Sneak preview ...

The fabulous Mardel a.k.a. Rabid Reader has an exclusive sneak preview of Ch. 2 The Bitter Seed of Magic on her blog. So, go read! Go on, you know you want too :-D

Oh, and she says some wonderful things about my books! Thank you, Mardel! *BLUSHES* #I♥RabidReader

What to read next ...

I have just finished reading this wonderful book* - loved. Loved. LOVED it - and now have an embarrassment of book riches to choose from next.

*If you haven't read it yet, go read! Brilliant, fantastic story full of wood-elves, a hot half-fairy, and a heart-warming best friend :-D


But ...

I have a TBR pile dilemma.
 

These are the books I managed to sneak* out of Gollancz Towers last week when I visited my lovely new editor, Gillian. (makes everyone drool with envy *g*)





*I ♥ my editor! As soon as I arrived she handed me this book, (6 down in the left pile) 'cos she knew I'd love it :-) Then she let me raid her bookcase! Yay!
  

Plus I have 32! Yes, 32! books on my kindle!

Opps, not sure how that happened ... *one click has a lot to answer for*
 

Then there's this fantastic book which I've been desperate to read ever since I knew Jon was writing it! 

After all, Jon writing vampires in Venice! I know it's going to be freaking fang-tastic!

Big Thanks and {hugs} to Jon Courtenay Grimwood (who finally, after me begging, pleading and badgering him for months kindly sent it me :-D.


Oh, and there's my original TBR pile which totals ... umm, over 20 books at least, I think ... which is somewhere in all of this! Oh, and there's *cough* a few more *cough* arriving soon ... after all, I've got to get these new ones by all my fav authors :-). 

But there's one fantastic book I've already read - Green-Eyed Demon by my fab Crit Partner Jaye Wells - and I'm giving it away to one lucky commentator here! So what are you waiting for, go enter :-D

ETA: Reading stats: Jan 2011 - Short stories = 4, novellas = 2, books = 11 (inc: 2 for CPs, 1 mine). 9 on kindle/8 on paper - Total = 17

Giveaway: Green-Eyed Demon - Jaye Wells

Yay! We're now at week 3 of 16 weeks of giveaways to celebrate the release of

The Bitter Seed of Magic - Spellcrackers # 3 in the UK on 17th Feb (1st time in print)
and

The Cold Kiss of Death - Spellcrackers # 2 in the US on 26th April (out now in the UK)

And this week's giveaway is----

Hey, dudes! Giguhl here! 

I'm a bad-ass, sexy Fifth-level Mischief Demon, minion to Sabina Kane (yep, that red-headed magepire!) and no, I'm really not a home shopping network addict - that's just a vicious rumour put about by that author chick, Jaye Wells. Y'know, the one who thinks she writes all these crazy-good, hot, action-packed books about me and the red-headed trampire? Well, here's the thing ... I'm the *real* writer, and listen up, sweet cheeks!! Buy MY books or next time you find yourself in a Demon Fight Club, I'm gonna kick your asses from here to Irkalla - and that place ain't no picnic!

Oh, and the pic of the hairless cat?  If you think that's sexy - well, wait 'til you see the *real* me!! I'm seven feet of luscious, lickable horny demon, and my love-stick is---

Mr Giggles! Thought I told you *NOT* to hijack my blog?

Huh! Mischief Demons! Can't take your eye off them for a second ... *shakes head*

Right! Back to the giveaway, which is ...


Green-Eyed Demon by Jaye Wells
UK 3rd Feb 2011          US 22nd Feb 2011

Now I'm lucky enough to have read Green-Eyed Demon* and I can tell you, you're all in for a real treat - Giguhl's, err, sorry Jaye's book has the BEST. SCENE. EVAH**!!  But you're all gonna have to wait for that until the book comes out ;p   For now, read on for a fab extract from Chapter One of Green-Eyed Demon!

On my extensive list of enemies, the top two spots belonged to Lavinia Kane and time. One I planned to kill as soon as possible. That is, if I didn't run out of the other one first.

The dashboard clock flipped to 10:01. The ones mocked me like two extended middle fingers. Impatience was my third enemy.

I'd already been sitting in the white van parked on a windy stretch of road near Pacific Palisades for twenty minutes. The hood of the van stood open, but the engine idled in preparation for the ambush.

