Author Interview & Book Review: Dead Reckoning

About a month ago I received an email from the awesome people at Bloomsbury with a list of YA titles for review. I got very excited when I saw Mercedes Lackey's name on the list. I have been reading her books for over 20 years. I also loved the Shadow Grail books she co-wrote with Rosemary Edghill (who is an X-Men fan BTW). It got even better when I read the description:

From bestselling authors Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill, comes a new thriller DEAD RECKONING. Jett Gallatin expected trouble in Aslop, Texas—but not zombies. Jett is a girl disguised as a boy, living as a gambler in the old West as she searches for her long-lost brother. Honoria Gibbons is a smart, self-sufficient young woman who also happens to be a fabulous inventor. Both young women travel the prairie alone - until they are brought together by a zombie invasion! As Jett and Honoria investigate, they soon learn that these zombies aren't rising from the dead of their own accord ... but who would want an undead army? And why? This gunslinging, hair-raising, romp will leave you on the edge of your seat.

DEAD RECKONING is a historical zombie apocalypse gender bender. It is like the authors rooted through my brain and picked all my favorites to wrap up in one book. Now somewhere I read a blurb for the book comparing it to Carrie Ryan's THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH. Personally, I don't think the two can be compared because they are playing two completely different ball games.

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH is a dystopian series that takes place many years after the fall (i.e. the zombie apocalypse). They are not trying to solve where the zombies came from or even how to stop it; the characters are merely trying to survive. It was also heavy on the romance. DEAD RECKONING, while just as primitive of a landscape though with cool steampunkish tech like Gibbons' Auto-Tachypod, takes place at the beginning of a small scale  zombie uprising and yes, they want to solve and stop it. In other words, heavy on the mystery. The characters in DEAD RECKONING are complete strangers, not friends since childhood, who band together to stop a threat from harming others. The characters also have completely different personalities that perfectly complement each other.

As if reading such a fantastic book wasn't enough, I got the chance to submit some questions for the authors. I have talked to authors before, but this is my first legit interview. As I have said before, authors are my rockstars. Does that mean I am a groupie? Hmm...

Rosemary Edghill was kind enough to send out a wonderful reply to my questions. Now before we get started, everyone give Rosemary a virtual cupcake cause today is her birthday! Yay!

*Internet Hoards Singing*

Now, on with the show...

Q: I love supernatural books where the monsters are the evil-they-have-to-be-killed kind of monsters (you know, not the sparkly love interest types), so I have to ask, what inspired you to write a historical western featuring zombies?

R:We started with the characters: Gibbons the rationalist, and Jett the … not-so-rationalist. We wanted a threat that would pit them against each other as well as against it: so clearly it had to be something that looked supernatural. There's been a lot of stuff done lately to retcon zombies from supernatural creatures to natural ones (plague, alien organism, yadda), so they made the perfect slipstream monster for Dead Reckoning. And in 1865, we're still near the beginning of the zombie myth. The concept hadn't really made it out into the popular culture yet -- even Gibbons is barely familiar with it -- so it also gave us a chance to work with an archetype very familiar to our readers yet fairly-unknown to our protagonists. Which was a lot of fun.

Q: I like gender benders where the girl pretends to be a guy, I was taught Shakespeare did it in his plays because he was worried about the male actor's psyche of being in a dress and wanted to get the guy back in tights -or whatever- as soon as possible. Why did you decide to have Jett disguised as a boy in the story? Why not keep her gender secret longer than you did?

R:Jett is a Southerner in the post-Civil War period. She's lost everything: her home, her family, her future. All she has left is her quest to find her twin brother. But in the mid-1800s, a young woman couldn't just go off and do as she pleased. It would be the equivalent of, say, an eight-year-old child's position today. People wouldn't take them seriously. They'd always be calling Child Protective Services and trying to send them home. Of course, there isn't a Child Protective Services in the Old West, but if Jett were travelling as Philippa Sheridan instead of as Jett Galatin, she would be exposed to a huge amount of danger -- and have far less freedom.

