Preternatura

YA Friday: Anime and ARCHON, by Sabrina Benulis

2012-01-27T08:30:00.000-06:00

Today, we're looking at a new YA urban fantasy with angels and demons and a surprising influence: Japanese anime. I'm talking about Archon, the debut novel by Sabrina Benulis, and first in a new trilogy. Read on for a chance to win a copy!

"My novel Archon...is a story of visuals, of strange and alien settings and nonstop action," Benulis says in her essay Anime and Archon. "In a nod to some of anime's intricate plots and darker stories, it is a slow burn that deliberately toys with notions of gender, identity, and Western myths. Even more so, Archon's characters fit right into the anime stereotype of tragic pasts, psychological trauma, and awesome outfits."

There's something about anime that draws people to it, says Benulis, who's loved the art form since her own days in high school. Her favorite is the sub-genre of gothic anime. "I always enjoyed how some of the best Japanese anime I watched took what could have been a run-of-the-mill fantasy story but didn't shy from giving it a dark and edgy twist."

ABOUT THE BOOK: Angela Mathers is plagued by visions of angels, supernatural creatures who haunt her thoughts by day and seduce her dreams by night. Newly released from a mental institution where she was locked away for two years, she hopes that her time at the Vatican’s university, the West Wood Academy, will give her a chance at a normal life. Unlike ordinary humans, Angela is a blood head — a freak, a monster, the possible fulfillment of a terrifying prophecy of overwhelming death and destruction. Only in Luz, the Vatican’s wondrous enclave, are blood heads accepted and encouraged to discover what kind of powers or special abilities they might possess. But within West Wood, a secret coven plots, and demons and angels roam the streets searching for the key to open Raziel’s book — a secret tome from a lost archangel. Some are determined to destroy Raziel, while others, like the beautiful Supernal Israfel, one of the highest of the high, wish to free him. And when the Archon — the human chosen to possess the spirit of a dead angel — rises as foretold, they will control the supernatural universe. Torn between mortal love and angelic obsession, Angela holds the key to Heaven and Hell — and both will stop at nothing to possess her.

I have to say that, personally, I'm not an anime fan. And I'm not an "un-fan." It's just been totally off my radar. How about you? Are you a fan of anime...or just want to read a story about angels and demons? Either way, you know the drill to win the book! One entry for comment, one for blog follow, one for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and one Tweet or Retweet. Spread your wings!

Review and Giveaway: IMMORTAL HOPE by Claire Ashgrove

2012-01-26T08:30:00.000-06:00

Before I get to today’s featured book, here's a chance to win the DVD set of theentire first season of “True Blood,” the HBO adaptation of the Charlaine Harrisnovels. Just go over to my buddy Susannah’s brand-new paranormal romance website, follow the site,leave a comment, and you’re entered. As Sookie would say, “Easy peasy.” Go HERE after you finish with thispage, but you want to win today’s book here, too. Really.

Today'sfeatured book is IMMORTAL HOPE: THECURSE OF THE TEMPLARS,

aparanormal romance by Claire Ashgrove.

I’ma big fan of the Knights Templar. I mean, really, what’s sexier than a big oleknight? Unless it’s an immortal knight—a tortured, damaged immortal knight,which is what Claire Ashgrove has in her hero Merrick du Loire. As I thinkabout it, I find my reading sorely lacking in knights, however. Jim Butcher’sDresden Files series has a knight named Michael, and he’s a seriously wonderfuldude, even if he does have a dozen kids. (Apparently, knights are quitefertile.) What about you—have you read a romance or urban fantasy with aknight? Am I forgetting something really obvious? (Oh, and this is totallyunrelated, but when I said I didn’t like dragons, I didn’t meandragon-shifters, which are almost as good as knights…but not quite.)

Anyway,I really enjoyed this read. Yeah, the academic end of it didn’t hold up for mesince PhD students don’t write theses—they write dissertations. And then theygo into a longish period of tenure-track positions before they can do thingslike become department chairs. But I’m happy overlooking the utterlysnore-inducing minutiae of academic life to read about, well, tortured immortalknights. Did I mention knights are good?

ABOUT THE BOOK: Centuriesago, Templar knights defied the archangels and unearthed the copper scroll thatrevealed the locations of the gates to hell. Cursed for their forbidden act,they now roam the earth, protecting mankind from evil. But darkness stalksthem, and battles they fight bring them ever closer to eternaldamnation. One promise remains to give them salvation—the return of theseraphs.

Embittered by hispurpose, Merrick du Loire must honor an ancient pact and bring peace to hiscousin’s soul, releasing him from the clutches of their enemy. When hestumbles upon history professor Anne MacPherson, he discovers that shepossesses a sacred artifact that marks her as a seraph. Duty demands he setaside his personal quest and locate the knight she’s fated to heal. AsMerrick struggles with conflicting oaths, Anne arouses buried hope and sparksforbidden desire that challenges everything he’s sworn to uphold.

Anne has six weeks tocomplete her thesis on the Knights Templar. When Merrick takes her to theTemplar stronghold, he presents her with all she needs—and awakens a soul-deepache that he alone can soothe. Yet loving Merrick comes with a price. If sheadmits she is destined for him, her gift of foresight predicts his death.(Published Jan. 5, Tor Books. Review copy provided by publisher.)

Wantto win a copy of Immortal Hope? Weigh in on knights—read about any? Think you’dlike them? You know the drill, kids: one entry for comment, a second for blogfollow, third for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and a fourth for a tweet orretweet. (And don’t forget to run over to Susannah's brand-new Life, Unleashed blog to win SeasonOne of “True Blood.”)

Preternatura Book Club: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, Chapter 5

2012-01-25T08:58:00.003-06:00

Welcome to this week’s “meeting” of the Preternatura BookClub! Today, we pick up chapter five of MoonCalled, the first book in Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. I’mswitching to one chapter a week from here on out with this book since thechapters are so long. This is one of my favorite urban fantasy series, and it’sfun to be reading it again!

MOON CALLED, CHAPTER 5

When we last left Mercy, the body of young werewolf Machad been dumped on her doorstep, and she ran to Adam Hauptman’s house to findhim in a big fight with another were. She kills the other wolf, but Adam isbadly injured and his 15-year-old daughter, Jessie, is missing.

Mercy can’t follow Jessie’s trail, so she gets her old“Vanagon,” an underpowered old VW “Twinkie on wheels,” and manages to loadMac’s body inside, plus the injured and unconscious Adam, still in his wolfform. She’s taking them to Montana, to the Marrok, the only wolf strong enoughto control alpha Adam while he heals. It’s a harrowing, mountainous drive inthe underpowered van.

Before she leaves, Mercy gets her neighbors to look afterher cat, and calls Zee, the former owner of her garage, to see if he’ll lookafter the place. This is our first vague intro to Zee, aka SieboldAdelbertsmiter, who is a gremlin—a rare member of the fae who can handlemetals. Mercy doesn’t know how old Zee is, but he’s OLD. Let’s just say heremembers the Vikings. Next, she calls her vampire friend Stefan and lets himknow she used his van to haul a dead werewolf in but had it cleaned up.Finally, she calls the witch Elizaveta and gets her to clean up around Adam’shouse so no one will report the damage.

We don’t know the story with Mercy and Bran, the Marrok,yet—only that she was raised among his pack in Montana, then sent away.

Adam, being a dominant alpha, heals fast and he startsstirring way too soon. Mercy stops at a fast-food place, orders thirty burgers,and feeds him 20 of them. After he eats, he zonks out again.

Mercy finally arrives at Aspen Creek, Montana, home ofthe Marrok. It’s a small town, which we learn is a werewolf enclave plus thehumans who live with them. Outsiders not encouraged. It’s clear Mercy hasreally mixed feelings about being back, and that there are lots of people whowon’t be happy to see her. She stops at the small motel, which has awerewolf-safe room, but can’t get Adam out of the van by herself, so she callsSam. We don’t know their history yet, but he’s the first one she thinks tocall. When she can’t get him she tries another couple, and gets a man namedCarl to come and help her. Bran, the Marrok, is in the woods, taking the newwerewolves out on their first outing.

Carl arrives and helps Mercy get Adam into the room bytaping his muzzle shut. Before they can leave, they hear Adam smashing againstthe door, so Carl reluctantly tells Mercy how to find the Marrok. Mercy shiftsinto coyote form and goes after them. She can scent Bran and his mate, Leah, aswell as Bran’s sons Charles and Samuel. When the tracks split, Mercy decides tofollow Samuel—she’s been in love with him since she was fourteen.

Before she finds Sam, she’s spotted by Leah—who obviouslydoesn’t like her. Leah gleefully howls, but it backfires when it alerts Sam,who’s nearby. He ends up intervening and his wolf backs Leah’s down, eventhough Leah should be dominant over him. Charles and Bran arrive in wolf form,and Charles shifts to human. Charles is half Salish Native American, and hasmagical powers since his mother was a witch. Mercy gives him a quick rundown,and Charles responds for Bran, who doesn’t shift—we learn that Bran cancommunicate with his wolves mentally.

Mercy and Charles head back to the hotel, where she getsa room. Samuel, a doctor, is on his way to treat Adam, and Charles leaves to doan autopsy on Mac and handle his burial.

LET’S CHAT!

That’s it for this week! Thoughts? I think one of myfavorite things about this series—this book in particular, is weavingbelievable wolf behavior with the humans. I mean, Adam is still Adam, but he’salso a wolf who might rip her throat out if provoked. So he’s not just Adam ina fur suit. Which is cool.

Mixing Genres--And Get a Copy of THE DEMI-MONDE WINTER

2012-01-24T08:30:00.000-06:00

It's an interesting time in speculative fiction right now, with a lot of genre-blending going on. Maybe it's always been that way to some extent, but as I've done the Fiction Affliction columns over at tor.com the last year and a half or so, it seems as if I'm finding more and more books that I have trouble classifying.

Initially, I classified books as science fiction, traditional fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and YA paranormal...but where does time-travel fit in there if it's driven by magic, not science? Where does steampunk fit? Or historical urban fantasy? Or dystopian fantasy set in real-world places? How much do urban fantasy and paranormal romance overlap? And other than the age of the protagonist, some YA crosses over to adult readers. A few months ago, I added a new catch-all category--"genre-blenders"--and split YA books into their genre category.

I'm glad I don't have to shelve books in a brick-and-mortar store. What a nightmare! When I go to a bookstore, I gravitate to the fantasy section, looking for urban fantasy, and usually skipping over anything with a dragon on it. But I also love reading paranormal romance as long as it has a strong UF storyline running behind the romance (Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series, for example)--yet I rarely wander into the romance aisles because I don't read contemporary or sweet or historicals.

As a reader, do you look at genre? How do you find the books you want to read--from review websites or magazines? (Of course you can always come here on Mondays and see what's coming--LOL.)

Leave a comment with your answers--and if you have a blended genre you like, what is it? I'll be choosing one commenter to win a copy of one of my favorite "genre-benders" recently, Rod Rees' The Demi-Monde: Winter. It's the first in series just now being published in the U.S., and it's a mind-boggler. Kind of futuristic. Kind of urban fantasy. Kind of...well, a genre-bender.

ABOUT THE BOOK: The Demi-Monde is the most advanced simulation ever devised. Thirty million people ruled by history's cruellest tyrants, locked in eternal civil conflict. The intention: to create the closest thing to Hell, and prepare soldiers for the nightmarish environment of war. But something has gone badly wrong. Reinhard Heydrich or at least a simulacrum resembling the Nazi monster has kidnapped the President's daughter from the Real-World and concealed her within the Demi-Monde, making it impossible for the program to be switched off. This achieved, he has cut off all contact with reality. It falls to Ella Thomas, a young jazz singer, to infiltrate Heydrich's virtual domain and rescue the missing girl. But once inside she will discover that everything in the Demi-Monde is not as it seems, and that the Real-World may be in more danger than everyone outside realises...The Demi-Monde: Winter introduces readers to one of the most believable, almost extravagantly detailed worlds ever created, where history's most fascinating figures and cruellest tyrants rub shoulders with a rich cast of characters. In a fast-paced, action-packed narrative Rod Rees manages to explore some of life's deepest dilemmas, and suffuses the story throughout with wit and humour.

Want to win a copy? Let's talk genre today! What's your favorite--or do you just like what you like? And how do you find the books you want to read? You know the drill: one entry for comment; one for blog follow; one for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and one for Tweeting or Retweeting the contest.

New Releases Jan. 23-20 and Reader's Choice Contest

2012-01-23T08:30:00.000-06:00

On to Reader's Choice after a brief commercial interruption. Today's issue of Publisher's Weekly hit the stands with the magazine's overview of Spring 2012 releases and guess what made their Top 10 in Sci Fi/Fantasy/Horror? Yep, Royal Street, which they called a "powerful debut." It all makes me very, very nervous....but in a good way :-)

Okay, commercial over.

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Ifit’s Monday, it must be time to look at the new releases in speculative fictionthis week—and you get to pick which one you’d like to win! As is usual for thethird week of the month for some reason, this week is heavy on YAs, but if theteen scene isn’t your thing, there’s some paranormal romance and a steampunk orsci-fi thrown in for good measure.

Whatdo you want to read? Leave a comment and tell me, and I’ll draw one name to winhis or her choice. International, as always. And if the book is in a series youhaven’t started, you can always pick the first one in the series instead.

