7.30.2010

Guest Author Gene Doucette + Giveaway!

Please welcome Gene Doucette, author of the novel Immortal which is an adult book that is a mix of science fiction, contemporary fantasy, and historical fiction, with elements of action/adventure and humor tossed in. Immortal will be released on October 1, 2010 and sounds like a really unique book!

Welcome Gene!

1. Please tell us about your novel Immortal?

Immortal is, as you described it above, a mashup of a few different genres: a little sci-fi and contemporary fantasy, some historical fiction, and a few other genres. The story is narrated by Adam, a man who has been around for roughly sixty thousand years. And in a lot of ways he isn’t anything special: he doesn’t get older and he doesn’t get sick, but other than that he’s fully capable of being wounded and—in theory—killed. So almost more important than the long lifespan is the fact that he is highly intelligent—smarter than I am, at least—and very clever.

The book flits between the present narrative—in which Adam finds himself in a fair bit of danger—and stories about his past that inform the present circumstances. We all draw from past experiences to help us understand current events. With Adam, that experience spans nearly all of modern human history.
 
2. How did you come up with the idea for this book?

I’m not all that sure, actually. The first draft of Immortal was finished a little over six years ago. All I remember is that I wanted to write a novel—this would be the third one I’d completed—and I wanted to write it in first person. Playing the role of immortal man as author just seemed like something fun to try. I had also been publishing as a humorist, and a lot of that was in first person, so it was a natural voice for me.

3. What are you currently working on?

That depends on what day it is. I have two novels that have been completed and are sitting around waiting for me to look at them again. Neither of them will be going anywhere until after Immortal is out, for different reasons. I’ll have to revisit both of them at some point. I also have a feature screenplay that’s won a couple of awards—based on one of the novels I wrote before Immortal, called Charlatan—that is done until someone else tells me it needs a rewrite.

The one thing I’m doing that does involve immediate writing has to do with a film project I’m not at liberty to discuss because of a non-disclosure agreement. (In my other life I’m a screenwriter, if you hadn’t guessed.) It’s a fun project, and should take up enough of my time while waiting for Immortal to debut that I don’t go insane staring at the calendar.

4. Who are some of your favorite authors?

I am simply in awe of Neal Stephenson. I don’t actually read a tremendous amount of fiction—perhaps unsurprisingly I spend much of my reading time buried in books on history and science—but when I do I like to pick up something that I simply can’t imagine writing myself. Stephenson is like that; he’s on an entirely different plane from the rest of us.

I’m also a fan of quirkier works that kind of fit into contemporary fantasy, except not really. Christopher Moore is a great example. Eric Garcia, too—he wrote a series of detective novels starting with the premise that dinosaurs didn’t go extinct, they’re just hiding. Good stuff.
 
5. What makes Immortal different from other books?

I think the narrative structure of Immortal is fairly different. Adam is an extremely informal, albeit not entirely reliable narrator. His take on history is interesting because he was there for so much of it, and if you asked him, he’d tell you that a lot of the stuff we consider epic in hindsight really wasn’t much of a big deal when it was happening.

But I’m cheating. What really makes the book different is that it’s a contemporary fantasy with the usual allotment of non-human creatures, but without any magic. Adam’s world is exactly like the world we live in because it IS the world we live in. It’s just that he’s been around for so long he’s managed to encounter some of the less common species most of us would have to live five lifetimes to come across.
 
6. What made you decide to not have any magic in your books despite it being a fantasy type story?

I don’t know if I can call it a decision, so much as a series of incremental steps. Fairly early into the book I realized I wasn’t going to get far in an immortal man story without some other fantastic elements, but it was important to me that this be a guy who simply lived for a long time. I didn’t want him to be a wizard or an alien or a god or anything that would somehow make his life experiences less applicable to us mortals. I needed him to be a version of you or me, just older. I also wanted the history he lived through to be our history as much as possible. If you throw magic into history, it affects a lot of things that I didn’t want to see changed.

One particularly cool consequence of swearing off magic is that it has helped me to avoid some of the tropes one sees in most fantasy novels. Fantastic beings are a little less fantastic, a little more down-to-earth, a bit more real than they might be otherwise. A place can be found for them in our world.