As for why we decided to reveal her masquerade so soon…

If we kept it a secret, we'd have to present her to the reader as a boy, and that would mean we wouldn't be able to tell any of the story from her point of view. It would also shift the focus of the story we were telling to her disguise, and we wanted it to be about her relationship with Gibbons, and the two of them dealing with the zombie apocalypse. Last of all, if we revealed the truth about her disguise at a point much later in the story, the readers would already have gotten used to thinking of her as a boy, and there'd be this whole "Wait, what? What's going on now?" thing. And that would lose forward momentum at a point where we wanted the pace to pick up and head full-tilt into certain doom…


Q:I love all the background info you have regarding the mythos behind zombie lore and superstition. How much research did you do before you wrote the book?

R: I started out in Regency Romances (and I'm a huge history junkie to boot!), and Misty's Elemental Mages series is set in the Victorian period. We were both pretty familiar with the time period. (And my heroes have always been cowboys…) The main part of the research we had to do was to figure out what people of that period could know about zombies, based on the information available. The other part was in making sure that the real-life technology we described (such as the telegraph) worked as it would have worked in that time and place.

The one thing I had to do a lot of handwaving on was the food, actually. Canning technology was just starting to become widespread -- it had been driven by the need to feed the army (on both sides) during the Civil War -- and I knew there were a lot of canned goods available on the frontier (such as peaches, tomatoes, and condensed milk), but try as I might, I couldn't get a full list of what might be on the shelves of the General Store. So I tried to distract everybody, and concentrated on what I did know…

Q: How did the whole process of collaboration work with writing DEAD RECKONING?

R: This is our tenth book together, so we've got it down to a science by now.

We use Google Docs a great deal. We start by breaking the story in chat. At that point it looks like a really long book report full of spoilers. Then I go off and do a scene-by-scene breakdown. For example, the first scene in the book looked like this:

SCN 01: We establish the tiny Western town of Alsop, Texas. It's spring, but a Texas spring is like anyplace else's deep winter. It's the beginning of the droving season, when thousands of head of cattle are driven north along the Chisholm Trail to Kansas railheads. It's just dusk when a lone figure on a gleaming black stallion rides into town. The figure's fancy turnout -- silver conches and stamping on the black leather saddle, silver-studded reins and bridle, silver-studded saddlebags -- proclaim them less of a working cowboy than a "bad man" -- a "shootist" -- a gunslinger. The rider, too, is wearing black studded with silver, from the silver heels and toe-caps on the boots, to the silver spurs on the boots, to the silver conches on the black leather vest, to the silver-studded hatband on the black Stetson. The only touch of contrast is the ivory handles on the matched pair of Colt Peacemakers he wears strapped to his hips. The fact that they're tied down proclaims him as someone who lives and dies by the gun. The town of Alsop is a single street, with a livery stable at one end and a church at the other. Between the two are the usual buildings: hotel and dining parlor, general store, telegraph office, newspaper, sheriff's office. And of course the saloon. The prairie wind blows dust, discarded paper, and the inevitable tumbleweeds across the street as the black rider's horse ambles slowly up the street and stops in front of the saloon.

As you see, there's a lot of background information included, mainly so it's there when we need it.

Next, we divvy up the scenes and start writing. We post them in Google Docs, broken out into chapters, and revise each other's work as we go. When the book is done, one or the other of us downloads all the chapters, assembles them into a single document, does a last polish, and off it goes…

Q: Both White Fox and Jett left us with questions, is there already a sequel in the works for DEAD RECKONING?

R: Yup! We're off to Denver! And imagine my glee when I found a detailed map of the city from the very year I need…

Q: What would you say is different about writing for young adults rather than adults?

R: Wow. That's a hard one. (My work has always been tagged "of interest to teens" from my very first book, which was a space opera titled HELLFLOWER, so I may not be the best person to ask.) I think it's always a case of knowing what's important to your audience, and telling that audience a story that won't bore it. So if my main character is a sixteen-year old, I do my best to look at the world from that perspective. If my main character were fifty, the perspective would change…

Q: I am a fan of the romance genre, what would you say is your favorite genre to work with? (BTW congrats to Rosemary who with the addition of the Western has now written a book in every genre). *high five*

R: *high fives you back* If I were guessing about Misty, I'd say "historical fantasy" would be her answer. My favorite is urban fantasy, because I am totally in love with the idea that something wonderful and strange will suddenly show up in the middle of an ordinary day and an ordinary life and then there will be Adventures.. At least, I like to think it's wonderful Sometimes it's monsters, but in that case, a hero/ine is never far behind!

Q: Which books or authors would you say most inspired your writing?

