Jan 252010
 

These are writers’ resource links I’ve found helpful and/or interesting for January 19th through January 25th:

Jan 242010
 

I’ve been meaning to get this up for awhile. I’m really looking forward to this sequel to The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker. For your enjoyment while we both wait – here’s the book trailer and an excerpt to Darkly Luminous.

The Official Trailer

A Brief Excerpt

Excerpt from The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker courtesy (and copyright) of Leanna Renee Hieber. Read more excerpts here.

Miss Persephone Parker lay deep in the honeyed thick of dreams, shifting between terrible vision and wonderful memory. The terrible vision began beautiful but ended in horror, she recalled.

She was young and powerful, standing in an endless field of perfumed flowers. The sky was what she imagined of Heaven. Eternal and wondrous, a beautiful raven-haired man held her tightly in his arms, and his great wings encircled their clinch, grazing her satin skin that ached for his touch. Phoenix was more than man or angel; he was a God, a being of sense and light, reason and truth. He was the perfect complement to her life-force of beauty, kindness, sensibility and love. Their mutual fellowship of light was blinding. Never had two beings been so suited. They loved one another not because it was destined but merely because it was right and mutually joyous. Their respective divine forces fit together as a puzzle, interlocked and stronger for it.

But jealousy set the God aflame—literally. Darkness set Phoenix on fire, and her lover died before her heavenly eyes. Screams shook the Earth. Tears enough to drown the world flooded the ground. His great form crumbled to dust, and the vendetta was born.

She turned back to the cave from whence came murder. Red eyes burned from the shadows. Vengeance flared in her heretofore peaceful breast, fueling a hallowed blue fire forged from the remnants of her one true love—and somehow the girl that was now Miss Parker knew that what she viewed here was a score she would unfortunately have to settle herself.

The scene shifted from nightmare to memory.
Here she recognized herself, her queer white skin, and remembered that friends called her Percy. A distinguished professor held her in his arms. Her body was corseted, swathed in satin, wreathed in heather. He wore a fine frock coat and waltzed with her by moonlight. His black hair lustrous in shafts of silver light, his dark eyes bright and compelling, this was her one true love. Acutely aware of the press of his hand and the curve of his lips, here was her destiny, the man who understood her, who unlocked her eerie visions and made everything strange about her beautiful.

The handsome, stoic face of Professor Alexi Rychman suddenly shifted, and in its place flashed red, angry eyes—fiery, terrible eyes—and she heard the all too familiar hissing of snakes. She bolted upright, launching herself toward consciousness before those eyes could seek her out.

Percy awoke in a large room she did not know.

Buy the Book

Pre-order Darkly Luminous at B&N or Amazon.

Jan 172010
 

These are writers’ resource links I’ve found helpful and/or interesting for January 9th through January 17th:

Upcoming Releases 2010

 Books  Comments Off
Jan 102010
 

Here are some things I’m looking forward to in ’10. Have something to add? Put it in the comments.

February

23 – Blood of the Demon (Kara Gillian #2) by Diana Rowland

Black Magic Sanction (The Hollows #8) by Kim Harrison

March

2 – Shalador’s Lady by Anne Bishop

RoadKill (Cal Leandros #5) by Rob Thurman

30 – Changeless (Parasol Protectorate #2) by Gail Carriger

Mage in Black (Sabina Kane #2) by Jaye Wells

April

6 – Changes (Dresden Files #12) by Jim Butcher

27 – The Darkly Luminous Fight For Persephone Parker (Strangely Beautiful #2) by Leanna Renee Hieber

May

25 – Early to Death, Early to Rise (Madison Avery #2) - Kim Harrison

June

1 – Chimera by Rob Thurman

8 – Cheat the Grave (Signs of the Zodiac #5) by Vicki Pettersson

14 – Naamah’s Curse by Jacqueline Carey

July

6 – Red Hood’s Revenge (Princesses #3) by Jim C Hines

August

17 – The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Jan 092010
 

These are writers’ resource links I’ve found helpful and/or interesting for December 14th through January 9th:

Jan 032010
 

I’ve come to realize that short posts are better than no posts at all, yes?

I was at dinner yesterday with my husband, J – more often referred to by me as ‘the Artist’ – and we always have the best, most ridiculous conversations. We’ve come up with ideas for TV shows, terrible (but funny) band names, stories & novels, web comic shorts, and many other things.*

So we were at dinner, and began talking about what it would be like if Greek & Roman mythology overlapped our own modern times & technology. How would our current news outlets report the kidnap of a woman by a bull? Or an assault on a city by a large wooden horse?

