Suzanne McLeod

Between Dreams and Reality + Fox Pic Spam!

2012-01-30T20:50:00.000Z

Hello!

I'm guest blogging over at the wonderful Between Dreams and Reality, in English and French*, no less! I'm chatting about Genny and what happens in the first three Spellcrackers books, so why not head over there and have a look! :-D

And if you missed my last post, I'm at the SFX Weekender in Prestatyn this weekend, where the fantastic Brian Blessed (OMG! Prince Vultan in FLASH GORDON*!!!) is a guest! And if you're going to be there, then I'd love it if you say Hi! I don't bite - truly - and I'm happy to sign anything (within reason - cheques, excepted, of course *g*).

*The lovely Melliane is super awesome and has translated the post! Huge thanks and kudos to you, Melliane!

*This lucky girl got a DVD of Flash in her Xmas stocking! Yay! And now you've all got the theme tune earworming it's way into your brains! *g*
Flash a-ah
Saviour of the Universe . . .

***

And here's some Fox Pic Spam! We think this pair are either siblings from last year, or a new pairing this year! They came in to nab some bread put out for the birds :-) (Sorry, the pics are a bit murky; I took them with my phone through the upstairs window.)

Where I'll be - Anthony Head - Giveaway!

2012-01-27T22:01:00.001Z

A quick post to say I've happened across a giveaway for The Bitter Seed of Magic and Under Attack by Hannah Jayne on Paranormal Haven Blog (Int. Ends Jan 31.)

And I will at the SFX Weekender next weekend! Yay! I'm going as a punter, not a guest, but I'm happy to sign books, or anything else (within reason!). If you're going to be there, then do say hello! I don't bite. Much! *g*

The programme's just gone live and it looks like a whole lot of fantastic FUN! Plus, ANTHONY HEAD! *nuff said* *g*

Scottish Recipe - Clootie Dumpling!

2012-01-26T21:18:00.001Z

It was Mr Mc's birthday last week, and I made him one* of these! I am now the BEST WIFE EVAH! *g*

Clootie Dumpling Recipe - Traditional Scottish Suet Fruit Pudding

This recipe is Mr Mc's gran's, so it makes a GIANT clootie, since his gran always made it for family get togethers and birthdays. It's easy to make, but you do have to keep an eye on it when it's boiling to make sure it doesn't boil dry. So it's not something you can ignore while it's cooking.

Clootie refers to the cloth/tea towel that the dumpling is made in.

Ingredients:
24 oz self-raising flour
8 oz sugar (caster/soft brown/granulated all work)
4 oz suet
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
12 oz mixed fruit (or the whole packet if it's 14 oz like the one I used :-D)
1 grated apple
1 tbsp treacle
1 tbsp syrup
1 pint milk (makes a sticky wet dough/moist dumpling)

1 large cotton tea towel/cloth to wrap the dumpling in
String
Huge saucepan, with lid, for boiling
Ovenproof plate to go in bottom of pan
Baking tray lined with greaseproof paper

Put the cloth in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. Leave to cool.

Put all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix.
Add apple, treacle and syrup and mix.
Add milk and mix.

Put upturned plate in bottom of pan to stop the dumpling burning. Use an old one that will survive a heavy dumpling sitting on it for a couple of hours (mine broke this time :-( )
Fill pan with water and bring to boil

Wring out cloth* and spread flat.
Cover cloth with a thick layer of flour; this stops dumpling sticking to cloth and helps to form the dumpling's skin.

Put mixture in cloth, leave room for expansion and tie up ends with the string.

Place in boiling water.
Boil for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, taking care to keep water boiling on a constant fast simmer, topping up as necessary with hot water from the kettle.

Remove from pan, and peel away cloth, careful not to break the dumpling's skin which is very soft just now.

Put dumpling on greaseproof paper lined baking tray, in a warm oven (100 degrees C or equivalent) to dry out for approx half an hour/hour. This forms a nice firm skin.

Clootie is now ready to eat! And it's DELISH!
Slice and eat hot or cold with cream, custard, or butter and jam.

Allow to cool thoroughly then store in an airtight container. Eat within 2 days.

Or, as this is a HUGE clootie, I usually slice and freeze. That way individual slices can be defrosted as needed, and can be reheated in oven, or fried in a little butter, or toasted.

So there you have it, how to make a clootie dumpling. Let me if you've got any questions about making it, or if you try it! And if you do - Enjoy!

* Last time I made one was 2 years ago. I was the BEST WIFE EVAH! then too. *g*
* make sure cloth is cool enough to touch so you don't burn yourself.

Rabid Reader Double Giveaway!

2012-01-02T11:34:00.002Z

Hello 2012! I hope you all had a wonderful time ushering the New Year in? Mr Mc and I greeted it quietly with the requisite malt and shortbread while watching the spectacular fireworks at the London Eye on the TV :-D. Sadly, the excitement and late night (I'm such a lightweight :-D) must have been too much for me as the Migraine Monster attacked yesterday (not hangover related, more's the pity), but after crawling under the covers early afternoon and hiding until this morning, the MM is now only a tiny niggle and victory should be mine very soon. *relieved sigh* :-)

And so onto my first post this new year! Which is to give you the heads up that the fabulous Mardel at Rabid Reader has a giveaway for 'The Bitter Seed of Magic' (Out Now US *happy dance*, and UK!) and the amazing 'Doc Vampire Hunting Dog' by J.A. Campbell. So head over to there now and enter! (there's not a lot of entries, so the odds are good for winning :-)) Open to US only, I think, and ends Jan 15. So, go on, go enter! You know you want to *g*

Yay! Don't the black and red covers look purty together? Though I'm not sure my vamps would be too chuffed to bump into Doc, not with that stake of his! *G*

Happy 2012!

2011-12-31T17:29:00.001Z

Wishing you all Health, Happiness and Prosperity for 2012.

May you leave the worries and disappointments of the past behind, carry the joys of your heart and those you love with you, and may the New Year bring all that is wonderful for you and yours. xxx

Happy Book Birthday - The Bitter Seed of Magic (US)

2011-12-27T16:11:00.004Z

Hello, my lovelies! Here's hoping you've all had a great Christmas, or great weekend if Christmas isn't your celebration, and that you're all still enjoying the winter holiday. And for those of you already back to work, an extra special hello!) :-D

I'm here to say Happy Book Birthday to ME! *G*

The Bitter Seed of Magic is out today in the US! Yay!
Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Chapters.ca, Powell's, Amazon.co.uk

On the surface, Genny's life seems ripple-free right now. Finn, her sexy boss and -- well, Genny's not sure what else she wants him to be -- has stopped pushing for a decision on their relationship. The seductive vampire Malik al-Khan has vanished back into the shadows. And the witches have declared her no longer a threat. But unless Genny can find a way to break the fertility curse afflicting London's fae, she knows this is just the lull before the magical storm.

Then a faeling -- a teenage girl -- is fished out of the River Thames, dead and bound with magic, and Genny is called into investigate. As she digs through the clues, her search takes a sinister and dangerous turn, exposing age-old secrets that might be better left buried. Then another faeling disappears, and Genny finds herself in a race against time to save the faeling and stop the curse from claiming its next victim -- herself!

Read Chapter One here!

And it shares a Book Birthday with these wonderful books by my writerly pals! Plus there's many others! So if you were given any of those handy book vouchers as pressies, then you've got plenty of fabulous new books to choose from! (Including mine! *g*)

HAPPY READING!

A totally AWESOME book by my fab crit partner! A MUST read!

Now that the threat of war has passed, Sabina Kane is ready to focus on the future. Her relationship with Adam Lazarus is getting stronger and she's helping her sister, Maisie, overcome the trauma of her captivity in New Orleans. Even Giguhl is managing to stay out of trouble thanks to the arrival of Pussy Willow and his new roller derby team. But as much as Sabina wants to feel hopeful about the future, part of her doesn't believe that peace is possible.

Her suspicions are confirmed when a string of sadistic murders threatens to stall treaty negotiations between the mages and the vampires. Sabina pitches in to find the killer, but her investigation soon leads her down dark paths that have her questioning everyone she thought she could trust. And the closer she gets to the killer, the more Sabina begins to suspect this is one foe she may not be able to kill.

So looking forward to reading this! I know it's going to be great!

The world is falling apart. The magical apocalypse has come. Now is the time to guard the covenstead against both raiders and refugees. But Max has been stolen by a powerful demi-god who is determined to force her to find a way to use a magical power she never knew she had—even if it kills her. Meanwhile, back in Horngate, a Fury is birthing. When the creature breaks free of the fragile bonds that enclose her, her rage will scour the covenstead from the earth.

Max finds herself in the Shadow City, a place of mysteries and magic, where she must battle for her freedom or become a slave to creatures of dreadful greed and power. Back in Horngate, Alexander must swallow his anger and pride if he hopes to defeat the Fury, a creature that no one has ever successfully fought before.

In the end, it will be courage, friendship, faith and loyalty that win the day. Or else so one will live to see tomorrow.

Oh, my, sexy selkies! What's not to love? *fins, err, sorry, fans herself!* Giveaway here!

A lonely widow and a handsome artist have a chance for happiness…with the help of a sexy selkie, that is.

After the death of Meredith’s husband many years before, she allowed his legacy to take over her life. A shell of a woman, she finds little joy in her day-to-day tasks. Drawn to her pain, the empathic selkie Dylan knows she’s ready to live and love again, and he knows that he’s just the man for the job.

As Dylan draws Meredith out of her shell, he realizes that to truly free her, he needs to help her accept her budding love for Alexander, an artist who challenges Meredith on every level: intellectually, emotionally and sexually. To achieve a true happy ending, Dylan must help his chosen humans break down their emotional barriers in order to grab the happiness they so deserve.

Warning: This book features a lonely widow, a hot artist waiting in the wings, and the sexy selkie who brings them together…in every possible way.

Last one! *sad face* Can't wait to find out what happens!

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld. . .

The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't--or won't--reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon--and risk the ultimate sacrifice.

Merry Christmas with Pic Spam!

2011-12-25T18:37:00.004Z

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate*!

Wishing you all a wonderful day and hope Santa was good to you!

Slàinte!

And now I shall inflict upon you some vaguely appropriate Pic Spam! *g*

A snowy scene from the garden (taken last year - no snow this year)

We don't have a hen house, but he didn't let it stop him! The local fox stealing a fatball (again taken last year :-))

Our Garden Reindeer!

Hot Secret Santa Pressie from my Writers' Group! Yay! I heart my Writers' Group!

A sweet Xmas gift from awesome author and Peanut Butter enabler - Amanda Carlson - Watch out for her books next year; they're going to be howling great! :-D

*And Happy Holidays to everyone else!

Friday Five and a half!

2011-12-16T14:17:00.006Z

1. Supernatural Capital Tours are back with their new Troll Trail. Check it out over here at Falcata Times!

2. Lisa Ryans has a giveaway here for The Cold Kiss of Death. Ends Dec 31st (not sure if it's international).

3. Romantic Times Magazine has a great review of The Bitter Seed of Magic. Yay! Thank you! And they even have a picture of the cover! *g*

THE BITTER SEED OF MAGIC
by Suzanne McLeod

Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
RT Rating

Fertility, a curse and the survival of various fae races are at the heart of what haunts gutsy Sidhe heroine Genny Taylor. McLeod uses her gift for storytelling to deliver a truly terrific read that is certain to keep you perched on the edge of your seat until the very last page. Reviewed By: Jill M. Smith

Shameless Self-Promo Below:

The Bitter Seed of Magic is out now UK,
The Bitter Seed of Magic is out Dec 27 in the US,
and Jan 16 in German - Bittersüße Nacht

4. Argh! My TBR is out of control!

84 books in my kindle TBR file.

35 in the print TBR.

8 on my laptop.

Given that I've read around 80 books this year, it's going to take me most of next year to catch up. O_O

Saying that . . .

5. Book Tease Time

5 * + Books I've read that I think you're going to want to! *g*

Silver-Tongued Devil (Sabina Kane) Jaye Wells (12/27/11)

Blue-Blooded Vamp (Sabina Kane) Jaye Wells (5/22/12)

Devil's Punch: (Corine Solomon) Ann Aguirre (4/312)

Endgame (Sirantha Jax, #6) Ann Aguirre (Sept 2012)

Outpost (Razorland, #2) Ann Aguirre (Sept 2012)

Shadow's Bloom by Tammy Moore (Date TBC)

Summoning the Night: (Arcadia Bell) Jenn Bennett (4/24/12)

5 1/2. Some books I'm itching to read

Deadlocked: (Sookie Stackhouse) Charlaine Harris (5/1/12)

Gunmetal Magic Ilona Andrews (7/31/12)

Magic Without Mercy: (Allie Beckstrom) Devon Monk (4/3/12)

Full Blooded (Jessica McClain) Amanda Carlson (9/1/12)

So, what books are you all itching to read in 2012?

Taming Your Plot Bunnies Writers' Workshop

2011-12-14T09:35:00.001Z

I'm doing a writers' workshop on Taming Your Plot Bunnies at the fabulous

Get Writing 2012 The Annual Conference of Verulam Writers' Circle

The conference will feature an array of influential and creative people* in the UK publishing business, offering talks, workshops, seminars and a lot of networking
Returning for their 4th year are our hugely popular 3 and 5 minute pitches direct to leading agents and editors.
More details here

Taming Your Plot Bunnies workshop details here.

When and where?

11th Feb 2012

Noon - 1pm - Writer's Workshop - Taming Your Plot Bunnies

de Havilland Campus
University of Hertfordshire
Hatfield
AL10 9AB
UK

*And me!! :-D

Gollancz Samaritans Auction - including Editorial Reviews!

2011-12-08T09:15:00.001Z

My fabulous UK publishers Gollancz @gollancz are doing a mighty fine thing. They’re holding an eBay auction to raise money for the Samaritans. @samaritans. The auction includes some cool stuff, plenty of books, and opportunities for unpublished writers out there – having thousands of words reviewed and edited by my awesome editor Gillian Redfearn, and other (equally awesome) Gollancz editors. Books, editorial guidance, lunch with publishers, and marketing help – plenty for everyone.

It’s a fantastic cause, and comes at a time of year (and a period where the economy is really starting to suffer), when the Samaritans could probably do with a bit of help. If you don’t fancy bidding, then please do spread word to anyone who might be interested.

*blog post ganked with thanks from fab author Mark Charan Newton as my brain is currently fried by revisions :-)

Book Lovers Inc. Advent Calendar Giveaway!

2011-12-02T11:57:00.001Z

Hello!

Christmas is getting nearer every day!

*panics and rushes round like a headless turkey*

And the fabulous ladies over at Book Lovers Inc. have a Book'y Advent Calendar going on. Yay! The giveaway behind today's door is The Bitter Seed of Magic (or winner's choice of one of my books :-D). So why not head on over there and join in the holiday fun!!