R: ::laughs:: All of them! Mark Twain, Damon Runyon, Robert Heinlein, J.R.R. Tolkien, Andre Norton (who I got to collaborate with OMG!), Georgette Heyer, "Doc" Smith, Leslie Charteris, Raymond Chandler, Theodore Sturgeon, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber, C. L. Moore… Each one of them taught me something -- about how to tell a story, about how to make a character "real", about Sense of Wonder, which I think is the most important gift a writer can give themselves and their readers.

Q: I know many authors that are now using iPads to write on the go, what is your writing preference: paper and pen/pencil, desktop, laptop, or mobile device?

R: I adore my iPad, but I can barely write emails on it -- the touchpad is incredibly frustrating. So it's computer (laptop or desktop) for me. I actually wrote my first couple of books on an IBM Selectric (yeah, I know, the dark ages), and I used to write my shorter stuff longhand. But from the moment I got my hands on my first computer (an Apple ][e ) I've never looked back. Revision is so much easier!!!!

Q: Any advice for unpublished writers?

R: Misty's advice and mine is about the same (I know, as I've heard her give hers A LOT): write! There's nothing to beat Butt In Chair to help you hone your writing discipline and your craft. The basic rules are pretty simple:

1. Write. 

2. Finish what you write.

3. Submit what you write.

You'll face a lot of rejection, frustration, and disappointment along the way. But these three rules are the only ones I know to turn someone from Unpublished Writer to Published Writer.

Q: Between City of Heroes and the Marvelverse, you have both plied your craft in the realm of those a bit superhuman...If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?

R: Misty may chime in later, but for me: FLYING!!! I want to soar above the towers of Gotham, or Metropolis, or the Big Apple! No contest!

Q: Thank you very much for sharing your works and words with us, is there anything else you would like to add?

R: I started out in fandom, writing fanfic, and the one thing I miss as a "pro" writer is the amount of feedback I used to get. Like the book? Hate the book? I want to know! You can find me in my usual hangouts: http://rosemary-edghill.dreamwidth.org/ and http://www.facebook.com/rosemary.edghill

Now if that wasn't just fabulousness in itself...Imagine if you will that Cowboys vs Aliens, Wild Wild West, and Walking Dead were all put into a blender...this book will appeal to readers who love historicals, steampunk, supernatural, and mysteries. Though the authors comment at the beginning of the book that they apologize for some of the rather unenlightened attitudes and language of the book, it is a clean read...well, clean other than disintegrating corpses. The target audience is grades 7-12 and is perfect to give to those middle schoolers looking for a good zombie book. It will even appeal to boys. 

*Update: Check out Bloomsbury Teens Facebook page for great prizes related to the books release! https://www.facebook.com/BloomsburyTeens

Book Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

You know the mark of a good writer when you are so deeply engrossed in a story and engaged with the characters to the point that you want to slap them over the head and shake some sense into them. Maybe you have some friends like that...those two who have been friends for ages and are perfect for each other, but something is holding them back from taking that next step. Then a choice is made and there is no turning back.

Life is full of choices.

Delaney made a choice when she kissed Carson Levine on Decker Phillips' couch, breaking the cardinal rule of best friends. She made another choice when she followed Decker Phillips across the ice. He made a choice by leaving her behind.

Three minutes without air is all you need to lose consciousness. At four minutes brain damage begins. At five minutes, you should be dead. Definitely at ten. Delaney was under the ice for eleven minutes.
She shouldn't have survived, but she did. She shouldn't be fine, but she is-- or is she? 
People are dying and Delaney knows who they are before it happens. Can she help before it is too late or is she the cause? Is she alone in this ability?

Delaney is a girl who should be dead or at least brain damaged. She survived a horrific accident to suddenly find herself with the ability to predict when someone is dying. As if being a teenager wasn't enough; she might be in love with her best friend, her standing as class valedictorian is in jeopardy, and her parents think she might be crazy.

Megan Miranda blends together ethical debate, the tragedy of death, and the drama of teenage love in this debut YA novel born from the author's fascination with scientific mysteries like those of the brain. Fracture is a fast paced and thought provoking novel delving into the world of miracles and medicine. Readers of Meg Cabot and Lurlene McDaniel will enjoy.

