mother.
Without his home realm to recharge his magic, Lugh, and all the fey who were
connected to the magic of the Mounds, are beginning to Fade. As Lugh is coping
with the loss of his people, he learns of a way that the magic might be
restored for those that have survived, but he is Fading faster each time he
used his magic and there are predators hunting the blood and magic of the
Sidhe.
The Rise of the
Unseelie series follows Donovan. As former head of the Unseelie Elite, Donovan
traveled often to the earth realm where many Unseelie exiles have fled over the
decades as the Seelie gained more and more power in the Mounds. He discovers
that the Unseelie of the earth realm are not subject to the Fade. More than
just that, it has caused a baby boom of sorts. The Sidhe live for thousands of
years and in their lifetimes usually only produce two or three offspring. The
Unseelie exiles have been reproducing as swiftly as humans. Most of these
earthborn Sidhe are in their early twenties or younger, and most of them have
little or no magic training. Unfortunately, the predators can spot a Sidhe, and
these earthborn are easy prey. Determined to save his race from extinction,
Donovan begins to gather together and train the earthborn Sidhe before the
vampires, wizards and less scrupulous fey of the earth realm slaughters them
all.
The Touched
series follows London. She’s used to dealing with parahumans, like vampires and
werewolves. She’s even taken on a few assignments for wizards. London is not
only an outsider to the politics of the fey, she is barely even aware of it.
Until she meets the Sidhe that curses her, that is. Now she has no choice but
to learn everything she can about the Sidhe, most especially how to get another
hit of the magic she craves before the agony of her addiction becomes
unbearable.
Each of these
three mini-series will be 5 books long. At the moment I am working on the third
books in the Seelie and Unseelie lines, and the fourth book in the Touched
line. The series really starts to have a lot of crossovers by this point and
I’m working on weaving things together for the big events in the fifth books. I
can’t wait to share with you what is going to happen, but I am sworn to secrecy
or Ravynheart will thump me. I am so bad about keeping secrets. But think of
the fifth books like the big season finale. With the overall storyline we have,
there are at least few years worth of books to come. That is one of the really
cool things about the way we are serializing the stories. More than anything I
hope everyone comes along for the ride, because it will be intense and
extremely awesome. I promise.
I want to thank S.A. Archer for supplying us with such a wonderful interview and for putting up with my persistent and sometimes odd questions. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did. And don't forget to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win all five ebooks of the Touched series.
This Week's Question:What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to get your hands on any particular book?
Answer: I can't really think of anything too crazy. I am pretty good at waiting the many months it takes for the next book of a series to come out. The only thing I can think of is that I once spent almost $300 for a whole bunch of books when I first started reading for leisure again a couple years back. I think I was trying to catch up at the time, so I bought every book that looked interesting.
TGIF at GReads is a Friday Feature hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.com! The point of TGIF is to re-cap on this week’s posts and answer the question of the week!
This Week's Question: Recommend It: Which book from the last 10 you've read would you recommend to a friend?
Answer: I just recently read Total Eclipse, the last book of the Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine. I effing love this series. It was well written and every book kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't really recommend that you read only the last book, so I have to recommend that you read this whole series. It's very different from the other Urban Fantasy books I have read recently. No vampires or werewolves. It is quite refreshing. It is packed with action, suspense, and a very cute love story thrown in as well. Every character is unique and integral in making this series one of the best I have ever read.
Summary As a private investigator specializing in paranormal problems, London Eyer thought she could handle working for the Sidhe. They couldn’t be any worse than vampires or werewolves or wizards, could they? Oh, how wrong she was. One ‘Touch’ of Sidhe magic and she was cursed. Her only chance to survive is to serve the creep that cursed her against the vicious Changelings out for his blood.
The Good Cursed is the first of five short stories from the Touched series. The Touched series is actually one of three series of The Sidhe, a linear set of stories that interweave the Champion of the Sidhe, Rise of the Unseelie, and Touched series.
In Cursed we meet London, an investigator of paranormal problems, who may have bitten off more than she could chew with her next assignment. After Rico curses London to crave his Touch, London has no choice but to let Rico drag her into a war among the parahumans. It is her job to gain the information Rico desires because without his Touch, London may be forced to make some decisions that will change her life...or cause her death.
I don't even know where to begin. This book was brilliant. I was sucked into this dark world of magic and paranormal creatures and pretty much didn't want to leave. I don't know how he did it, but Archer created an amazingly fantastical story that said so much in so little words.
London is a tough chick who's been put in a rather crappy situation. But she takes it all in stride as she does what needs to be done to save her bacon. She kicks ass and takes names, then kicks more ass. It's awesome!
Oh, and the Fey. The creepy, beautiful Fey that have no limits and will doing anything for their brethren. I both hate and love them. I hate what Rico did to London, but I soon found myself seeing his side of things and understanding why he takes such drastic actions.
I loved the action in this book. The fights were fast and gritty. London not only utilized her amazing skills with a gun, she also knew how to use her body as a weapon. A girls gotta be multi-talented this day in age. Especially living in the world London does.
I loved the assortment of creatures and species. A dash of mischievous wizards, a trickle of crazy changelings, a dollop of sexy Fey, and a drop of blood thirsty vampires. It was all so very exciting and terrifying at the same time. I don't know how Archer had me so nervous and eager to continue reading with such a short story. He even had time to supply us with some important history that helped the world building. Oh, and I can't forget the writing. Archer knows what he is doing when it comes to a flawless writing style and structure. Cursed was a seriously dark adventure, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
The Bad The only part that bothered me was how short it was. But I can't really fault the author since that was his goal the whole time. But it does take some time getting use to the abruptness of some of the scenes in the novelette.
The Snuggly We definitely get some sexy scenes but no real sex. Expect some bumpin' and grindin'.
Overall Even though it was very short, something I will have to get use to, I really loved this story. No doubt in my mind, I will be reading this whole series and the two companion series that go with it. If you like urban fantasy, adventure, and some good fighting scenes, then you will love this novelette. Highly recommended.
Quotes The scuttling sound of claws and scales against stone came from above. London searched the shadows overhead. As the creature hung upside down from the rafters, its huge eyes glistened wetly. Humanoid in basic anatomy, the thing was skeletal thin. Arms legs half again as long as a human’s and oddly jointed so the knees and elbows angled backward like a mosquito. The flesh, as best as she could make it out, was a nearly black green. The ears pointed a full hand span above the top of its bald head. The rows of teeth it bore in its gaping mouth were needle sharp and inches long. Show… No… Fear…