Darker After Midnight, by Lara Adrian (Jan. 24, Delacorte)

In the dark of night, a blood war escalateswithin the hidden world of the Breed. After existing in secret for many longcenturies, maintaining a fragile peace with the humans who walk beside themunaware, a single act of retaliation has put the entire vampire nation at riskof discovery. It falls to the Order—a cadre of Breed warriors pledged toprotect their own and humankind alike—to stop Dragos, the power-mad vampire atthe center of the conflict, before his push for domination can explode intocatastrophe. At the center of theOrder’s quest is Sterling Chase, once a morally rigid enforcer of Breed law,now a warrior fallen from grace, whose biggest battle is the one he wagesagainst his own savage nature. With addiction beckoning him toward eternaldarkness, Chase’s path to redemption has never seemed more out of reach. Butwhen his eyes meet those of Tavia Fairchild, a beautiful witness who identifieshim at the scene of a mission gone terribly wrong, Chase finds himself drawn tothe woman—and convinced she is something much more than she seems. Tenth in the Midnight Breed series.PNR

Everneath,by Brodi Ashton(Jan. 24, Balzer + Bray)

Lastspring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as theEverneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she'sreturned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished backto the underworld... this time forever. She has six months before the Everneathcomes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, sixmonths to find redemption, if it exists. Nikki longs to spend these monthsreconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more thananything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who firstenticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'lldo whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. As Nikki's timegrows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forcedto make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remainon the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's. YA

PinkSmog, byFrancesca Lia Block (Jan. 24, HarperTeen)

The girl in the mirror wasn’t who I wanted tobe, and her life wasn’t the one I wanted to have. Despite how much Louise insists, no one will call herWeetzie. It’s her dad’s nickname for her, but it won’t stay put. Neither willher dad. Charlie left Louise and her mom and he took everything with him: herfamily, her home—and her understanding of who she’s meant to be. But Los Angeles is a city fullof strange angels, and Louise embarks on a journey to sift through the smog ofher heartbreak, to grow her own wings, to become Weetzie. This is the long-awaitedprequel to Francesca Lia Block’s groundbreaking Weetzie Bat. YA

Bloodrose, by Andrea Cremer(Jan. 24, Philomel)

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that thefinal battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s savingRen, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’sbeen branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facingunnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and forall. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes itout alive, that is. In thefinal installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling authorAndrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on theedge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtakingtrilogy. YA

The Way We Fall, by Megan Crewe(Jan. 21, Disney-Hyperion)

When a deadly virusbegins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the governmentquarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back. Those stillhealthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. Aseverything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a formerrival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virusstarts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that theremust be a way to save the people she holds dearest. Because how will she go onif there isn't? YA

Against the Light, by Dave Duncan(Jan. 24, 47North)

TheHierarchy, high priests of the religious order the Light, has installed KingEthan as the monarchical figurehead, ruling both the magical kingdom of Albiand its predominant religion. Scattered throughout the land, worshippers in theold ways of the Earth Mother are persecuted as heretics. And when youngmissionary student Rollo Woodbridge returns home to Albi, he is immediatelyarrested for heresy and treason, setting off a chain of events that plunges theland into utter chaos. The Hierarchy has more treacherous motives, however, andwhen Rollo is rescued from jail, his family’s home is destroyed—but Rollo andhis siblings are left alive. While Rollo tries diplomacy to end the religiousand political conflict, his brother and sister swear vengeance. With the hoursto deliverance counting down and their lives hanging in the balance, they mustdecide whether to stay and fight or leave Albi forever in the suspenseful,action-packed Against the Light.F

The Burned Tower, by Sergey Dyachenko and MarinaDyachenko (Jan. 24, Tor digital)

Atruck driver on a lonely stretch of road, a hitchiker, and an ancient curse— abrilliant and moving tale, steeped in folklore, by the masters of modernFantasy. In 1999 "The Burned Tower" was awarded the"Interpresscon" as the best short story of the year on theinternational SF-convention in St-Petersburg. Now, for the first time, inEnglish. Digital edition. UF

Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon, by Mark Hodder (Jan. 24, Pyr)

It is 1863, but not the one it should be. Time has veered wildlyoff course, and moves are being made that will lead to a devastating world war.Prime Minister Lord Palmerston believes that by possessing the three Eyes ofNaga he'll be able to manipulate events and avoid the war. He already has twoof the stones, but he needs Sir Richard Francis Burton to recover the third.For the king's agent, it's a chance to return to the Mountains of the Moon tomake a second attempt at locating the source of the Nile. But a rivalexpedition led by John Hanning Speke stands in his way, threatening aconfrontation that could ignite the very war that Palmerston is trying toavoid! Caught in a tangled web of cause, effect, and inevitability, little doesBurton realize that the stakes are far higher than even he suspects. A finalconfrontation comes in London, where, in the year 1840, Burton must face theman responsible for altering time—Spring Heeled Jack! Burton and Swinburne'sthird adventure completes the three-volume story arc begun in TheStrange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack andThe Curious Case of theClockwork Man. Steampunk

Forbidden,by Syrie James and Ryan M. James (Jan. 24, HarperTeen)

ClaireBrennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest sheand her mom have remained anywhere) and she’s desperate to stay put for therest of high school. So there’s no way she’s going to tell her mom about thepsychic visions she’s been having or the creepy warnings that she’s in danger.Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary,eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as theideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn’t factored Claireinto his plans. Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has beentaught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire’s unusual powers isrevealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go toprotect her? YA

Fallen in Love,by Lauren Kate(Jan. 24, Delacorte)

Unexpected.Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story. And in atwist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of aromantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love wherethey least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losinglove. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first-and last- time, Daniel and Luce will spend a night together like noneother. Lauren Kate's FALLEN IN LOVE is filled with love stories . . . theones everyone has been waiting for. True love never says goodbye . Number “3.5”in the Fallen series. YA

Daughter of the Centaurs, by Kate Klimo (Jan. 24, Random House)

Maloraknows what she was born to be: a horse wrangler and a hunter, just like herfather. But when her people are massacred by batlike monsters calledLeatherwings, Malora will need her horse skills just to survive. The last livinghuman, Malora roams the wilderness at the head of a band of magnificent horses,relying only on her own wits, strength, and courage. When she is captured by agroup of centaurs and taken to their city, Malora must decide whether thecomforts of her new home and family are worth the parts of herself she mustsacrifice to keep them. YA

Claimed by a Vampire, by Rachel Lee (Jan. 24, Nocturne)

Beautifuland independent, writer Yvonne Dupuis is used to taking care of herself. Butwhen she moves into her new apartment and senses a demon watching her everymove, stalking her at every turn, she has no choice but to put her life in thehands of a dangerously sexy vampire. From the first whiff of Yvonne'sintoxicating scent, Investigator Creed Preston knows his client has somethingto fear. Under Creed's protection, she will be drawn irresistibly in by hissecrets and experience the sheer force of immortal desire. And not a moment toosoon. For the evil hunting her isn't acting alone—and he won't stop until heclaims her for his very own. PNR

Horizon,by Sophie Littlefield(Jan. 24, Luna)

CassDollar is a survivor. She’s overcome the meltdown of civilization, humansturned mindless cannibals, and the many evils of man. But from beneath thedevastated California landscape emerges a tendril of hope. A mysterioustraveler arrives at New Eden with knowledge of a passageway North—a finalescape from the increasingly cunning Beaters. Clutching this dream, Cass andmany others decamp and follow him into the unknown. Journeying down valleys andover barren hills, Cass remains torn between two men. One—her beloved Smoke—isnot so innocent as he once was. The other keeps a primal hold on her that feelslike Fate itself. And beneath it all, Cass must confront the worst of what’sinside her—dark memories from when she was a Beater herself. But she, and allof the other survivors, will fight to the death for the promise of a newhorizon. Third in the Aftertime series. YA

A Warrior’s Desire, by Pamela Palmer (Jan. 24, Nocturne)

Formernavy SEAL Charlie Rand embarks on the most dangerous mission of his career whenhe dives through a portal to rescue the only person who knows how to seal thegates between the Esri faery land and the world. But meeting up with his guideand companion through the adventure, the beautiful Tarrys, turns out to be histrue revelation. As the pair traverses the dangerous plains, the Forest of Nightmares andthe crystal mines of Esria, they're pursued by beings who seek to kill Charlieand enslave Tarrys. But the greatest danger of all becomes the love that growsbetween the couple, a love that threatens to doom their mission to savehumanity. PNR

A Pehov Duet,by Alexey Pehov(Jan. 24, Tor)

Twooriginal, exciting and engaging short stories from Alexey Pehov that featuremaster thief Shadow Harold, the protagonist of the Chronicles of Siala epicfantasy series. In "The Snake", Harold, the most accomplishedthief in the world (and reluctant hero of Alexey Pehov's award-winning series,Chronicles of Siala) may have finally met his match in what could prove to behis most dangerous escapade. A stand-alone short story appearing for the veryfirst time. “Battle of the Margend Horseshoe” is an additional scene fromSHADOW BLIZZARD, Pehov’s upcoming conclusion to the Chronicles of Siala. Haroldand friends, old and new, prepare for a spirited offensive attack aftercleverly cornering the Orc army at the Margend Horsehoe river bend. An excitingtaste of the masterful battle scenes that are Pehov’s forte. Digital edition. F

There is No Dog,by Meg Rosoff(Jan. 24, Putnam)

Meetyour unforgettable protagonist: God, who, as it turns out, is a 19-year-old boyliving in the present-day and sharing an apartment with his long-sufferingfifty-something personal assistant. Unfortunately for the planet, God is lazyand, frankly, hopeless. He created all of the world's species in six daysbecause he couldn't summon the energy to work for longer. He gets Africa andAmerica mixed up. And his beleagured assistant has his work cut out for himwhen God creates a near-apolcalyptic flood, having fallen asleep withoutturning the bath off. GB-YA

Boneyards,by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Jan. 24, Pyr)

Aspace opera filled with battles old and new, scientific dilemmas, and questionsabout the ethics of friendship, Boneyards looks at the influence of our past onour present and the risks we all take when we meddle in other people's lives. SF

Havoc,by Jeff Sampson(Jan. 24, Balzer + Bray)

EmilyWebb thought life would return to normal after the death of the man whoattacked her and her fellow “Deviants.” Or as normal as it could be, afterdiscovering that she has nighttime superpowers . . . and she’s a werewolf. Butwhen Emily awakes one night to find an otherworldy Shadowman watching her, sheknows the danger has only just begun. So Emily and her pack-mates set out tofind the people who made them what they are, and why. But as they get closer tothe truth, they realize they aren’t the only ones in town with special powers:The most popular girls in school might just have a secret of their own–and theymight just have it out for Emily. Second in the Deviants series. YA

Life Eternal,by Yvonne Woon(Jan. 24, Hyperion)

Renée Winters haschanged. When she looks in the mirror, a beautiful girl with an older, sadderface stares back. Her condition has doctors mystified, but Renée can neverreveal the truth: she died last May, and was brought back to life by the kissof her Undead soul mate, Dante Berlin. Now, her separation from Dante becomesalmost unbearable. His second life is close to an end, and each passing daymeans one less that she will spend with the boy who shares her soul. Just whenRenée has almost given up hope, she learns of the Nine Sisters—brilliantscholars who, according to legend, found a way to cheat death. Renée thoughtshe knew the truth about life and death. But there is a secret woven throughhistory that holds the only hope for Dante and Renée. YA

Decisions,decisions! As always, four entries possible and please include your e-mail: +1for comment to tell me what book (any book) you want, +1 for blog follow, +1for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for a Tweet or RT about thecontest. This contest is international. Now….go!

Did You Win a Book This Week?

2012-01-22T09:53:00.001-06:00

First, a gratuitous photo from the Royal Street photo album. I haven't tackled a Mardi Gras story for the series yet, but it's coming eventually, I hope. And since it's almost Mardi Gras time, I'll salute one of my favorite krewes, Krewe D'Etat. Their floats are always political and scathingly sarcastic, not to mention very clever. But this is one of my favorite shots of their general standing floats that rides along every year--their symbol, or mascot if you will, is a skeleton. So, viva Le Krewe d'Etat! If you're in NOLA, Krewe d'Etat will parade at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17 on the uptown route, between the krewes of Hermes and Morpheus.

Now...did you win a book this week? If you see your name, please email me HERE with your snail-mail address. I no longer chase down book winners, so any book unclaimed within a month will go into a general grab bag to be given away at a later date!

Congrats to KAREN ATTAWAY for winning the two-book Michael Kinch dystopian YA books.

Congrats to SANDY G for winning John C. Wright's One in a Trillion.

Congrats to JOANNE B for winning the Reader's Choice contest this week--she chose Tempest by Julie Cross.

Coming up tomorrow...another Reader's Choice contest and list of new releases.

From the Royal Street Playlist: Big Al Carson

2012-01-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

Okay, and there's still time to enter the contests for the week--links below!

I listened to lots of Hurricane Katrina-related music while writing Royal Street--which meant keeping myself weepy a lot of the time. But sometimes DJ and I needed to kick back. So today I bring to you a fun song from the playlist: New Orleans' own Big Al Carson, singing the classic "Take Your Drunken A** Home." C'mon, how can you listen to this and not laugh? I almost fell over when I found it on YouTube. It's a favorite on the jukebox at the Green Gator, a bar that figures prominently in Royal Street. Take it, Big Al!

Now...still time to enter contests for the week!

To enter for the first TWO books in Michael Kinch's YA Blending Time dystopian series, click http://suzanne-johnson.blogspot.com/2012/01/ya-goes-to-africa-get-two-dystopians-by.html

To win John C. Wright's awesome new sci-fi, Count to a Trillion, click http://suzanne-johnson.blogspot.com/2012/01/ya-goes-to-africa-get-two-dystopians-by.html

To win this week's Reader's Choice contest, click http://suzanne-johnson.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-releases-jan-15-22-and-readers_16.html

And come back tomorrow for the list of winners!

From the ROYAL STREET files: Character Names

2012-01-20T08:30:00.000-06:00

The process of naming characters is a funny thing. I've used baby name books; bursts of inspiration from nowhere; and the old standby, family names. When Royal Street was a work-in-progress and I had some different readers looking at it, I had a couple say: Can't you name your character something else?

Well, there are times I wish I had, but somehow, once DJ had her name, it stuck.

So, meet the Royal Street cast, and where their names came from.

*Drusilla Jane Jaco--aka DJ--is a Green Congress wizard. Greenies are the geeks of the wizarding world, specializing in ritual magic. DJ was this character's name from the start, and even though SHE doesn't like her name (because she was named after her great aunt Dru, a licentious woman, by all accounts), she's stuck with it. I can't imagine her with another name at this point. Where did the name come from? DJ is a nod to my maternal great-grandmothers, whom I never knew: Drusilla Jane Harris and Ida Jaco. I always thought Drusilla was a perfectly gothic name, and Jaco came from a stray Yankee in the family.

* Gerald St. Simon--Gerry--is a Red Congress wizard. Reds are the warrior class of wizard, specializing in physical magic. He's British by birth, but has lived in New Orleans for almost thirty years when the events of Royal Street take place. His name came out of the air. I have no clue. It came in the first draft, and it stuck.

* Alexander Warin and his cousin, Jacob Warin--Alex and Jake are first cousins who grew up in Picayune, Mississippi, about an hour north of New Orleans. They have a first-class rivalry. Alex's mom, Norma, is from a Cajun family near Lafayette, but his dad, Thomas, and Jake's dad, Edward, own a hardware store in Picayune and are of German descent. I used Alexander and Jacob as their given names for no other reason than because I like those names--they're strong and sexy. "Warin" I chose after an exhaustive search through a list of surnames. It means "strong." And they are, in different ways.

* Jean Lafitte--well, I had no part in naming Jean since he's a historical figure. He's French, he's a pirate, he's too smart for his own good, he's morally ambiguous. Sounds like a romantic figure to me!

A few others you might run across in the book:
--Eugenie Dupre...DJ's bff. "Eugenie" is a pretty name you hear a bit around New Orleans, and "Dupre" is the street my friend Dave lives on and is also the name of his dog.

--Ken Hachette...Jake's friend on the NOPD. Ken changed ethnicity during the writing of the book, from Asian to African-American, but he never changed names--another one that got pulled from thin air.

--Peter Jaco...DJ's dad in Alabama. Another family name--Ida's uncle.

Do you have names you particularly like or don't like in some of the series you read? Weigh in. How important are names?

YA Goes to Africa--Get Two Dystopians by Michael Kinch

2012-01-19T08:30:00.000-06:00

Before I get to today’s literary double-feature, a word from our sponsors…Ifyou have a book review blog or other review site and would like to review anARC of Royal Street, the first bookin my Sentinels of New Orleans series, it’s now available on NetGalley! If youaren’t on NetGalley and are interested in an electronic galley, email me at theaddress in the righthand column of the blog. And now...on to YA day...

Today'sfeatured books are THE BLENDING TIME

andTHE FIRES OF NEW SUN,

aYA dystopian series by Michael Kinch

andI'm giving away a copy of both books, so read on...

Youknow we all love a good dystopia around the Preternatura household, and seemslike some of the best ones in the last couple of years have come in the YoungAdult area. Today’s featured book, The Fires of New Sun, is interestingparticularly for its setting. American urban areas have been the settings ofmost of the dystopian books I’ve read—New York, Los Angeles, Chicago. Severalalso have been set in rural areas, where post-apocalyptic folks find it easierto survive. The Fires of New Sun isone of a few books I’ve seen lately set in what for us insular Americans areexotic locales, in this case, Africa. And—yay!—a multicultural cast ofcharacters.