Fracture by Megan Miranda  Reading level: Ages 12 and up Publisher: Walker Childrens; 1 edition (January 17, 2012) ISBN-10: 0802723098 ISBN-13: 978-0802723093

Book Review: Simply Fresh

When I was in college, there was a Ruby Tuesday in the mall. I wasn't that big of a fan. Flash forward a decade and I love it. They have a very sophisticated yet still casual concept when it comes to their food and dining atmosphere. Yeah, they aren't just burgers any more.

Andrews McMeel Publishing has put out a new cookbook called Simply Fresh: casual dinning at home by Jeff Morgan. With over 100 recipes that have been inspired by the many dishes that grace the tables at Ruby Tuesday, this cookbook is one deserving your kitchen. The recipes are simple using fresh ingredients and easy to follow directions.

Now I love cookbooks, but I admit I have a problem following directions. I have to add my own spin to things. One of the recipes that I tried out was the Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil on page 82. Yes, couldn't leave it be. I added canned lump crab and diced frozen shrimp. This chunky soup is so rich and flavorful that even my husband who is not a fan of soup or tomatoes asked for seconds. We used the leftover soup the next day to top corkscrew pasta. Like all soup, it was even better the next day. Sorry, I don't have any pictures. We ate it all before I even thought about it.

Pictures of course are the best part of a cookbook. I know it is cheaper to publish a cookbook sans photos for every recipe, but I have never understood why that should even be considered. We eat with our eyes before we ever taste our food. I will not buy a cookbook that does not show me what the recipe will look like. That is another reason I love this cookbook. There are pictures galore.

Yummm...this is all making me hungry. Time to get cooking!

Think Pink! a book review of The Boy with Pink Hair

I love books where the main character discovers that being different is just awesome. I have a new favorite picture book.

Now it seems to be the trend that Hollywood is not happy with being just actors or singers. They want to be writers too. Madonna did it. Hilary Duff did it. Even the girl who played Winnie on the Wonder Years has done it. Now Perez Hilton has decided to put his hat in the Children's publishing arena.

The Boy with Pink Hair was great. It is not about a boy who wants to be a girl or dye his hair, he was born with pink hair. Rather than try to cure it like Gerald McBoing-Boing's  or even Daisy Head Mayzie's parents do, The Boy with Pink Hair's parents teach him to embrace being different and to play up what his talents are. In this case, his talents are cooking (especially pink food). I love that none of the characters in the book have actual names. They are referred to as The Boy with Pink Hair, The Girl with Pig Tails, and the Boy With the Bad Attitude (among others).

The Boy with Pink Hair says he dreams of a school where everyone has different colored hair and together they make up a rainbow. We are all too often discouraged from being different and not conforming. Perez Hilton says that he is working on being the change that he wants to see in the world. The fence seems to be be right there splitting everything when it comes to the celebrity blogger. He has been called a cyber bully and a man with an agenda among other things. To be honest, other than the fact that he is openly gay and in-tuned with the Hollywood gossip circuit, I don't know that much about him. I am judging this book strictly on the story which is awesome.

Book Review: Between the Sea and Sky

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• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (October 25, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 1599904349
• ISBN-13: 978-1599904344

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore takes Little Mermaid and spins it to whole new heights --literally.

Esmerine is a mermaid, well actually a siren; just like her older sister Dosinia. Receiving her belt should have been one of the best things that could happen to her, but she is still uneasy. Not only are her and her sister the first in her family to be chosen to be sirens, but she also has a history of being the mermaid who was friends with that winged boy. She also has a fondness for books, which don't do too well underwater. Then Dosinia goes missing and there are rumors from Land that she has been spirited away to the mountains by her new human husband.

Convinced that Dosinia was tricked into giving up her belt, a keeper of siren magic, to her new husband and thus trapped forever as a two-legger; Esmerine decides to investigate by journeying above the waves and onto Land. Mermaids don't do too well on Land, not even sirens with all their magic. Their feet feel unbearable pain which means they can barely walk. When a mermaid gives up her belt to a human, the pain goes away. Esmerine has no intention of giving up her belt.

Stranded in the middle of town with aching feet, she is surprised to discover that Alandare, the winged friend from her childhood, is working at a bookstore in town. Alandare agrees to help Esmerine find her sister, but their friendship has changed. It is both more and less at the same time, with neither one wanting the other to give up who and what they are. Is there any in-between for a girl of the sea and a man of the air?

