Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett, and Authors' Mothers!

Today I'd super-thrilled to welcome the fabulous Jenn Bennett! Today is Happy Release Day for Jenn's debut urban fantasy

Kindling The Moon

Yay! Congratulations!

And look! Mr Postman brought my copy* just now! Can't wait to read!

And Jenn's here to tell us all about authors' mothers* and books (her tale struck a real chord with me, but that's for another day ...), so thanks for guesting and take it away, Jenn!

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Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Suzanne! Being on this side of the pond, I'm just beginning to read about Genny's adventures in the Spellcrackers.com world—and thoroughly loving it!—so this is a nice treat for me and an honor. (Thank you! *beams/blushes* I heart Jenn!)

Would you like to hear a sad story? It's a short one. My mother recently began reading my debut, and I don't think she quite cares for it. *cue bluesy, hangdog music*

As a newly published author, I'd hoped for good early reviews, and have received many more than I expected from other authors, book bloggers, and professional review publications. Some surprised me with their enthusiasm. I never really considered how wonderful it would feel to know that something I wrote would keep a reader up all night because they couldn't put it down. Or that they were tempted to let the phone ring unanswered, just so they could read one more page.

But I knew that not EVERYONE would feel that way. Every writer has to deal with the occasional bad review or disgruntled reader. That's fine. I was prepared for this . . . just not from my own flesh and blood, for the love of Pete! But when I really thought about it, I realized that this news shouldn't make me upset for a couple of reasons. First, my mother has never been one of those uber-supportive parents who delights in everything her child does. That's not entirely her fault. I may or may not have given her years of worry and grief because of some of my flighty lifestyle choices and crazy schemes. That's a nice way of saying that I was never a very good girl. I've been rebellious and stubborn and a risk-taker from the moment I left her womb. She blames that on my father's bad genes; my father blames it on hers.

Secondly, I've written a book filled with demons, occult rituals, magic, sex, drugs, and any other number of vices. My mother is a very, VERY conservative woman, both politically and personally. She runs the local Garden Club, likes Midsommer Murders, and must have her tea promptly at three in the afternoon. She also has never once (1) been drunk, (2) said the dreaded F-word, or (3) broken any law, no matter how small. She's in her mid-sixties, which doesn't mean much, because I've met plenty of older women who cuss like sailors and couldn't give a damn what anyone thinks. Not my mother, however. She gets embarrassed and fidgety when people kiss passionately on TV. And when it comes to books and movies, she likes the Bad Guys to be Bad and the Good Guys to be Good. She doesn't like anything gray or fuzzy or confusing, and she doesn't like having her world rocked or her expectations challenged.

Knowing this, why in the world would I have ever thought that she would dive into my book and laud its praises? I suppose I never really did. I wrote it almost two years ago, and could have let her read it at any point, but I didn't. Now that it's published, I certainly couldn't stop her from reading it, especially since my parents pre-ordered a billion copies. The blurb on the back cover does say what's the book's about, and I did warn her it was quirky. She had no idea what "urban fantasy" was (I'm not quite sure she does now, even), and only recently told me that she'd heard about these "vampire movies" with "Twilight" in the title, and weren't they based on books? She's barely even heard of Harry Potter. (I'm serious.) (Really.)

So, for any of you out there that might share my mother's conservative tastes, I thought it might be best to give you some clear warnings of what to expect in book. That way, they'll be no surprises, and you won't have worry about fainting in shock.

KINDLING THE MOON contains the following things:

1) Demons (who aren't always bad)
2) Magic (that isn't always evil)
3) References to things of an esoteric and occult nature
4) Serial Killers
5) A tiki bar/alcohol consumption
6) Magical drugs
7) An unconventional romance
8) 1.5 sex scenes
9) A naughty Hellfire Club
10) Creative use of the F-word
11) Flawed characters
12) A kidnapping
13) Mild violence with guns, knives, and some everyday objects

I think that covers everything that would make my mother blush uncomfortably. I should note that she's only a few chapters into the book and did admit that she's enjoying some of my humor—even if the subject matter was unladylike. Funny thing is, despite all the craziness in my book, the overriding themes are about family, loyalty, and trust. Pretty honorable things, I think. And maybe, just maybe, one day my mother might finish the book and realize that herself.

Maybe she also secretly says the F-word when no one's around to hear her . . .

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Thanks so much for visiting, Jenn! #9 sounds like lots of *Hot* fun! *g* And if any of you have any questions/comments/want to say hello to Jenn, then step right up and leave a comment :-D

BIO: Jenn Bennett is an award-winning visual artist-turned-urban fantasy author. Born in Germany, she’s lived and traveled extensively throughout Europe, the U.S., and the Far East. She believes rebellion is an under-appreciated art form, has conjured more demons than you’ve had hot lunches, and likes her fairy tales like she likes her coffee: dark. She currently lives near Atlanta with her film-geek husband and two very bad pugs.


Go ceck out Jenn Bennett's website for details of where you can win Kindling the Moon!
Jenn on twitter
Jenn's facebook page

KINDLING THE MOON: Arcadia Bell Book 1 (Available now! Yay!)

Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sex magick and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

Read an excerpt here: Kindling the Moon first chapter (PDF download).

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
The Book Depository

*Hound's expression may, or may not be, an indication of book contents!
*Please note: All mothers are not the same! Pictures are, of course, of Buffy's Mother, who is fictional and is in no way representative of Mrs Bennett in any way. They are my (sneaky) unauthorised addition to Jenn's post *runs and hides* *g*