Giveaway ends Dec 17 and is INT.. where Book Depository ships.

*inserts shameless self-promo*

The Bitter Seed of Magic is out now in the UK and Auz.
The Bitter Seed of Magic releases US on Dec 27; the perfect time to buy it with your Christmas Book Vouchers! *hint hint* :-D
Bittersüße Nacht is out Jan 16 in German.

*Toots Book's own Horn*

Here's what the lovely Caroline* of Book Lovers Inc. said about The Bitter Seed of Magic!

"This book was fantastic. It’s even better than the 2nd book. The story has so many twists and turns, it was a ‘OMG’-fest in my house. (Suzanne you’re still EVIL!) I just didn’t see any of these events coming. Suzanne McLeod created a very fascinating and complex world. I didn’t want the book to end. Fanta-bulous."

Read the full review here!

I HEART Caroline! *g*

Messenger of the Goddess!

2011-11-28T21:57:00.001Z

Hello, my lovlies, I'm absolutely thrilled to show you the Messenger of the Goddess an awesome piece by the fabulous Psynde of Cemetery Cat Designs, inspired by The Bitter Seed of Magic. Wouldn't it make a fantastic present for Christmas, or even a treat for yourself? And why not check out the rest of Cemetery Cat's wares! Lots of wonderful things to choose from if anyone's looking for ideas :-D

‘Messenger of the Goddess’; bestowed with the power to travel between the planes of existence to better serve the wishes of his mistress. To be granted the raven’s assistance is to receive Her blessing and protection.

A sterling silver over brass raven flies across your neck holding an oval faceted rainbow moonstone (with flashes of blue), silver plate chain holds it all together, while another moonstone dangles from the clasp.17"

Out now UK - December 27 US - 16 January Germany

Surfin´ Bulldogs!

2011-11-25T17:58:00.000Z

Yay! Dogs having fun! What could be better?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:42:00.000Z

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Thanksgiving wallpaper ganked from here with thanks.

Win a Fantastic Vampire Book Bundle . . .

2011-11-22T17:21:00.000Z

At Gollancz Dark Fantasy on Facebook (UK only)

Three fab sets to win!! What are you waiting for? Go now :-D

'Brave' - Love this!

2011-11-16T20:22:00.000Z

New Brave Trailer | Official Disney Pixar 2012 Trailer | HD

For the Fallen

2011-11-11T09:32:00.000Z

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Extract from 'For the Fallen' by Laurence Binyon

Yay! Shiny New Cover!

2011-11-05T11:31:00.005Z

ZOMG! Looky here at my book's gorgeous new cover! I LOVE it*!

*strokes new cover*

The Gollancz Cover Gods are A-MA-ZING! Bows down in thanks to the Cover Gods!!! :-D

Cover on its own in all its shiny awesomeness (with a sword! Yep, slight spoiler there *g*)

All four new covers together in their shiny matching awesomeness

Here's the blurb* for The Shifting Price of Prey from the back cover . . .

ETA: Sorry, now with spoiler'ish bits removed if you haven't read book 3.

Sometimes a bit of magical help might cost more than you bargained for . . .

London is hosting the Carnival Fantastique, and Genny's job has never been busier or more fulfilling. Only not everyone is so happy. The fae are in trouble again and Genny learns the mysterious Emperor may have the solution they need – if Genny can find him.

Genny needs help. She turns to the vampire, Malik al-Khan, only to find he’s wrestling with his own demons. Genny’s own problems are about to multiply too. An old flame arrives with a tragic situation, just as the police request her urgent assistance with a magical kidnap. Is it all unconnected, or can the Emperor help her solve more than the fae’s troubles?

The Backgrounds
The Sweet Scent of Blood - Trafalgar Square, London
The Cold Kiss of Death - Southwark Cathedral, London
The Bitter Seed of Magic - The White Tower, Tower of London
The Shifting Price of Prey - The Regent's Park Mosque, London

*As you can probably tell by the explosion of !!!!!!!!! *g*
*Blurbs on Amazon are currently messed up - am waiting for them to get it sorted.
Note: Sorry for the low quality jpeg, I'm waiting on a large size file, but couldn't resist sharing! Yay!
Note 2: Cover for book 2 is an old file (have managed to mislay the correct jpeg somewhere on my laptop *sigh* Ms Organisation I am not.). The correct cover has Spellcrackers.com, not Spellcrackers Book 2 :-)

International Urban Fantasy Month - Winners!

2011-10-31T19:44:00.001Z

Thanks to all who entered, there were lots of great Urban Fantasy posts and lots of Urban Fantasy love!
I had a lot of fun reading them all!

Now for the winners of the International Urban Fantasy Month giveaway . . .

*Spooky Drumroll*

Blodeuedd who said...
I love it because honestly it is just so kickass. I love the spunky heroines that know what they want and they do not back down and have to be rescued by the hero (well not all the time at least)

And I love that there is always that hint of romance around the corner, sometimes explored a bit, sometimes growing

Anna who said...
I love Urban Fantasy because it is the first genre I discovered when I decided to read something in another language than my native one.Silly I know but first love does hard :)
And I love its authors because they seriously know how to create tough female heroes who struggle to overcome any obstacles!

Breanne who said...
I love UF because you can get a great story with elements of mystery, action and romance, all rolled together with a magical twist. Great way to spend an afternoon and escape to a new place for a few hours.

Congratulations all! Happy Hallowe'en! And emails are on their way to the winners soon!

*Thanks to Random.org. Pumpkin image from here (with many more cool ones!) with thanks!

Halloween Mash!

2011-10-30T17:08:00.000Z

Please join me and dozens of your favorite authors at the 2011 Halloween Mash at Writerspace tonight from 8pm ET to 11pm ET. We’re giving away 100s of fantastic prizes -- Kindles, autographed books, gift cards and more. The more who enter, the more Kindles will be awarded! You don't have to be present to win, but you must be registered. To register and for details visit http://www.writerspace.com/halloween/

I'm giving away 3 signed copies of The Bitter Seed of Magic! Yay!

And don't forget to enter the International Urban Fantasy Month giveaway in the blog post below! Lots more books to win! But be quick it ends tonight!

International Urban Fantasy Month - Giveaways!

2011-10-21T20:39:00.004+01:00

Hello, fellow urban fantasy fans!

Look what the fabulous Jaye Wells is up to . . .

(and 'cause I'm in the middle of revisions and my brain is fried - I'll let Jaye tell you in her own words - stolen straight from the awesome lady's mouth, err, blog! Oh, and, I'm coming slightly late to the party here - those revisions again :-D)

(Giveaway over at Jaye's, and one here - check below!)

I am hereby declaring October International Urban Fantasy Month!

Yes, yes, we only have two weeks left. But I think we put our evil minds to it, we can really blow this out. Naturally, my first thought was to hold a contest to celebrate. But I didn’t want to do just any contest. I wanted to do something that celebrates the genre but also brings new fans into the fold.

Here’s where you come in. Everyone who writes a love letter to Urban Fantasy on their own blogs (be sure to track back to this one so you’re counted) or here in comments if you don’t have a blog of your own, will be entered for a chance to win an epic prize pack of Urban Fantasy novels (with a couple of paranormal romances thrown in for spice).

So what constitutes an urban fantasy love letter? Talk about your favorite books or characters. Talk about what you love about the genre in general. Write a snarky haiku, romantic sonnet or dirty limerick. Anything goes as long as its about UF and how awesome it is.

Go check out the awesome list of prizes OVER ON JAYE'S BLOG. Includes a copy of The Sweet Scent of Blood! Yay!

So join in and spread the urban fantasy love. Tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell the world:

Urban fantasy rocks!

Other authors getting into the spirit of Intl. Urban Fantasy Month are:

Sierra Dean's blog

Michelle Rowan's blog

And Me! Right here!

To Enter my Giveaway: Leave a comment on this post about urban fantasy and why you love it or its authors. And don't forget to go enter the other giveaways too!

3 winners can each choose 3 books from the list of books below.
Winners will be chosen by Random.org.
Please leave email (remembering to replace @ with at to forestall spam), twitter, or way to contact you in comment.
Closes October 30, 2011. Winners announced Oct 31st. International where Book Depository deliver.
Full giveaway rules at bottom of post here.

RED-HEADED STEPCHILD by Jaye Wells
THE MAGE IN BLACK by Jaye Wells
GREEN-EYED DEMON by Jaye Wells

TEMPEST RISING by Nicole Peeler
TRACKING THE TEMPEST by Nicole Peeler
TEMPEST’S LEGACY by Nicole Peeler

The Sweet Scent of Blood (Spellcrackers #1) by Suzanne McLeod
The Cold Kiss of Death (Spellcrackers #2) by Suzanne McLeod
The Bitter Seed of Magic (Spellcrackers #3) by Suzanne McLeod

Mind Games (The Disillusionists Trilogy: Book 1) by Carolyn Crane

Double Cross (The Disillusionists Trilogy: Book 2) by Carolyn Crane

Sins of the Angels (The Grigori Legacy #1) by Linda Poitevin

Kindling the Moon: An Arcadia Bell Novel #1 by Jenn Bennett

Twisting Myths!

2011-10-20T15:40:00.000+01:00

I'm talking about myths over at the fab new Gollancz blog - why not go see? :-D

Can you see them?

2011-10-18T12:58:00.000+01:00

It's no secret I love Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books, and lookee here! My lovely publisher, Gollancz, have given the UK editions some bloody spiffy new covers!

(I've added the obligatory Eric Northman pic*, to round out the set, of course! *g*)

But can you see what's there? I couldn't, not until it was pointed out to me* :-D

*observationalskillzfail* *sigh*

*Clue! Check out the blood!

Filming at The Rookery!

2011-10-11T10:07:00.009+01:00

Want to know a really ~~scary~~ exciting, cool thing that happened to me a couple of weeks ago? 'Course you do! (Hey, stop that heckling at the back there! *g*) Well, I was filmed* for a short piece that's going to be part of the fantastic TV show - The Book Show. Squeeeeee! (and also *faints*) Find them on twitter here: @thebookshow

The show's host, Mariella Frostrup, is interviewing Anne Rice, author of Interview with a Vampire (bet you can guess what they wanted to ask me about - yep, those fanged creatures who are so popular just now *g*). So if you want to see how I did *bites knuckles* (and you're in the UK and can view the Sky TV channel 243 - not sure if it will be available online - for which you're all probably thankful ;p) then tune in at 8pm on Thursday 13th October.

The Library at The Rookery, London where the filming took place!

*The actual filming took just over an hour - obviously that's a lot of me on film O_O, which was pretty nerve wracking, though not so bad as it could've been, as I knew that they were only going to use about 2/4 mins of it at most (the best/most pertinent bits *phew*). And for those interested in these things, I did my own make up - not one of my strong suits, and something I don't usually wear too much of, so hopefully I don't look too washed out or overdone *sighs*.

The film crew consisted of the lovely Victoria who asked me questions, the camera man, the lighting man, and the sound man, all who were very friendly and professional. The filming took place in the gorgeous room above (I sat at the side end of the table there, with the bookcases behind me). The room was chosen for its slightly gothic feel, and the curtains drawn/lights off so it looked suitably dark, but the actual camera lights trained on me were bright enough to double for an interrogation! (Not that it felt like that at all :-D!!). Victoria and the cameraman also had a small monitor which they used to check they were getting the shots they wanted, and the mic - perched just above my head - wasn't in frame. It was really so interesting and cool to see how it is all done.

I wasn't the only one being filmed (I didn't see any of the other participants, though, so I don't know who they are :-)), so I'm curious to see who else is on the show.

Hey, and if I really suck, please be kind to me :-)

ETA: Well, I got my 15 seconds of fame :-D. I was quite anxious waiting to see what I was going to sound/look like* and whilst short (yep, hope no one blinked, otherwise they'd have missed me - which is a whole lot better than ending on the cutting room floor *g*), but I thought I did okay'ish. So, now feeling very relieved, it's wine o'clock! And loved the spooky lights and sounds added!

With thanks to the superawesome Jon Weir, Senior Publicity Manager at Gollancz for getting me the gig - find him on twitter @jon_weir

Book Chat + Giveaway at Book Lovers Inc.

2011-10-10T17:08:00.000+01:00

I'm over at the wonderful Book Lovers Inc, talking a bit about characters and books (bet that surprised you, heh? *g*), for their 1000 Follower Celebration!

Plus there are Giveaways!Woot!!

Winner's choice of one of my books (Int.)!

(Read them already? Then why not enter to win for a friend and spread the Spellcrackers love :-D)

A super-awesome Blowout Giveaway!

And more fabulous giveaways to come!

So click on over and check it out! Go on, you know you want to *g*

All Giveaways will end on Saturday, October 22 and Book Lovers Inc will announce the winners on Sunday, 23rd. Details here.

Dragons, Daleks and Spooky Houses!

2011-10-09T21:37:00.001+01:00

Facebook/Twitter peeps will have already seen, but the pic spam is too good not to share again :-D

From here

'Police deploy new anti riot gear' by Brian George Hutton

More Spooky lego houses here

Where I'm going this weekend . . .

2011-09-28T15:13:00.001+01:00

FantasyCon

Brighton Pier

Yay! And here's my schedule!

Friday

4:00 – 5:00 pm
HAS CROSSOVER OVERTAKEN GENRE? (Fitzherbert Room): Suzanne
McLeod, Gary McMahon, Mike Carey, Steve Mosby, Sarah Pinborough (mod.)

8:00 - 9:00 pm
MASS SIGNING with tons of other wonderful folk. I'm happy to sign anything (within reason *g*), and especially happy to sign any of my books! *looks hopeful*.

Saturday

Will be there all day and enjoying all the panels - if you're going, check out the programme: there's lots of great ones to choose from. (Oh, and will more than likely be enjoying some quality time in the bar :-D) #needsacloneorthree

Sunday

Will be around in the morning, then sadly will have to leave :-(

So if you're at FantasyCon, do say hello and chat; I promise I won't bite . . . *looks shifty*. And forgive me if I peer curiously at your badge (particularly if we know each other from twitter or somewhere - I'm dreadful about remembering names *sigh* )

Mysterious Paper Sculptures left in Scottish Libraries

2011-09-16T11:31:00.002+01:00

Mysterious and beautiful Paper Sculptures left in Scottish Libraries.

Dragon Hatching

Poetree

ETA: Scottish library paper sculptures might be by this artist!

More sculptures with close-ups and the full story here.
More details here in the Guardian.

Bread Pic Spam!

2011-09-15T18:08:00.006+01:00

I've been watching the Great British Bake Off, which is strangely addictive viewing (or maybe that's just me drooling *g*). So duly inspired, I present you with Bread Pic Spam!

It's been a long while since I baked bread (over a decade, or nearly two, poss), but other than it needs more salt, it turned out not too shabby. :-)

Anyone else done any procrastination, err, sorry, bread baking recently?