TheFires of New Sun is the second book in a series, so I’m doing a double giveawaytoday. Want to win the first book, TheBlending Time, as well as The Firesof New Sun? Read on…

ABOUTTHE BLENDING TIME: Inthe year 2069, turning seventeen means mandatory Global Alliance workassignments that range from backbreaking drudgery to deadly canal labor. Tryingto survive in a world that's been ravaged by plagues and environmentaldisasters, three "s'teeners" from the harshest backgrounds thinkthey've gotten lucky. Jaym, Reya, and D'Shay are chosen to be among thousandsof blenders, whose task is to help repopulate and rebuild Africa after adevastating solar flare. But the continentitself—roiling with civil war and mercenaries intent on crushing the blendingprogram at any cost—poses the gravest danger. Separated, the three friendsstruggle to escape the violence and chaos, and somehow reunite. But willfollowing rumors of a mountain hideout lead them to sanctuary, or cost themtheir lives?

ABOUTTHE FIRES OF NEW SUN: A fight for survival in a savage, dystopian reality…Following a perilous weeks-long trek underthe blazing Savannah sun, dozens of Nswibe refugees have found safe haven at aNew SUN outpost—a cavern-fortress hidden in the Blue Mountains. But theirtroubles are just beginning. While the New SUN movement is tested byinfighting and treachery, the outpost sustains a crippling 'gade attack.Survival is vital-defeat would mean slavery, death, and the end of the Blenderprogram, Africa's last hope. To stop the power-hungry 'gades, Jaym, Reya, andD'Shay fight to reunite the splintered factions and mount a daring counterattack.(Released January 2012, Flux Books)

Haveyou read any paranormal books in “exotic” (for you) locales? Now that I’mthinking about it…I can’t think of any myself. Jog my memory—space doesn’tcount. I’ve read some time-travels set in Scotland and in 18^th-centuryParis, but I’m not sure time-travels should count either. Help me out here! Youknow the drill, kids: one entry for comment, a second for blog follow, thirdfor Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and a fourth for a tweet or retweet.

Preternatura Book Club: Patricia Briggs' Moon Called, Chapters 3-4

2012-01-18T08:30:00.000-06:00

Welcome to this week’s “meeting” of the Preternatura BookClub! Today, we pick up chapters three and four of Moon Called, the first book in Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompsonseries. This is one of my favorite urban fantasy series, and it’s fun to bereading it again! I haven’t seen a release date for book seven in the seriesyet, but Briggs’ related series, Alpha and Omega, which features some ofMercy’s foster family members, will have book three, Fair Game, out on March 6.

MOON CALLED, CHAPTERS 3-4

When we last left Mercy, she was waiting with the straywerewolf, Mac, and a dead were at her garage, waiting for local alpha AdamHauptman to arrive.

A car pulls up, but with her Walker hearing, Mercy cantell it isn’t Adam. Instead it’s a dark Cadillac carrying an elderly Russianwitch, Elizaveta, with whom Adam has an agreement. Elizaveta can do magicalcleanup duty. She and Mercy have a sort-of friendly relationship, although it’sclearly her “Adamya” to whom her allegiances lie. She’s accompanied by hergrandson Robert.

When Mercy gets back into the garage after filling in thewitch, she finds Mac licking his fingers—the proximity to that dead body ismaking him very, very hungry and, as a new werewolf, he doesn’t have a lot ofcontrol. Mercy can’t truly dominate the boy if he pushes it—he’s a ginormouswolf and she’s a coyote, after all, but she manages to get enough authority inher voice to back him down. She also instructs him on proper Adam etiquette,which is really giving us a buildup to the appearance of The Man himself.

In trying to distract Mac, Mercy tells some of her ownstory. Her mom was a rodeo groupie and her dad a Blackfoot bullrider who camefrom a long line of medicine men. Dad died in a car accident three days afterthey hooked up but here came Mercy nine months later. Her mom was only 17. Whenshe shifted as a baby, her mom contacted an uncle who recognized what the babywas. Mercy was sent to the hinterlands of Montana to be raised by a member theMarrok’s pack.

Finally, Adam arrives and we get our first look at theAlpha of the Columbia Basin Pack. He has Slavic features and a boatload ofpower oozing off him.

The dynamic between Mercy and Adam is fun from the start.She manages to show him the token respect due him as Alpha but without puttingher whole heart into it. Before shefinishes filling Adam in, he notices that Mac is looking at Mercy with hungerin his eyes—which has nothing to do with sex. She starts to panic, but Adam is able to command him in a very cooldisplay of alpha-ism. Love this exchange: “Mine,”Mac said. Adam’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think so. She is mine.” It would havebeen flattering, I thought, except that at least one of them was talking aboutdinner and I wasn’t certain about the other.

Finally, Mercy whacks Mac with a crowbar and breaks hiscollarbone. End of incident. Knowing the kid will heal faster if he shifts,Adam helps him while Mercy gives them some privacy. We learn that shifting ispainful and not pretty or fast, especially for newbie wolves.

Adam takes Mac home with him, and Mercy goes home andbakes cookies—her favorite means of relaxing. Adam’s 15-year-old daughter Jessedrops by, and it’s clear she and Mercy are close. Jesse’s grown up aroundwerewolves, so nothing about them is too exciting to her. She thinks Mac iscute, but Mercy warns her away from another of her father’s pack, Ben—a recentaddition after being asked to leave his London pack following some unsolvedrape cases that implicated him.

Later, Mercy notices Adam’s property is full of cars, soshe knows there’s a pack meeting. As she’s returning from taking out the trash,the werewolf Ben confronts her. He’s angry, and blames her for making Adamdoubt him. He gets increasingly rude until Darryl, Adam’s second-in-command,comes and sends him on his way.

Mercy doesn’t sleep well, and something wakes her upbefore her alarm goes off. Before she can even fully open the door, she knowsthere’s a body on her porch, it’s a werewolf, and it’s Mac. It takes her awhile to realize what that means: there’s trouble at Adam’s.

When she runs to Adam’s to investigate, she finds hishouse a shambles and him in a death-battle with another wolf. She manages tokill the other wolf, and discovers Jessie has been kidnapped. Shifting intocoyote form, she tries to track the scents, but loses the trail. Finally, shegoes back to see about Adam, and he’s breathing—but barely. She starts to callDarryl for help, but isn’t sure who among his pack she can trust not to killhim to get power. Also, Adam’s wolf willbe hard to control once he starts to heal. She knows where she can take him.

LET’S CHAT!

That’s it for this week! Thoughts? The main thread of theplot has been set up now, with Adam’s injury and Jessie’s kidnapping. What doyou think of Adam?

Kirk or Spock? Han or Luke? Pick a Hero, Get a Book

2012-01-17T08:30:00.000-06:00

Today's featured book is COUNT TO A TRILLION,

a very cool postmodern space opera (or so I’ve dubbed it) by John C. Wright

and I'm giving away a copy, so read on...

Everygeneration has its own space-opera fixation. I grew up watching “Star Trek”(the OLD one), then moved on to “Star Wars” (the first couple or three movies, then I gotover it). They’re full of noble galactic warriors who live and work acrossfar-flung galaxies. Their heroes aren’t madmen who’ve had their sanity restored, been frozen, andawakened years later to find a whole ‘nother Earth. But I love that concept—the postmodernspace cowboy, you might say—which is part of the idea behind Count to a Trillion.

Wantto win a copy? Read on…

ABOUTTHE BOOK: Hundreds of years in the future, after the collapse of theWestern world, young Menelaus Illation Montrose grows up in what was once Texasas a gunslinging duelist for hire. But Montrose is also a mathematicalgenius—and a romantic who dreams of a future in which humanity rises from theashes to take its place among the stars.

The chance to help usherin that future comes when Montrose is recruited for a manned interstellarmission to investigate an artifact of alien origin. Known as the Monument, theartifact is inscribed with data so complex, only a posthuman mind can decipherit. So Montrose does the unthinkable: he injects himself with a dangerousbiochemical drug designed to boost his already formidable intellect tosuperhuman intelligence. It drives him mad.

Nearly two centurieslater, his sanity restored, Montrose is awakened from cryo-suspension with nomemory of his posthuman actions, to find Earth transformed in strange anddisturbing ways, and learns that the Monument still carries a secret he mustdecode—one that will define humanity’s true future in the universe. (Released December2011, Tor Books)

Whatspace opera did you grow up watching, and who was your favorite space boyfriend?Kirk or Spock? Han Solo or Luke Skywalker? Or, hey, Chewbaca. It was Han Soloall the way for me, baby. You know the drill, space cadets: one entry forcomment, a second for blog follow, third for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson,and a fourth for a tweet or retweet.

New Releases Jan. 15-22 and Reader's Choice Contest

2012-01-16T08:30:00.000-06:00

Yep, it’s that time again! Monday’s our day to look at the new releases in speculative fiction this week—and you get to pick which one you’d like to win! There are some good ones this week, so see what you think.

What do you want to read? Leave a comment and tell me, and I’ll draw one name to win his or her choice. International, as always. And if the book is in a series you haven’t started, you can always pick the first one in the series instead.

Wanted: Undead or Alive, by Kerrelyn Sparks (Jan. 15, Avon)

No description available, which is weird. Shame on whoever didn’t upload the book description to Goodreads and the online stores. But those who love this series will find it anyway. Twelfth in the Love at Stake series. UPDATE: the release date on this book has been moved to March 27, so don't request it this week. If you've already requested it as your Reader's Choice and you happen to win, I'll contact you for another choice. Hate these shifting release dates--and thanks to Amber for finding the new date!

Shadows in Flight, by Orson Scott Card (Jan. 17, Tor)

At the end of Shadow of the Giant, Bean flees to the stars with three of his children--the three who share the engineered genes that gave him both hyper-intelligence and a short, cruel physical life. The time dilation granted by the speed of their travel gives Earth’s scientists generations to seek a cure, to no avail. In time, they are forgotten--a fading ansible signal speaking of events lost to Earth’s history. But the Delphikis are about to make a discovery that will let them save themselves, and perhaps all of humanity in days to come. Third in the Shadow “subseries.”

A Path to Coldness of Heart, by Glen Cook (Jan. 17, Night Shade)

King Bragi Ragnarson is a prisoner, shamed, nameless, and held captive by Lord Shih-kaa and the Empress Mist at the heart of the Dread Empire. Far away in Kavelin, Bragia’s queen and what remains of his army seek to find and free their king, hampered by the loss or desertion of their best and brightest warriors. Kavelina's spymaster, Michael Trebilcock, is missing in action, as is loyal soldier Aral Dantice. Meanwhile, Dane, Duke of Greyfells, seeks to seize the rule of Kavelin and place the kingdom in his pocket, beginning a new line of succession through Bragia’s queen. And in the highest peaks of the Dragon’s Teeth, in the ancient castle Fangdred, the sorcerer called Varthlokkur uses his arts to spy on the world at large, observing the puppet strings that control kings and empires alike, waiting... For the time of the wrath of kings is almost at hand. The conclusion to the Dread Empire series.

Tempest, by Julie Cross (Jan. 17, St. Martin’s Griffin)

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun. That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

In the Lion’s Mouth, by Michael Flynn (Jan. 17, Tor)

It’s a big Spiral Arm, and the scarred man, Donavan buigh, has gone missing in it, upsetting the harper Mearana's plans for a reconciliation between her parents. Bridget ban, a Hound of the League, doubts that reconciliation is possible or desirable; but nonetheless has dispatched agents to investigate the disappearance. The powerful Ravn Olafsdottr, a Shadow of the Names, slips into Clanthompson Hall to tell mother and daughter of the fate of Donovan buigh. In the Long Game between the Confederation of Central Worlds and the United League of the Periphery, Hound and Shadow are mortal enemies; yet a truce descends between them so that the Shadow may tell her tale.

Stolen Away, by Alyxandra Harvey (Jan. 17, Walker)

For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds. The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia.

Dark Victory, by Michele Lang (Jan. 17, Tor)

Magda Lazarus was a reluctant witch until the dire threat of Nazi Germany convinced her to assume the mantle of her family’s ancient powers. But though this young, beautiful Jewish woman has fought off Hitler’s SS werewolves and the demon who would rule through the Führer, she has been unable to prevent the outbreak of World War II. As long as Magda can summon spirits, there is still a chance to save people from the dire threat of the Holocaust. Her family’s guardian angel, Raziel, stands beside her in the battle against the human and supernatural forces of evil arrayed against her people and all of Europe.

Faith, by John Love (Jan. 17, Night Shade)

Faith is the name humanity has given to the unknown, seemingly invincible alien ship that has begun to harass the newly emergent Commonwealth. 300 years earlier, the same ship destroyed the Sakhran Empire, allowing the Commonwealth to expand its sphere of influence. But now Faith has returned. The ship is as devastating as before, and its attacks leave some Commonwealth solar systems in chaos. Eventually it reaches Sakhra, now an important Commonwealth possession, and it seems like history is about to repeat itself. But this time, something is waiting: an Outsider, one of the Commonwealth's ultimate warships.

Something Wikkid This Way Comes, by Nicole Peeler (Jan. 17, Orbit digital only)

Capitola, Moo, and Shar are the halfling ladies of Triptych: a company that specializes in cleaning up supernatural messes. Normally Cappie doesn't take human cases, but who can resist a priest, missing Catholic school girls, and a creature that may or may not be the Prince of Darkness? A story set in Nicole Peeler's Jane True series.

The Vampire Diaries: Stefan’s Diaries Vol. 5:

The Asylum, by L.J. Smith, Kevin Williamson

& Julie Plec (Jan. 17, HarperTeen)

Driven from their hometown of Mystic Falls, both Stefan Salvatore and his brother, Damon, arrived in Europe looking for a fresh start. But Samuel, a wealthy and cunning vampire, has other plans for them. First he ruined Stefan’s peaceful existence and now he’s framing Damon for the most gruesome murders London has ever seen. United against their common enemy, Stefan and Damon are stunned when they realize that the source of Samuel’s rage lies in their past—tied up with the woman who forever changed their lives. Haunted by the memory of Katherine, the brothers find that their uneasy alliance is tested. Can they overcome their rivalry to defeat Samuel before he exacts his final revenge?

The Serpent Sea, by Martha Wells (Jan. 17, Night Shade)

Moon, once a solitary wanderer, has become consort to Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud court. Together, they travel with their people on a pair of flying ships in hopes of finding a new home for their colony. Moon finally feels like he's found a tribe where he belongs. But when the travelers reach the ancestral home of Indigo Cloud, shrouded within the trunk of a mountain-sized tree, they discover a blight infecting its core. Nearby they find the remains of the invaders who may be responsible, as well as evidence of a devastating theft. This discovery sends Moon and the hunters of Indigo Cloud on a quest for the heartstone of the tree — a quest that will lead them far away, across the Serpent Sea.

Truth, by Julia Karr (Jan. 19, Speak)

Nina Oberon’s life has changed enormously in the last few months. When her mother was killed, Nina discovered the truth about her father, the leader of the Resistance. And now she sports the same Governing Council–ordered tattoo of XVI on her wrist that all sixteen-year-old girls have. The one that announces to the world that she is easy prey to predators. But Nina won’t be anyone’s stereotype. And when she joins an organization of girls working within the Resistance, she knows that they can put an end to one of the most terrifying secret programs the GC has ever conceived. Because the truth always comes out...and the consequences can be deadly. Sequel to XVI.

Decisions, decisions! As always, four entries possible and please include your e-mail: +1 for comment to tell me what book (any book) you want, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for a Tweet or RT about the contest. This contest is international. Now….go!

From the Royal Street Movie Set (and Weekly Winners!)

2012-01-15T08:33:00.001-06:00

Only want to see if you won a book this week? Scroll on down, but you'll be missing a creepalicious video!