7. How long did it take you to write Immortal? What is your writing process like?

The first draft took only a few months, but there were rewrites so I guess I can’t really answer the “how long did it take” question definitively. And my writing process is a bit insane. I began Immortal with Adam, and with a vague idea of what the ending was going to be like. Beyond that I made it up as I went along. And I’ve approached everything that way: start at the beginning, keep going until I reach the end. I don’t take notes or outline or write sections outside of the order they appear in the book. And since I’m “the reader” I have to keep myself interested while I’m writing, so my first drafts tend to be propulsive and breathless; I only put in space to exhale and assess in later drafts. Basically, I write from the seat of my pants… while falling down a flight of stairs.

8. Will there be a sequel to Immortal? Will this be a series?

There is a sequel to Immortal, which is one of the novels I alluded to earlier. It’s called Hellenic Immortal, and it’s basically done, although since I’m the only one to have read it, that conclusion may be premature. And there will be a third book. I’m doing research for that book right now, a process that may take some time because I have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen in it yet. It has to exist, though, because there are questions raised in the first book that are not answered in the second book and will have to be addressed in the third.

Beyond that? I don’t know. There might be more books in Adam.
 
9. Who would you have play Adam the Immortal in a movie?

Hah! That’s a tough question. Adam looks thirty-two, so it would have to be an actor that could play that age. Both Robert Downey Junior and Johnny Depp project the kind of intelligence the role would need, but I don’t think either of them can pull off thirty-two any more. Jeffrey Donovan from Burn Notice could probably do it.

10. Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?

How about some links? You can read more about Immortal at genedoucette.me/immortal including a sample chapter. And genedoucette.me/category/immortal will give you a summary of my blog posts on writing it, plus some shorter book excerpts.

Immortal will be available from Amazon on 10/1/10. Your proverbial local bookstore will have it too, but probably not right away—hopefully before Christmas.
 
CONTEST:
Gene is giving away one copy of Immortal to one lucky reader. Contest is open WORLDWIDE so everyone is elgible to enter. Please note that he doesn't have ARC copies yet so there will be a slight wait to receive your prize. Contest will end on August 6th. Leave a comment or question for Gene about his book to be entered. Please leave your email address with your post so I can contact you if you win.

Demon Princess: Reign Check Review

Nikki Donovan is sixteen years old and just discovered two weeks ago that she is half demon, her father is a King in the Underworld, and therefore she is a demon princess! As if that wasn’t a lot to handle, she has to keep her identity a secret from everyone she loves.

When Nikki returns to school to see Rhys (king of the faery realm) is the new foreign exchange student; she fears that her secret will be discovered. He is Mr. Popular and all the girls are interested in him, little do they know he isn’t even human. Nikki finds him cute but his constant distrust of her because she is a demon is becoming kind of annoying.

King Rhys is visiting Erin Heights High School to investigate Princess Nikki since learning of her prophecy. Apparently she is going to destroy the world but they both doubt the validity of this prophecy. After all, how could a girl as sweet and innocent as Nikki hurt anyone?

Nikki misses her Shadow servant Michael and is upset that a relationship between them is strictly forbidden. Her best friend Melinda is acting really strange and then there’s that guy Chris who saw Nikki turn into a Darkling and hasn’t talked to her much since. Will Nikki be able to win the trust of King Rhys and put an end to all this prophecy talk? Will Michael find a way to visit Nikki despite their union being forbidden?

Demon Princess: Reign Check is the second book in a YA paranormal series written by the fabulous Michelle Rowen. Nikki is stuck in a love triangle between two boys who are complete opposites. She has strong feelings for Michael (her Shadow servant) but Rhys (the Faery King) is here in her world and is dateable.

Her relationship with Michael is so forbidden that it could possibly get him killed if anyone found out about it. But with Rhys, there are no laws about demons and faeries dating. Unfortunately Rhys has an intense hatred for Nikki’s kind and she isn’t someone he would want to date. But despite their differences, they have a chemistry together that is undeniable.

I enjoyed Rhys’ presence making things a little more complicated for Michael and Nikki. Although I am a fan of Michael, Rhys comes off as more mature and wise beyond his years. I think the fact that Nikki and Rhys didn’t like each other made me root for them to be together even more.