Giveaways, faeries and Hawt Guy pics!

2011-09-13T16:34:00.002+01:00

Two chances to win your choice of one of my books!

I'm interviewed over at Dangerous Romance - not only that, but the lovely Laurie there asked what Malik and Finn look like, so I ~~spent a long while procrastinating~~ had a quick shifty round the internet searching for pics of Hawt Guys who might fit the bill. So there's a couple of pics up with the interview - along with Laurie's own take on Malik (definitely hawt, and one of my fav actors *fans herself*). Plus you could win your choice of one of my books! So what are you waiting for? Go now! You know you want to! *g*

I'm also over at awesome author Shiloh Walker's place with a short piece about a faerie myth I love, and an extract from The Cold Kiss of Death (if you haven't read it yet!) as part of Shiloh's Grimm Giveaway!

There's other Grimm guests stopping by with excerpts, guest blogs, and prizes every day. So why not check them out?

Commenting each day over at Shiloh's will enter you for that day’s prize (your choice of one of my books, on my day :-D), and all comments left on the Grimm giveaway posts will be entered to win Shiloh's prize…an angel wing pendant by Luxe Deluxe.

And Shiloh's fab new book - Locked in Silence - is due out on Sept 20!

Dying is hard enough… coming back to life is brutal.

Grimm’s Circle, Book 5

Vanya has been hunting and killing demons ever since one of them scarred her face and killed her sister. Correction—since she was forced to kill the demon possessing her sister.

Then some sort of angel offers her a deal she can’t refuse—that if she becomes one of them, she gets to kill even more demons. Tonight, she’s made that choice. The death she smells on the air will be her own—and she welcomes it.

Silence feels a darkness is looming. Change—something he has every reason not to welcome. The deeply hidden memories that robbed him of his past, of his own name, render him unfit to teach anyone the ways of the Grimm. Yet here he is in the dankest sex club in town, waiting to assume his charge—after he stands by and watches her die.

When Vanya awakes, their complicated, dangerous dance begins. And so does something else—a searing need that blisters along their unexpected mental connection. Silence shouldn’t be drawn to his student, but once they touch, he can’t think of a reason to stop. Even though acting out their darkest desires puts them in more danger than they realize.

Warning: This book contains sex-starved demons, lonely angels, demon-angel sandwiches, blood, violence, death and a happy-ever-after.

**

Oh, and just in case you can't get enough of hearing all about me, me, me . . . *g* then don't forget to check out the grilling I got about Spellcrackers vampires from wonderful Jalisa here over at her Semi-Educational Reviews (among other things) blog!

My Super Power! Not! And Paella!

2011-09-07T18:12:00.001+01:00

I am disorganised, no really*, it's the opposite of having a Super Power. I see and buy lovely cards thinking that next time I need a b'day card, I will have one handy! Except for some reason when b'days come round, the only cards I have handy are all Get Well or New Home cards*. So, today, in further proof (if I needed it) of my dreadful disorganisation, I got an email from a dear friend to whom I had sent some books (via Book Depository) as a thank you . . . asking why she'd received the books! Because, of course, I hadn't told her they were on their way. *facepalm*

And on the same subject, Mr Mc and I love paella. (How is that relevant, I hear you cry! But hey, bear with me, I'll get there!) So some years ago (let's say between 12 and 15 as I'm really not sure) after a lovely holiday during which we ate a lot of paella, and drunk a lot of sangria, I bought one of these . . .

Now this pan was an 18 inch diameter beauty of polished steel (hey, I buy big! That's what a freezer is for!) and came wrapped in special paper to protect it from damp and stop it rusting. This pan also spent a lot of time* wrapped in its special paper in cupboards and on top of cupboards and on top of fridges and freezers. It moved house three times. It was carefully looked after during two major renovations*. And yep, I never used it!

Then a couple of weeks ago-- I finished writing my book!! Yay!

Things other than writing happen when I finish books *g*

So we were watching the fabulous Rick Stein rock around somewhere hot and sunny, with lots of lovely seafood and markets full of brightly coloured veggies, and saw him do his cheffy bit on cooking paella! And as we were drooling over the TV, the idea fairy whispered in my ear-- Ah, ha! I thought, I have a paella pan! I too, could make paella!

So all the ingredients (not the saffron; strangely enough, I already had that in the cupboard, unused and only slightly out of date, from the last time I might have had this very same idea . . .) were sourced from the local supermarket, along with a handy recipe on the packet of paella rice, and I set out to make a fabulouso paella . . .

Except . . .

Yep, you've guessed it-- The paella pan was nowhere to be found. Not in the kitchen, the garage, the shed, the loft, nowhere. This pan was not small. It should be here. Neither Mr Mc nor I can remember doing anything other than take care of this pan, and believe me, the 'unused' paella pan has been a subject of many 'discussions' between us (as has the unused fish kettle, which is not missing . . .). But sadly the paella pan has utterly vanished. It is a mystery, due, no doubt, in some form to my dis-organisational abilities, possibly. A mystery I suspect we will never solve. *sad face*

In other news I did cook paella (in a large casserole) and it was scrummy! Next time I'll remember and take pictures :-D

So, have any of you 'lost' something huge, oh say, like an 18 inch diameter paella pan?

*This actually won't come as news to those who know me ;p
*Seriously, I have five New Home cards. People I know don't move that often. I suspect house-hopping rabbits are involved.
*I have mad DIY skillz!
*All its time!

Interview about Vampires* in Spellcrackers!

2011-09-06T15:12:00.004+01:00

The fabulous Jalisa has ~~interrogated~~ interviewed me about all sorts from what I think makes a good story, to how I developed the Spellcrackers world’s specific vampire lore.

Why not click on over and see what I had to say? Go on, you know you want to! :-D

She's also done a lovely review of The Sweet Scent of Blood here!

*and other things! :-D

Friday Three!

2011-09-02T19:02:00.002+01:00

1. I had a trip up to London yesterday and my editor, the wonderful Ms Redfearn, treated me to a scrumptious afternoon tea of delicious cakes, pastries and tasty finger sandwiches, very appropriately* here! Nomnomnom! And we had a great chat about what The Shifting Price of Prey needs to make it the best book it can be! So I'm plotting those ideas over, and hope to have all the revisions done in the next 3'ish weeks! Yay! Then it's on to #5 The Hidden Rune of Iron, which I'm eager to do, to see where Genny & Co., go next!

(And I can tell you that, yes, my editor did ask me That Question, you know, the one about Genny and who she might end up with . . . and I told her . . . she will have to wait, like everyone esle, till that part of Genny's story is written. *evil author cackles* *g*)

**

Book # 4

2. Then I spent a fabulous evening at 'A Wake for Isak' a.k.a. a party to celebrate awesome author Tom Lloyd writing The End on the fifth and final book in his Twilight Reign series: The Dusk Watchman. With lots of ~~bubbly, vino, and mojitos* to wet the finished book's pages~~ interesting and great chats about things SFF and Book'ish with Gollancz folk and author pals Chris Wooding, Jaine Fenn, and Stephen Deas. And was delighted to meet author Simon Morden and bookseller and blogger Den Patrick, who has a great post on Thoughts on Women in SFF on his blog.

**

3. Oh! Books! Lots of fabulous books! Thank you to some lovely book fairies.:-D

Down Home Murder: Toni L.P. Kelner
Tight as a Tick: Toni L. P. Kelner
Wed and Buried: Toni L. P. Kelner
The Sookie Stackhouse Companion: Charlaine Harris
Fire and Thorns: Rae Carson
The Iron Jackal: Chris Wooding
A Long, Long Sleep: Anna Sheehan
The Vampire Shrink: Lynda Hilburn

*which is right opposite the building where Genny lives!
* Why yes, I feel fine today, thank you ;p

Happy Book Birthday to Blood Sacrifice and Aftermath!

2011-08-30T09:58:00.008+01:00

Happy Book Birthday to Maria Lima for Blood Sacrifice, # 5 in her fabulous Blood Lines series - and don't forget you can
leave a comment here to win
your choice of one of Maria's Blood Lines books
(Int. ends midnight 30th Aug GMT)

All’s fair in blood and war. . .

Talk about wedding crashers from hell. Keira Kelly and her sexy vampire king, Adam, are about to tie the proverbial knot—sort of—when an uninvited blood relative shows up to cast a long, dark shadow over the happy occasion. It seems the dreaded forces of the Dark Fae have declared war on Keira’s family!

And Happy Book Birthday to Ann Aguirre for Aftermath*, #5 in the wonderful Sirantha Jax series.

During the war against murderous, flesh-eating aliens, grimspace "jumper" Sirantha Jax decided to go it alone. The cost of her actions: the destruction of modern interstellar travel-and the lives of six hundred Conglomerate soldiers. Now she's on trial fro dereliction of duty, desertion, mass murder, high treason...and her life.

I've been lucky enough to read both these awesome books and if you're a fan like me, you'll love them, and if you're not, then give these fantastic series a try, and I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do :-D

ETA: Via Nicole Peeler - an impressive list of lots of lots of great new releases here at Hanging with Bells blog!

*Warning: This book made me cry (It takes a lot to do that when I'm reading :-)) - Ann is an *evil character torturing author*- and once you've finished Aftermath, you're going to be desperate to read Endgame! #justsayin' *g*

Where I'm going to be . . .

2011-08-29T15:40:00.001+01:00

Saturday 10th September 2011 @ 3pm

Along with the fabulous Ben Aaronovitch - Book online
St Swithun’s upper hall: doors open 2.30pm, event starts 3pm.
Urban fantasy novelists Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London, Moon Over Soho) and Suzanne McLeod (Spellcrackers.com) read from and chat about their books, the fantasy / thriller / mystery genres and using London as a backdrop for their characters.

Read more about Ben Aaronovitch and Suzanne McLeod on the festival's website.

Details on how to get there

So if you're about, then why not come and see us? We won't bite, promise! (but our characters might *g*)

A Long Strange Trip - Maria Lima - Guest Post + Giveaway

2011-08-24T14:35:00.002+01:00

I'm thrilled to welcome the lovely Maria Lima to the blog today. Maria writes the fang-tabulous Blood Lines series with Keira Kelly and the gorgeous, sexy vampire Adam Walker. Blood Sacrifice - book 5 and sadly the last :-( - in the series is out on August 30th, and Maria's here to tell us how the series came about. She's also kindly offering a giveaway for one lucky commentator! (Int).

Congratulations on the upcoming release, Maria, and thanks so much for being here! The blog's all yours!

ETA: Winner has now been drawn and is:

Donnas who said...

Congrats on the upcoming release!! Looking forward to what you start on next!

An email's on it way to you, Donnas!

A Long Strange Trip

What a long, strange trip it’s been--to utterly steal the lines from the Grateful Dead. I mean, who knew just a mere seven years ago that I’d be (a) published and (b) wrapping up my first series? Not I--though my mother continues to insist she knew when I was a kid that I’d be a professional writer. Back then, I wanted to be a comic book artist. Go figure.

I love reading, so much so, that I toyed with the idea of becoming a librarian at one point. Then I found out that it required grad school--not necessarily a bad thing, but at that point, I was really, really sick of school and having to go a couple of extra years was just not on the menu. So I majored in journalism, broadcast and film, with an emphasis on TV and film--why? Because it was interesting. Employable, well, not so much. At least not in San Antonio, Texas. I could’ve done some internships at local TV stations or in radio, but honestly, I was pretty rootless and clueless when I finished college. I fell into the grind of corporate work, primarily in human resources. That said, I always found a way to write--whether employee focused newsletters or marketing copy, I needed to soothe that muse that kept hitting me over the head.

It wasn’t until I re-invented myself in late 1999 that I knew I wanted a huge change. I moved from Texas to the DC area to work in tech in mid 2000. I’d been a member of Sisters in Crime for years and already knew a ton of people in the area, mostly writers. They all encouraged me. So I wrote, and wrote, and wrote.

My first short story, “The Butler Didn’t Do It”, was published in 2004, via a Sisters in Crime anthology. It garnered an Agatha Award nomination. My first novel, MATTERS OF THE BLOOD, followed the next year (via a small press, which eventually folded). I came very close to giving up after that--but at the very same convention, I met the person who kickstarted my writing career: John Betancourt, owner of Wildside Press. Wildside republished Matters, then went on to publish the 2nd book, BLOOD BARGAIN. Then, thanks to John, who entered into a co-publishing agreement with Pocket Books, both those books were republished by Pocket, immediately followed by the third book, then the final two.

A total whirlwind? Yeah. Absolutely. Kind of like my protagonist’s life, actually. Keira’s just sitting around and hanging out when things begin to happen to change her life--for the better. I’ve loved every minute of it. Now that the final Blood Lines book is coming out, what’s next?

I’m working on the audiobooks for the series (I’m doing the reading). The audiobooks will be issued via Audible.com thanks to Wildside Press. I’m also working on some other writing projects. The show goes on as do I.

What do you readers want to see?

###

Yay! Thanks for the great post, Maria. I ♥♥♥ the Blood Lines series, and I'm lucky enough to be reading Blood Sacrifice now as my 'treat book' for reaching The End on my own! Blood Sacrifice is a wonderful book, the best in the series I think, so all the Blood Lines fans have got a fab treat in store too!

Giveaway

For a chance to win a copy of one of Maria's books (winner's choice) please leave a comment for Maria: Either what book you'd like to see Maria do next, or your favourite character in the Blood Lines series, or leave Maria your congratulations!

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) August 30th 2011.

Full General Terms and Rules at the bottom of this post here.

x/posted to LJ. Comment here or there. One entry per person.

Blood Sacrifice
The Blood Lines series - Book 5 - August 30, 2011

All’s fair in blood and war. . . .

Talk about wedding crashers from hell. Keira Kelly and her sexy vampire king Adam are about to tie the proverbial knot—sort of—when an uninvited blood relative shows up to cast a long dark shadow over the happy occasion. Adam’s brother Gideon comes bearing the one-size-fits-all gift of bad news: an ancient, convoluted Challenge thrown down upon the entire Kelly clan. It seems the dreaded forces of the fae have declared war on Keira’s family, and at stake is the land that is rightfully theirs.

But while the Kellys gather their troops in a historic San Antonio hotel to strategize, there’s mayhem back in Rio Seco. The old cemetery is vandalized, fires break out everywhere, and—worst of all—the Kelly clan matriarch and leader, Keira’s great-great-grandmother Minerva, goes missing. Should Keira risk breaking the Challenge rules by returning to her beloved home, or should she continue the waiting game that seems the only other option? With everything she loves, maybe even her life, on the line, she has only one chance to get the answer right.

Buy from:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Depository
Or any good bookstore :-).
Find Maria
Maria's website
Maria on Facebook
Maria on Twitter

Yay! I have done this . . .

2011-08-24T10:53:00.003+01:00

Because we all love Johnny! *g*

WoooooT! The Shifting Price of Prey has reached The End!