Seems like from the beginning, the Six Flags amusement park in New Orleans East was doomed. It opened in 2000 under the name "Jazzland," and never took off. In 2002, the Six Flags people took it over and it limped along for three years. I mean, if people are coming to New Orleans to visit, do they really want to spend time at a New Orleans-themed amusement park more than a half-hour's drive (in good traffic) from the French Quarter?

Of course, that became a moot point by August 2005, when the Hurricane Katrina-induced levee failure at the MR-GO (Mississippi River Gulf Outlet) put Six Flags under six or seven feet of water.

It never reopened. Here's what it looks like now--and why it's making such a seriously creepy location for some of the big scenes in the third Sentinels of New Orleans book, Elysian Fields. The end of this video claims the park was to be demolished in January 2011, but it got tied up in litigation and...there it sits.

Okay, did you win a book this week? Check and see!

Congrats to DOC REDBAT, who won The Haunting of Twentieth-Century America.
Congrats to KELLY, who won Stephanie Rowe's Hold Me If You Can.
Congrats to BARB P, who won Linda Wisdom's A Demon Does It Better.
Congrats to MAMABUNNY13, who won the weekly reader's choice--she chose Kresley Cole's Lothaire.

Winners, please email me with your snail mail address at suzannej3523@gmail.com

Up tomorrow: a new Reader's Choice!

From the Royal Street Photo Album: Irony

2012-01-14T09:00:00.000-06:00

In Royal Street, DJ slips back into New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to find a strange sight on the sidewalk in front of her house: a waterlogged copy of the Times-Picayune from the day before the hurricane made landfall--the last printed copy of the Times-Pic that was delivered for quite a while.

This is one instance in which I did use my own experiences in the book. When I returned to New Orleans for the first time after the storm, I found this at the bottom of the steps leading into my house (along with tons of broken limbs and debris). The newspaper had survived the winds that uprooted the tree that fell on my roof. It had survived lying underwater after the levees broke (you can see the mold already crawling up the wrought iron railing to my steps, in the top of the photo). And there it still sat.

I left it there for a few days, just because it struck me as such a bizarre, ironic thing, but it was moldy and smelly and I eventually trashed it.

Enjoy your Saturday! I'll be back tomorrow with this week's contest winners. Lots of books being given away, so scroll down and enter if you haven't already!

Superstitious? The Haunting of 20th-Century America

2012-01-13T08:30:00.000-06:00

Today's featured book is THE HAUNTING OF TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICA,

a look at how paranormal eventshave impacted U.S. politics

by William J. Birnes and JoelMartin

and I'm giving away a copy,so read on...

HappyFriday the 13th! Are you superstitious? Maybe it’s because I was born onthe thirteenth day of the month, but I’m not very. I walk under ladders. I don’tfreak out over black cats. I did for a while think I had a poltergeist in mylittle 19^th-century cottage in New Orleans, but have since decided Iprobably imagined it. Then again…

I haven’tever thought about how superstition or paranormal activity—real or imagined—mighthave impacted American history, so I’m wandering off the usual path today andlooking at a fascinating nonfiction title. Want to win a copy? Read on…

ABOUTTHE BOOK: It’s history like you’ve never learned it before. In unearthingthe roots of America’s fascination with the ghosts, goblins and demons thatpossess our imaginations and nightmares, bestselling authors Joel Martin andWilliam J. Birnes show how the paranormal has driven America’s political,public, and military policies. The authors examine the social history of theUnited States through the lens of the paranormal and investigate the spiritualevents that inspired momentous national decisions: UFOs that frightened thenation’s military into launching nuclear bomber squadrons toward the SovietUnion, out-of-body experiences used to gather sensitive iintelligence on othercountries, and even spirits summoned to communicate with living politicians. (Released September 2011, Forge Books)

Have youhad your own paranormal event or are you superstitious about anything? One superstitiouscommenter will receive a trade paperback copy of The Haunting of Twentieth-Century America. You know the drill, grasshoppers:one entry for comment, a second for blog follow, third for Twitter follow@Suzanne_Johnson, and a fourth for a tweet or retweet.

Paranormal Foodies? Take a Stir and Win Stephanie Rowe's Hold Me If You Can

2012-01-12T08:30:00.000-06:00

Today's featured book is HOLD ME IF YOU CAN, a paranormal

romance by Stephanie Rowe,

and I'm giving away a copy,so read on...

I’mcalling it the Food Network phenomenon. (Have I mentioned how much I want tobring Michael Symon home with me? Yeah, I thought so.) Anyway, since being afoodie has become such a big deal, we’re starting to see more paranormals involvingchefs, cooks, food. This has always been a staple (ha ha no pun intended) ofcozy mysteries—Diane Mott Davidson’s long-running Goldy Schultz series comes tomind—Goldy’s a caterer.

Lastsummer, author Sarah Zettel came out with a new Vampire Chef mystery series,which I haven’t had a chance to read yet. Lynn Viehl’s Kyndred novel Dreamveil features a hero who’s a chef.And now Stephanie Rowe’s new book features Natalie Fleming, a famouschocolatier.

It’s funto think how a preternatural species would work in the food industry. I can sosee a werewolf who runs a steakhouse (specializing in rare meats, of course).In my Sentinels of New Orleans series, many of the water-species in SouthLouisiana—namely the merpeople and weregators—work in the commercial fishingindustry. The mers don’t eat red meat; the gators eat anything. And everything.Since vampires usually don’t eat, it would be interesting to see how a humanchef who got turned into a vampire would cope. (Anyone read Sarah Zettel’sfirst Vampire Chef book?)

Have youread a paranormal book where one of the characters was a chef or in the foodindustry? What did you think about it? And if you'd like to try Hold Me If You Can, just leavea comment!

ABOUTTHE BOOK: Escaping hell was the easy part…Nigel Aquarian has escaped withhis life, and with his inner demons. He needs beautiful Natalie Fleming, thewoman he’s admired from afar for years, to soothe his turmoil—if only she wasn’tconsumed with her own problems…Ever since her brush with death, all Nataliewants is to run her famous chocolate shop and be left alone. But the only wayshe can kick-start her powers is by giving free rein to her sensual side, whichNigel is more than happy to help her explore…With Nigel making quite aconvincing case for losing control, Natalie is finding the temptation darn nearirresistible. (Released January 1, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

One speciesof commenter will receive a print ARC of HoldMe If You Can, by Stephanie Rowe. You know the drill, foodies: one entryfor comment, a second for blog follow, third for Twitter follow@Suzanne_Johnson, and a fourth for a tweet or retweet.

Preternatura Book Club is back! Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, Chapters 1-2

2012-01-11T09:22:00.000-06:00

Welcome to this week’s “meeting” of the Preternatura BookClub! Today, we start a new read with the first two chapters of MOON CALLED,the first book in Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. This is one of myfavorite urban fantasy series, and starting this first book again after severalyears away from it reminded me why. We learn a lot about Mercy and her worldwithout being beaten over the head with it. So, here we go! Chime in. It’s hardto tell about a series in two chapters, but what do you think so far?

MOON CALLED, CHAPTERS 1-2

From the openingsentence, “I didn’t realize he was a werewolf at first,” we know the type ofworld we’re dealing with. Basically, in the first two chapters, a “stray”werewolf arrives at the garage owned by Mercedes Thompson, aka Mercy, lookingfor day work he can do for cash. She’s a mechanic, working mostly on vintageGerman cars. The young man is nervous, and Mercy can tell he’s a young werewolfwithout much control. Against her better judgment, she hires him on to workFriday.

He’s back again on Monday, so she gives him more work.Later, she worries he won’t have a place to sleep, so she picks up a blanket toput in an old VW van she’s working on for her friend Stefan, a vampire. Whenshe arrives, she finds the young man, whom she knows only as “Mac,” in anargument with another werewolf and a human. When it accelerates, Mercy shiftsinto her “walker” form, a coyote. She kills the second werewolf (whichsurprises her), and Mercy knows it’s time to call her neighbor, and alpha ofthe local werewolf pack, Adam Hauptman. She and Mac are waiting next to thedead werewolf’s body (and Mac wants to eat him) when a car pulls up outside. Welearn that Mac has been turned werewolf, sold for experiments, and kept in acage. The alpha of the Chicago pack is somehow involved.

Now, during this basic story, we learn a lot of thingsabout Mercy and her world. Just a rundown:

Mercy: She’s half native American; her mom remarried andMercy doesn’t feel she fits in with the blond-whitebread step-family, althoughthey’re all friendly enough. She was raised among the werewolves of the Marrok(more on that below), although we don’t yet know why. Mercy’s shifts to coyoteare not moon-based and are instantaneous. She’s independent, stubborn, can be alittle prickly, and while she acknowledges the wolves’ dominance to her coyote,she also knows how to manage them. She has a manx cat named Medea and lives ina trailer that backs onto the palatial estate of local pack alpha AdamHauptman. Mercy also does weightlifting and karate. She’s worked at the garagenine years, and bought it from a man named Zee. Mercy’s age isn’t given, butshe describes her friend Tony as “several years older than me—thirty-three orso—so Mercy’s in her late 20s. She drives an old diesel VW Rabbit.

Adam: Alpha of the local wolf pack. Described as 5-10,180, dark hair and eyes. Grumpy, but managed by Mercy. We aren’t told much moreabout him in these chapters.

The relationship: Mercy’s relationship with Adam Hauptmanisn’t established yet. He keeps catching her cat on his property, putting it ina carrier and leaving it on her porch, threatening to eat it if he catches itagain. But Mercy can tell Adam played with the cat because his smell is on her.To annoy Adam, she keeps the junker VW she keeps for parts in view of hisbedroom window.

The world: This is a multiverse, with (at least)werewolves, vampires, fae, and ghosts as well as walkers. The fae, who areruled by the Gray Lords, elected to “out” some of their least threatening formsto humans several years ago and a reservation system was established. There’s areservation near where Mercy lives in the eastern Washington State tri-citiesarea.

Werewolves: Have a distinctive “musk and mint” smell. Areuncommonly strong. Live in packs headed by an alpha, and all the packs in NorthAmerica answer to the Marrok. When a new werewolf comes into a territory,he/she must petition the alpha of the local pack. Being bitten by a werewolfdoesn’t turn you into a werewolf—you have to be drained to near death, and eventhen it often doesn’t work. Shifting is very painful and can take a long time.

Other major characters besides Mercy and Adam: Not manyyet. Tony is an undercover cop who’s a friend of Mercy’s. He asked her to workon the car of a woman he’s involved with (or trying to get involved with). Stefanis a vampire who has an old VW Bus painted to match the Scooby-Doo MysteryMachine. We don’t know much about Zee, the former garage owner, yet.

LET’S CHAT!

That’s it for this week! Thoughts?

Universe or Multiverse? (And A Demon Does It Better Giveaway)

2012-01-10T08:30:00.000-06:00

Today's featured book is A DEMON DOES IT BETTER, a paranormal

romanceby Linda Wisdom,

andI'm giving away a copy, so read on...

What’s the deal with demons lately?Today’s featured book is a fun read from Linda Wisdom, combining sexy demonswith witty witches in a multiverse full of trouble. Speaking of multiverses,this is something that was mentioned by an acquaintance recently as somethingshe didn’t like—and I disagreed.

Do youlike worlds where there is one primary species (think: JR Ward’s Black DaggerBrotherhood, where if there are things other than vampires, we don’t reallydeal with them), or do you like worlds where there are multiple speciesinteracting in different ways (think: Kim Harrison’s The Hollows, where thereare vampires, witches, demons, ghosts, werewolves, and all kinds of othercritters)? As big a fan as I am of the BDB, and you know I am, I enjoy the big,sprawling multiverses.

Is your favorite book or series asingle-species universe or a multiverse? And if you'd like to try A Demon Does It Better, justleave a comment! Also....come back tomorrow for the first two chapters of our new Preternatura Book Club read, Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, first in the Mercy Thompson series.

ABOUTTHE BOOK: Bestselling author Linda Wisdom, with 13 million categoryromances sold, is working to build her single title audience with the hottestnew area of the romance category– sexy demon heroes. Lovely witch Lili Cartertakes a job at a paranormal hospital where patients have been disappearing.There she encounters Jared, a dangerously sexy demon on a mission that getsLili into a world of trouble. Lili can't avoid Jared for long and soon theyfind themselves creating a whole new kind of magick. (Released January 1,Sourcebooks Casablanca)

One speciesof commenter will receive a print ARC of ADemon Does It Better, by Linda Wisdom. You know the drill, kiddies: oneentry for comment, a second for blog follow, third for Twitter follow@Suzanne_Johnson, and a fourth for a tweet or retweet.

New Releases Jan. 8-14 and Reader's Choice

2012-01-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

Waslast week’s list crazy, or what? Things settle down a bit this week, with fourteennew releases—but some good ones here. I’ve heard amazing things about Daniel O’Malley’sThe Rook, Kresley Cole fans will be excited to see Lothaire release this week,and YA fans who liked Beth Revis’ debute Across the Universe will be jumping onA Million Suns.

Whatdo you want to read? Leave a comment and tell me, and I’ll draw one name to winhis or her choice. International, as always.

*Genrekey (at the end of each listing): SF=science fiction; F=high/epic fantasy;UF=urban fantasy; H=horror; PNR=paranormal romance; YA=young adult; MG=middlegrade; alt history=alternative history; dyst=dystopia; steampunk; mystery.