"Giguhl, any visual on the car yet?"

"Negative." His voice crackled through the earpiece, but his body was perched in a tree just outside the Dominae compound.

I sighed. "Okay, thanks."

"Don't you mean 'roger'?" he responded.

"Whatever," I said. "Let me know the minute the gates open."

"Hey, Sabina?"

"Yeah?" I said a tad more impatiently than I intended.

"Why can't I have a gun again?

I rolled my eyes. "I might be crazy, but I'm not stupid, G. Now focus."

"I live to serve," he grumbled.

I settled back into the seat. Outside the van, the landscape offered little distraction from my impatience. Scrub brush, low stone walls, and road kill speed bumps. Light from the City of Angels rose above the shadowed hilltops like a dusty halo.

Los Fucking Angeles.

Whoever said you couldn't go home again was full of shit. The truth is you shouldn't go home again. And when I'd left California, I'd promised myself that I wouldn't return. Ever. But Fate--that fickle bitch--made a liar out of me. Again. 

* One of the fab parts of being Crit Partners with Jaye is I get to read Sabina & Co's., awesome new adventures first! *g*
** OMG! Accidental Zombie anyone!

How to enter:
Leave your congratulations for Mr Giggles, err, I mean Jaye on her new release in the comments!

Please leave a way to contact you (email in comment: Please remember to replace @ with [at] to forestall spam - or your twitter name - no way to contact you - no entry).

Giveaway is international and closes end of day (GMT time) 2nd Feb 2011

See rest of General terms and rules in this post here.

And don't forget to check out the Giveaway Schedule here. And so you don't miss out on a chance of winning any of the wonderful books in the coming weeks, why not follow me? (following is not a condition of entry).

Please note: My blog policy is that I try to reply to all comments on the blog, but for ease of admin I won't be replying to any comments made on any of the giveaway posts during the 16 weeks. Sorry, but it makes it much harder to sort out the winner. I will still continue to reply to comments on any other post :-) 

All links lead to Amazon (merely for ease). Please note: there are other online books stores available. 

x/posted to my LJ: comment here or there - one entry per person.

Winner - Unseen

Many thanks to everyone that entered to tell me your favourite Djinn! Lots of great ones there, though I think Aladdin (in his various guises) came out a clear winner *g*. I had a lot of fun reading all your comments :-).

And the winner is . . .

Tina Christopher

who said...

'Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin, that's my favourite.'

Congratulations, Tina! An email is on its way to you!

Thanks again everyone! Don't forget to check back for this week's giveaway when it goes live, which is

Green-Eyed Demon (Sabina Kane # 3) - Jaye Wells

Giveaway - Unseen (Outcast #3) – Rachel Caine

Yay! We're now at week 2 of 16 weeks of giveaways to celebrate the release of

The Bitter Seed of Magic - Spellcrackers # 3 in the UK on 17th Feb (1st time in print)
and

The Cold Kiss of Death - Spellcrackers # 2 in the US on 26th April (out now in the UK)



And this week's giveaway is ... 

*Cue Throaty Sound of Motorbike*

Unseen (Outcast # 3)

by the awesome

Rachel Caine

available 1st February US / Feb UK

"Once she was Cassiel, a Djinn of limitless power. Now, she has been reshaped in human flesh as punishment for defying her master—and living among the Weather Wardens, whose power she must tap into regularly or she will die."

This is the third book in Rachel's fantastic Outcast series (a spin-off from her wonderful Weather Warden series) and is about Cassiel, a Djinn turned kick-ass human (or sort of, on the human bit) and hot, sexy Warden Luis Rocha.

I absolutely love all of Rachel's books - this lady is on my must-buy-as-soon-as-available list whatever she writes - and the Outcast series is no exception. And if you were, like me, sad after reading the last Joanne Baldwin book, Total Eclipse, then Cassiel is a great way to get your next Weather Warden World fix *g*.

So what do you have to do to enter? Well, as we're talking about Djinn here, and I think they're a bit over-looked as a supernatural (says the vampire/faerie writer! *g*) - I think we should make an effort to let them out of their bottles. So, either leave me a comment about your favourite book (or TV series/episode/film) featuring a Djinn (or genie). Here's one of mine: I Dream of Jeannie! Or tell me which Djinn is your favourite from Rachel's Weather Warden series!