We decided, of course, that the only way this mythology would get reported on in the current day would be by the supermarket tabloids. I think the best headline we came up with was: “Hot Chick Turns Into Giant Spider”. Which, of course, made me nearly snort cherry coke out of my nose.

The idea kind of took hold and made me think about writing as a fun and joyful thing for the first time in awhile. So I spent last evening paging through an old copy of Edith Hamilton and making notes.

So be on the lookout for a brand new (and ongoing) project from me, which should be linked here soon. I can’t wait to see how some old school mythology would be received in modern times!

*One of these days I’ll get around to buying a digital voice recorder so we can record these ridiculous & hilarious brain-storming sessions. We forget more ideas than we come up with, most of the time.

Jan 012010
 

As I posted on Twitter:

Let’s start with #10: Hands-down Best Cover Art of 09 is @nicolepeeler ‘s TEMPEST RISING.

#9 for Best Paranormal Romance & Gratuitous & Mysterious Use of Octopi in 09: @gailcarriger ‘s SOULLESS.

#8 Our Runner Up (really, it’s a tie) for Best YA of 2009: @lilithsaintcrow ‘s STRANGE ANGELS.

#7 is our other Best YA of 2009: Kim Harrison’s ONCE DEAD, TWICE SHY.

#6 Flat-Out Best Superhero(es) of 2009: @caitkitt & @jackiekessler ‘s BLACK & WHITE

#5 Runner Up Best Twist Ending @dianarowland ‘s MARK OF THE DEMON

#4 Best New (as in, not already incredibly over-done) Supernatural Being:: Faith Hunter’s SKINWALKER.

#3 Best Twist Ending (Um. EVER!) @rRob_Thurman ‘s TRICK OF THE LIGHT. (Also check out Cal & Niko’s series!)

#2 Forget sparkles! The Best Vampire of 2009 was @jayewells ‘ RED HEADED STEP CHILD!

#1.5 (OK, I lied about there being only 10) Honorable Mention for just plain being a cool story: @PVBrett THE WARDED MAN

And #1: The Best Traditional Fantasy of 2009: Patrick Rothfuss’ THE NAME OF THE WIND!

Jan 012010
 

Just Another Judgement Day is book 9 of The Nightside series which follows the exploits of private investigator John Taylor as he uses his supernatural gifts to solve cases in the Nightside.

By Simon R Green

If you’re unfamiliar with this series, here’s a blurb from the book:

In the Nightside, that sour secret hidden heart of London, it’s always three o’clock in the morning and the dawn never comes. Streets full of sin and cellars full of suffering, magic in the air and mystery around every corner; hot neon, hotter music, and the hottest scenes anywhere. Good and bad and everything in between. Dreams come true in the Nightside, especially the bad ones. Everything’s available, for the right price. So shop till you drop, dance till you bleed, and party like Judgement Day will never come.

I’m John Taylor, private eye. I have a gift for finding things, and people. I won’t promise you justice, or revenge, or your heart’s desire. But I will find the truth for you, every damned bit of it.

Welcome to the Nightside. Watch your back. Or someone will steal it.

Each book in the series is a small sip from the world – roughly 250-300 pages in mass market paperback. Each of them can easily stand alone, letting you pick up the story from anywhere without much difficulty. One of the main complaints I’ve read in other reviews of the series is that the author has a tendency to repeat himself, so if there’s anything important you’ve missed, you’re bound to hear it again.

Green’s writing is wonderfully dark and foreboding, and his imagery can be starkly descriptive and occasionally grotesque when the situation warrants it. He does seem to have his favorite turns of phrase, however, which can pull the reader out of the story at the worst moments.

As for Judgement Day itself, I’m still curious as to the over-arching plot lines of the Nightside universe: namely, John Taylor’s enemies and his final destiny. I love the cast of characters and the world that Green has built. The mythology of it all is wonderfully assorted and yet still abides by (most) of its own rules.

With that established, I do have to say that it seems like Judgement Day is another throw-away story that only slowly moves those long arching plots along. I still hold out hope that I’m wrong and each small detail will somehow be woven into the end game; but with each passing release those hopes are getting dimmer. I’ll keep reading, though, if for nothing else than a glimpse at whatever new monster is being introduced this time.

Jan 012010
 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

May your heart be happy and your soul find what it needs. May your wallet be heavy and your shoulders light. Laugh often and love with joy.

No resolutions on my part. Just a determination that I will stop waiting for my fairy godmother to come along and make my dreams come true.

I want a polished draft of a novel by the end of this year.

What do you want out of 2010? Let me know in the comments; let’s make it happen.