Fangtastic,by Lucienne Diver(Jan. 8, Flux)

Topfive perks of Gina Covello’s new secret mission: 1) The five-alarm-firehotties. A few degrees below my genius boyfriend Bobby, of course. 2) The wannabe vamps love me. Anentourage, finally! 3) Fashion tips fromthe steampunk crowd. 4) Putting a stop tothe brutal killings—which only look like the work of vamps—in Tampa, Florida.5) Finding out just what the Feds are hiding. .. Guantanamo Bay of the undead? Third in the Vamped series. UF

The Fires of New Sun, by Michael Kinch (Jan. 8, Flux)

Followinga perilous weeks-long trek under the blazing Savannah sun, dozens of Nswiberefugees have found safe haven at a New SUN outpost—a cavern-fortress hidden inthe Blue Mountains. But their troubles are just beginning. While the New SUNmovement is tested by infighting and treachery, the outpost sustains acrippling attack. Survival is vital—defeat would mean slavery, death, and theend of the Blender program. The second Blending Time novel. GB-SF-YA

Shadow’s Edge,by Maureen Lipinski(Jan. 8, Flux)

Sixteen-year-old Leah Spencer didn't mind being a natural-bornShaman to the Créatúir. Until she broke Rule #1 and traveled to the OtherRealm, where she quickly lost time. Like, a whole year of time. She missed outon everything—holidays, school, her sixteenth birthday, the boyfriend whoditched her. So Leah swore to leave all things magical behind her and lead thelife of a normal high school girl. But when a mysterious dark force startsoffing the Créatúir, both Light and Dark, Leah must choose between her new lifeand "getting all CSI" on the Other Realm murder spree. With the helpof her three sisters (each with their own magical gift), and three gorgeousguys—who may or may not be part of the evil magic—Leah must vanquish an ancientdark force that is connected to her family in unimaginable ways. UF-YA

TheGathering Storm, by Robin Bridges (Jan. 10, Delacorte)

St.Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royaldebutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a darksecret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls ather finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle.Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses herspecial skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herselfcaught in a web of intrigue. An evil presence is growing within Europe's royalbloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar.Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcomesources. (And might I say how much I love this cover!) YA

Nameless, by Kyle Chais (Jan. 10, Gallery)

Inthe in between are the Nameless; names are for masters, and they have none.They live in the Nameless realm; between being saved and being destroyed. Theyare Fallen. One Nameless spends his time watching humans inNew York City and, in his endless eternity of boredom, becomes intrigued by adrunk named Aurick Pantera. One day Aurick, a reckless gambler, isabout to be killed by a gang over his debts. Nameless feels sorry for him, andpossesses his body to save his life. He then decides that he rather likes beingin a human body; the chance to taste, smells, and touch. He uses Aurick’sbody to fulfill all of his wildest dreams—until the other Fallen take notice.They are tired of waiting in Nameless and are ready to start a war—their onlychance to cease this painful eternity of waiting and either be saved or be released.UF

Lothaire, by Kresley Cole (Jan. 10, Gallery)

Drivenby his insatiable need for revenge, Lothaire, the Lore’s most ruthless vampire,plots to seize the Horde’s crown. But bloodlust and torture have left him onthe brink of madness—until he finds Elizabeth Peirce, the key to his victory.He captures the unique young mortal, intending to offer up her very soul inexchange for power, yet Elizabeth soothes his tormented mind and awakens withinhim emotions Lothaire believed he could no longer experience. Growing up indesperate poverty, Ellie Peirce yearned for a better life, never imaginingshe’d be convicted of murder—or that an evil immortal would abduct her fromdeath row. And yet the vampire seems to ache for her touch, showering her withwealth and sexual pleasure. Will Lothaire succumb to the miseries of his past .. . or risk everything for a future with her? Twelfthin the Immortals After Dark series. PNR

A Path to the Coldness of Heart, by Glen Cook (Jan. 10, Night Shade)

Theconclusion to Glen Cook's Dread Empire saga. King Bragi Ragnarson is aprisoner, shamed, nameless, and held captive by Lord Shih-kaa and the EmpressMist at the heart of the Dread Empire. Far away in Kavelin, Bragia's queen andwhat remains of his army seek to find and free their king, hampered by the lossor desertion of their best and brightest warriors. Kavelina's spymaster,Michael Trebilcock, is missing in action, as is loyal soldier Aral Dantice.Meanwhile, Dane, Duke of Greyfells, seeks to seize the rule of Kavelin andplace the kingdom in his pocket, beginning a new line of succession throughBragia's queen, Dane's cousin Inger. And in the highest peaks of the Dragona'sTeeth, in the ancient castle Fangdred, the sorcerer called Varthlokkur uses hisarts to spy on the world at large, observing the puppet strings that controlkings and empires alike. F

Jessica Rules the Dark Side, by Beth Fantaskey (Jan. 10,Harcourt Children’s)

It’sone thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing toactually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough timefeeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in themurder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitaryconfinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’sname, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations andnightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with noblood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the realkiller is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late? UF-YA

Copper Beach,by Jayne Ann Krentz(Jan. 10, Putnam)

Within the pages of very rare books some centuries old lie thesecrets of the paranormal. Abby Radwell's unusual psychic talent has made heran expert in such volumes—and sometimes taken her into dangerous territory.After a deadly incident in the private library of an obsessive collector, Abbyreceives a blackmail threat, and rumors swirl that an old alchemical text knownas The Key has reappeared on the black market. Convinced thatshe needs an investigator who can also play bodyguard, she hires SamCoppersmith, a specialist in paranormal crystals and amber—"hotrocks." Passion flares immediately between them, but neither entirely truststhe other. When it comes to dealing with a killer who has paranormal abilities,and a blackmailer who will stop at nothing to obtain an ancient alchemicalcode, no one is safe. First in a new Dark Legacy series. PNR

Death and Resurrection, by R.A. MacAvoy (Jan. 10, Prime)

Theaward-winning writer of Tea With theBlack Dragon and other acclaimed novels returns to fantasy with theintriguing story of Chinese-American artist Ewen Young who gains the ability totravel between the worlds of life and death. This unasked-for skill irrevocablychanges his life—as does meeting Nez Perce veterinarian Dr. Susan Sundown andher remarkable dog, Resurrection. After defeating a threat to his own family,Ewen and Susan confront great evils - both supernatural and human, as life anddeath begin to flow dangerously close together. UF

Gideon’s Corpse,by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Jan. 10, Gallery)

A topnuclear scientist goes mad and takes an innocent family hostage at gunpoint,killing one and causing a massive standoff. A plume of radiation above New YorkCity leads to a warehouse where, it seems, a powerful nuclear bomb wasassembled just hours before.
Sifting through the evidence, authoritiesdetermine that the unthinkable is about to happen: in ten days, a majorAmerican city will be vaporized by a terrorist attack. Ten days. And Gideon Crew, tracking the mysteriousterrorist cell from the suburbs of New York to the mountains of New Mexico,learns the end may be something worse—far worse—than mere Armageddon. Futuristicthriller

A Million Suns, byBeth Revis(Jan. 10, Razorbill)

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.It's beenthree months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. Andeverywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But theremay just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally freeto enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies. But when Elder discoversshocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind lifeon Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motionhundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing betweenthem and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart. The second Across theUniverse book. SF-YA

Everything is Broken, by John Shirley (Jan. 10, Prime)

Twenty-year-oldRuss arrives in the northern California town of Freedom to visit his dad.Freedom has peculiarities other than its odd name: the local mayor''s ideas of"decentralization" have left it without normal connections to stateor federal government and minimal public services. Russ meets an interestingyoung woman, Pendra, but before he can get to know much about Freedom or itspeople, a savage tsunami strikes the West Coast. The wave of human brutalitythat soon hits the isolated town proves more dangerous to the survivors thanthe natural disaster. Russ, his father, Pendra, and the other townsfolk musttap all their courage and ingenuity - and find strength they never knew theyhad - if they have any hope of living to find real freedom. Dystopia

TheRook, byDaniel O’Malley (Jan. 11, Little, Brown)

"The body you are wearing used to be mine." So beginsthe letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London parksurrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who sheis, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind todiscover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her. Shesoon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organizationcalled the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain.She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly supernaturalability of her own. In her quest to uncover which member of the Chequy betrayedher and why, Myfanwy encounters a person with four bodies, an aristocraticwoman who can enter her dreams, a secret training facility where children aretransformed into deadly fighters, and a conspiracy more vast than she evercould have imagined. UF

Gah!Decisions, decisions. As always, four entries possible and please include youre-mail: +1 for comment to tell me what book (any book) you want, +1 for blogfollow, +1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for a Tweet or RT aboutthe contest. This contest is international. Now….go!

From the Royal Street Playlist (and Weekly Winners)

2012-01-08T10:07:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday! Sharing my favorite song right now...Zachary Richard's been getting heavy play as I've been writing (now revising) the third book in the Sentinels of New Orleans series, ELYSIAN FIELDS. This is a Cajun song called "Travailler C'est Trop Dur." It's been recorded by a ton of artists, but Zack's always the best!

Rough translation: Working is too hard and stealing isn't pretty. Asking for charity is something I cannot do.
Each day that I live, they ask me on what do you survive. I say I live on love and I hope to live long. I take my fiddle and I grab the bow. I play my old waltz to make my friends dance. You know, dear friends, that life is too short to live in sorrow. Let us dance tonight...(chorus)...I play music just about every night, going all around singing in "whiskey bars." Sometimes, you know, I could give up and go home, but I have come this evening for the pleasure of singing."

Now, for the winners of this week's giveaways! Got a lot more next week, beginning with tomorrow's Reader's Choice, so stay tuned :-)

Congrats to JULIANA for winning the ARC of Julie Cross' Tempest.

Congrats to CAYCE for winning K.D. McEntire's Lightbringer.

Congrats to JESS for winning Sidney Ayers' Demons Like It Hot.

Congrats to SOFIJA KAPRANOVA for winning last week's Reader's Choice--she picked Diana Rowland's Sins of the Demon.

If you're a winner, please contact me at suzannej3523@gmail.com with your snail mail info. And now...back to work.

Reminder--Last Day to Enter Weekly Contests

2012-01-07T14:45:00.000-06:00

I’m going to keep giveaway announcements on Sunday topamper myself on Saturday , so….

There’s still time to enter this week’s contests if you haven't already. Justkeep scrolling down, or hit the links (and I don’t mean golf)

Enter to win:

To win Tempest by Julie Cross (ya),” click HERE.

To win Lightbringer, by K.D. McEntire, click HERE.

To Demons Like It Hot, by Sidney Ayers (ARC), click HERE.

To win your choice of book in this week’s HUMONGOUS Reader’sChoice contest, click HERE.

Contests enter at midnight tonight (central daylight time in the U.S.) and areinternational. Now, start scrolling, clicking, commenting!

Tortured Heroes--May I Have Another, Sir?

2012-01-06T08:30:00.000-06:00

Writers are told to "torture" our characters. To make awful things happen to them, to see what they have to do to squirm out and escape the victor--or get the guy/girl--or catch the villain. We hope, once it's all done (or at least reaches a lull), our character comes out of it stronger. Better.

I've really been putting my heroine, DJ, through the wringer in the new manuscript, and it started me thinking about some of the things that have been done to my favorite fictional characters.

Here are some of my favorite "dark moments" (warning--there might be spoilers):

Okay, let's start with Rachel Morgan. First, Kim Harrison lets Rache transform herself into a mink, then get caught by the morally ambiguous Trent Kalamack, who first puts her in a cage, then enters her into the city's underground rat-fighting rings. Oh, and she finally finds The Guy? I don't even have to say his name.

I really can't tell you what Jim Butcher did to Harry Dresden or the spoiler would be too huge. Take my word for it; it's really, reallly bad.

Hm...Let's see...JR Ward had Wrath witness his parents' murders--before he lost his eyesight; Vishous got semi-castrated by his father and pretty much fries anyone he touches with one hand; oh, let's not forget Zsadist, the tattooed, tortured sex slave or his twin brother who had to destroy his own leg to save him. Yeah, Ms. Ward can do her some torture.

And yet we love those characters because they persevere, often with wit although not without dark moments. What are some of the most memorable "low moments" you remember from your recent reads? I'm currently reading Julie Cross' Tempest, and her character is stuck in a time-warp, trying from the past to change time in order to save his girlfriend, who was murdered in the present.

So...if you'd like a copy of Tempest, which comes out next week, just weigh in. You know the deal. Four entries are possible: one for comment, one for blog follow, one for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and one for Tweeting or Retweeting the contest. Now...torture somebody!

TBR Thursday: LIGHTBRINGER by K.D. McEntire

2012-01-05T08:30:00.000-06:00

Today's featured book is LIGHTBRINGER, a YA paranormal

romance by K.D. McIntire,

and I'm giving away a copy, so read on...

One of the interesting YA paranormal books that's come into my TBR pile lately has been K.D. McEntire's Lightbringer. The story is a fantasy/romance set in a similar world to ours and featuring those who help the souls of the Lost--people who have died but have not moved on to whatever worlds await us.

This goes much deeper than the ghost story, although ghosts have made a comeback in the past couple of years. Have you read any ghost stories? There's a prominent ghost in Kim Harrison's Hollows series, and definitely in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. Jeri Smith-Ready's Shade series? What about ghostly romances? Well, JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series has a corporeal ghost (and I still maintain that Vishous got cheated). I think one of Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld (number five?) books has a ghost.

What ghostly books have you read and liked? Have you read any ghostly romances? If you'd like to try Lightbringer, just leave a comment!

ABOUT THE BOOK: The Never is a place of greys, a world a breath beyond our own, layered just past the memories of yesterday and the fleeting present moment. It is here, in this dismal limbo, that ghosts such as Piotr, Lily, and Elle must sort out an existence, both protecting the children called Lost and themselves from the walking darkness that is the army of rotting Walkers. Caught between her duty to her calling as the Lightbringer and her concern for her new ghostly friends, Wendy must walk the line between the two worlds, aiding Piotr in his fight against the Walkers as well as searching out the wandering soul of the one who means the most to her. Time, however, is running out and in the end... who will she choose? (November 2011, Pyr Books)

One ghostly commenter will receive a print copy of Lightbringer, by K.D. McEntire. You know the drill, kiddies: one entry for comment, a second for blog follow, third for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and a fourth for a tweet or retweet.

Featured Book: DEMONS LIKE IT HOT by Sidney Ayers

2012-01-04T08:30:00.000-06:00

Today's featured book is DEMONS LIKE IT HOT, by Sidney Ayers,

and I'm giving away a copy, so read on...

Do you like books featuring demons? They're sort of a guilty pleasure for me. I mean, they're DEMONS. And I was brought up in a strict Baptist home and The Exorcist scared the crap out of me. And, uh, they're demons.

But some of the paranormal romances with demons are, if you'll pardon the pun, really hot. Because the demons in paranormal romance are always tortured, and who doesn't love a tortured hero? They're misunderstood, they're sexy, they're often the victims of poor impulse control, and seem to frequently have delightfully snarky senses of humor because, as demons, they don't have to worry about being politically correct. They only need the right woman to turn their miserable lives around (tortured, remember?).

Today's featured book, Sidney Ayers' Demons Like It Hot, fascinates me because it combines a hot, tortured demon mercenary with a heroine who's a caterer. Now, I don't know about you guys, but I'm a serious Food Network fan. I'd wrap Michael Symon up with a bow and bring him home for my birthday if I could. So I love the premise of this book!

ABOUT THE BOOK: Serah SanGermano runs a successful catering company in a Midwestern town. After she inadvertently helped her friend unleash a legion of demons, she's been trying to hide her own newly discovered powers. Matthias Ambrose, a mysterious demon mercenary sent to protect her, has his own secret— one that will embroil them both in the scandal from hell. (December 1, 2011, from Sourcebooks Casablanca)

So...how about you? Have you read a book with demons in it? Were they romantic demons, or scary demons? One happy commenter will receive a print copy of Demons Like It Hot, by Sidney Ayers. You know the drill, kiddies: one entry for comment, a second for blog follow, third for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and a fourth for a tweet or retweet.

A Reader's Resolution--Take Time to Smell the Ink

2012-01-03T08:30:00.000-06:00

Writers are fond of making writing resolutions for the first of the year. I did some last year and most of them were things like "sell paranormal romance series" and "finish editor's revisions on XYZ manuscript." Those resolutions, I quickly learned, are silly. I have no control over whether the vampire series sells, or whether revisions come to me in a certain calendar month or year.

This year, I want to make resolutions as a reader. Because, first and foremost, that's what I am. I'm a fan of all the speculative fiction genres, yet I found myself reading a lot of books last year because someone asked me to, or I felt an obligation to a publisher who sent me a review copy (for which I'm always grateful), or I wanted to get enough reviews written to fill up the Preternatura blog every week :-). As a result, I ended up neglecting some of my favorite authors and series. (I'm behind with both Black Dagger Brotherhood and Dresden Files...Holy cow...This is unacceptable!)

So my resolution for 2012 is to slow down and really read the books I want to read. It means I might feature a book or giveaway on the blog for something I haven't read--not that it isn't a terrific book, but because I have so many books ahead of it in the TBR pile and want to feature it while it's a relatively new release. The actual reviews will be things I've savored, enjoyed, spent time with, and given thought to.

I'll still do a lot of giveaways...don't worry :-) and I'll be starting a new blog in the next month or so from my paranormal romance-writing alter-ego. Details to come on that one.

What are your reading resolutions for 2012? Looking to start a new series? Explore a new genre? Have any particular releases you're looking forward to (besides Royal Street, of course--LOL)? Today, let's just chat.