Now, I wouldn't mind being a Djinn if the inside of the bottles were all like this *g*

So what are you waiting for, go comment! *g*

How to enter:
Leave a comment with your favourite Djinn (or Genie) from a book/TV series/film, or from Rachel's books.

Please leave a way to contact you (email in comment: Please remember to replace @ with [at] to forestall spam - or your twitter name - no way to contact you - no entry).

Giveaway closes end of day (GMT time) 26th Jan 2011


See rest of General terms and rules below.

And don't forget to check out the Giveaway schedule here! And so you don't miss out on a chance of winning any of the wonderful books in the coming weeks, why not follow me? (following is not a condition of entry).


General terms and rules: 

-Giveaways open internationally where The Book Depository delivers.

-Winners will be chosen by Random.org.

-Winners will be contacted by email. If they do not claim their prize within 7 days, the giveaway will be re-drawn.

-If you do not leave an email/twitter name to contact you with your comment, entry is void.

-Emails will not be used for any other purpose.
-Winner's name will be posted at the top of the relevant giveaway post, and in the comments after the closing date.

-Release dates noted in the giveaways are US, unless otherwise stated: winners will be sent either US or UK version of books as delivered by The Book Depository asap after relevant release date.

-you can enter to win even if you've won something from me before.

-Giveaway books are the latest in the authors' series, but I'm happy to substitute an earlier book from the same series if it's available and the winner wants.
-There is no cash alternative. 
-Oh, and anything else I've forgotten :-)

Please note: My blog policy is that I try to reply to all comments on the blog, but for ease of admin I won't be replying to any comments made on any of the giveaway posts during the 16 weeks. Sorry, but it makes it much harder to sort out the winner. I will still continue to reply to comments on any other post :-) 

All links lead to Amazon (merely for ease). Please note: there are other online books stores available. 

x/posted to my LJ: comment here or there - one entry per person.

Winner - The Iron Witch

Many thanks to everyone that entered and left your favourite Superhero! Lots of great ones there. Karen and I really enjoyed reading all your comments :-).

And the winner is . . .

van_pham

who said...
a.    my favorite superhero is wolverine! :)

Congratulations, Van! An email is on its way to you!

Thanks again everyone! Don't forget to check back for this week's giveaway when it goes live, which is

Unseen (Outcast # 3) - Rachel Caine

Chapter 1 - The Bitter Seed of Magic

Woot! Less than a month to go until the UK release of

The Bitter Seed of Magic - Spellcrackers # 3!

*bites knuckles nervously* *jumps with excitement*

Chapter 1 is now live!!

Read it here! And I hope you all enjoy!

*** 
Don't forget to create your own spell over at Book Lovers Inc. for a chance to win a copy!

And today's the last day to tell me who your Wonder Woman is to enter the giveaway for The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Invent a Cracking Spell!

Wow! Lots of Cracking Spells being invented over at the Book Lovers Inc. Why not take five and read the comments! Watch out: Some need a *Beverage Alert* attached! Others I want to give a big, big {hug}to, but they're all fantastic! Wish I could wave my magic wand and make them all real!! *g* 

Don't forget to create your own spell!

And there's even more fun to be had with more Blogoversary posts by these authors! 

Carolyn Crane + Contest

Moira Rogers + Contest

Dakota Cassidy

Susanna Yves + Giveaway

And don't forgot the giveaway for The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney is still open! Just leave a comment telling me who your Wonder Woman is! :-)

Create a Spell Contest + Giveaway at Book Lovers Inc.

I'm guest blogging over at Book Lovers Inc. for their blogoversary! I had a lot of fun with the post, and this time I got to make the bloggers WORK! *evil laugh*

Plus there's a chance for a random commentator to win one of my books (winner's choice), and if someone comes up with a great spell that I can use in book #4 – The Shifting Price of Prey – the inventor will get a signed and personalised copy of that book, along with special thanks in the acknowledgements.

So what are you waiting for ... head on over and join in the fun!

And don't forgot to enter the giveaway for a chance to win The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

Giveaway - The Iron Witch: Karen Mahoney

So, here it is, week 1 of 16 weeks of celebratory giveaways to celebrate the release of
The Bitter Seed of Magic - Spellcrackers # 3 in the UK on 17th Feb (1st time in print)
and
The Cold Kiss of Death - Spellcrackers # 2 in the US on 26th April (out now in the UK)

And my first giveaway is ...