Author's note: reaching The End is a huge, huge milestone *phew*, but the book isn't finished yet. My fantastic critique partner Jaye Wells* and my wonderful Beta readers have to tell me which bits are golden and which bits suck. And then my awesome editor, the lovely (and extremely patient) Gillian (find her here on twitter!) (find her here on twitter!) ~~will be forcing me to eat lunch whilst poking me and the manuscript with a huge and very sharp red pen~~ expertly guiding me to make the book the best it can be! I ♥♥♥ My Editor!

Now I will be doing this to catch up on all things Not The Book!

Except, y'know with more head, hopefully!

(Author's Warning: decapitation only suitable for fictional characters)

And this!

Except, y'know, without the tennis racket

And some of this! Yay!

So if you're waiting to hear from me about something, anything, or even if you're not *sad face*, thank you for being so patient, and you will hear from me soon as possible! *cross my heart* :-D

And stayed tuned for a wonderful guest post (and giveaway) later today by the fabulous Maria Lima!

*Jaye Wells writes the fang-tastic Sabina Kane series.

If you're not already reading it, go now and do so! You won't be sorry, I promise!

And just because we do all love Johnny (and nothing to do with spoilers . . . *g*)

I leave you with this!

Happy Release Day to Bringer of Light by Jaine Fenn!

2011-08-17T18:41:00.000+01:00

Happy Release Day to Jaine Fenn's fabulous SF book

Bringer of Light

And if you're in the UK, you can win a signed hardback of the book here. (Ends 18th August at 5 pm)

Jarek Reen is trying to save a lost world. He discovered the primitive theocracy of Serenein by accident, and now he wants it to take its place in human-space. To do this he needs a shiftspace beacon - without it, there is no way to find the planet again. The beacons were made by the Sidhe, the race that originally gave humanity access to the stars - and dominated human-space for millennia, before a coalition of human rebels and Sidhe males brought the evil Sidhe females down.

Most people think the Sidhe are long dead, but Jarek knows better: a renegade female Sidhe is one of his companions, and a male Sidhe gave her and her lover the special powers that made them Angels, very unusual trained assassins. Jarek's only hope is to find Aleph, the hidden system where the last Sidhe males are rumoured to live. But even if he can persuade these eccentric, introspective beings to put aside their interminable internal squabbles, he still has to persuade Serenein that joining the rest of humankind is a good thing . . . for the price of progress is likely to be high. Can he stop it turning into tragedy?

Congratulations, Jaine!! Woot! Can't wait to read :-D

Squirrel Pic Spam!

2011-08-15T20:27:00.000+01:00

Two very cool things make a post!

2011-08-11T10:49:00.002+01:00

HOME IMPROVEMENT: UNDEAD EDITION debuts at #28 on the NYT! OMG! Huge thanks to all who bought *Does the Major Happy Dance*

My little story - Full-Scale Demolition - is in some awesome company, and I couldn't be more thrilled to be included, thanks so much to Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner.

*hands round celebratory Bubbly and Cake for all*

And in a semi-related sort of way (hey, it's about books *g*) here's a very cool trailer for Harry Connolly's fabulous Twenty Palaces books. It's got fantastic special effects. Plus over on his blog Harry's got some great 'Behind the Scenes' posts about how the trailer was made.

Full Twenty Palaces Trailer from Harry Connolly on Vimeo.

Writing Cave news: Still buried, but digging my way through to The End of The Shifting Price of Prey. Not sure if I'm the octopus or not ... Wish me luck!

Fox pics!

2011-08-07T20:28:00.000+01:00

Teasing Octopi FTW!

2011-08-06T12:30:00.002+01:00

I am in the Writing Cave trying to wrangle The End of The Shifting Price of Prey sometime very soon *begs the God of Writing*, so apologies for all the quiet round here. The squirrels are digging holes and burying cob nuts in our lawn, and I'd show you a cool picture of a fox, if I could work out how to get it off our new camera . . . so as I epic-fail at that, here's a taster of what the Writing Cave is like just now*

And a Teaser Snippet* from page 69 . . .

‘Are you saying you don’t want to have sex with me?’ I snapped out. ‘Because, spell or no, that isn’t the impression I’ve got.’

His black eyes turned opaque and unreadable. ‘Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol is performing scenes from Scars of Dracula all this week, Genevieve. I would be honoured if one night you would attend as my guest, and after the show, it would be my pleasure if you would join me for refreshments.’

*(only without the political commentary)
* Warning: unedited, so subject to change
* Why yes, I am procrastinating, how did you guess?

Loooooooooooook

2011-07-19T12:54:00.001+01:00

what came today!!! ZOMG! So excited*!!!!!

My little story is in an anthology with my writerly hero, the awesome Charlaine Harris, and her wonderful Sookie Stackhouse*!! *Does the Snoopy Happy Dance*

Why does she do this to me every time?

Oh, well, might as well ignore her . . . maybe she'll leave me in peace then

Three pics? C'mon, this is really too much for one Hound to deal with. Where's my biscuit?

Click to embiggen and read the start!! :-D Yay! I do so hope everyone enjoys my first Spellcrackers' story! I had lots of fun with it, and I loved this tale of Genny's where we get to see her before the events in The Sweet Scent of Blood, along with a certain kelpie *g*

And I can tell you every story in this book is FAB-U-LOUS! So many great ones, and my little tale is keeping them company! Wow! Just Wow! *faints*

Out August 2 - available from all good book stores brick & mortar or online
Amazon US
Amazon UK

*Please forgive my use of a whole month's worth of exclamation marks!!!!! #justsoexcitedunliketheHound! *g*
*I know it's not new news, but Woot!!! *Strokes Author Copy* Huge thanks to Charlaine and Toni for including me!

Winners: Dirty Kiss and Quarter Square

2011-07-19T08:58:00.001+01:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaways, and so sorry I didn't announce the random winner of Dirty Kiss last week, my bad :-( But here they are now!!

Yay! Congratulations to them both!!

The winner of David Bridger's Quarter Square is kara-karina

Who said:

My obstacles? Procrastination. If I really don't like something and I know I need to do it, I will leave it until the very last moment. If people are nice to me I can't say no, even if I know they are using me. It's bad but I feel so embarassed refusing to help...

Thank you both for this giveaway, and I hope we all will overcome our obstacles.

And the winner of Dirty Kiss by Rhys Ford is Marie

Who said:

Congratulations on the book birthday!

I thought this sounded like an great book when first hearing about it, but after reading the author's thoughts about it, I suspect it to be awesome! :-)Thanks for the giveaway!

Congratulations to both of you and I hope you enjoy the books! Emails will be sent to you both shortly!

Thanks to every one who entered! And if you missed Rhys' post on Ripples in Life and David's on Obstacles, they're well worth reading, so why not check them out?

Location: The Writing Cave - typing furiously . . .

Guardians of Paradise - Jaine Fenn - Happy Book B'day!

2011-07-14T17:55:00.005+01:00

Fab SF author and lovely friend, Jaine Fenn's

Guardians of Paradise

is released in paperback today! Yay!

To celebrate she has a giveaway of a signed copy on her blog! (Int. Ends July 19). Go check it out and enter for a chance to win this brilliant book! Go on, you know you want to! *g*

Blurb from Amazon UK

Most people believe the Sidhe are long dead, exterminated centuries ago when the males of the race rose up and fought alongside the humans subjugated and enslaved by the female Sidhe. But Jarek Reen knows better: he's discovered, the painful way, that the Sidhe are alive and well, and still screwing over humanity. They've already killed his sister, so he's not surprised when he discovers an old friend and her partner are next on the Sidhe's hitlist. He helps not only to foil the assassination attempt, but also to muddy the scene of the crime, leaving the Angels Nual and Taro sanMalia presumed dead - and free to join his crusade to expose the insidious influence of the Sidhe, and their evil plans to enslave the human race again. Their mission takes them across human-space, from utilitarian hub-points to rich, exotic planets - where they discover that a brilliant vacation spot hides some of the darkest secrets of all. And that's when they discover how easy it is for the hunters to become the hunted . . .

In other news: I am on the fast slippery slope to the Deadline of Doom. (a.k.a. panicking like I'm bungee jumping without a rope!). I will be very quiet in the near future as I attempt to hit The End and the DoD at the exact same time. Wish me luck! (Also, my apologies to those of you I owe emails and other stuff too! I'm sorry, and I haven't forgotten you, but until the DoD has passed . . . well, I hope you understand if you don't hear from me until then :-))

Comment from CP (recently tweeted/FB'd) on latest offering: "Great scene!!! OMG! Most exciting book yet!!!!" Yay! *I heart my CP* *is happy bunny writer* *wonders if she should say scene was one with Malik . . .* *teases*

David Bridger - Guest post - Obstacles! (+Giveaway)

2011-07-11T14:29:00.002+01:00

I'm delighted to welcome David Bridger to the blog today. David's a fabulous writer who writes urban fantasy and romance. His new urban fantasy Quarter Square came out not long ago. David's here to blog about obstacles! Thanks so much for being here, David and the blog's all yours!

Obstacles

Thank you, Suzanne, for inviting me. It's no secret that I consider you to be the most talented British author writing urban fantasy today, and I'm thrilled to be here. (Aw, thank you! *beams/blushes beetroot red*)

So. Obstacles.

Mine come in three flavours: external; internal; and health related.

The health thing is easy to explain. I got hurt in the navy and, although I recovered mobility eventually, some of the damage to my internal organs is permanent. It also damaged my immune system and left me with severe fibromyalgia, which hurts like hell.

Getting back on my feet was a marathon of hard work. I was paralysed for the first two years, bedbound for another five, in a wheelchair for five more, then up on sticks. But I was an endurance athlete before the injury and the distance runner mentality never really goes away. Don't give up. Get through this wall. Keep going. That sort of thing.

I kept my mind active all that time by learning how to write novels. It was another marathon, but with better scenery.

My wife gave up her career to become my full time carer. Shortly after I finally stood unaided, she fell seriously ill and we swapped roles for a while. She recovered, thank goodness, and now I'm buggered up again so she's back on watch. What's happening now is that long term side effects of the drugs that keep me alive are causing me constant, intense pain and - irony of ironies - crippling me all over again.

Do I put this stuff in my books? You betcha. :-D

Then there's the internal stuff, which I suppose is pretty much the same as everyone else's. A big soup bowl of goal-creating target-setting determination sprinkled with self-doubt, displacement activity and Gaviscon.

And do my characters get heartburn? Course they do. :-D

External obstacles, for me, mostly take the form of other people's drama. I walk away as soon as I recognise it, if I can, but it isn't always possible to do that right away. Especially in this industry. Just saying. Sometimes I have to deal.

This too? Hell, yes. :-D

So those are my obstacles. What are yours?

Thanks so much for a great post, David! And David's very kindly offering a giveaway:

Giveaway

Leave a comment about anything, obstacles or otherwise, for a chance for one random winner to receive a free (e-book) copy of my urban fantasy novel, Quarter Square.

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) July 18th 2011.

Full General Terms and Rules at the bottom of this post here.

x/posted to LJ. Comment here or there. One entry per person.

Bio: David Bridger settled with his family and their two monstrous hounds in England's West Country after twenty years of ocean-based fun, during which he worked as a lifeguard, a sailor, an intelligence gatherer and an investigator. He writes urban fantasy and paranormal novels, and you can find him on his blog, Twitter and Facebook.

WIP Picture Teaser!

2011-07-08T10:16:00.005+01:00

Where Genny and [redacted for spoiler]are today . . .

The London City Wall

Fragment of the wall at Cooper's Row.

Cooper’s Row Wall

‘Blink and you’ll miss it’ pretty much sums up how to find this section of the wall. Simply head up Cooper’s Row from the Tower of London and keep an eye out on your right hand side. As soon you find The Grange City Hotel head towards the courtyard and you’ll find the wall.

Text ganked from here with thanks

J.A. Campbell - Guest Blog - The Journey

2011-07-05T09:26:00.000+01:00

Today I'd delighted to welcome back J.A. Campbell (aka Julie) whose fab YA book

Senior Year Bites

came out last week. Julie's guest blog is about the journey of writing a book.

Thanks for being here, Julie, and take it away!

***

The Journey – Part 2 (Part 1 is here)

Suzanne thank you so much for having me here.

It begins, sometimes with an idea, sometimes with a word or a phrase, or a flash of a beautiful smile. It sets out with a letter on a page. Just one, single, solitary letter. Then another letter, and another until there is a word. Then many words, then paragraphs that lead to pages and chapters then finally to a completed story.

But that’s just the beginning of the Journey.

As part of my blog tour to celebrate the release of my first Young Adult novel, Senior Year Bites, I’m going to do a series on my perceptions of the adventure of writing a novel. Obviously there are many different ways to get inspiration and write a novel. It has happened to me in many different ways. This is just one way. Here’s part two. If you’d like to read other blog posts in this series, links are on my blog tour page here.

As in part 1, our would-be novelist’s name is Kira. Kira’s idea has turned into about ten thousand words. She’s super excited about her idea but now she needs to do a little background work. Some people outline, let’s just say that Kira (and myself) consider the word outline to be a dirty word. Instead she builds character sheets and background notes on the world (she’s a fantasy author so she needs to set the rules down). The character sheets have the character’s physical description and any important notes. For example, Alexander’s character sheet in Senior Year Bites has notes on his parentage. It’s important to keep small details straight, and unless you have an uber memory, writing down the little things makes it easier when you get further into the series. World notes include rules on magic, politics, land layout, anything that might be important. Then Kira writes down notes on what happens in each chapter she’s written so far to use as a reference. To some this would be an outline, but since outline is a dirty word, she calls it a chapter reference. She also creates a synopsis about what she thinks will happen in the novel. Synopsis is also a dirty word to many, but she finds it to be a useful reference tool.

Then she goes back to the fun part, writing the novel. She’s still in the early stages when the idea is fresh and new and exciting.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the beginning stages of writing. What do you do that is helpful for you?

***
Thanks so much for stopping by, Julie!

Bio: Julie writes fantasy novels. When she’s not out riding her horse, she can usually be found sitting in front of her computer with a cat on her lap and her dog at her side.

Senior Year Bites

Fight supernatural crime, it’s what superheros do. Only I’m a vampire, not a superhero. That hasn’t deterred my best friend Steph though, so while I’m trying to survive my last year of high school as a blood-sucking non-hero, she’s dragging me and our other friend around looking for crime. Only there isn’t any, at least not until the murders start.

Buy from

Amazon UK
Amazon.US

Decadent:

Fright Night!

2011-07-03T15:54:00.005+01:00

Ooh! I like the look of this!! And look who's in it!! Yay! (Though sadly, you only catch a glimpse of him in the trailer :-( ) Out September 2nd, 2011

click to embiggen

Fright Night, starring Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Imogen Poots. Take a look at the trailer below.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and scripted by former Buffy writer Marti Noxon, this new take on the 1985 Tom Holland horror comedy finds Yelchin inheriting the role of Charley Brewster, your average smart teenager who comes to realise that his new neighbour, Jerry Dandridge (Farrell) might be something less than average himself.