New Releases Jan. 1-6 and Reader's Choice Pick

2012-01-02T08:30:00.000-06:00

First, thanks to Roger, for letting me know the cover of Royal Street is in a book-cover throwdown over at the Book Faery blog today--go over and vote! http://book-faery.blogspot.com/

And….we're back! Nothing to kick off a new year like a monster list of new releases inurban fantasy, paranormal romance, YA, and science fiction. As always, tell mewhat you’d most like to read from this list, and I’ll draw a winner at the endof the week. You’re the reader; your choice.

First,congrats to the winners from last week’s contests. If you see your name, pleaseemail me HERE and send meyour snail-mail address if you prefer a print book or email/format if youprefer an ebook. (Some contests may specify one format or the other.)

Congratsto:

LYSSA ANNE, who won a “myfavorite series” pick—she picked the first book in Jim Butcher’s Dresden Filesseries, Storm Front.

REA, who won thetwofer giveaway, Planesrunner and Hearts of Smoke and Steam.

MEL,who won the Reader’s Choice for last week—she picked Richelle Mead’s Shadow Heir.

Now,for this week’s list of new releases—comment to win your choice!

Midnight Reckoning, by Kendra Leigh Castle (Jan. 1, HQN)

Twoseparate worlds. One passion that binds them.Wild and passionate by nature, Lyra Black is notjust any werewolf. She’s the future leader of the powerful pack of the Thorn—ifshe can stay alive long enough to inherit the title. One of the CaitSith bloodline of vampire cat-shifters, Jaden Harrison has no interestin the wars plaguing the world of night. But when he rescues Lyra from aviolent attack, they’re both captured by an insatiable desire that threatens tooverwhelm them and bind them together for eternity—just as ancient enemiesprepare to strike. Second in the Dark Dynasties series. PNR

The Lure of Song and Magic, by Patricia Rice (Jan. 1, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

WorkaholicTV producer Dylan Ives believes former singing sensation Syrene Malcolm holdsthe clue to finding his kidnapped son. A lost child herself, Syrene cares aboutthe missing boy even though Dylan's personality is nothing short of rude. ButSyrene refuses to unleash her dangerous siren’s voice, even for a man who isimpossible to deny. PNR

Never to Sleep,by Rachel Vincent(Jan. 1, Harlequin)

Don'tClose Your Eyes. SophieCavanaugh is not going to let her freak of a cousin’s strange psychiatric conditionruin high school for them both. Not after all the work she’s put intocultivating the right look, and friends, and reputation. But then, Sophie seessomething so frightening she lets out a blood-curdling scream—and finds herselfstuck in a bizarre parallel world where nothing is safe and deadly creatureslurk just out of sight, waiting for her to close her eyes and sleep...forever. Adigital novella in the Soul Screamers series. UF-YA

Hallowed, byCynthia Hand(Jan. 2, Egmont)

Formonths part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from hervisions and rescue the alluring Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothingcould prepare her for the decisions she would be forced to make, or thestartling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth toaccomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between herfeelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara is drawnfurther into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between WhiteWings and Black Wings. The second Unearthly novel. PNR-YA

Vampirates: Immortal War, by Justin Somper (Jan. 2, Little, Brown)

A bloody war is raging across the oceans, with the PirateFederation and Nocturnals in alliance against the renegade Vampirates, led bySidorio and Lola. Nothing will stop either from making their presence \ knownin battle. Connor and Grace Tempest have important roles to play—he as a piratewarrior at the heart of the fight; she as a powerful healer working with thewar-wounded. As the twins face their greatest challenges, old allies and foesreturn in the ultimate battle of Pirate versus Vampirate. Concludes thissequence of Vampirates novels. F-YA

Darkness Falls,by Cate Tiernan(Jan. 2, Little, Brown)

Nastasyahas lived for hundreds of years, but for some reason, life never seems to getbetter. She left her spoiled, rich girl life to find peace at River’s Edge, ahaven for wayward immortals. There, she learned to embrace River’s Edge,despite some drama involving the sexy Reyn, who she wants but won't allowherself to have. But just as she's getting comfortable, her family's ties todark magick force her to leave. She falls back into her old, hard-partyingways, but will her decision lead her into the hands of a dark immortal? Secondin the Immortal Beloved series. F-YA

Immortal Hope,by Claire Ashgrove(Jan. 3, Tor)

Templarknights defied the archangels and unearthed the copper scroll, revealing thegates to hell. Cursed for their forbidden act, they forever roam the earthprotecting mankind from evil. One promise remains for salvation—the return ofthe seraphs. Embittered by his purpose, Merrick du Loire must honor an ancientpact and bring peace to his cousin’s soul. When he stumbles upon historyprofessor Anne MacPherson, he discovers she possesses a sacred artifact thatmarks her as a seraph. Duty demands he set aside his personal quest and locatethe knight she’s fated to heal. As he struggles with conflicting oaths, Annearouses buried hope and sparks forbidden desire that challenges everything he’ssworn to uphold. PNR

Wild Cat,by Jennifer Ashley(Jan. 3, Berkley)

When felineshifter Cassidy Warden saves detective Diego Escobar from plunging to hisdeath, she takes his breath away. But she’s been breaking all kinds of humanlaws, and Diego, to save her from termination, has to promise his departmenthe’ll watch over her. Diego finds the task harder than he thinks—Cassidy istrying to find out what kind of mysterious hunter killed her mate two yearsago, a hunter that could bring danger to all shifters. Third in the ShiftersUnbound series. PNR

Whispers in the Dark, by Maya Banks (Jan. 3, Berkley)

She came to him at hislowest point. The voice of an angel, a whisper in the dark. She’s the onlything that gets Nathan Kelly through his captivity, the endless days of torture.With her help, he’s able to escape. But he isn't truly free, because now she'sdisappeared and he's left with an all-consuming emptiness. Did he imagine hisangel? Shea has been on the run from people who will stop at nothing to exploither unique abilities. She never wanted to drag Nathan into danger, but now thatshe has, can they prevail? PNR

Halo: Primordium,by Greg Bear(Jan. 3, Tor)

In the wake of apparent self-destruction of the Forerunnerempire, two humans—Chakas and Riser—are like flotsam washed up on very strangeshores. Captured by the Master Builder, they find themselves on an invertedworld where horizons rise into the sky, and where humans are trapped in a cycleof horror and neglect as both research animals and strategic pawns in a cosmicgame whose madness knows no end. In the company of a young girl and an old man,Chakas begins an epic journey across a lost and damaged Halo in search of a wayhome, an explanation for the warrior spirits rising up within, and for theLibrarian’s tampering with human destiny. Second in the Forerunner Saga. SF

TheDaemon Prism, by Carol Berg (Jan. 3, Roc)

Dantethe necromancer is the most reviled man in Sabria, indicted by the King, theTemple, and the Camarilla Magica for crimes against the living and the dead.Yet no judgment could be worse than his enemies' cruel vengeance that left himcrippled in body and mind. Dante seeks to salve pain and bitterness with amagical puzzle. Haunted, blind, driven to the verges of the world, Dante riskseternal corruption and the loss of everything he values to unravel a mystery ofancient magic, sacred legend, and divine truth. Third in the Collegia Magicaseries. F

City of the Lost,by Stephen Blackmoore(Jan. 3, DAW)

JoeSunday has been a Los Angeles low-life for years, but his life gets a whole lotlower when he is killed by the rival of his crime boss—only to return as azombie. His only hope is to find and steal a talisman that he learns can grantimmortality. But, unfortunately for Joe, every other undead thug and crime bossin Los Angeles is looking for the same thing. UF

ItTakes a Witch, by Heather Blake (Jan. 3, Signet)

DarcyMerriweather has just discovered she hails from a long line of Wishcrafters—witcheswith the power to cast spells by making a wish. She’s come to Enchanted Villageto learn her trade but finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation inthis paranormal cozy mystery. GB-Cozy

Power Play,by Ben Bova(Jan. 3, Tor)

JakeRoss, a university astronomer, wants nothing more than to teach a few classeseach semester and continue on his research. However, he is being aggressivelyrecruited to be the science advisor to Frank Tomlinson, an ambitious politicianwith his eye on the U.S. Senate. Tomlinson is in need of an edge that will allow him todefeat his opponent at the polls, and Dr. Ross can contribute just that:magnetohydrodynamics, which will allow electricity to be generated efficientlyand cheaply. Never mind the deadly risks. SF

Dust of the Damned, by Peter Brandvold (Jan. 3,Berkley)

The Hell’s Angels are a gang of werewolves who have escaped fromHellsgarde Federal Penitentiary. They were the ones who tore the Confederatesinto submission at Gettysburg for Lincoln, thus ending the Civil War. Nowthey’ve headed West—to join the legions of other ghouls. Armed with an arsenalof weapons, the deadliest being Marshal Angel Coffin, notorious ghoul-hunterUriah Zane must stop the hordes of shape- shifting creatures pushing west. WeirdWest steampunk

Flashfire,by Deborah Cooke(Jan. 3, Signet)

Masterillusionist Lorenzo wants nothing to do with the Pyr. His dragon nature is justanother secret to hide and another detail to juggle, like ensuring that each ofhis Las Vegas magic shows is a true spectacle. Cassie Redmond istired of photographing celebrities. She wants to pursue her dream of seriousphotography—despite the lucrative offer for a shot of a dragon shifter. Seventhin the Dragonfire series. PNR

Tempest, by Julie Cross (Jan. 3, St. Martin’s Griffin)

Theyear is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy—he’s in college,has a girlfriend…and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like themovies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-timecontinuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun. Until theday strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during astruggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps backtwo years to 2007 and now he’s stuck. And the people who shot Holly in 2009come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop atnothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. YAtime travel

Wild Wild Death,by Casey Daniels(Jan. 3, Berkley)

Her jobhas been cut, she's low on cash, and her detective sometime-boyfriend refusesto even talk about her ability to see the dead and solve their murders. SoPepper is most certainly down for a vacation to get her spirits up. But whenher cute scientist friend Dan is kidnapped, Pepper stumbles upon another deadlymystery that brings her to New Mexico. And she’s after a clever murderer—onewhose idea of Boot Hill has nothing to do with Jimmy Choo. Eighth in the paranormal PepperMartin Mysteries series. Mystery

Grantville Gazette VI, edited by Eric Flint (Jan. 3, Baen)

Thesixth anthology of tales set in Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire series—all inspiredand edited by the creator himself, Eric Flint. A cosmic accident sets themodern West Virginia town of Grantville down in war-torn seventeenth-centuryEurope. It will take all the gumption of the resourceful, freedom-lovingup-timers to find a way to flourish in the mad and bloody end of medieval times.ALT Hist

All That Bleeds,by Kimberly Frost(Jan. 3, Berkley)

Asthe last heiress of the House of North, Alissa knows that striking up a secretfriendship with a half-vampire enforcer is dangerous, but Merrick is a temptationshe can't resist. When Alissa is kidnapped, Merrick proves he will do anythingto protect the woman who tempts him with her very existence. PNR

Seven Princes,by John R. Fultz(Jan. 3, Orbit)

Anancient necromancer slaughters the king and his court in front of theunbelieving eyes of crown prince D’zan. From that moment, his life is consumedby one thought - to regain his throne. Others will join him, some will opposehim. In a world where men and giants fight side by side against ancientmonsters and new powers, only one thing is sure - war is coming. Blood will runand princes will clash. Seven princes. Seven destinies. All will be legend.First in the Books of the Shaper series. F

The Broken Land,by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear (Jan. 3, Tor)

Inthis third book of the People of the Longhouse quartet, sorcerer Atotarho setsinto motion a cataclysmic battle that threatens to destroy the Iroquoian world.Only three people are brave enough to challenge him: a disgraced warrior knownas Sky Messenger; his friend War Chief Hiyawento; and a powerful clan matronnamed Jigonsaseh. To stop the madman, they must find a way to bring fivewarring nations together. F

The Bride Wore Black Leather, by Simon R. Green (Jan. 3, Ace)

JohnTaylor is marrying the love of his life, Suzie Shooter, the Nightside’s mostfearsome bounty hunter. But before he can walk down the aisle he has one morecase to solve as a private eye—a case that has him on the run from friends andenemies both, with his bride-to-be looking to collect the bounty on his head.Twelfth in the Nightside series. UF

Eve: Templar One,by Tony Gonzales(Jan. 3, Tor)

New Eden: the celestial battleground of a catastrophic war that hasclaimed countless lives. The immortal starship captains spearheading this epicconflict continue their unstoppable dominance, shaping the universe to theirwill and ensuring a bloody, everlasting stalemate. But a powerful empire is on the verge of abreakthrough that could end the war and secure their rule over mankind forever.For deep in a prison reclamation camp, a secret program is underway—one thatwill unlock dangerous secrets of NewEden’s past. SF

DreamingAwake, by Gwen Hayes (Jan. 3, NAL)

WhenTheia Alderson encountered a mysterious, handsome boy in her dreams, she neverimagined how finding Haden Black—and falling in love—could change her life. Tosave Haden, Theia sacrificed everything. And the dangerous bargain she madecould have lasting repercussions. Theia has returned to Serendipity Falls, andshe finds herself struggling with the same deadly hungers that have torturedHaden. When students at their high school fall prey to a mysterious illness,Theia can’t help but wonder if Haden’s control is slipping—and how much longershe’ll have a grip on her own. Second in the Falling Under series. UF-YA

Between Their Worlds, by Barb Hendee and J.C. Hendee (Jan. 3, Roc)

Magiereand Leesil must rescue Wynn Hygeort from her captivity in the Guild of Sagecraft.But Wynn doesn’t want to give up access to the ancient scrolls that may helpthem locate the last of the magical Orbs coveted by the Ancient Enemy. Tenth inthe Noble Dead series. F

Sisterhood of Dune, by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Jan. 3, Tor)

It iseighty-three years after the last of the thinking machines were destroyed inthe Battle of Corrin, after Faykan Butler took the name of Corrino andestablished himself as the first Emperor of a new Imperium. Great changes arebrewing that will shape and twist all of humankind. So many decades after thedefeat of the thinking machines, which begins to sweep across the knownuniverse in mobs, millions strong, destroying everything in its path, faterests with one small group who will become enmeshed in the contest betweenReason and Faith. All of them will be forced to choose sides in the inevitablecrusade that could destroy humankind forever. SF

Switched,by Amanda Hocking(Jan. 3, St. Martin’s Griffin)

WhenWendy Everly was six, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried tokill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mothermight have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in aworld she never knew existed—a world both beautiful and frightening, andWendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it. First in the Trylle Trilogy.Originally self-published digitally in 2010. UF-YA

Blood of the Volcano, by Imogen Howson (Jan. 3, Samhain)

Maya,leader of the temple maenads, has learned nothing but contempt for the weaknessof her human body. She lives for the ritual that transforms her into maenadform, ready to administer the vengeance of the volcano god. Killing afugitive shifter is not just her duty, but her delight—until, against all odds,he captures her, trapping her in her worst nightmare: her vulnerable,easily controlled human form. PNR

Raven Cursed,by Faith Hunter(Jan. 3, Roc)

Thevampires of Asheville, North Carolina, want to establish their own clan, butsince they owe loyalty to the Master Vampire of New Orleans they must work outthe terms with him. To come up with an equitable solution, he sends an envoywith the best bodyguard blood money can buy: Jane Yellowrock. But when a groupof local campers are attacked by something fanged, Jane goes from escort toinvestigator. UF

Gift of Magic,by Lynn Kurland(Jan. 3, Berkley)