*Cue Drumroll*

The Iron Witch**

the fabulous young adult debut novel from the wonderful

Karen Mahoney

available 20th January UK / 8th February US

OMG, don't you just adore this cover. I can't wait to see it in RL all its glorious gold.  Seriously, even if I didn't know this book was a fantastic read, I'd buy it for the cover alone.

But don't take my word for how great a read it is, just see what the equally fabulous Richelle Mead, author of the wonderful Vampire Academy books has to say about The Iron Witch.

"Dark and beautiful, sensual and dangerous, utterly enthralling. Karen Mahoney is a brilliant storyteller, blending magic and alchemy with bold, captivating characters who step right off the page and draw you into their world. You’ll fall under this book’s spell."

Richelle Mead

I'm so excited about this book as Karen is a great friend of mine and for anyone that doesn't know, she's been writing and dreaming of being published since she was twelve. A dream she's had for *cough* years*. I'm thrilled that her dream is finally coming true for her. What makes Karen's debut book even more special for me is that we would never have met if it wasn't for our writing. Karen was one of the very first to comment on my Live Journal, when I first ventured into the big wide, scary world of the internet back in 2008, when my own debut book was wending its own exciting way to publication.

So what do you have to do to enter? Well, Karen is a big fan of Wonder Woman, so . . . leave me a comment stating who your Super Hero is. Now that can be a fictional Super Hero or a real-life one. So I'll start it off. Umm, at the risk of having my Geek memebership rescinded I don't really have a fictional Super Hero, but right now I do have a real-life one: Karen herself. She's been a true friend recently, at a time when she's got a lot going on in her own life (Hey, new book, anyone!), so I'm nominating  Karen as my very own Wonder Woman! *ducks as Karen throws things at the soppy, sentimental, sap* *g*

So what are you waiting for, go comment! *g*

How to enter:
Leave a comment saying who your Super Hero is.

Please leave a way to contact you (email in comment: Please remember to replace @ with [at] to forestall spam - or your twitter name - no way to contact you - no entry).

Giveaway closes end of day (GMT time) 19th Jan 2011
See rest of General terms and rules below.

And don't forget to check out the Giveaway schedule here! And so you don't miss out on a chance of winning any of the wonderful books in the coming weeks, why not follow me? (following is not a condition of entry).

(you can read all about what Wonder Woman means to Karen here - with added Johnny Depp!)

You can read the first FOUR chapters of The Iron Witch for FREE on the Figment website. Figment is a great new site aimed at teen readers and writers:

Figment is a community where you can share your writing, connect with other readers, and discover new stories and authors. Whatever you’re into, from sonnets to mysteries, from sci-fi stories to cell phone novels, you can find it all here.

General terms and rules:

-Giveaways open internationally where The Book Depository delivers.

-Winners will be chosen by Random.org.

-Winners will be contacted by email. If they do not claim their prize within 7 days, the giveaway will be re-drawn.

-If you do not leave an email/twitter name to contact you with your comment, entry is void.

-Emails will not be used for any other purpose.
-Winner's name will be posted at the top of the relevant giveaway post, and in the comments after the closing date.

-Release dates noted in the giveaways are US, unless otherwise stated: winners will be sent either US or UK version of books as delivered by The Book Depository asap after relevant release date.

-you can enter to win even if you've won something from me before.

-Giveaway books are the latest in the authors' series, but I'm happy to substitute an earlier book from the same series if it's available and the winner wants.
-There is no cash alternative. 
-Oh, and anything else I've forgotten :-)


Please note: My blog policy is that I try to reply to all comments on the blog, but for ease of admin I won't be replying to any comments made on any of the giveaway posts during the 16 weeks. Sorry, but it makes it much harder to sort out the winner. I will still continue to reply to comments on any other post :-) 

*What, you thought I was going to give away a lady's age? *g* 

**The Iron Witch is a Young Adult book, aimed at Young Adults (and those of us who might not be so young, but still love to read them :-), but for those new visitors to this blog, who might be interested in my books, or any of the books in the future giveaways, all of those are aimed at the adult market. Now I'm not about to police anyone's reading, I think that young adults (and us older folk :-)) are quite able to make our own minds up about what we want to read, but I did want to mention it so that everyone is aware. :-)

All links lead to Amazon (merely for ease). Please note: there are other online books stores available.