What I loved best about the book was that Esmerine wasn't just a mermaid, she was a siren. Also while Alandare had wings, they are more like those of a bat and not the angelic feathers that most winged people are described as having. It kept things interesting. Esmerine's love of books had me thinking more of Belle than Ariel, which meant instant "like". There were also allusion to other legends, history, and tropes. Stealing a siren's belt for example, mirrored the tales of fishermen stealing the skins of their selkie brides to keep them on land. Alandare was a bit of a radical in his love of enlightenment era-ish pamphlets on philosophy. So this book was a delightful mix of traditional tale and more.

Dolamore does what she does best, taking a traditional tale and rethinking it. This story has been ten years in the making as it began with the seeds of a thought, "what if?". Dolamore went back to the good parts of that story to create Between the Sea and Sky. You will be hooked right until the very end wondering if the two will work out their differences.

Prom?

I love this dress! When I saw it, the first thing I thought of was Evie from Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. Such an Evie dress!

I know, you are all wondering why I am talking about a prom dress in August when most areas haven't even started school yet, let alone thought about prom. Well, the movie Prom is due to be released on DVD on Tuesday, August 30th. I saw it with a friend and will say that it is predictably cute and feel good. It screams Disney. However, all those elaborate ways of asking people to prom had us shaking our heads.

Neither one of us had ever experienced the prom craze to this extent. Now I did go to prom--three in fact!-- but I was the one who did the asking cause I went to an all girl high school. Yeah, no guys hanging by the lockers or waiting between classes. The first thing I did upon arriving home was to ask my husband,who went to a typical co-ed public high school, whether the elaborate prom invitations really happened. I have been intrigued by prom ever since.I recently read a totally awesome book called Ditched: a love story by Robin Mellom. It is not due out from Disney-Hyperion until January 2012. What intrigued me about this book was that Justina, the main character, finds herself abandoned in a ditch the morning after prom with no memory of the last 12 hours or how she managed to loss her date. It helped that there was mention about a punk tinker bell tattoo!

Justina's dress is covered in various stains serving as a roadmap of the disastrous night before which she spends the rest of the day analyzing with two women at the local 7-11. She tries to piece together what happened and whether her best friend, her prom date Ian Clark, really turned out to be a total jerk. What she learns is that things -- and people-- are not always what they seem.

I really hope that this book gets picked up for a screenplay soon cause it would make an awesome movie. Definitely pick up it up when it becomes available --oh, and pick up Prom too!

Book Review: Taming of the Rake

Article first published as Book Review: The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels on Blogcritics.


The Taming of the Rake
By Kasey Michaels
HQN Books
9780373775910
07/26/2011

I am not always a fan of Harlequin titles, but Kasey Michaels is one of my favorite historical romance writers, a New York Times Bestselling Author, she must be doing something right. Which is exactly what she has done with her latest offering from Harlequin. The Taming of the Rake is due to be released on July 26, 2011. It is the first book in a new trilogy about the Blackthorn Brothers.

Michaels begins her new novel with an introduction stating that while she has written a few rakes and bad boys, she has never written a bastard, well at least not according to the legal definition. She stays true to the time period by making her three bastard brothers outcasts to pristine ton society.

Oliver “Beau” Blackthorn is the oldest son of an English Marquess. He should have had it all, there is only one slight problem...he is the illegitimate result of the Marquess' love affair with an actress. Young Oliver is immune to the ramifications of what being a bastard means in society because despite the misfortune of his birth, he and his brothers are loved, educated, and rich. He is also a young man in love. Love can put such blinders on everything.

Lady Chelsea Mills-Beckman is witness to these blinders after Oliver proposes marriage to her sister Lady Madelyn, which doesn't go quite as expected. As if the heartbreak wasn't enough for poor Oliver, he is thrashed by her brother for even thinking a bastard could rise above his station in such a way. She was only a child at the time and could do nothing but watch Oliver proudly walk away, bloody and bruised.

Flash forward years later, Lady Chelsea's brother has found religion, at least the kind of religion where women should be subservient. What better way to show his support of his direct link to God then to give Lady Chelsea's hand in marriage to the wet-lipped Reverend Francis Flotley? Desperate to escape her bleak future, Lady Chelsea runs away to the one person who hates her brother more-- Oliver!