The story moved along at a fast pace with secrets to be discovered around every turn. I loved learning more about Demon Princess Nikki Donovan and I greatly look forward to the next installment in the series. Overall, Demon Princess: Reign Check is a fantastic, suspenseful, paranormal that kept me up all night reading until its exciting conclusion and I highly recommend it to YA readers!

7.22.2010

Winner of Liz Strange e-books!

The winner of the e-books  My Love Eternal (book 1) and A Second Chance at Forever (book 2) by Liz Strange is.....

♥s.shapeshift_ Congrats! Please email me through the link in my profile and I will forward your email on to the author for your e-book prizes!

Thanks Liz for guest blogging and to everyone for participating in the post!

7.16.2010

The Book Blogger Hop!

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy For Books where bloggers and readers get the chance to discover new blogs! This is my first time participating and it looks like alot of fun with over 200 new blogs to discover.

This week's question from Crazy for Books is:

RIGHT THIS INSTANT, WHAT BOOK ARE YOU DYING TO GET YOUR HANDS ON (PAST, PRESENT, OR FUTURE)?

Since I just finished reading Dark Flame - the fourth book in Alyson Noel's Immortals series, I am dying to read Night Star which releases November 16, 2010. That's a bit of a wait but two books a year is awesome, rather then only one!

Watch for my review of Dark Flame coming soon!

Welcome new readers! Below is an interview and giveaway with paranormal author Liz Strange. I have lots of reviews and interviews to read through so feel free to browse through my site. Thanks for visiting! And please leave a comment, I love comments!

7.14.2010

Interview with author Liz Strange + Giveaway!

Please welcome my guest author for this week, paranormal author Liz Strange! Liz is the author of the Dark Kiss Trilogy which currently consists of Book 1: My Love Eternal, Book 2: a Second Chance at Forever, and not yet released Book 3: Born of Blood and Retribution. She also has stories in two anthologies, Bonded by Blood II and coming soon, Unspeakable. Please welcome Liz Strange!


Hi Liz, thank you so much for guest blogging!

1. Please tell my readers about your books.
The Dark Kiss Trilogy is a dark paranormal romance series, which follows the “lives” of Rachel and Giovanni, and their circle of friends, allies, and enemies. The books primarily focuses on the relationship of the two main characters and those in their inner-most circle, but there is also a back-story involving a centuries old vendetta and the search for the first vampire.

2. What are you currently working on?
I am working on an erotic fantasy novel involving some of the secondary characters from the Dark Kiss.

3. Who are some of your favorite authors?
I enjoy Charlaine Harris, Tanya Huff, Michael Slade, Anne Rice, Kathy Reichs, and Karin Slaughter. I read mostly horror, fantasy, and mystery/forensic novels.

4. If you could be turned into a vampire by any famous person, who would it be?
 Oh, that’s so hard. I’d love it to be some powerful woman like Cleopatra, or someone really brilliant like Oscar Wilde.

5. If you could write a book about any subject and it would sell no matter what, what would you write about?
Well, in honesty I’ve already written about something that completely fascinates me – vampires. I guess I’d have to turn to my inner geek here, and say I’d love to write a story involving ancient cultures, and perhaps a historical mystery. I’d love to have a story set on Easter Island.

6. What inspired you to become an author?
 I get asked that I lot and it never seems to get easier to answer. It’s just something I’ve always had in me, ever since I was a little girl. I have so many things churning around in my brain, if you could see them, you’d understand that I need to write them down.

7. Do you have any weird phobias?
I do. I don’t like people touching my feet. It completely freaks me out. I also don’t like driving over bridges, clowns, and the idea of alien abduction.

8. You write paranormal, fantasy and horror books; what are the major differences in writing in each of these three different genres?
These genres all fit together nicely, but I think it’s the tone that sets them apart. Writing horror can be exciting, but also draining because it’s so dark. With paranormal and fantasy its lighter, for me anyway, though I do find that my dark tendencies do drift into most of my works. I enjoy all three because you can stretch your imagination, and create creatures and circumstances that do not exist in reality.