Sarah of Doìre knows the pattern of spells is no accident. Witheach page, each powerful rune, she and Ruith are being led somewhere, tosomeone—butby whom, she cannot tell. Sarah's gift of sight only allows her to see thespells themselves, not the person behind them. A reluctant sorcerer stilllearning to trust his own magic, Ruithneadh of Ceangail knows he's woefullyunprepared for the adversaries they'll face. But he and Sarah must collect anddestroy his father Gair's spells soon. Many mages seek their power, and in thewrong hands, Gair's magic would plunge the Nine Kingdoms into an eternity ofdarkness. F

HauntedWarrior, by Allie Mackay (Jan. 3, Signet)

KendraChase is exhausted from her work as a ghost whisperer, so she's been lookingforward to her vacation in Edinburgh. But work awaits her as the tiny fishingvillage is being excavated, and supernatural uprisings have been reported. GraemeMacGrath knows the source of the psychic trouble. The excavation is disruptingthe protective veil between this world and darker, more ancient ones. He hatesto admit it but he will need the fetching Kendra and her paranormal abilitiesto save the town he loves from unspeakable evil. PNR

King of the Isles, by Debbie Mazzuca (Jan. 3, Zebra)

Evangelinemay be powerfully persuasive in her way, but convincing the notoriously wildHighland king Lachlan MacLeod to strengthen his alliances with a strategic marriageseems to be asking the impossible. Stubborn and proud, Lachlan seems determinedto go against her will, even if it means endangering the people he's sworn toprotect and the enchanted isle that has already seen so much discord. Yet thebattle-scarred Highlander cannot ignore his sultry advisor for long. PNR

Shadow Heir,by Richelle Mead(Jan. 3, Zebra)

Shaman-for-hireEugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassingentities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge forher and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins todevastate the Otherworld. The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the onlychallenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everythingto help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. And asa formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use herown cursed fate as a weapon—and risk the ultimate sacrifice. Fourth in the DarkSwan series. UF

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer (Jan. 3, Feiwel & Friends)

Humansand androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravagesthe population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to maketheir move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. Cinder, a giftedmechanic, is a cyborg, a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviledby her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her lifebecomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herselfat the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction.SF-YA

Fracture,by Megan Miranda(Jan. 3, Walker)

Bythe time Delaney Maxwell was pulled from a Maine lake’s icy waters by her bestfriend, Decker Phillips, her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stoppedworking. She was dead. But somehow Delaney survived—despite the brain scansthat show irreparable damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be fine, but she knowsshe’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control orexplain, Delaney now finds herself drawn to the dying, and when she meets TroyVarga, a boy who recently emerged from a coma with the same abilities, she isrelieved to share this strange new existence. PNR-YA

To Walk the Night,by E.S. Moore(Jan. 3, Kensington)

KatRedding is the very thing she hunts: a vampire, thirsting for blood, capable ofkilling any creature unlucky enough to get in her path. The difference is, Katkills her own kind in order to protect human Purebloods. She’s good at what shedoes. Good enough to earn the nickname Lady Death—and the enmity of everybloodthirsty being around. But now a vampire Count is intent on merging hisHouse with a werewolf cult to create a force of terrifying power. Kat can’tallow that to happen. Even if it means taking on a den of weres and a vampiremore ruthless than any she’s encountered before. UF

Charmfall, by Chloe Neill (Jan. 3, NAL)

ProtectingChicago from the dark side can be an exhausting job, especially when you’re ajunior. So when the girls of St. Sophia’s start gearing up for Sneak, theirfall formal, Lily decides to join in on some good, old-fashioned party prep—evenif it means not giving demons, vampires and the twisted magic users known asReapers her undivided attention. But when a Reaper infiltrates the school,Lily doesn’t forget what she’s sworn to protect. Third in the Dark Eliteseries. UF-YA

Born of Ashes,by Caris Roane(Jan. 3, St. Martin’s)

For years, she was kept as a human slave—one of seven unwilling“blood donors” for the death vampires who thirst for absolutepower. Now, Fiona is a free woman, haunted by her memories of being strapped toa gurney, drained of blood, then revived at the last moment. She lives toavenge her captors—but only one warrior can help her. PNR

Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi (Jan. 3,HarperCollins)

Ariais a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. When she is forced out of thepod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. Theoutside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction. As anOutsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energystorms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. They cometogether reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian,to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel themystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. SF-YA

Hold Me If You Can, by Stephanie Rowe (Jan. 3,Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Nigel Aquarian is a warrior with an artistic bent, and NatalieFleming a chocolatier who has a new lease on life. But her freedom comes with adangerous gift she doesn't want. Nigel and his fellow warriors have only justescaped imprisonment when an even worse threat emerges. Natalie is the onlywoman who can help Nigel—but she's also the one most likely to bring him down.Third in the Soulfire series. PNR

Sins of the Demon,by Diana Rowland(Jan. 3, DAW)

Thehomicide beat in Louisiana isn't just terrifying, it's demonic. Detective KaraGilligan of the supernatural task force has the ability to summon demons to heraid, but she herself is pledged to serve a demonic lord. And now, people who'vehurt Kara in the past are dropping dead for no apparent reason. To clear hername and save both the demon and human worlds, she's in a race against theclock and in a battle for her life that just may take her to hell and back.Fourth in the Kara Gilligan series. UF

Tribulations, by Ken Shufeldt (Jan. 3, Tor)

An asteroid storm has obliterated the Earth. Billy and LindaWest have built enough space-going arks to save a small number of people whonow roam the void in search of a new home. Desperate to find a safe haven,Billy makes a dangerous attempt to exceed the speed of light. When his plans goterribly wrong, the Wests’ severely-damaged ship is separated from the fleetand left drifting near a mysterious planet. This world’s conditions are hospitable—butits inhabitants? Not so much. SF

Leaves of Flame,by Benjamin Tate(Jan. 3, DAW)

Colinhas become a master of three of the five magics, and has gifted the human,Dwarren, and Alvritshai races with magical protective Trees. But the power ofthe dark spirits is spreading despite this. Can Colin unite the races againstthis menace and prevent their enemy from complete control of the land's magic?Second in the Well of Sorrows series. F

The Departed,by Shiloh Walker(Jan. 3, Berkley)

FBI Special Agent Taylor Jones has made it his mission to savethose in harm's way by any means necessary—including employing psychicagents like Desiree Lincoln, who can communicate with the disembodied spiritsof the dead. When Dez is seriously wounded, Taylor can no longer hide hisfeelings for her. Getting involved could spell disaster for both of them—not tomention those who rely on them for help—but once Dez lays her handson him, he can't resist the fierce attraction. Second in the Missing series. PNR

One Thousand Kisses, by Jody Wallace (Jan. 3, Samhain)

Embor Fiertag, Primaryof the Fey Realm, and Anisette Serendipity, Court intern, are foretoldbondmates, but only Embor knows it. He hasn’t informed her of the prophecybecause she doesn't seem to like him. At the same time, she assumes hedisapproves of her. An unsavory political strategy turns the Court againstEmbor, forcing Embor and Ani to flee to humanspace. With the aid of a schemingfeline, they'll have to share their hearts if they're to have any hope ofkeeping the fabric separating the Fey and human worlds intact. PNR

Skirmish,by Michelle West(Jan. 3, DAW)

At longlast, Jewel is preparing to announce her candidacy to become the next Terafinand claim the House Seat. But it is a decision that has her targeted by demonswho will stop at nothing to destroy Jewel and her allies as the House Warbegins. Fourth in the House War series. F

The Alchemy of Forever, by Avery Williams (Jan. 3, Simon& Schuster)

Afterspending six hundred years on earth, Seraphina Ames has seen it all. Eternallife provides her with the world’s riches, but at a very high price: innocentlives. Centuries ago, her boyfriend, Cyrus, discovered a method of alchemy thatallows them to swap bodies with other humans, jumping from one vessel to thenext, taking the human’s life in the process. No longer able to bear the guiltof what she’s done, Sera escapes from Cyrus and vows to never killagain. Then sixteen-year-old Kailey Morgan gets into a horrific caraccident right in front of her, and Sera accidentally takes over her body. Forthe first time, Sera finds herself enjoying the life of the person she’sinhabiting—and falls for the human boy who lives next door. PNR-YA

A Demon Does It Better, by Linda Wisdom (Jan. 3, Sourcebooks Casablanca)

Lovely witch Lili Carter takes a job at a paranormal hospitalwhere patients have been disappearing. There she encounters Jared, adangerously sexy demon on a mission that gets Lili into a world of trouble.Lili can't avoid Jared for long and soon they find themselves creating a wholenew kind of magick. PNR

Cobra Gamble,by Timothy Zahn(Jan. 3, Baen)

Cobras warriors, genetically enhanced and implanted with anarsenal of covert weaponry, are the most dangerous guerilla fighters humanityhas ever produced. For Jin Moreau Broom, the war is the culmination of alifetime of Cobra service. But it is also the height of danger for herself andher family as they struggle to survive a war that none of them ever expected tosee. The Troft invasions of Qasama and the Cobra Worlds has had at least oneresult: it has turned long-time antagonists into uneasy and unwilling allies.As the aliens battle to consolidate their conquered territories, a small groupof Cobras and Qasaman Djinn work together to create a victory that will rockthe invaders to the core. Now one young Cobra must forge a new political orderas a devastating alien enemy strikes. Third in the Cobra War series. SF

Fated,by Sarah Alderson(Jan. 5, Simon & Schuster)

WhenEvie Tremain discovers that she’s the last in a long line of Demon slayers andthat she’s being hunted by an elite band of assassins—Shapeshifters, Vampiresand Mixen demons amongst them—she knows she can’t run. Instead, she must learnto stand and fight. But when the half-human, half-Shadow Warrior Lucas Gray issent to spy on Evie and kill her before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy,their fates become inextricably linked. UF-YA

Archon,by Sabrina Benulis(Jan. 5, HarperCollins)

AngelaMathers is plagued by visions of angels, supernatural creatures who haunt herthoughts by day and seduce her dreams by night. Newly released from a mentalinstitution, she hopes her time at the Vatican’s university, the West WoodAcademy, will give her a chance at a normal life. But within West Wood, asecret coven plots, and demons and angels search for the key to open Raziel’sbook—a secret tome from a lost archangel. Torn between mortal love and angelicobsession, Angela holds the key to Heaven and Hell — and both will stop atnothing to possess her. UF-YA

Dragonswood,by Janet Lee Carey(Jan. 5, Penguin)

WildeIsland is in an uproar after the recent death of its king. The uneasy pactbetween dragons, fairies, and humans is fraying, and a bloodthirsty witchhunter with a hidden agenda whips villages into frenzies with wild accusations.Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter from a tiny hamlet near the mysteriousDragonswood, finds herself caught in the crosshairs of fate when she is accusedof witchery and has to flee for her life along with her two best friends. Inthis epic romance, an ancient prophecy comes true in a way neither dragon, fairy,nor human would have predicted. F-YA

Stormswept,by Helen Dunmore(Jan. 5, HarperCollins)

Morverenlives with her parents and twin sister Jenna on an island off the coast ofCornwall, an island that in the past was devastated by a tidal wave, its hallsand people lost. Only some of those taken by the sea may not have been lost atall. Morveren finds a beautiful teenage boy in a rock pool after a storm andshe is shocked to see that he is not human but a Mer boy. And when the worldsof Air and Mer meet, the consequences can be terrible. Fifth in the Ingoseries. UF-YA

Run: A Subject Seven Novel, by James A. Moore (Jan. 5,Razorbill)

TheFailures are on the road and heading toward Evelyn Hope. According to JoeBronx, Evelyn is the only one with the answers that can save them. Meanwhile,the Successes are preparing for attack. And this time, they won't stop untilthey annihilate the Failures. But the Failures have another enemy: themselves.They're physically destroying their human alter egos each time they mutate.There can be only one group of survivors in this epic battle—and the humansdon't seem to stand a chance. SF-YA

Fool’s Silver, byAlice Moss(Jan. 5, Bantam)

Agorgeous boyfriend and a long summer in Winter Mill to look forward to—thingsare good for Faye McCarron. Then her friend Lucas disappears without a trace.But nobody seems to care—until two strangers arrive in town. The second MortalKiss novel. PNR-YA

One Good Year -- 2012, Maybe

2012-01-01T09:12:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year! Bonne année!

Preternatura will be back tomorrow (Monday, Jan. 2)
with a big Reader's Choice contest and announcement
of last week's winners.

In the meantime, it's not a cheery song, but probably
my favorite that has to do with New Year's Day,
by one of my fave singer-songwriters, Slaid Cleaves.

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These Are a Few of My Favorite Reads

2011-12-28T08:30:00.000-06:00

First, join me in two weeks, on Wednesday, Jan. 11, when Preternatura Book Club will be back! We'll be reading two chapters a week of the first book in Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, Moon Called. I hope you'll join in the read.

It's the end of the year, so that means it's time to look back. I think 2011 for me was kind of like a train. It started out really slow...nothing going on...then page proofs for Royal Street came in, then the cover, then more proofs, then more proofs, then ARCs. Revisions on River Road, book two in the Sentinels series. Drafting Elysian Fields, book three in the series. Full-time day job. Yikes!

There were also a couple of extra-secret surprises, which you can find out in mid-to-late January if you want to sign up to receive my newsletter and haven't already done so. Just click HERE and tell me you want it--I promise not to bombard your email inbox.

On a reading level, because I'm kind of obsessive about these things, I can tell you I read 92 novels this year--this is novels I actually finished. That doesn't count a half-dozen writing books and at least five or six reference books. So...can I pick my top 10? Nope, and here's why: In the interest of reviewing books for the blog as they came in my mailbox or Netgalley account, I neglected some of my favorite all-time series so I think a "top five" list would be skewed.

Instead, here's my five all-time favorite authors and/or series. And since I like to share my reads here on this blog, tell me which series you haven't read that you'd like to start....and I'll send you the first book in the series. How's that?

So, in absolutely no order:

Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series
This series is smart, has very understated humor, and was the first urban fantasy series that ever made me cry. Just a really solid UF series.

JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series
Le sigh. Nobody, and I mean nobody, writes deep point of view like J.R. Ward, and this dark paranormal romance series makes my all-time fave list despite having a glossary in the front and strhange spellings.

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series
Everytime I think this series just has to fizzle out, Jim Butcher throws in a monkey wrench and sends the series spinning in a new direction. A book from this series is the first UF I remember making me put the book down because I was laughing too hard to read. The scene involved Walmart and marbles.

Kim Harrison's Hollows series
Kim, Kim, Kim. I'm putting you here despite the Kisten episode. You know what I'm talking about. I still haven't gotten over it all these years later, so I guess you probably did the right thing from a storytelling standpoint. But still...the best ensemble cast in urban fantasy, although Ivy annoys me on occasion.

Simon R. Green's Nightside series
This series stumbles now and then, but I love it for the sheer fact that John Taylor and his companions in the Nightside--an alternative version of London--continually blow my mind. Green's mix of elements from sci fi, mythology, and sheer weirdness, plus his snarky British humor, are never, ever boring.

Runners-up

Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series
I debated on this one because the last book or two have gotten a little weird for me, but I still love Sookie and Eric and Pam and the gang...and, no, "True Blood" doesn't follow the books except in a VERY nominal sense.

Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series
You guys are the ones who introduced me to Cat and Bones, and even though I'm not yet up to date on this series, I will be soon. It could well move up into my top group by this time next year. I'm excited about attending the Authors After Dark con next August, so I can go all fangirl with JF.

So, there you have it! Want to try a book in one of these seven series? Just tell me YOUR favorite book or series, and which one you'd like to try. As always +1 entry for comment, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for Tweet or Retweet.

I'll be taking off for the holiday again, but will be back on Monday, Jan. 2, with a HUGE Reader's Choice list. Y'all be good, now!