All three brothers are named after characters in Shakespeare's plays and the titles of the novels also pay tribute to the bard. Just as in Taming of the Shrew, Lady Chelsea watches as suitors come to pay court to her sister. In this role, however she is cast as the mischievous younger sister. The buildup of Lady Chelsea and Oliver's relationship was very well written and believable. When they first meet, she plays tricks on him like convincing him that Lady Madelyn would be upset to receive the beautiful bouquet of flowers as they make her sneeze. After throwing them out the door, Lady Madelyn is piqued that she did not receive a gift like flowers from her visitor. Lady Chelsea has a good heart, however, as can be seen in the tears she sheds for young Oliver and all the mischief she gets herself into while trying to help others.

It is Oliver who is cast as the bad tempered one, only he didn't start out that way. The prologue was the best part of this novel because Michaels does a wonderful job representing just how naive Oliver was to his own situation. It would take something heart-crushing to turn such a wide-eyed young man into a hardened survivor closed off to love. The proud man who walks through Mayfair with dignity after a beating is a very different man from the one who came to pay court. This set up was perfect for the story and sets the stage for how a good man could possibly turn to vengeance and revenge.

Hopefully, A Midsummer Night's Sin and Much Ado about Rogues will not be too far behind. It will be interesting to see what Shakespearean twists can be applied to the stories about the additional two brothers as they find their true places in society and their hearts.

Book Review: Queen of the Dead

Queen of the Dead (A Ghost and the Goth Novel) by Stacey Kade might possibly be one of those sequels that surpasses the first book. I don't want to spoil the first book for anyone who hasn't read it, but while I did think the book was awesome, I was a little uncomfortable with the stereotypical view that Alona had that everybody wanted her (including females), though that fit in a bit with her shallow personality. The whole point of Alona being sent back from the light is for her to change her ways, right?

Queen of the Dead picks up two months after the first book ends. Will and Alona are still doing their thing helping ghosts atone for their regrets so they can move on to the light. Things get complicated when they meet a fellow ghost-talker who doesn't quite share Will's benevolent attitude towards spirits (Did I mention said ghost-talker is female?). It doesn't help that Alona's mom and dad are both moving on with their lives. Alona feels like she is being left behind and forgotten. Will's doubts over helping her "remind" her family about her previous existence only makes her feel more alone.

When Alona's rash action to take matters literally into her own hands results in dangerous unexpected consequences, a difficult choice must be made that will change their lives and the course of their relationship. The cliffhanger literally had me shocked and surprised it ended the way it did (sorry, no spoilers!). This book isn't due out in bookstores until May 31st, 2011, but hopefully Kade is busy typing away at the next one. ;)

Of zombies, ghosts, and death gods...

Tomorrow may be the Rapture, or then again maybe not...

I love the fact that right now #zombieApocalypse is now trending on Twitter. Even the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is jumping on the social media bandwagon and adopting the zombie trend to promote disaster preparedness. There is something just so cool about a government agency that is willing to be, well, weird. But, you know, weird in a good way...

BTW Is there any coincidence that the end of the world is coinciding with Zombie Awareness Month?

Well, I have a new app to try out, Comic Life, and I have to say I am in love with it. I found it very easy to use and once I figured out how to get it from the iPad to Flickr so I could upload it to Blogsy to upload to Blogger (did you follow all that?), I see some awesome future blogging potential.

In honor of the potential Zombie uprising I have a death inspired book review comic uploaded for your enjoyment. Enjoy!

Book Review: Magic Under Glass

I am going to share an old review I wrote for the Florida Library Youth Program blog with you because I think both the book and the author are just awesome. The paperback edition of this book comes out on May 24, 2011 and Dolamore's second book Between the Sea and Sky comes out October 25, 2011. 

Magic Under Glass By Jaclyn Dolamore. Bloomsbury, 2010. 978-1-59990-430-6

Nimira is a “Trouser Girl”, which means she makes her living as a singer and dancer in a two-bit music hall. She is not a native to the land of Lorinar. When Hollin Parry, Sorcerer, offers her the chance to be his private singer, accompanying his newly acquired piano-playing automaton, she jumps at the chance to escape the music hall.

The automaton has already scared away many singers who believed his moans and groans proved the automaton to be haunted. Then, there are the rumors regarding the death of Parry’s wife. Soon Nimira learns the secret of the automaton and the war building between the humans and the fairies.