9. If you could have any magical power, what would it be and why that power?
 I’d love to be able to turn invisible. It would be so fun to be able to eavesdrop on situations I would normally never see.

10. Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers?
 I’d just like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their interest and support. Happy reading everyone!

CONTEST:
Liz is giving away an e-book of My Love Eternal (book 1) and A Second Chance at Forever (book 2) to one lucky reader who leaves a comment or question for her.  This contest will run for one week and will end on July 21st at 7:00 pm EST.  Open to everyone, everywhere!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating!

This is my first time participating in Waiting on Wednesday! Here is my pick!


                                                      
             When Blood Calls (book 1) by  J.K Beck
        August 31, 2010

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble


 Attorney Sara Constantine is thrilled with her promotion—until she finds out that she must now prosecute vampires and werewolves. The first defendant she’ll be trying to put away? Lucius Dragos, the sexy stranger with whom she recently shared an explosive night of ecstasy.

When Lucius kisses a beautiful woman sitting next to him at the bar, he’s hoping only to avoid the perceptive gaze of the man he’s planning to kill. But what starts as a simple kiss ignites into an all-consuming passion. Charged with murder, Luke knows that Sara is determined to see him locked away—unless he can convince her that he’s not a monster. And that might mean making the ultimate sacrifice.

My thoughts:
J.K. Beck is the alter ego for Julie Kenner whose urban fantasy trilogy I adored. I am so excited for this new trilogy by her and I can't wait to get my hands on this first book! I've already been hearing great things about it and I want to read it SO bad!!
 
 
 
                                    

7.13.2010

Winner of e-book of Once Bitten

The winner of  an e-book of Once Bitten by Trina M. Lee, a signed post card, and a vampire bite tattoo is.....

CECILE! Congrats! I will email you through the address that you provided. Thanks everyone for stopping by and stay tuned for my interview with author Liz Strange coming soon! Thanks Trina for guest blogging!

Blood of the Demon Review

Detective Kara Gillian has another case to solve and her abilities as a demon summoner who can see the arcane becomes useful once again for her investigation. Victims are turning up dead by what appears to be suicide but Kara knows the truth once she sees that their soul was sucked out of them.

What kind of creature would do this to people and why? With her aunt out of commission since losing her soul, Kara has no one else to turn to for advice so she summons her sometime lover and demon, Lord Rhyzkahl.


Kara has feelings for Special Agent Ryan Kristoff since working side by side with him on The Symbol Man case. He is well aware of demons and what Kara can see since he met a demon up front and personal last time.

But there’s something more to Ryan then Kara knows and even the demons know the truth. When one of them calls out Ryan, Kara isn’t sure if she can truly trust him anymore. She longs for affection from a human being but right now Lord Rhyzhal might just have to do.

The case becomes sinister when Kara realizes all of the people turning up dead are connected somehow. Will Kara be able to solve the case before another person’s essence is stolen from them? Will Ryan prove to be trust worthy or has he been lying to Kara all along? Can Lord Rhyzkahl be trusted and will Kara decide if she will become his personal summoner or not?

Blood of the Demon is the second book in a series by paranormal suspense author Diana Rowland. I was blown away by her debut book Mark of the Demon and could not wait to get my hands on this next installment.

Rowland pens a fantastic mystery with enough twists to keep readers guessing until the final showdown. The suspense is relentless and add in just a touch of romance to keep things interesting, made Blood of the Demon a sure winner for me. This was a fantastic book and I can not wait to see what happens next with Kara! The third book in the series is titled Secrets of the Demon and is due out January 4, 2011.

7.12.2010

Winter's Passage Review

Winter’s Passage is a free novella available online that takes place right after The Iron King ends. When we last left Meghan, Prince Ash had showed up at her door to take her back to The Winter Court, according to the oath that he promised to the Queen.

Never one to not keep her word, Meghan willingly goes with Prince Ash in the hopes to look for the injured Puck on her way there. But once again they are met with evil beings in the Nevernever who want to snatch Meghan away and bring her themselves to the Queen. Will Prince Ash be able to protect Meghan or will someone kidnap her before he can safely deliver her to the Queen?


Winter’s Passage starts off with some backstory of what happened in the previous book and then the action begins once again! After finishing The Iron King, I was so glad to have this novella on hand to read immediately afterwards.