Spellcrackers Celebration: 16 weeks of Giveaways: Schedule

Yay! In the next couple of months I have TWO books coming out! 

*MEGA HAPPY DANCING*

The Bitter Seed of Magic - Spellcrackers # 3 is released into all good bricks and mortar book stores and online* in the UK on 17th February (first time in print)

The Cold Kiss of Death - Spellcrackers # 2 is released into all good bricks and mortar book stores and online in the US on 26th April (already avail in the UK)

To celebrate I'm holding weekly** giveaways of some of my fav authors***, and in the spirit of being organized (O_o) as per my New Year's Resolution, I'm posting the giveaway schedule below.  So, with a chance of winning any of these wonderful books in the offing, why not be organized too , and follow me****.

13th Jan – The Iron Witch – Karen Mahoney (Release date 20th Jan)
20th Jan – Unseen (Outcast #3) – Rachel Caine (1st Feb)
27th Jan – Green Eyed Demon (Sabina Kane #3) – Jaye Wells (22nd Feb)
3rd Feb – The Bitter Seed of Magic(Spellcrackers #3)– Suzanne McLeod (17th Feb UK)
11th Feb – This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress #5) – Jeaniene Frost (22nd Feb)
18th Feb – Iron Crowned (Dark Swan #3) – Richelle Mead (22nd Feb US)
25th Feb – River Marked (Mercy Thompson #6) – Patricia Briggs (1st Mar)
4th Mar – Late Eclipses (October Daye #4) – Seanan McGuire (1st Mar)
11th Mar – Vampires: The Recent Undead – Charlaine Harris, Kelly Armstrong, Holly Black, Rachel Caine & more 15th Mar)
18th Mar – Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) – Jim Butcher (5th April) (Now July 26th)
Ghost Story's release date has been changed, but I hope to have a surprise when this week's giveaway goes live *looks mysterious*
25th Mar – Shady Lady (Corine Solomon #3) – Ann Aguirre (5th April)
1st Apr – Magic on the Hunt (Allie Beckstrom #6) – Devon Monk (5th April)
8th Apr   – Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse #11) – Charlaine Harris (3rd May)
15th Apr – The Cold Kiss of Death (Spellcrackers #2)– Suzanne McLeod (26th Apr US)
22nd Apr – Tangled Threads (Elemental Assassin, #4) – Jennifer Estep (26th April US)
29th Apr – Magic Slays (Kate Daniels #5) – Ilona Andrews (31st May)

 ETA: Starting dates for giveaways have been moved forward one day (Thursdays weren't working out as the changeover day for me :-( ).


*Giveaways will be posted at some time during the (GMT) date on the left above. 
** Please note: only the book supplied, no actual authors can be won! Giveaway books are the latest in the authors' series, but I'm happy to substitute an earlier book from the same series if the winner wants.
*** Follow at your own risk: not a condition of entry for any giveaway.

General rules:

-Giveaways open internationally where The Book Depository delivers.
-Winners will be chosen by Random.org
-See individual giveaways for specific entry conditions/rules. Heads up: There will be (stunningly easy, or maybe devilishly hard *evil cackle*) questions to answer .
-Release dates are US, unless otherwise stated: winners will be sent either US or UK version of books as delivered by The Book Depository asap after relevant release date.


So, don't forget to check back tomorrow (the 13th) for the details of how you can win
The Iron Witch the wonderful debut novel from the fabulous Karen Mahoney.

*And hopefully the Trade Paperback of The Bitter Seed of Magic should be able to be ordered from The Book Depository with free worldwide delivery. Currently it says 'out of stock'. I have asked if they will be stocking it, and am waiting for an answer. I'll keep you posted :-)

All links lead to Amazon (merely for ease). Please note: there are other online books stores available.

Giveaway: Nocturne by Syrie James

The fabulous Mardel over at Rabid Reader has a great giveaway going on for this great book! (US only).

For a chance at winning* leave her a comment with either a recommendation to a POC book (People of Color) OR a book that has a good cover depicting a POC person!Ends 21st Jan 2011.

So why not head over there and enter? Go on, you know you want to *g*.

Nocturne at Goodreads

* other entry conditions apply. Please check post for details