Why I picked it up: I was curious about the storyline. I love stories that take established tales and then twist them into new creations.

Why I finished it: Dolamore weaves a wonderful web of conspiracy, magic, romance, and mystery. Not surprising that the author’s favorite classic is Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Though this novel takes place in a fictional setting it has all the elements of a Victorian Gothic Novel. I loved the book and am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

I’d give it to: Teens on up with an interest in fantasy novels, particularly to readers of Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer.

Update Your Home

So maybe it is the fact that this book comes out on my son's birthday (9/24) or maybe it is my Hungarian seamstress grandmother's influence, but I love Sew Up a Home Makeover: 50 Simple Sewing Projects by Lexi Barnes. I am a novice sewer at best, so as much as I may drool over the ideas presented in this book, I know that I am just not up to par on every project (to be honest, I just don't have the patience to do a big sewing project). However, there are really simple ideas that I could do in a day or less and that is what I love. I mean I spend about $1-$2 on one placemat; multiply that by 6 or 8 and that could have been almost a complete meal. Fabric remnants are cheap and it is even cheaper if you up-cycle from some other item purchased secondhand or rescued from the closet. Why did I never think of making my own?!

That is the great thing about this book, it is a way to turn a nothing into a something just by adding a bit of new fabric you can create anything from a new slipcover for the beat up sofa to a cushy headboard for the bed. BTW I sooo want to make a marshmallow cushion. It is a project towards the back of the book (saving best for last?). They are perfect for lounging around at home, make them from a vinyl material and they might even be pool-side friendly. I can already see several in my future when I finally get my home organized. Yes, you see I still have unpacked boxes from when we moved in last year. I can not start any new projects until my guest/craft room is finally empty. *slacker*

Up-Cycling is a great way to decorate your home using materials you either already have or ones you can get cheap secondhand. When my husband and I moved miles and miles from Jersey to Florida we only had what we could fit in the back of a 4dr sedan and that was with room for two American Eskimos in the backseat. We hit up the local thrift store and were able to furnish our home on the cheap in a style that we liked. We still hit up the thrift stores and eye the garage sales, but I have to admit that our style back then was no where near the gorgeousness of those at Vintage Revivals.

Vintage Revivals is so awesome that they even have a Epic Room Makeover Giveaway right now where they will come and makeover your home. You have until April 30th to link up your picture for the vote. Maybe I should put a picture of my box filled room up on the site. You would all vote for me right?

Supernaturally Rocks

Being normal is so overrated.

As Evie, is beginning to learn, real high school is nothing like a high school tv drama. There are things like homework, PE, and oh, yeah, those lockers. Yes, those coveted lockers from the first book. Not to mention a long distance relationship with college-boy, Lend.

Confused? I am of course talking about Supernaturally by Kiersten White. This is the sequel to the oh so wonderful Paranormalcy. First thing I have to say is that I have some absolute cover love for these books. Fair hair and eyed Evie standing in her gorgeous dresses. I really hope that they don't change the cover when book two finally hits the bookstore shelves because it is absolutely gorgeous. Yeah, I know, don't judge a book by its cover, but I admit that and the title are what first caught my interest in Paranormalcy.

Book two continues Evie's story with her trying to adjust to a normal life outside of the International Paranormal Containment Agency. Well, maybe more like not adjusting. Her shapeshifting boyfriend is away at college and she isn't exactly fitting in with the whole normal high school girl scene except for missing said boyfriend and making plans to attend the same college on early admission. In the first book, it was a desire for prom and in this one the goal is Georgetown.

It is no surprise that Evie is seriously tempted by Raquel's request to help IPCA out again with a couple missions, but of course things don't always go so simply for her. However, hasn't she learned from all those episodes of Easton Heights that lying and boyfriends don't mix?

Mingled throughout the teenage drama, you have Jack the boy who just doesn't want to grow up, a paranormal hunting UberVampire, sneaky paranormal locals, and yes, ex-boyfriend faery drama once again. There is even NASCAR, but you will have to keep reading to find out how that fits in the mix (yeah, not exactly Evie's sparkly pink scene).

Did I mention that this book is all age teen appropriate? Yeah, those bleeping "bleeps" are so endearing. It kinda fits with a character that has a pink taser gun affectionately nickname Tasey.

Questions will be answered but even more will be asked so book three better not be too far away. So put on your hottest paranormal hunting heels with coordinating sparkly pink accessories and head to your closest bookstore to place your pre-order for the July 26, 2011 release.