Spurred on by his horror-obsessed pal “Evil” Ed Thompson (Mintz-Plasse), Charley becomes convinced that Jerry is a vampire and that he’s got designs on various local women, including Charley’s mum Jane (Toni Collette) and girlfriend Amy (Poots). So our hero enlists the help of OTT stage magician Peter Vincent (David Tennant ) in his fight to stop Jerry’s reign of fanged terror.

More Fright Night (2011) Videos

Pics, video and blurb ganked from Empire Online with thanks! With more pics/details at Empire Online here

ETA: From SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival

Want to attend a special preview screening of Fright Night on Wed 6 July at 6pm in London's West End? We have 4 pairs of tickets to give away (doesn't include travel). Only enter if you can definitely attend. email frightnight@comps.sci-fi-london.com by 7pm Tuesday with Tickets in the subject line.

Dirty Kiss by Rhys Ford, and Ripples in Life (+ giveaway)

2011-07-01T09:20:00.005+01:00

I'd like to give a big welcome to the awesome Rhys Ford! Today is Happy Release Day for Rhys' mystery romance novel

Dirty Kiss

Woot! Congratulations, Rhys!

And look at that gorgeous cover by Anne Cain!

Rhys is here about ripples in life and how they affect us, and at the end of the post there's a chance to win a copy of Dirty Kiss, so thanks for being here, Rhys, and take it away!

**
First, I owe a huge thank you to Suzanne for giving me a spot here. Many hugs and much gratitude for this. Thank you. (Aw, thank you, hon. It's a pleasure!!)

I thought about what to write in a guest blog because really, I’m sitting on someone else’s couch trying to keep their friends company while they’re in the kitchen making coffee. By the end of this, you’ll want cream and sugar and I’ll probably be asking Suzanne to make mine Irish. ::grins::

While mulling over what to write, a few things happened. First, Dirty Kiss’ release date crept up on me and by the time you read this, it’ll be THAT day. Second, New York decided that gays have the right to marry. Oddly enough, I’m neither gay nor do I live in New York but that single act by so many sent ripples that touched my life.

I think that’s why I write. Those ripples. Those questions that come up in life. Not because I have answers. Hell, I’d be the first one to tell you there’s probably no answers, only more questions. Just when you think there’s the end of the line, another one starts. That’s because life is a journey and we are constantly taking steps towards something… even if we don’t exactly know what that something is.

Hopefully, those steps are towards something positive.

I wanted to write about something positive. About working towards that positive. So, the first step is Dirty Kiss.

The main character in Dirty Kiss is a former police detective named Cole McGinnis. He comes with a few issues. Some of his own making. Others… well, those were delivered to him by the Devil himself. The reader is introduced to him in mid-step. His private investigation business is doing well. He has an older brother who loves him and a support network of friends. There are demons in his psyche and probably is in denial of most of the weight on his soul. Cole believes his life is fairly full and he’s doing okay.

And he is. Then he meets Kim Jae-Min and realizes that life could be better. Definitely crappier in some ways but better in the long run.

Cole was an interesting character to create. I wanted a gay detective but one that was a “guy”. Just a guy. He drinks beer, drives a Range Rover and has a healthy appetite for hamburgers. He carries scars on his body from a shooting that also took his lover from him. Cole stays up too late, probably should eat more vegetables and gets his ass kicked when he spars with his boxing partner, another gay ex-cop named Bobby. Cole’s voice is slightly cynical and there’s a bit of humour in it but really, he’s a good guy who has stared down a lot of really bad things and wonders how he came out on the other side.

Kim Jae-Min, Cole’s love interest, is another story.

That’s because Jae can’t tell you if there’s another side to come out of.

He knows that life is dark and that there are things that have to be done in order to survive. He’s done those things. He makes no apologies for them nor does he brag. Jae wears his scars inside and isn’t one to share any of his secrets. Unlike Cole, he doesn’t have a familial support. If he came out to his family, he would literally lose his identity, everything that makes him who he is in his mind.

Jae is trapped in a war of culture versus society. He was born to a traditional Korean family where homosexuality is shameful and regardless of a man’s orientation, he is still expected to marry and produce children to carry on the family name. He doesn’t understand Cole’s openness or rather, he understands that it is not for him. On the other hand, Cole has no comprehension of Jae’s struggle to define himself either as a Korean man or a openly gay man. For Jae, the two are as far apart on the spectrum as can be.

This cultural norm is sometimes worse than being closeted. If a man admits his homosexuality, he runs the very significant risk of being dead to his family and for many Asians, that is worse than death because family defines you. Your name, your family’s name and everything attached to it defines who you are. Remove that and a great piece of what makes a person is suddenly gone. Some make the choice to walk away and survive.

Others cannot. Some do not survive these choices by taking the most self-destructive way out.

I’ve taken my own journeys. I’ve struggled with trying to be defined both as Asian and not fitting into my family norm. I’ve worked with issues I’ve denied (although probably not as deep as Cole denies them) and have come out on the other side on many of them. I wanted to write about at least pieces of that kind of journey. Hopefully I have with Dirty Kiss, even as I whisper of those struggles behind the bloody puzzle of a murder mystery.

So this book — this series told in Cole’s voice — is about a very meat-and-potatoes Japanese-Irish gay ex-cop who falls in love with a Korean photographer while trying to solve a murder that no one else thinks is a murder. Dirty Kiss is the beginning of Cole and Jae’s journey. Whether they walk the entire way together or not remains to be seen. I haven’t planned that far in advance. I know there are things I’d like to explore between them as they stumble across dead bodies or missing jewelry… as well as them exploring each other.

If you pick it up, let me know how you found it and if it said anything to you. If the cat made you laugh, tell me that too.

***
Huge thanks to Rhys for a wonderful, interesting post. I've got my copy of Dirty Kiss all ready to go, I've been looking forward to reading this for a looong time, and, of course, meeting the cat! Yay! If you'd like to visit Rhys' website, it's here: Rhys Ford

Bio: Rhys Ford was born and raised in Hawai’i then wandered off to see the world. After chewing through a pile of books, a lot of odd food, and a stray boyfriend or two, Rhys eventually landed in San Diego, which is a very nice place but seriously needs more rain.

Rhys currently has a day job herding graphics pixels at an asset management company with a fantastic view of the seashore from many floors up and admits to sharing the house with three cats, a black Pomeranian puffball, a bonsai wolfhound, and a ginger cairn terrorist. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, a Qosmio laptop, and a red Hamilton Beach coffee maker.

Blurb: Cole Kenjiro McGinnis, ex-cop and PI, is trying to get over the shooting death of his lover when a supposedly routine investigation lands in his lap. Investigating the apparent suicide of a prominent Korean businessman’s son proves to be anything but ordinary, especially when it introduces Cole to the dead man’s handsome cousin, Kim Jae-Min.

Jae-Min’s cousin had a dirty little secret, the kind that Cole has been familiar with all his life and that Jae-Min is still hiding from his family. The investigation leads Cole from tasteful mansions to seedy lover’s trysts to Dirty Kiss, the place where the rich and discreet go to indulge in desires their traditional-minded families would rather know nothing about.

It also leads Cole McGinnis into Jae-Min’s arms, and that could be a problem. Jae-Min’s cousin’s death is looking less and less like a suicide, and Jae-Min is looking more and more like a target. Cole has already lost one lover to violence—he’s not about to lose Jae-Min too.

Read chapter one here!
Find Dirty Kiss eBook at Dreamspinner Press
Find Rhys on Twitter

Giveaway

For a chance to win a eBook of Dirty Kiss just leave Rhys your congratulations!

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) July 7th 2011.

Full General Terms and Rules at the bottom of this post here.

You can get an extra entry by tweeting about the giveaway. Leave the link to the tweet as an extra comment.

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

2011-06-28T11:01:00.008+01:00

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!

***

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 . . .

***

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*

Quarter Square: David Bridger - Happy Release Day!

2011-06-27T16:21:00.001+01:00

Happy Release Day!

QUARTER SQUARE

A fantastic urban fantasy from my writer pal David Bridger! Yay! Congratulations!

English carpenter Joe Walker thinks his life is over when he discovers his wife and best friend having an affair. Restoring an abandoned theatre offers little hope for a fresh start...until he follows a group of strangers through a hidden door into a world he never could have imagined.

In the haven known as Quarter Square, Joe encounters a community of supernatural street performers who straddle the mortal world and the magic realm known as the Wild. Here, Joe finds a sense of belonging he's never known before—and a chance to uncover the truth behind the frightening visions that have haunted him since childhood. He also meets Min, an enchanting singer who quickly captures his heart.

But as Joe settles into Quarter Square, he learns their haven is under attack, while an ancient enemy threatens to tear him and Min apart. Now, Joe must learn to wield his own powers in order to save the life he's come to love...

QUARTER SQUARE is available from Carina Press!

--------------------
Copyright © 2011 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited
® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under licence.

B'day Book Haul!

2011-06-25T20:56:00.001+01:00

Yay! So I had a birthday a couple of weeks ago, and like all birthdays I ended up with a wonderful book haul! #Iheartmyfamily #solucky #wishlistsRcool!

Dead Tree Books!

Kindle Books! With special thanks to Ann Aguirre for an fab early read of Devil's Punch!

Senior Year Bites: J.A. Campbell - Happy Book Birthday!

2011-06-24T10:05:00.001+01:00

Happy Book Birthday!

Senior Year Bites

Yay! Congratulations to J.A. Campbell

Senior year is supposed to be fun: boys, dances and graduation.

It's significantly harder to enjoy it when you’re dead.

Truth or Dare is supposed to be fun too. It’s not even close to dangerous, so playing at Steph's house didn't seem like a bad idea. My dare? Spend the rest of the night in the graveyard next to her house. It was only a couple of hours until false dawn, my proscribed return time, so no big deal right? Right.

I survived the attack, but it took me a few days to figure out what was going on. I mean vampires might stalk pop culture, but they're just myths. Yeah. Not so much.

School is a lot more difficult when you're a nocturnal creature of the night. I was managing, but I couldn't keep it hidden from my friends for long. After I managed to accidentally save one of our cheerleaders from her drunk and ill-intentioned boyfriend. Steph decided that we should be cool, like superheroes, and fight crime.

Only I’m a vampire, not a hero, and we live in a sleepy New England town, so crime's a little harder to come by. At least it is until a serial killer moves into the area. He’s got the authorities stumped, but then again, the cops don't have a teenage, blood-sucking, non-hero on their team.

Genre: YA, urban fantasy, mainstream fantasy, action/adventure, horror
Word count – 54k

Senior Year Bites is available at
Decadent
Amazon
Amazon UK
Smashwords

Book Pushers Blog Party!

2011-06-23T09:50:00.002+01:00

The fabulous Book Pushers have re-launched and they are having a blog party to celebrate! With prizes!! Go see!!!

Summer of Discovery (+ giveaway)

2011-06-16T14:29:00.001+01:00

I'm over at the lovely Maria Lima*'s today for her 'Summer of Discovery' talking about synchronicity, trolls and my muse *g*

Come read and comment for a chance to win one of my books!
(Int - ends sometimes soon)

Go on, you know you want to! :-D

* Maria writes the fab Blood Lines series featuring Keira Kelly, who has to deal with all sorts of dead people in supernatural Texas (and other places) . . . All her books are wonderful, exciting reads! You can find out more about them here.

And don't forget I'm over at My Bookish Ways, where you can read about one of the most embarrassing things I've ever done, and there's another chance to win one of my books too! (Int. Ends July 5)

My Favorite Things: Interview + Giveaway! (Plus Snippet!)

2011-06-14T17:32:00.003+01:00

So, I've been awol on the blog recently. Sorry about that! Partly, I'm hard at work in the Writing Cave, y'know, writing - *g* - which is going pretty well storywise, if I do say so myself :-D.

Plus there's some other stuff going on that's kept me away. So, I also want to say if you're waiting on something from me, and I know a few folk are, I'm very, very sorry, and please, be patient with me. I'm trying to catch up as soon as I can.

Anyway, I'm popping in to say that the lovely Kristin over at My Bookish Ways interviewed me about My Favourite Things - why not head over there and find out how I once had to race a swarm of zombies . . . Eek!

There's a giveaway too! Winner's choice of one of my books (The post says The Cold Kiss of Death, but I'm happy to offer a choice of #1, #2 or #3 :-D)

*And to say sorry in a more substantive way, here's a small snippet from The Shifting Price of Prey! Enjoy! (totally unedited, so please ignore any typos etc. :-))

‘You’re free as a— Oh, wow!’ Katie’s eyes rounded with amazement as she pointed at the park. ‘Look, Genny!’

I looked.

The unicorn was galloping flat out through the park towards us. And ‘wow!’ didn’t begin to cover it. Its copper-coloured coat reflected the last rays of the sunset, its mane streamed behind it in a ripple of verdigris and bronze, and its horn flickered amber and gold like the light inside a dragon’s tear. It radiated pure happiness as it ran and watching it lifted my spirit and made everything seem right with the world. Heart beating joyfully in my chest, I stared transfixed; it was so long since I’d seen it and I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed it. It skidded to a stop the other side of the iron railings, wrinkled its horsy lip and gave a fluting whistle, as if to say ‘over here’ then trotted towards the park gate. Katie jumped off her bike, and before I could grab her, was off running.

Wow! New Cover!

2011-06-01T20:16:00.000+01:00

With thanks to the Cover Gods at Gollancz, who have been super awesome and are giving me a fabulous new cover (with Genny's magic) for The Sweet Scent of Blood! This new one (as you can see below) will match with the newer style cover* for The Cold Kiss of Death, The Bitter Seed of Magic, and the future cover for The Shifting Price of Prey*! Woot!! *Does the Mega Happy Dance* I <3 Gollancz!!

And here it is with the other two!! Don't they make a gorgeous cover trio? *g*

click to embiggen!

*The new cover will be available November 10, 2011 in the UK new size mass market edition. This one's not quite final; there's a small strap line to go in the top right corner which can be seen on the Amazon link :-)
*I've seen the cover for The Shifting Price of Prey! Wow!! Will share when I can :-D
*See how I got ALL the titles for my books in there??? *shameless self-promo FTW!!* MWHAHAHAH

Rituals, Interview and Giveaway!

2011-05-24T21:59:00.000+01:00

Just a quickie post as I'm in packing and panic mode for leaving early in the morning to go to Tallinn! Eek! Getting ready to go away always stresses me out, however much I try not to let it; I'm always worried about forgetting things, and fitting it all in to the smallest bag possible, and not taking too much, and . . . well, you get the idea *sigh*.