 Anything written in this world is a welcome escape and it was great to run away with Meghan once again. I eagerly look forward to The Iron Daughter, the second book in this series. Overall, this is a fun novella but make sure to read The Iron King first because this will spoil it for you if you haven’t read it.

Download your legal free copy of Winter's Passage at this link.  Offer ends July 31st so don't delay!

Thanks Net Galley for providing me with this e-book copy for review!

Don't forget to enter my contest with Trina M. Lee for a free e-book at this link!

7.11.2010

Contest for The Dark Divine on Squeaky Books!

Enna Isilee over at Squeaky Books is having a contest giving away Bree Despain's The Dark Divine! Head on over to Ennalee's blog (Click Here) to find out how to win. In the meantime, check out this awesome trailer for the book!











Originally from this link

The Iron King Review


Meghan Chase has always realized something was different in her life. When she was six years old, she watched her father walk into a body of water and then disappear forever from her life. For some reason, her family tends to forget about her and she only has one friend, a guy named Robbie.

Meghan hopes for a great 16th birthday, but instead comes home to her four year old brother not being himself anymore. He’s been replaced with a changeling and her real brother is off in the Nevernever or Faeryland. This is what she is told by her friend Robbie who happens to be Puck from a Midsummer’s Night Dream.

Robbie aka Puck offers to take Meghan to the Nevernever through a closet door so she can search for her brother and bring him home. But along the way they run into goblins, trolls and other supernatural creatures that all see Meghan as an odd specimen in their world. Will Meghan and Puck be able to save her brother or will Meghan lose Puck and get trapped forever in the Nevernever?

The Iron King is the first book in The Iron Fey Series, which is a YA fantasy series by author Julie Kagawa. I wanted to read this book for a long time for numerous reasons.


1. The cover is absolutely gorgeous

2. The summary sounded really interesting

3. EVERYONE was talking about how great this book is

4. There are a ton of fantastic reviews highly recommending this book

5. It was published by Harlequin Teen and I have loved every book I’ve read from them so far

So based on these reasons, my expectations for The Iron King were through the roof. I would classify this book as fantasy and not a paranormal at all. It definitely has that ‘’take you away into another world’’ aspect to it and to me that is pure fantasy. The story starts off with introducing us to Meghan Chase and I had my first déjà vu moment.

A lot of reviewers complain a subject matter is too similar to other books, but I’ve rarely hard that happen to me. But it happened to me with this book. The first book I thought of was Michelle Rowen’s Demon Princess Series. There are a lot of similarities and I kind of felt like, ok I’ve read this already…but then it got really good and I forgot about how similar it was to Michelle Rowen’s book (which is a great book by the way!).

Every scene is so picturesque and I really felt like I was right there with Meghan on her journey to the Nevernever. This was such a cute story and I can see now what everyone was raving about. It’s easy to read, sweet, exciting, imaginative, suspenseful, and just a joy to read.

Sometimes I’ll read a book and I just get this warm feeling in my chest, like contentment, happiness that the book is so good. I had this feeling with Twilight, and now I’ve gotten it with The Iron King. I was so sad for this book to end and can not wait for my next escape into the Nevernever . Overall, I adored reading The Iron King and I will be without a doubt reading The Iron Daughter next!

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with this e- book copy for review!

7.09.2010

Winner of Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker

The winner of a copy of Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker is......

             SANDY JAY!

Congrats! I will email you through the address you provided. Thanks everyone for posting and thank you Marla for guest blogging!

Make sure to check out my interview & giveaway with Trina M. Lee, below this post!

7.05.2010

Guest Author Trina M. Lee + Giveaway!

Please welcome my guest author for this week, urban fantasy/paranormal romance author Trina M. Lee! Trina writes the Alexa O’Brien Huntress Series which currently consists of Once Bitten, The Wicked Kiss, and coming soon, Only Vampires Cry Blood. Also by her is The Gray Falls Trilogy which has one book out so far titled Lyric’s Gift. AND Trina also has a stand alone book titled Love in Death’s Embrace!

Thank you so much for being here today Trina!

1. Please tell us about your series, trilogy and stand alone books.

The Alexa O’Brien Huntress series is my main series. It’s my baby lol. Alexa is the main character. She’s a werewolf with mental abilities that she’s had since birth, before becoming a werewolf. There are two men in her life, a werewolf and a vampire, each of them part of her in a different way. There is a lot of romance but also a lot of action and drama.

 The Gray Falls Trilogy currently has just one book: Lyric’s Gift. It’s a bit of a sweeter romance about a vampire that saves the life of a psychic. She later has a vision that he’s in danger and goes out of her way to warn him.




Love in Death’s Embrace is a stand alone story about a vampire hunter that must kill a certain vampire and his entire bloodline in order to escape a curse. Falling in love with a vampiress of that bloodline makes that a tad complicated.


2. What influenced you to become a writer?

I started writing at a young age. I won my first writing award at the age of 9. I started writing so that I could be part of fictional worlds. Reading was always a big part of my life but I wanted to make my own worlds. By the age of 12 my writing was focused primarily on vampire type stuff. The movie The Lost Boys really got me into vampires.

3. What is it about vampires that readers find so alluring?

I’m not sure. I think it varies by reader. For me it was the darkness, their power and even their limitations, like being unable to walk in the sun. It set them apart from humanity, made them so much more than the rest of us, but a terrifying mystery as well. They are dangerous but I can’t help but be drawn to them. Some of the newer vampires, the ones that don’t drink human blood, they hold no appeal for me whatsoever.

4. What is your favorite book?

Vampire of the Mists by Christie Golden. That book actually made me cry. It’s a fantasy setting, the main character is an elven vampire. I love several books but this one remains a favourite.

5. If you could be any supernatural creature what would you be and why?

I think I’d have to go with vampire. I love werewolves too but vampires were always my first love.

6. If you could have one magical power, what would it be?

The ability to manipulate energy. From moving things with my mind to healing with energy, that kind of thing.

7. What are you currently working on?

Currently I’m working on a few things. A short story about two werewolves from opposing packs and their forbidden love. Also the 4th book in the Alexa O’Brien series and a new book that isn’t part of any series yet about a fallen angel and his reunion with a woman he’d once saved who is now a vampire.

8. If you had to describe your stories in one sentence, what would you say?

These are not your daughter’s vampires and werewolves.

9. What is a typical writing day like for you?

No day is ever really like another. I’m usually busy with promo, family and writing, there is a lot to juggle. Pretty much every day involves all three of these, though some more than others.

10. Who are some of your favorite authors?

Kim Harrison: Her Hollows series kicks ass, I love it.
Anne Rice: Her vampire chronicles were a big part of my world in my teen years.
Richard Laymon: His horror is the best. I’m picky with horror novels but his always freaked me out but kept me eagerly turning pages.

11. What genre would you love to write a book in but haven’t yet?

Horror. I really want to try my hand at it and plan to do so in the future, hopefully sooner than later.

12. What is your favorite TV show?

It was Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and I still watch the DVDs a lot lol) but for newer shows I’d have to say Castle for a drama type show and Two and a Half Men for sitcom.

13. If you had to describe Trina M. Lee in 3 sentences, what would you say?

Hmm that’s a tough one. Trina M. Lee spends more time with vampires and werewolves than the average person. She has a blunt, in your face attitude but is caring and compassionate. She loves animals and is a sucker for anything furry with four legs.

14. Do you have any plans for another series?

At this point my Huntress series still has a lot ahead. I plan to do some spin off books with secondary characters taking their turn in the role of main character.

15. What can we expect next from you?

Book 3 in the Alexa O’Brien Huntress series, Only Vampires Cry Blood, is coming out in the fall.

16. Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers?

There is a free read on my website, a prequel story to my Huntress series. There is also an excerpt for each of my books on my site http://www.trinamlee.com./ I look forward to meeting new readers and paranormal fans so feel free to email or contact me on twitter. Twitter.com/TrinaMLee

                                                               CONTEST:


Trina is giving away an e-book of Once Bitten, a signed post card, and a vampire bite tattoo to one lucky reader who leaves a question or comment for her on this post. The contest will end on July 13th at 7:00 pm EST. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. Contest is open to everyone worldwide!