O is for Olivia Parker 's Guarding A Notorious Lady

So far on the blog, we have seen reviews for picture books, Young Adult, graphic novels, and craft books. Now it is time for some guilty pleasure reading. I am not a big fan of contemporary literature, I prefer my reading to send me either to another realm or another time. That is why I love historical romances. I especially love the stories where the love interest is the best friend or the guy who is always getting the girl out of trouble.

Guarding a Notorious Lady by Olivia Parker due out May 31st is such book. In this case it is the conundrum of falling for the little sister of your childhood friend, a little sister who is not quite so little anymore, and whom the task fails to guard her reputation while said brother is out of town on his wedding trip.

Wonderfully this story opens in a bookstore (for all truly great stories begin in a bookstore or library) where Lady Rosalind is attempting to snoop on a promising couple in the stacks; she is a matchmaking meddler after all. Unfortunately, a certain gentleman keeps blocking her view.

Nicholas Kincaid, the Marquess of Winterbourne, has already started in his duties of guarding the younger sister of his childhood friend. This mischievous lady has always managed to get under his skin though to be truthful she can't really help it if suitors decide to serenade her in the middle of the night. He'll just have to be handy with a ready pot, book, or slipper to throw at them.

What is a good historical romance without some scandal and treading on society's unspoken rules? Readers of Parker's other novels will be sure to recognize previous characters and elements (which in my opinion are the signature of a truly great historical romance). This is a delightfully fun read!

Made For Each Other

This review has been reposted at the No Flying No Tights graphic novel review website. Please click here to see the review. 

Book Review: Ascendant

Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund ISBN 9780061490026

My brother recently asked this random question, "What mythical beast would you like to have with you in a fight?" Easy answer-Unicorn!

Some of you might be shaking your heads in puzzlement over why I would pick a creature adored by little girls in pig-tails. Those of you who read Peterfreund's Rampant are more in the know. Unicorns are not all rainbows and sunshine. They are killing murderous beasts once doomed to spend centuries hiding in the shadows, but no more. The beasts are back, they want revenge--they are hungry.

In the first book, Astrid learns that she is one of a group of girls descended from Alexander the Great, with the task of hunting down and killing a dangerous beast once believe to only exist in myth and legend. Oh, yeah, the girls have to be virgins too.

Now, the whole world knows that the unicorns really do exist. The Vatican has stepped in to help fund the Order, with a few modifications of course. Astrid's mom is trying to negotiate the rights to a televised expose, finding hunters is getting more difficult, her best friend is acting a little odd, and oh yeah, her relationship has just gone long distance. Frustrated, Astrid jumps on the chance to track down the guy who raped her cousin, a detour that leads her back to Gordian Pharmaceuticals, their new CEO, Unicorn medical testing, and the surprise appearance of her missing ex-boyfriend, Brandt.

Why I picked it up: I loved the first book and couldn’t wait to find out if they discovered the source of The Remedy.

Why I finished it: The whole book left me hooked. Just when I thought I had it figured out, there would be a new twist.

I’d give it to: Anyone sick of vampire romances, looking for a good book about girls with swords, crossbows, and alicorn knives.

Book Review: Magic Under Glass

Magic Under Glass By Jaclyn Dolamore. Bloomsbury, 2010. 978-1-59990-430-6

Nimira is a “Trouser Girl”, which means she makes her living as a singer and dancer in a two-bit music hall. She is not a native to the land of Lorinar. When Hollin Parry, Sorcerer, offers her the chance to be his private singer, accompanying his newly acquired piano-playing automaton, she jumps at the chance to escape the music hall.

The automaton has already scared away many singers who believed his moans and groans proved the automaton to be haunted. Then, there are the rumors regarding the death of Parry’s wife. Soon Nimira learns the secret of the automaton and the war building between the humans and the fairies.

Why I picked it up: I was curious about the storyline. I love stories that take established tales and then twist them into new creations.

Why I finished it: Dolamore weaves a wonderful web of conspiracy, magic, romance, and mystery. Not surprising that the author’s favorite classic is Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Though this novel takes place in a fictional setting it has all the elements of a Victorian Gothic Novel. I loved the book and am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

I’d give it to: Teens on up with an interest in fantasy novels, particularly to readers of Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer.