I have a weird history with this book. I was utterly convinced that I'd read it before, but I remembered really bizarre parts of it, such as Shadow being cold in Lakeside and the secret of the klunker on the lake. I even watched season 1 of the new television show (enjoying it immensely), and … Continue reading Review: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
TARDIS Contest: Winners and Final Tally!
Thanks so much to everyone who submitted guesses in my crazy contest! And the final TARDIS tally: 34! Congratulations to the following: Kelly M., the random winner of a hardcopy of their choice from the Steel Empires series Kat S. and Jules D., who both guessed the closest at 32, the winners of an ebook … Continue reading TARDIS Contest: Winners and Final Tally!
Review: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
This year, many of the contributors to my other blog, Speculative Chic, all set New Year's Resolutions together. Some of them were to catch up on movies, others were to revisit an old favorite video game. Mine was to finally tackle the giant hardcover that had been anchoring my "to be read" pile since I … Continue reading Review: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Review: Heart of the Dragon (Supernatural #4) by Keith R.A. DeCandido
I usually avoid reading other reviews of books before writing my own, but for some reason I scrolled down when getting the links for this book. While it looks like the majority of the ratings are positive, the top few reviews that showed up on Goodreads absolutely trashed this book, which is unfortunate. You might … Continue reading Review: Heart of the Dragon (Supernatural #4) by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Review: WILDFIRE (Hidden Legacy #3) by Ilona Andrews
This was a thrilling conclusion to a major part of the Hidden Legacy story line. Nevada Baylor's family and her interactions with them are my one of my favorite parts of this series, and it was exciting to see plot progression on that front. For some reason, I had it stuck in my head that … Continue reading Review: WILDFIRE (Hidden Legacy #3) by Ilona Andrews
Book excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #14
It's been a whirlwind two weeks, but today is the last stop of the Steel Blood blog tour! If you missed any stops along the way, you can find the full roster at my Guest Blog page. For our final stop, author Weston Kindcade was kind enough to discuss his thoughts about Steel Empires Book 1: … Continue reading Book excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #14
Not your typical vampire: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #13
Author Jennifer Loring asking me the ever-important question about writing in the fantasy genre. What makes my vampires and other supernatural creatures stand out from the crowd? How did I put my own spin on the mythology while still making my characters recognizable? Take a quick look: My vampires fit the mold in that they’re … Continue reading Not your typical vampire: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #13
But I’m not a horror writer!: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #11
Yesterday, we got a look at the more "human" side of my main character, the vampire Victory (over here, if you missed it). And while I love that scene, it's not unique -- being a vampire is just part of who Victory is, which also includes being a partner, a mother, a politician, a mercenary, … Continue reading But I’m not a horror writer!: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #11
Book excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #10
Author Anna Zabo offered to host a short excerpt from Steel Blood on their blog for this stop of the blog tour! The scene takes place near the beginning of the novel, when Victory and Mikelos have arrived in the Qin Empire’s colonial city of Jiang Yi Yue. As a vampire, Victory was prepared to wait … Continue reading Book excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #10
Review: BONE KEY (Supernatural #3) by Keith R.A. DeCandido
My quest to become a genuine Keith R.A. DeCandido fangirl continues today with his second Supernatural media tie-in novel. I enjoyed this one a lot more than his first, Nevermore, for a variety of reasons. While I thought he did an okay job in Nevermore of capturing Sam and Dean's characters, I know that was a major complaint … Continue reading Review: BONE KEY (Supernatural #3) by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Meet Victory: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #8
Because our books are being released a week apart, I teamed up with fellow RDSP authors Lee Murray and Dan Rabarts to do a bit of cross-promotion. This morning, I interviewed the main characters of their upcoming novel, Hounds of the Underworld, on my blog, and they were kind enough to do the same! A quick … Continue reading Meet Victory: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #8
Writing strong female characters with Rhonda Mason: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #6
I have kind of a love/hate relationship with the "strong female character" trope. Today, with author Rhonda Mason, I talk about the ways the main character of my series falls into this particular urban fantasy stereotype -- and how I break the stereotype. A quick look: I’ve only been participating in programming at conventions for … Continue reading Writing strong female characters with Rhonda Mason: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #6
(Other) Excellent urban fantasy authors with Sara Dobie Bauer: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #5
There are honestly too many awesome urban fantasy writers in the genre to name right now, but fellow author Sara Dobie Bauer asked me to write about my top 5 favorite and most influential. Instead of a sneak peak at the text, I'll just show you a picture of a bookshelf in my living room. … Continue reading (Other) Excellent urban fantasy authors with Sara Dobie Bauer: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #5
The history of Limani with A.M. Justice: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #4
For the next stop on the Steel Blood blog tour, I couldn't miss a visit with my internet doppelganger, author A.M. Justice! We share a love of world-building in our fantasy novels, so she asked me to write a bit about how the city of Limani came to be. A quick look: But while the … Continue reading The history of Limani with A.M. Justice: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #4
New Book Excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #3
Happy book birthday to the third book in the Steel Empires series! Steel Blood features the continuing adventures of Victory and Mikelos, who couldn't quite manage to stay safe at home while their kids were off having adventures in Steel Magic. Today, the book is now officially available in hardcopy and ebook form from the following retailers: … Continue reading New Book Excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #3
STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Schedule!
Next week is the big week! To celebrate the launch of Steel Empires Book 3: Steel Blood, I've organized an awesome tour through the Internet with blog posts, author and character interviews, and short excerpts from the new book. Below is the official schedule, and I hope you pack a snack and join me for the … Continue reading STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Schedule!
Cara Recommends…me!
Today, my books were highlighted in a monthly feature by author Cara McKinnon, where she recommends other works that her readers might enjoy. I'm incredibly honored to be in such company as Martha Wells. Cara talks a little bit about what she enjoys about my books, and provides lovely little summaries about each book in … Continue reading Cara Recommends…me!
Review: NEVERMORE (Supernatural #1) by Keith R.A. DeCandido
There are four of us in a group of some of my best friends, and we're all fans of the show Supernatural (though some of us are more caught up than others, ahem). Along the way, we even acquired nicknames from the main characters, and it should surprise none of you that I'm Sam. So when … Continue reading Review: NEVERMORE (Supernatural #1) by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Review: WHITE HOT (Hidden Legacy #2) by Ilona Andrews
This series is a prime example for one of the major rules that applies to book buying: Don't judge a book based on its cover (or publisher). If you're already a fan of Ilona Andrews' other books, there's absolutely no reason that you won't also enjoy this series. The romance is there to support and … Continue reading Review: WHITE HOT (Hidden Legacy #2) by Ilona Andrews
Review: MAGIC BINDS (Kate Daniels #9) by Ilona Andrews
Once again, Ilona Andrews delivers a fast-paced novel with unique characters and plenty of drama and humor. I'm a sucker for a wedding, and we're quickly approaching Kate and Curran's (finally!). But Kate's evil overlord father has set up shop right outside Atlanta, and Kate has bigger things to worry about than dress fittings and … Continue reading Review: MAGIC BINDS (Kate Daniels #9) by Ilona Andrews