So, I'm interviewed at the fantastic Over The Edge Book Reviews where I reveal something about my latest writing preparation ritual which might surprise you . . . *looks innocent* *g*

And there's a chance for two lucky folk to win a copy of The Cold Kiss of Death! If you've already got your own copy, you can always give it as a gift :-D So why not head on over there and check it out! Closes May 29, 2011.

Where I'm going tomorrow . . .

2011-05-24T10:51:00.001+01:00

. . . is the HeadRead Literary Festival in Tallinn, Estonia! I'm superexcited about this as it's my first literary festival as a Guest! Yay! Huge thanks to the HeadRead organisers for the wonderful invitation.

So, I'll be around at the Festival (I'm not sure all of what's planned) but on Saturday 28 May at 12.00 the lovely Sash Uusjärv will be ~~grilling me mercilessly~~ interviewing me about my books, at the Estonian Writers' Union, Harju 1, Estonia. If you're around that way, then please, feel free to come and ~~heckle~~ listen :-D

Another reason I'm over the moon, is I've never been to Tallinn, and it looks an awesome amazing place to visit. The Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn is a UNESCO World Heritage Site*. And this year, Tallin is also the European Capital of Culture! Totally unsuprising when you look at this gorgeous aerial view of the Town Wall and St. Olav's Church. (courtesy of Tallinn City Tourist Office and Convention Bureau © Toomas Volmer)

click to embiggen

The third superexciting part of the Festival is VERE MAGUS LÕHN (a.k.a. The Sweet Scent of Blood) is being published by Varrak! *Mega Happy Dancing* And look at the fabulous cover! Huge thanks and kudos to Varrak and their fantastic Cover Gods!

Now, of course, I'm taking my laptop, after all, I'm still on the Deadline of Doom (TM) for book 4 - The Shifting Price of Prey,so I need to keep to my daily word count. And I plan* on taking lots of pictures, but I'm not sure what sort of internet availability I'll have, so if I'm even quieter than usual (re: Deadline of Doom) that's the reason!

* Of course, the Tower of London is a UNESCO World Heritage Site too - and coincidentally features in The Bitter Seed of Magic which is available with free worldwide delivery from The Book Depository! #shamelessbookplug!!! *g*
* I always plan on taking lots of pictures, but it doesn't always work out that way - hopefully this time will be different! *fingers crossed*

Spellcracking Radio! Live!

2011-05-23T10:42:00.006+01:00

I've been a bit quiet here, but not so much in other places *g*

I did my first live radio interview last Wednesday, for Southside Broadcasting on Siren, with the fab Alex Lewczuk, and if you're so inclined you can listen to it here. :-D

ETA: Now fixed! (Though I still haven't listened to more than the first couple of mins - #stillascaredycat )

It's about 15 mins long, and I'm still debating whether to listen to it myself *has palpitations*. I was really nervous, so hopefully I don't sound too much like a doofus, though to be honest, my mind always blanks things like this out (self-protection FTW!). Though, I do vaguely remember talking about who I'd cast as Genny in a movie (clue below!), so maybe I sounded okay . . .

Also the wonderful Gill Appleton along with Southside Broadcasting chose The Cold Kiss of Death as their Book of the Month! Which is all sorts of AWESOME! Huge thanks to Gill, Alex and Southside Broadcasting! You can listen to what Gill and Alex thought about it here.!

(They liked it, even it it was a bit gory in places *g*) (The podbean is about 30 mins long, and the discussion stops in the middle for a couple of mins adverts, then carries on after.)

The Owl and the Pussycat!

2011-05-16T18:23:00.000+01:00

I'm hard at work in the Writing Cave, so no real post here, but this made me smile . . . :-D

Signing Notes, Cupcakes and Winner: Magic Slays

2011-05-10T18:42:00.009+01:00

So the signing on Sunday with Ben Aaronovitch! I had a fantastic time, the staff at Waterstone's Covent Garden were extremely well organised and ~~corralled us in the window display so we couldn't escape~~ had everything all set up for us: Sharpies, tea (me), diet coke (Ben), table, chairs, and of course, the most important, plenty of wonderful books* ready to sign for ~~willing victims bribed with sweeties~~ happy readers!

Here's Ben and I showing off our books! Please note I have one more than Ben . . . *gets competitive*, though Ben's photographic stance is much more practiced than mine; you can see both his books in full, and read the titles! (I was going for the artistic effect! Note to self: stick with plain and simple in future! *g*)

Thanks to Neil C Ford for the picture

Ben is a pleasure to sign with, and a very witty guy (though, if you've read his books, you'll already know that :-D) - and despite my rabid jealousy over him being a Sunday Times Bestselling Author, signing more books than me, and my frequent threats to summarily despatch him to the fiery pits of author hell with one of my Spellcrackers pencils much chat and fun was had by all. It was brilliant to see some familiar faces - *waves* at Neil, Michelle, Liz, Mark, Marc, and others (you know who you are :-)), and exciting to meet lovely new readers! Thanks so much to all of you for coming, and thanks to Waterstone's for being wonderful bookshop hosts!

And a huge thank you to the awesome Jackie, (visit her website to see more Fabulous Cakes she's made!) who is an absolute star and made us these super scrumptious cupcakes for us! With miniature copies of our actual books as decorations! Wow!!! Jackie, You Rock, Lady!!

Click to embiggen and see the cupcake fabulousness in all its glorious detail.

A close up!

*I know I'm being shameless here, calling my own books wonderful, though Ben had books there too, and his really are wonderful :-D

Giveaway!

Awesome Author Carolyn Crane has a giveaway where you can win your choice of some fabulous books (inc.The Sweet Scent of Blood or The Cold Kiss of Death! Yay!) so why not hop on over and enter! (Int. Ends May 14th)

Winner of Magic Slays

Thanks to everyone who left comments about their favourite part of a wedding - some of you even shared my enjoyment of the cake, toast and bubbly bit *g*

And now for the winner of Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, Book 5) UK by Ilona Andrews!

Random.org has spoken . . .

and the winner is

Deb

Who said...

When my aunt got married, an orange tabby cat jumped on the train of her dress and played with the flowers that the flower-girl dropped. We always joke around that the cat was trying to steal the bride because she was so pretty. :D

I think my favorite part of weddings (at least in this case) is the infectious laughter. Everyone is happy and smiling. The little things that make a wedding unique really bring out the joy of the occasion.

Congratulations Deb! An email is on its way to you!

What's Happening Next!

Thanks again to everyone for entering this giveaway, and all the other celebratory giveaways! (And especially for buying my new books!) I hope you all had fun, and look out for more some time in the future! Until then, normal blogging will be resumed, which translates as - The Deadline of Doom is Looming, so I'm chained to my laptop in the Writing Cave, so posting will hopefully be weekly, but is likely to be a bit more intermittent than that, while I spend time torturing my characters in order to fully live up to my Evil Author persona. *g*

Signing + Puppets + New Russian Cover

2011-05-05T14:46:00.001+01:00

This Sunday, 8th May, Ben Aaronovitch and I will be signing at Waterstone's, Covent Garden between 2 pm and 4 pm. So if you're out and about in the vicinity, then please, do come and say hello! We won't bite, honest :-D.

I'm happy to sign any of my books, or anything else (within reason *g*), so no need to buy new, unless of course, you've got friends you think might enjoy either of our books *hints* :-D. But feel free to buy other authors' books if you see anything you like (hey, it's a bookshop, there's always going to be lots that look great!) and help keep our bookshops thriving :-).

Ben is the author of the fabulous Rivers of London(Midnight Riot in the US) and Moon Over Soho(both out now in the UK and US), featuring Detective Constable Peter Grant. Ben did a mouth watering guest post here on the blog not so long ago where he talks about The Gumbo School of Writing!

Facebook event page here.

And if you needed any more incentive to come, the wonderful Puppet Fayre is on in Covent Garden :-).

***

COVER NEWS!

Here's the awesome Russian cover for The Cold Kiss of Death a.k.a. Холодный поцелуй смерти. Isn't it gorgeous? *Bounces* I'm not entirely sure what date the book actually releases, but hopefully soon!

With grateful thanks to the cover gods at Azbooka. I absolutely love the cool blue colour, and the background, and the bats*! Yay! I've been so lucky with new covers recently, and this one is going to look freaking fabulous next to The Sweet Scent of Blood, as you can see . . . *g*

WIN BOOKS HERE!

And just a quick reminder that this week's celebratory giveaway is for A story about Magical Apples and how they bring two lovers together: Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, Book 5) by Ilona Andrews! Giveaway is international and ends 9th May, so there's plenty of time still to enter!

Plus the marvellous Mardel over at Rabid Reader has a giveaway for The Cold Kiss of Death until the 6th May! (Int) So why not head on over and enter; even if you've read, it'll make a great gift for a friend, if you win *g*

*Yes, I know there are no bats in my books . . . yet! *teases*

Weddings + Apples + Magic Slays - Ilona Andrews! (giveaway)

2011-04-29T17:00:00.008+01:00

Giveaway now closed! Winner will be announced soon . . .

The Cold Kiss of Death is out now in the US (Thanks to everyone who's bought it! You Rock!) and in the UK now, and The Bitter Seed of Magic is out now in the UK (December 27 in the US). So, this is the last of my 16 weeks of celebratory giveaways, and this week's is a book I'm really looking forward to get my sticky little reading hands on. *g*

*Cue Drumroll*

Magic Weds, err, sorry, Slays (Kate Daniels, Book 5) UK by Ilona Andrews!

Blurb from Amazon:

Kate Daniels has quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but starting her own business isn't easy when the Order starts disparaging her good name. And being the mate of the Beast Lord doesn't bring in the customers, either. So when Atlanta's premier Master of the Dead asks for help with a vampire, Kate jumps at the chance. Unfortunately, this is one case where Kate should have looked before she leapt.

Ooooooh!! *WANTS* :-D

So what do you have to do to be in with a chance of winning Magic Slays (or your choice of an earlier book in the series)? Well since Kate and Curran got together in Magic Bleeds, and today saw another Kate marry her Prince . . . (not that I'm suggesting there will be a wedding in Magic Slays . . . but who knows!!! *g*) leave me a comment telling me something you enjoy about weddings. Me, I always look forward to seeing the cake cut, and raising a glass of bubbly to wish the happy couple well!

Many congratulations to the Royal Couple!

I wish them a long, happy, loving and healthy life together!

How to enter:

Leave a comment about something you enjoy at weddings.

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) 9th May 2011.

Full General Terms and Rules at the bottom of this post here.

You can get an extra entry by tweeting about the giveaway. Leave the link to the tweet as an extra comment.

Please note: My usual 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. However I do read and enjoy all the comments, and will, of course, continue to reply to comments on any other post, so if you have a question for me, leave it on one of those, thank you :-)

Winner: Tangled Threads - Jennifer Estep

2011-04-29T16:13:00.000+01:00

Thanks to everyone who left comments about their phobias - a lot of you share mine *shudders*.

And now for the winner of Tangled Threads (Elemental Assassin, Book 4) by Jennifer Estep!

Random.org has spoken . . .

and the winner is

jeanette8042

Who said...

I have a phobia of bugs because they're just so creepy to me.

Congratulations Jeanette8042! An email is on its way to you!

Thanks again to everyone for entering! This week's giveaway will go live soon!

Six Things Make a Post!

2011-04-27T21:07:00.003+01:00

So the US edition of The Cold Kiss of Death released yesterday! Yay! And there's a couple of places below where you could win a copy - and even if you've already read it (Thank you!), then why not enter anyway . . . you could always gift the book to friend if you win! (Books are always my favourite gifts, along with chocolate, of course *g*)

1. I'm interviewed at The Qwillery - head on over to find out about my strange writing quirks (involves hopping!) + there's a giveaway for one lucky commentator for The Sweet Scent of Bloodand The Cold Kiss of Death. (Int. Ends May 4). The Qwillery also reviewed The Cold Kiss of Death here (She liked it! Woot! *g*)

2. The wonderful Mardel over at Rabid Reader is holding a Book Birthday giveaway for winner's choice of The Sweet Scent of Blood or The Cold Kiss of Death. (Int. Ends May 6)

3. I had a brilliant, albeit short time* at Eastercon over the weekend! It was great to see old, and new friends, and meet some fab folk in RL that I've only e-met before. Sadly, because of my short time there, I missed meeting up with lots more folk, and only managed to get to one panel (Combative women in SF & F - which I thoroughly enjoyed). So I now have a plan for next year to make sure I go for longer!

My reading* went well (in spite of me never having read to anyone other than my crit group before). I read about half of 'Full-Scale Demolition' which is the prequel Spellcrackers short story that will be in the Home Improvement: Undead Editionanthology out in August.I think I only fluffed it a couple of times! Sorry, folks! And our audience were kind enough to applaud! Thank you to all who were there :-). I read with Dan Abnett (who writes some very cool, and funny science fiction). There's another pic of me over at Warpcoresf.

picture courtesy of Amanda at Floor to Ceiling Books

4. Is a reminder for the week's celebratory giveaway for Jennifer Estep's Tangled Threads (or winner's choice of an earlier book in her series). You can enter here until midnight (GMT) April 28.(Int.)

5. There's the bonus giveaway for the first six peeps in the US to send me pictures of The Cold Kiss of Death on an actual shelf, in an actual book store in the US! I'll send them each 6 Spellcrackers Bling Pencils (one of each colour available - and yes they are sparkly Swarovski Crystals on the ends!). Email your pics to contest at spellcrackers dot com (remembering to replace 'at' and 'dot' with @ and . :-)), with Spellcrackers Pencil Contest in the subject line. And don't forget to tell me which city the store is in, please. *curious*

6. And there's yet another chance to win a copy of The Cold Kiss of Death (or choice of lots of other cool books!) over at Preternatura (Suzanne Johnson's blog) in her New Releases post . (Int. Ends April 29)

*Yep, I know the post is short too; as I'm in Deadline Hell. Sorry!
*Apologies for forgetting the mini eggs and liquorice torpedoes :-(
*The pics are inspiring me to do the diet and exercise thing. Sitting around and hitting the keyboard is just not conducive to keeping the pounds off. And no, I don't need to be all sylph-like, but I really do need to fit into, and feel more comfortable, in my clothes.*sigh*

Bittersüße Nacht - cover!

2011-04-22T13:14:00.003+01:00

Here's the German cover for Bittersüße Nacht

(translates as Bitter Sweet Night aka The Bitter Seed of Magic # 3!)

OMG!! Just GORGEOUS! & WOW!!!

Thank you, Goldmann!


Out 16th January 2012

Don't forget to enter this week's celebratory giveaway for

Jennifer Estep's Tangled Threads

+ there's an extra giveaway for
Spellcrackers Bling Pencils
if you
Paparazzi my book in the US

Paparazzi my book! + Tangled Threads - Jennifer Estep (giveaway)

2011-04-22T11:44:00.005+01:00

So this week's giveaway post is going to be a shortie! I'm off to Eastercon (scroll down for my schedule) and have a ton of things to do, not least of which is the dreaded ironing, and getting my fringe(aka bangs in the US) trimmed*, since it seems to have grown an inch overnight!

I've heard that The Cold Kiss of Death (out April 26 US - only 4 days to go!!! Yay!!) might actually be out in some book stores now! Now there's nothing like seeing a book you've written in an actual book store! Much Happy Dancing and book rearranging ensues (and then the store assistants start to look askance, and ultimately ask you to leave - not that it's ever happened to me *looks innocent*). But as I live in the UK I can't check out any US stores :-(

So here's a bonus giveaway for peeps in the US. I'll send Spellcrackers Bling Pencils (one of each colour available - 6 - click to embiggen - and yes they are sparkly Swarovski Crystals on the ends!) to the first six folk to send me pictures of The Cold Kiss of Death on an actual shelf, in an actual book store in the US. Email your pics to contest at spellcrackers dot com (remembering to replace 'at' and 'dot' with @ and . :-)), with Spellcrackers Pencil Contest in the subject line. And don't forget to tell me which city the store is in, please. *curious*

So, onto this week's celebratory giveaway which is for Tangled Threads (Elemental Assassin, Book 4) by Jennifer Estep which releases April 26 in the US and the UK.

Here's the blurb from Amazon:

I’d rather face a dozen lethal assassins any night than deal with something as tricky, convoluted, and fragile as my feelings.

But here I am. Gin Blanco, the semi-retired assassin known as the Spider. Hovering outside sexy businessman Owen Grayson’s front door like a nervous teenage girl. One thing I like about Owen: he doesn’t shy away from my past—or my present. And right now I have a bull’s-eye on my forehead. Cold-blooded Fire elemental Mab Monroe has hired one of the smartest assassins in the business to trap me. Elektra LaFleur is skilled and efficient, with deadly electrical elemental magic as potent as my own Ice and Stone powers. Which means there’s a fifty-fifty chance one of us won’t survive this battle. I intend to kill LaFleur—or die trying—because Mab wants the assassin to take out my baby sister, Detective Bria Coolidge, too. The only problem is, Bria has no idea I’m her long-lost sibling . . . or that I’m the murderer she’s been chasing through Ashland for weeks. And what Bria doesn’t know just might get us both dead. . . .

Ooh! Sounds exciting! Can't wait to read it, though I do have a bit of a EEK! Oh noes! reaction when it comes to the Gin books . . . Yep, as a life-long sufferer of arachnophobia, that whole spider thing gets to me. Just the mention of the word makes my pulse splutter and shudders run down my spine. *takes a moment to calm herself* And as I can't force myself to have a pic of ELF (eight-legged freak) on the blog, here's one of the Escaped Easter Bunny from the London Experience (one of the places in The Cold Kiss of Death - see this blog post for dets) who is terrorising London this Easter Weekend!

So what do you have to do to be in with a chance of winning Tangled Threads (or your choice of an earlier book in the series)? Just leave me a comment telling me if you have a phobia (and what it is), or not! Simple, heh!

How to enter:

Leave a comment saying if you have a phobia (and what it is), or not.

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) 28th April 2011.

Full General Terms and Rules at the bottom of this post here.

You can get an extra entry by tweeting about the giveaway. Leave the link to the tweet as an extra comment.

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).

All book links lead to Amazon (UK/US) or the Book Depository, and contain affiliate links. I've decided to go affiliate as I love giving books away (and not just as a way of shameless self-promo), but boy, does it get expensive.

Eastercon Schedule

I'll be there from lunchtime Saturday until mid-morning Sunday. I'm doing a reading* with Dan Abnett at 15.00 on Saturday. I'm not sure who's going first, but I'll be in the room from 15.00. At other times I'll be in the Dealers' room at the Gollancz table, in the bar, or wondering. Please do say hello and chat, and please forgive me if I don't immediately match you in RL with your online persona, if I know you. I'm not very good at that sort of thing. But feel free to give me clues, and add to my embarrassment as I try and guess who you are :-D

I was all on my lonesome at my first, and until now, only reading (Fantasycon 2008), so please come and see me. I'll be bringing Cadbury's mini eggs, liquorice torpedoes, and Spellcrackers Bling pencils. *offers bribes and looks hopeful*

*I'm lucky, my SiL is a hairdresser, and is wonderful for these sorts of panicked emergencies :-)

Okay so the post isn't that short - what can I say, I'm a writer *g*

Winner: London Tour Giveaway!

2011-04-22T09:58:00.001+01:00

Thanks to everyone who left comments about which London Tour from The Cold Kiss of Death (out 26th April - only 4 days to go!!! Yay!!) they'd like to take! All the places are fabulous, so if you ever get the chance to visit . . . Go for it!!

And now for the winner, who gets their choice of one of my books! *g*

Random.org has spoken . . .

and the winner is

Rissatoo

Who said...

Only pick one? Are you kidding me? I wanna see EVERYTHING in London! Waaah!

OK, let's get serious... We have wonderful wineries nearby for tastings, so that can be crossed off. Same goes for the market. I've seen the London Bridge here (is it at Lake Havasu? Cannot recall, it's been 20 years.), so not that. I'm pretty sure I can see boat replicas down at the harbor, so no Hinde.

Huh. That still leaves me with what? Clink, Experience & Tombs, I think. A quick coin toss (What? You don't have a three-sided coin, too? :p), and the winner is: the London Experience. Whew. That was difficult.

Congratulations Rissatoo! A tweet is on its way to you!

Thanks again to everyone for entering! This week's giveaway will go live soon!

'Behind the Pen' at The Spinecracker

2011-04-20T21:33:00.002+01:00

The fabulous Jessica at The Spinecracker had me answer her great 'Behind the Pen' questions. Why not head on over and find out my biggest pet peeve, and what qualities I like in a man (and a woman *g*)! Plus there's a giveaway of The Cold Kiss of Death (out April 26 US / out now UK) to one lucky commentator (Int. Ends Monday April 25th at midnight (pst))

Jess at The Spinecracker has also kindly reviewed The Cold Kiss of Death. She liked it! Yay!

Bottom Line: Mcleod comes back with such force in this second book. Her characters still have intrigue, her world remains mysterious, and her plots are diabolical. The Cold Kiss of a Death is a literary trifecta.

Thanks, Jess! You can read the whole review here if you're so inclined :-)

And talking of giveaways, the winner of J.A. Campbell's giveaway for a copy of both Westward, Yo! and Range Feud is . . .

Matilda!

Congratulations, Matilda! An email is on it's way to you!

*****

And don't forget this week's celebratory giveaway here on the blog is for winner's choice of one of my books! So go here to enter!

Tour London in The Cold Kiss of Death (+ Giveaway)

2011-04-15T21:02:00.011+01:00

US Cover

Well, I'm a bit later posting this week's celebratory giveaway, as I got carried away* with the writing today. Anyway, we're now on week # 14 of my 16 weeks of giveaways to celebrate the the upcoming US release of book 2 The Cold Kiss of Death (out 26th April - only 10'ish days to go!!! Yay!!), and the UK release of book 3 The Bitter Seed of Magic (Out Now! And don't forget you can get it from The Book Depository with Free WorldWide Del (she says, just dropping that tiny bit of self-promo in there . . .) *g*

So it's all about MY BOOKS this week!! And one of the things I love about using London as the setting, is that it's full of fantastic and interesting places. In fact, sometimes I have a hard time choosing which ones to use. But when it came to The Cold Kiss of Death it was all made easier for me by a lovely birthday day out. Here's a tour of some of the great places appearing in the book, that Mr Mc treated me to! Yay! Love that man!

First up is the London Experience and The London Tombs ~ a fun, and sometimes scary exhibition with a good dash of the historical, which is a great day out for all ages (remembering that it can be scary . . .). It's a place that plays a big part in the book. Here's an extract from chapter two where Genny is in the tombs working on a ghost survey with Finn:

"Chewing the end of my pencil, I scanned the underground site again. Bare bulbs in their yellow hanging cages lit the place brighter than the midday sun, even though it was past midnight. The bright lights didn’t make me feel any better: they cast weird shadows over the abandoned builders’ tools, turning them into hiding places full of staring eyes; watching. Thick cobwebs stretched across the arched brick roof and damp stained the walls with algae-slimed patches. And it smelled old and musty, with an underlying whiff of putrefying flesh – a smell Finn had assured me existed only in my over-active imagination, not that his assurances made the smell go away. The place was creepy enough even without the steady stream of ghosts drifting by. Finally my gaze skittered over the more modern breezeblock wall blocking the River Thames end of the tunnel and landed on the cordoned-off area in one corner. An avalanche of old human bones spilled out over the floor. The very bones I’d been trying to ignore all night, especially as I had an odd notion that they kept whispering my name."

The Clink Prison Museum ~ the museum is built upon the original site of the Clink Prison, which dates back to 1144 making it one of England’s oldest, if not the oldest Prison. It's small but perfectly equipped with a selection of original artefacts, and torture devices. The museum is another place that plays a big part in one section of the book. Here's an extract from chapter 11:

"I reached the Clink and almost slipped down the small flight of worn stone steps that led into the museum. I paid my admission and walked slowly through the exhibits towards the large back room.

A concrete troll sat at a big wooden table, rolling a crap-shoot of plastic dice back and forth between his large slab-like hands. He was old – or at least he’d had a hard life; his nose was missing a chunk and his age cracks had been filled with blue-coloured grout, making his pitted concrete skin look like it had a map of wriggling blue lines drawn on it. The troll’s name was Blue, unsurprisingly appropriate, and the info plaque in front of him stated that trolls had been used as jailers at the Clink as far back as the fifteenth century."

London Bridge ~ There's been a bridge over this section of the Thames since the Roman occupation of the area, nearly 2,000 years ago. It's been replaced/rebuilt a few times over the years, and the current bridge has been there since 1973. Bad things happen to it in the book!

The Borough Market in Southwark ~ a fantastic food market, with some scrumptious eateries. We had lunch at a fab fish restaurant (fish is my fav food as anyone who knows me *g*) with a lovely glass of bubbly*. The market gets a very brief mention in the book :-)

The Golden Hinde ~ The Golden Hinde is a full-sized reconstruction of the Tudor warship in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe in 1577 – 1580. We didn't visit this, so that's a trip for another day, but the ship does get a mention in passing in the book, along with a selkie who's squatting in the captain's cabin.(now that's a short story waiting to happen . . . sometime *g*)

And one place we went that didn't appear in the book: Vinopolis ~ The place to go in London for a wonderful wine tasting tours.

So onto the giveaway! Here's what you need to do to be in with a chance of winning your choice* of one of my books: Leave me a comment telling me which place from The Cold Kiss of Death you'd choose to visit.

And if you haven't tried any of my books yet, then check out the books pages on my website. UK editions here. US editions here.(UK and US editions have the same text, but different covers)

How to enter:

Leave a comment with which place from The Cold Kiss of Death you'd choose to visit.

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) 21st April 2011.

Full General Terms and Rules at the bottom of this post here.

You can get an extra entry by tweeting about the giveaway. Leave the link to the tweet as an extra comment.

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).

All book links lead to Amazon (UK/US) or the Book Depository, and contain affiliate links. I've decided to go affiliate as I love giving books away (and not just as a way of shameless self-promo), but boy, does it get expensive.

*I blame it on the ménage à trois that turned up unexpectedly. Definitely didn't see that one coming! *g* And no, before anyone asks, the ménage isn't who you're all thinking! Mwahahahahaha! *Evil Author Moment*

*Yep, I know, bubbly for lunch, and then a wine tasting! Hedonistic! But hey, it was my birthday!

* Winner can choose one book from: The Sweet Scent of Blood #1, The Cold Kiss of Death #2, The Bitter Seed of Magic #3, Home Improvement: Undead Edition #1/2 (contains prequel Spellcrackers short story).

x/posted to LJ. Comment here or there. One entry per person.

Winner: Dead Reckoning - Charlaine Harris

2011-04-15T14:23:00.001+01:00

Thanks to everyone who left comments about what foods they'd read and wondered about! Lots of interesting ones there, and lots I'm going to want to try when I get the chance! :-D (Plus reading all the comments makes you sooooo hungry!)

So, onwards to find out who's won the 11th book in the fantastic Sookie Stackhouse series: Dead Reckoning* by the awesome Charlaine Harris. Out in the USand the UKon 3rd May. Not long now!!

Random.org has done it's thing

and the winner is

Mizz Rizz

Who said...

I've always wanted to have a meal in an Irish pub, with a Guinness that has been properly poured (or stacked? built? not sure on the correct lingo)

I'd also like to try real Italian coffee in all its marvelous forms direct from the source, in an Italian coffee bar.

Congratulations Mizz Rizz, an email is on its way to you!

Thank you all again for entering, and don't forget to check back later when this week's giveaway is The Cold Kiss of Death by Suzanne McLeod! Oh, wait! That's me! Yep, I'm giving away my own book which comes out in the US on April 26! Not long now! Yay!

* Just to make you all green-eyed with envy . . . I got this in the post today! Woot! A huge thank you to my wonderful book fairy at Gollancz! If anyone wants me, I'll be reading!

Why yes, that is my thumb in the picture! *g*

Into the West by J. A . Campbell (Guest post + Giveaway)

2011-04-12T10:40:00.003+01:00

Today, I’d like to welcome J. A. Campbell (a.k.a. Julie). Julie is a wonderful young adult author, whose debut novel Senior Year Bites will be out later this year. Senior Year Bites is about Megan Taylor, a senior in high school, and her misadventures after being turned into a vampire.You can read more about it here. But today, Julie's going to tell us about her fantastic new short story series (the second of which releases today! Yay! Congrats, Julie!), and to celebrate, Julie's offering one lucky commentator an e-copy of both her short stories! Take it away, Julie!

Suzanne, thank you so much for having me here today and letting me talk a little bit about my new short story series, Into the West. It’s part of an exciting new project by Quake, the young adult division of Echelon Press. The project, called the Electric Shorts are ebooks geared towards ages seven to seventeen (though mine are in the slightly older age range of 10 to 17 or so). Several authors with Echelon Press agreed to be guinea pigs and give it a try. The idea was to write some very entertaining stories at a very easy reading level, that way even teens who might be reluctant to read would find these engaging and enjoyable. There will be six shorts total (all about 15,000 words give or take) in this series. They are all interconnected like TV episodes in a season of a show.

So far the project has been a ton of fun. It has also been extremely challenging. None of us had stories written ahead of time, so we’re all writing on a month-to-month deadline. Combining that with the day job, life, and the edits for other projects that I have coming out this year have kept me very busy. That’s ok though, that’s what being a writer is all about. Writing, even when you don’t really have the time.

The Into the West series is full of Wild West adventures, including horses, cute cowboys, real gunslingers, silver mines and a paranormal twist (because I wrote it and I can’t write anything without a hint of fantasy in it.)

Westward, Yo! came out on March 8th and Range Feud will be out today, the 12th. They are available in the US and the UK from Amazon and other ebook retailers. You can find the descriptions of both below.

And because I’m super excited that Suzanne had me here, I’d like to give away a copy of both Westward, Yo! and Range Feud to one lucky commenter. Please leave us some way to contact you. We’ll draw a winner on the 19th. Contest open internationally.

Into the West
Tina Harker is a typical teenager. She loves hanging with her friends at the malls, shoes, and manicures. More than that, she loves horses. Life is everything she wants it to be, until her father packs their family up and drags them across the world to Arizona. Does he really think she’ll be happy living in a ghost town in the middle of the desert? It’s a million miles to the nearest shopping center, not even a real mall. Her only hope for survival is finding a new horse.

Tina is no quitter. She prepares herself for western saddles, rattlesnakes, the horrible desert heat, and limited shopping. However, nothing can prepare her for Wild West bandits, cattle thieves, and a really cute cowboy. Maybe things won’t be so bad—or will they?

#1Westward, Yo! (Into the West)
Trying to make the best of her horrible situation, Tina agrees to go on her first cattle drive. When one of the calves wanders off, Tina, in true cowgirl fashion and looking for excitement, rides off to rescue the poor little thing and gets a lot more adventure than she ever expected. A cowboy she’s never met accuses her of stealing cows, bandits kidnap her, and that’s not even the exciting part.

#2 Range Feud
Tina Harker is a typical teenager. She loves hanging with her friends at the malls, shoes, and manicures. More than that, she loves horses. Life is everything she wants it to be, until her father packs their family up and drags them across the world to Arizona. Does he really think she’ll be happy living in a ghost town in the middle of the desert? It’s a million miles to the nearest shopping center, not even a real mall. Her only hope for survival is finding a new horse.

Anxious for more adventure, Tina agrees to inspect the fence line for the Taggarts like a real cowgirl. She gets what she wished for. This time she has to rescue the cute cowboy, and she finds out people will kill over water. Especially in the desert. Tina is determined to help her cowboy, but she has no idea how a Jersey girl can stand up to real gunslingers.

Bio
Julie writes fantasy novels. When she’s not out riding her horse, she can usually be found sitting in front of her computer with a cat on her lap and her dog at her side. You can find out at her website www.writerjacampbell.com

How to enter:

Leave a comment for Julie!

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, chosen by Random.org, and closes end of day (GMT time) 19th April 2011.

And while you're here, don't forget to go enter this week's celebratory giveaway on the blog for Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris.

x/posted to LJ. Comment here or there. One entry per person.

Dead Reckoning with True 'Grits' Giveaway (Charlaine Harris)

2011-04-08T17:02:00.004+01:00

I've been reading books by American writers for a looooog time now, and as I'm British, I often find some things get 'lost in translation'. (Which no doubt happens on occasion when someone who isn't British reads one of my books *g*).

One thing that always made me curious was 'grits'; everyone seemed to eat it, and I hadn't a clue what it was (this was before the internet was around to give me a million and one explanations ;p). But even when I did discover grits was a sort of corn porridge, it still seemed weird that it was eaten with savoury food. (The porridge I'm used to is eaten with salt or sugar, and sometimes cream! Oh, and a splash of whisky for those special brekkies!Yummy! :-)) So it wasn't till Mr Mc and I holidayed in Florida, 4 or so years ago, that I got the chance to try grits. (I liked it :-))

For those who don't know what grits are, this is from the font of all webby knowledge: Wikipedia. ;p

Grits is a food of Native American origin that is common in the Southern United States, mainly used in breakfast. It consists of coarsely ground corn . . . [and] is similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world, such as polenta (which I also hadn't tried till a few years ago :-D).

So, keeping grits in mind . . . We're now on week # 13 of my 16 weeks of giveaways to celebrate the the upcoming US release of book 2 The Cold Kiss of Death (out 26th April), and the UK release of book 3 The Bitter Seed of Magic (Out Now! And available from The Book Depository with Free WorldWide Del) (I know, you all know that, and thanks to everyone who's bought, read, and hopefully loved it, but hey, I thought I'd just point it out . . . One. More. Time!) *g*

So, on with this week's giveaway. It's for the 11th book in the fantastic Sookie Stackhouse series: Dead Reckoning* by one of my all time writerly heroes, the wonderful and gracious Charlaine Harris. Out in the USand the UKon 3rd May.

Cover blurb from Amazon:

'With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...'

Oooooh! I'm sooooo glad we only have to wait a couple more weeks for this! Sooooo looking forward to reading it! I LOVE the Sookie books with a passion (Okay, I'll admit it, a good chunk of that passion does belong to Eric! But then he's always been my favourite vamp *fans herself* *g*)

And just to give you whiplash from drooling over Eric, to hopefully not drooling over grits, here's what you need to do to be in with a chance of winning Dead Reckoning. Leave me a comment telling me what food/thing/whatever you've read about in a book that's made you curious.

How to enter:

Leave a comment about what food/thing/whatever you've read in a book that's made you curious.

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) 14th April 2011.

Full General Terms and Rules at the bottom of this post here.

You can get an extra entry by tweeting about the giveaway. Leave the link to the tweet as an extra comment.

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).

x/posted to LJ. Comment here or there. One entry per person.

Winner: Magic on the Hunt - Devon Monk

2011-04-08T15:45:00.001+01:00

Thanks to everyone who left name suggestions for my two gargoyles, there are lots of fab ones . . . but I'm not going to name the gargoyles just yet. Why not? I hear you ask (Lol! I know I can't actually hear you, but I like to think you're all reading along with me here, and wondering *g*). So the answer is: my two gargoyles are insisting on being in a book, maybe the one I'm writing now, or maybe the one after. Which means that the names they end up with will have to be picked by one of the characters, so we'll all have to wait and see :-D. I will keep you posted!

Now, on to this week's winner of Magic on the Hunt (Allie Beckstrom #6) by the awesome Devon Monk! Which UK peeps can buy from The Book Depository; my copy arrived today! Yay! Happy Reading ahead!

Random.org has done it's thing

and the winner is

Jennzah

Who said...

'Fenrir and Bellic are my two names :)'

Congratulations Jennzah, an email is on its way to you!

Thank you all for entering again, and don't forget to check back later when this week's giveaway Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 11)by the wonderful Charlaine Harris goes live!

Desdaemona by Ben Macallan

2011-04-07T10:37:00.004+01:00

I was asked if I would read, and if I liked, to blurb Desdaemona by Ben Macallan. So I read, and I LOVED, and so here's the blurb! :-)

"Ben Macallan masterfully weaves myth, magic and the mundane to create a world where dangerous supernaturals control the shadows in a superbly realized English landscape. With its deft plotting, evocative prose, and the unique pairing of Jay, the plucky, engaging narrator, with the cool, take-no-prisoners Desdaemona, Macallan’s tale is smart, witty, full of surprises, and grips until the very last shock. Desdaemona Rocks! I can’t wait for the next book!" Suzanne McLeod, author of the Spellcrackers.com urban fantasy series.

Ben is a.k.a. the inimitable Chaz Brenchley, and while I know Chaz from chatting occasionally on LJ, and at conferences, I have to confess I've never read any of his books before. After reading Desdaemona, I'm searching out his other books, and eagerly hoping that 'Ben Macallan' writes many more wonderful stories in Desdaemona's world! If you're an urban fantasy fan then Desdaemona is one for your TBR pile!

Here's the cover blurb from Goodreads:

Jordan helps kids on the run find their way back home. He’s good at that. He should be – he’s a runaway himself. Sometimes he helps the kids in other, stranger ways. He looks like a regular teenager, but he’s not. He acts like he’s not exactly human, but he is. He treads the line between mundane reality and the world of the supernatural, including the awesome Powers That Be.

Desdaemona also knows the non-human world far too well. She tracks Jordan down and enlists his aid in searching for her lost sister Fay, who did a Very Bad Thing involving an immortal. This may be a mistake – for both of them. Too many people are interested now, and some of them are not people at all!

Desdaemona is out on 1st June in the UK, and 31st May in the US.

(There is one slightly odd thing I want to add about the cover, which I love . . . but, despite the fab werewolf lurking in the background, werewolves only play a very small part in the book, so . . . don't expect lots of werewolf action :-))

Fantastically Cool Things for which I'm grateful . . .

2011-04-04T19:03:00.002+01:00

Some very cool things happened in the last week . . .

Genre for Japan was one, or more accurately two, of the coolest. As you know (if you've been reading the blog the last week :-)), I donated two lots:

I'm utterly STUNNED to tell you that a lovely, wonderful lady bid a STAGGERING £305 for a critique of her writing! A huge, HUGE Thank You to L.L. Wynn; my Red Pen is sharpened to perfection, and at the ready!

And an obviously very brave gentleman* bid an amazing £100 to have his name as a character in my next book! Another equally HUGE Thank You to Steven Dean*.

Yay! I'm so, so grateful to both L.L. Wynn and Steven, along with everyone else that bid for my lots (sorry you couldn't all win . . .) in the auction. Thanks to the efforts of the Genre for Japan team, everyone who donated a lot, and everyone who bid on a lot, the auction raised £11,203.36 (US$18,075.77 according to the current exchange rate).

That is a fantastic sum, and all of it is to be donated to the Japan Tsunami Appeal, being run by the British Red Cross. With tax taken into account, that’s going to easily exceed the twenty thousand dollar mark.

You can see a list of everything that was donated, here.

So, kudos and thanks again to the organisers: Amanda Rutter, Ro Smith, Louise Morgan, Jenni Hill and Alasdair Stuart. This wouldn’t have happened without them. I proud and humbled to be able to be a part of such a brilliant idea. *Does the mega happy dance*

***

Now for the other cool thing . . . I have some lovely news about The Cold Kiss of Death over at SF Site, they've published their Top Ten Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2010. And in their Editors' choice . . .

*Cue Excited Drumroll*

The Cold Kiss of Death is No. 5*!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!

Another HUGE THANK YOU to the awesome SF Site Editors!!!

Covers: US (left) and UK (right)

Yay!! Cup Cakes for all!!!

***

And a quick reminder about this week's celebratory 'Gargoyle Loving Giveaway', which is for Magic on the Hunt (Allie Beckstrom #6) by the awesome Devon Monk, one of my all time fav authors! It's officially out in the US tomorrow 5th April, and UK peeps can buy from The Book Depository :-) You can enter the Gargoyle Loving Giveaway here by leaving your suggestions for names for my own two, sadly, nameless gargoyles!!

And if you visit Devon over at the Deadline Dames blog on the 5th, there's a chance to win your very own Stone, seen here reading Magic on the Hunt!

*He's picked the baddie character, and will have an amazing super power, which may or may not, make up for his horrific, excruciatingly painful, and no doubt extremely bloody demise! (Evil author has dastardly plans!!!) *g*

*Okay, so this is a spoiler, there's no way round it: the character called 'Steven Dean' in my next book will DIE! He'll DIE, I tell you! *takes a calming breath as everyone steps away from the scary author* But what isn't a spoiler, is . . . you won't know HOW, or WHEN he's going to die! *cackles*

*I'm so stoked about this *squeeeeeeeeee*, and yes, since you asked, I do keep clicking to check my book is still actually still there at No. 5! *pinches herself*

Gargoyle Loving Giveaway!

2011-04-01T21:21:00.004+01:00

Yay! We've reached week # 12 of my 16 weeks of giveaways to celebrate the the upcoming US release of book 2 The Cold Kiss of Death (out 26th April), and the UK release of book 3 The Bitter Seed of Magic (Out Now and available from The Book Depository with Free WorldWide Del) *insert yet another shameless self-promo plug* *g* Huge thanks to eveyone who's bought it! I hope you're all enjoying the read! And a big Gargoyle Loving Welcome to all you new blog followers and visitors!

Yay! On with the celebrations. And if you haven't guessed already, the 'Gargoyle Loving Welcome' is a clue for this week's giveaway, which is for Magic on the Hunt (Allie Beckstrom #6) by the awesome Devon Monk, one of my all time fav authors! It's officially out in the US 5th April, but I've heard rumours it's already out in some stores now! UK peeps can buy from The Book Depository :-)

When I read (and re-read) the Allie Beckstrom books, I always love it when Stone, the gargoyle, appears on the page. Stone for me is a wonderful character and exactly what I think of when I picture a gargoyle. Just like the one above, which is one of a pair a gargoyles who live in my garden. Legend has it that gargoyles are said to scare off and protect from any evil or harmful spirits.

But when it comes to buildings, gargoyles are carved stone heads usually made to drain rainwater of roofs – appropriately out of their mouths – as the term gargoyle comes from the French gargouille, meaning "throat" or "gullet"*. Though not all gargoyles are waterspouts, some are just decorative; they’re called grotesques. But waterspout or not, some gargoyles, like those on the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, are how I imagine the archetypal gargoyles to be, but others can be anything from grinning faces, snarling animals, and there’s even a fantastic Darth Vader one on Washington National Cathedral. Yay! *geeks out*

You can read an excerpt here for Magic on the Hunt, or if you don't want to spoil yourself, then here's the short blurb from Amazon.

"In the secret lockup of the Authority, the council that decides what can and can't be done with magic, an undead magic user has possessed one of the prisoners. He wants his freedom-and then some. Now Allie Beckstrom and her lover, Zayvion, are the first line of defense against the chaos he's about to unleash on the city of Portland..."

I can't wait to read, and find out what Stone gets up to next! (Oh, and Zay too! *fans herself*). And if you want your very own Stone, and you're of a crafty nature, you can knit him from the pattern here on Devon's site.

Now, if you want to win a copy of Magic on the Hunt*, here's what you need to do: remember my two gargoyles who protect my garden? Well, they don't have any names, so to enter leave me a comment suggesting either one or two names for my garden pets :-)

How to enter:

Leave a comment with either one or two name suggestions for my garden gargoyles.

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) 7th April 2011.

Full General Terms and Rules at the bottom of this post here.

You can get an extra entry by tweeting about the giveaway. Leave the link to the tweet as an extra comment.

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).

ETA: There's more chances to win a copy of Magic on the Hunt over at Devon's blog - she's giving away 3 copies to 3 lucky commentators between now and 3rd April! And there's a snippet (which I haven't read, as I'm saving myself for the book *g*).

x/posted to LJ. Comment here or there. One entry per person.

Don't forget to check the blog's sidebar for more chances to win my books, and the opportunity to help those in Japan through the British Red Cross at Genre for Japan, where you can bid for the chance to have your name as a character in my next book, or a critique of your writing by me, closes 3rd April. Plus there's over a hundred other wonderful donations, and new ones recently added, so why not go and check them out!

* Thank you, Wikipedia *g*
*or your choice of one of the earlier books in the Allie Beckstrom series