Double-Shot TBR Tuesday: New YA and Steampunk Releases

2011-12-27T08:30:00.000-06:00

There’sYA and Steampunk on the menu today!

First,a little business. For those of you who are interested, in January I’m startinga newsletter to keep you up to date on my urban fantasy series that begins inApril with Royal Street. If you’d like to get on my mailing list, email me at Suzanne.johnson.author@gmail.comand include the email address you’d like it sent to. I promise (really) not tobombard your email inbox—just want to be able to send you monthly updates onnew books, upcoming appearances, special promotions, occasional swagopportunities, reviews of interest, and sneak peeks of new stories andchapters.

Tuesdayis TBR day--where I share the love by passing along some books from my TBR pile. Today, I have a ‘double-shot’of books from the folks at Pyr Books, who publish some of the most innovativebooks you’re going to find—including the two today.

Firstup is Planesrunner, the first in anew YA series by Irish science fiction author Ian McDonald that I guess you’dcall “adventure fiction.”

THEOFFICIAL BLURB: When EverettSingh's scientist father is kidnapped from the streets of London, he leavesyoung Everett a mysterious app on his computer. Suddenly, thisfourteen-year-old has become the owner of the most valuable object in themultiverse—the Infundibulum—the map of all the parallel earths, and there aredark forces in the Ten Known Worlds who will stop at nothing to get it. They'vegot power, authority, and the might of ten planets—some of them moretechnologically advanced than our Earth—at their fingertips. He's got wits,intelligence, and a knack for Indian cooking. Tokeep the Infundibulum safe, Everett must trick his way through the HeisenbergGate his dad helped build and go on the run in a parallel Earth. But to rescuehis Dad from Charlotte Villiers and the sinister Order, this Planesrunner'sgoing to need friends. Friends like Captain Anastasia Sixsmyth, her adopteddaughter Sen, and the crew of the airship Everness. Can they rescue Everett's father and get theInfundibulum to safety? First in the Everness series.

Can’t get enough of steampunk, or want to give it atry? Also up today is Andrew P. Mayer’s Heartsof Smoke and Steam.

THEOFFICIAL BLURB: Sir Dennis Darby has been murdered, theAutomaton has been destroyed, and Sarah Stanton has turned her back on a lifeof privilege and comfort to try and find her way in the unforgiving streets of Victorian-eraNew York. But Lord Eschaton, the villain behind all these events, isn'tfinished with her. His plans to bring his apocalyptic vision of the future tothe world are moving forward, but to complete his scheme he needs the clockworkheart that Sarah still holds.But she has her own plans for the Automaton's clockworkheart—Sarah is trying rebuild her mechanical friend, and when she is attackedby The Children of Eschaton, the man comes to her rescue may be the one to makeher dreams come true. Emelio Armando is a genius inventor who had hoped toleave his troubles behind when he and his sister left Italy for a life ofanonymity in the New World. Now he finds himself falling in love with thefallen society girl, but he is rapidly discovering just how powerful the forcesof villainy aligned against her are, and that fulfilling her desires meansopening the door to a world of danger that could destroy everything he hasbuilt.

THEGIVEAWAY: Want to win Planesrunnerand Hearts of Smoke and Steam? Haveyou read any of the new spate of YA sci-fi novels (Across the Universe,anyone)? What do you think? Four entries possible: +1 for comment, +1 for blog follow, +1 forTwitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for Tweet or Retweet. Go!

New Releases Dec. 27-31, Reader's Choice Contest, Weekly Winners

2011-12-26T08:30:00.000-06:00

Merrypost-Christmas and pre-New Year’s…or something like that. We’re back foranother short week on the blog, with a new Reader’s Choice contest and amedium-sized list of new releases—but this list has some awesome choices inurban fantasy, paranormal romance, YA, and science fiction. What to choose,what to choose... (And next week’s list…Ginormous!)

First,congrats to the winners from last week’s contests. If you see your name, pleaseemail me HERE and send me yoursnail-mail address if you prefer a print book or email/format if you prefer anebook. (Some contests may specify one format or the other.)

Congratsto:

LESLEY D, who won Lev ACRosen’s All Men of Genius. (printonly)

FAIRY WHISPERS, who won theReader’s Choice and chose Touch of Powerby Maria V. Snyder (choice of print or ebook)

Now,for this week’s list of new releases—comment to win your choice!

Every Other Day,by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

(Dec.27, Edgmont)

Everyother day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to publichigh school. She attends pep rallies. She's human. And then every day in between. . .She's something else entirely. Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-fourhours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter withthe undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernaturalcreatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in toinstinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmentalterrorism. When Kali notices a markon the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that thegirl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hoursto save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the helpof a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive.. .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process. UF-YA

Archon,by Sabrina Benulis

(Dec.27, Harper Voyager)

AngelaMathers is plagued by visions of angels, supernatural creatures who haunt herthoughts by day and seduce her dreams by night. Newly released from a mentalinstitution where she was locked away for two years, she hopes that her time atthe Vatican’s university, the West Wood Academy, will give her a chance at anormal life. Unlike ordinary humans, Angela is a blood head — a freak, amonster, the possible fulfillment of a terrifying prophecy of overwhelmingdeath and destruction. Only in Luz, the Vatican’s wondrous enclave, are bloodheads accepted and encouraged to discover what kind of powers or specialabilities they might possess. But within West Wood, a secret coven plots, anddemons and angels roam the streets searching for the key to open Raziel’s book— a secret tome from a lost archangel. Some are determined to destroy Raziel,while others, like the beautiful Supernal Israfel, one of the highest of thehigh, wish to free him. And when the Archon — the human chosen to possess thespirit of a dead angel — rises as foretold, they will control the supernaturaluniverse. Torn between mortal love and angelic obsession, Angela holds the keyto Heaven and Hell — and both will stop at nothing to possess her. UF-YA

Empire State,by Adam Christopher

(Dec.27, Angry Robot)

Itwas the last great science hero fight, but the energy blast ripped a hole inreality, and birthed the Empire State – a young, twisted parallelprohibition-era New York. When the rift starts to close, both worlds arethreatened, and both must fight for the right to exist. SF

The Demon Lover,by Juliet Dark

(Dec.27, Ballantine)

Sinceaccepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York,Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: Amist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive strangerwho proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying wayspossible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of writing her bestsellingbook, The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. After all, Callie’s lifelongpassion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which iswhy she finds herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in aonce-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name. But Callie soon realizes thather dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he willseduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. ThenCallie makes another startling discovery: He’s not the only mythical creaturein Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies inthe surrounding woods prepare to cast out the incubus, Callie must accomplishsomething infinitely more difficult—banishing this demon lover from her heart. PNR

Spirit Bound,by Christine Feehan

(Dec.27, Jove)

Lethalundercover agent Stefan Prakenskii knew a thousand ways to kills a man—andtwice as many ways to pleasure a woman. That’s what made him look forward tohis new mission: arrive in the coastal town of Sea Haven and insinuate himselfin the life of an elusive beauty who had mysterious ties to his past, and alink to a dangerously seductive, and equally elusive master criminal who wantedonly one thing: to possess her. Judith Henderson was an artist on the rise—anethereal, and haunted woman whose own picture-perfect beauty stirred the soulsof two men who have made her their obsession. For years she has been waitingfor someone to come and unlock the passion and fire within her—waiting for theright man to surrender it to. But only one man can survive her secrets, and theshadow she has cast over both their lives. Second in the Sisters of the Heartseries. PNR

Hell Train,by Christopher Fowler

(Dec.27, Solaris)

Four passengers meet on a train journey through Eastern Europeduring the First World War, and face a mystery that must be solved if they areto survive. As the ‘Arkangel’ races through the war-torn countryside, they mustfind out: What is in the casket that everyone is so afraid of? What is thetragic secret of the veiled Red Countess who travels with them? Why is theirfellow passenger the army brigadier so feared by his own men? And what exactlyis the devilish secret of the Arkangel itself? Bizarre creatures, satanicrites, terrified passengers and the romance of travelling by train, all in aclassically styled horror novel. H

ShadowCity, by Diana PharaohFrancis

(Dec. 27, Pocket)

The world is falling apart. The magical apocalypse has come. Nowis the time to guard the covenstead against both raiders and refugees. But Maxhas been stolen by a powerful demi-god who is determined to force her to find away 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 freeof the fragile bonds that enclose her, her rage will scour the covenstead fromthe earth. Max finds herself in the Shadow City, a place of mysteries andmagic, where she must battle for her freedom or become a slave to creatures ofdreadful greed and power. Back in Horngate, Alexander must swallow his angerand pride if he hopes to defeat the Fury, a creature that no one has eversuccessfully fought before. In the end, it will be courage, friendship, faithand loyalty that win the day. Or else so one will live to see tomorrow. Thirdin the Horngate Witches series. UF

Bedeviled,by Sable Grace

(Dec.27, Avon)

She has done the unthinkable—turned her best friend into a darkbreed: part Vampyre, Lychen and Witch . . .Kyana thought only to save herfriend’s life when she fed Haven her blood; instead, she created a monster. Nowthe woman she thought of as a sister is under the spell of an ancient, vengefulgod, determined to set him free and wreak havoc on the mortal world . . . andonly Kyana can stop her. But time is running out. In just seven days, Kyana’s Vampyreand Lychen abilities will be gone and she’ll be completely transformed into theGoddess of the Hunt—and her blood ties to Haven will be severed. By her side isRyker—ally, demigod, lover— who will sacrifice everything to keep Kyana safe .. . even the attraction that burns between them. Together they have one chanceto save Haven from herself . . . to save humanity from hell on earth. PNR

77 Shadow Street,by Dean Koontz

(Dec.27, Bantam)

Enterthe world of the Pendleton, a beautiful limestone Gilded Age palace that's beenconverted into a set of highly desirable condominiums. Its tenants feel luckyto live there. Yet luck and the Pendleton have little in common—its years havebeen colored by madness, kidnappings, murder, and strange, inexplicableaccidents. But all of that is in a past mostly unfamiliar to the people of thePendelton. To them, their building is a sanctuary....That is, until it turns onthem. Shadows with no source begin to skitter across the walls, voices whisperin unknown languages, security cameras show impossible feeds, and a little boystarts talking to an imaginary playmate, who turns out to be all too real.These are only prelude to a terror that will soon fully engulf the tenants ofPendleton, in an unimaginable world from which there may be no escape. H

Ghoul Interrupted,by Victoria Laurie

(Dec.27, Signet)

M.J.Holliday and her crew interrupt the frantic schedule of their reality TV show,Ghoul Getters, and hotfoot it to New Mexico, where a dreadful demon is wagingtribal warfare. Same Whitefeather- M.J.'s spirit guide-urgently needs her helpto stop this evil spirit from wiping out the descendants of his tribe. Itdoesn't take a psychic to predict that M.J.'s going to have a devil of a timemaking New Mexico a demon-free zone. The sixth Ghost Hunter mystery. UF

The Mortal Bone,by Marjorie M. Liu

(Dec.27, Ace)

Whenthe bond Maxine Kiss shares with the demons tattooed on her skin isdeliberately severed, the demon hunter is left vulnerable and unprotected. Forthe first time in ten thousand years, the demons have a taste of freedom. Andas the little demons grow more violent and unpredictable, Maxine starts to fearthey will lose their minds without her. Reuniting won't be easy, since agreater temptation waits for these hellions: a chance to return to their livesas Reaper Kings, and unleash hell on Earth. Fourth in the Hunter Kiss series. PNR

Warrior’s Redemption, by Melissa Mayhue

(Dec.27, Pocket Star)

MalcolmMacDowylt, laird of Clan MacGahan, is a man ruled by guilt. His wife’s death,his struggling clansmen, even his sister being held prisoner—all hangs on hisshoulders. As a descendent of the Norse gods himself, he’s not surprised whenhis Faerie “mother-in-law” arrives determined to deliver justice for histreatment of her daughter. At least not until that justice appears in the formof a woman whose every look speaks to his very soul...A woman who claims tocome from 700 years in the future. PNR

The Bitter Seed of Magic, by Suzanne McLeod

(Dec.27, Ace)

Foronce, Genny's life seems quiet. Her sexy boss isn't pushing for a decision ontheir relationship, and the witches have declared that she is no longer athreat. But when a teenaged faeling is fished out of the River Thames andanother disappears, Genny finds herself in a race to stop a curse from takingits next victim. Third in the Spellcrackers series. U.S. release. UF

Shadow Heir,by Richelle Mead

(Dec.27, Zebra)

Shaman-for-hireEugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassingentities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge forher and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins todevastate the Otherworld. The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the onlychallenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everythingto help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. Theuneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered bysecrets he can't--or won't--reveal. And as a formidable force rises to alsothreaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon--andrisk the ultimate sacrifice. Fourth in the Dark Swan series. UF

The Demi-Monde: Winter, by Rod Rees

(Dec.27, William Morrow)

TheDemi-Monde is the most advanced computer simulation ever devised. Created toprepare soldiers for the nightmarish reality of urban warfare, it is a virtualworld locked in eternal civil war. Its thirty million digital inhabitants areruled by duplicates of some of history's cruellest tyrants: Reinhard Heydrich,the architect of the Holocaust; Beria, Stalin's arch executioner; Torquemada,the pitiless Inquisitor General; Robespierre, the face of the Reign of Terror.But something has gone badly wrong inside the Demi-Monde, and the USPresident's daughter has become trapped in this terrible world. It falls toeighteen-year-old Ella Thomas to rescue her, yet once Ella has entered theDemi-Monde she finds that everything is not as it seems, that its cyber-wallsare struggling to contain the evil within and that the Real World is in moredanger than anyone realises. U.S. release. SF

WickedCircle, by Linda Robertson

(Dec. 27, Pocket)

Persephone Alcmedi has helped her waerewolf lover Johnny unlockhis powers. Now she must come to the aid of Menessos, the vampire overlord shehas secretly marked. Beset by a trio of truth-seeking vampire sisters sodangerous their own kind keep them confined in stone, he now needs her morethan ever...and she realizes her need for him. Seph has magical promises tofulfill for the waeres, multiple mundane family challenges to meet, vampirepolitics to confront, both the supernatural males in her life to balance, adragon to deal with...and then a government investigator shows up to complicatematters. Fifth in the Persephone Alcmedi series. UF

Magic of the Moonlight, by Ellen Schreiber

(Dec.27, Katherine Tegen)

Celestehas more to worry about than a secret romance with a hot guy from the wrongside of town. That guy, Brandon, is a werewolf. With gossip and hostilityswirling at school, it’s time to find a cure for his nocturnal condition, andperhaps the one person who can help is his scientist father. But what if a“cure” makes things worse and Brandon becomes a werewolf full time? And withrumors circulating that there are werewolves in Legend’s Run, is it possiblethat there is another among their classmates? To keep Brandon’s secret safe,Celeste must hide her relationship with him from her best friends, but with theMoonlight Ball approaching, she must make a choice. Her dream is to go with herone true love—Brandon. But once the sun goes down, the clouds separate, and thefull moon appears, could she really walk into the dance on the arm of awerewolf? Second in the Full Moon series. PNR-YA

Babylon Steel,by Gaie Sebold

(Dec.27, Solaris)

Babylon Steel,ex-sword-for-hire, ex-other things, runs the best brothel in Scalentine; cityof many portals, two moons, and a wide variety of races, were-creatures, andreligions, not to mention the occasional insane warlock. She’s not having agood week. The Vessels of Purity are protesting against brothels, women in thetrade are being attacked, it’s tax time, and there’s not enough money to paythe bill. So when the mysterious Darask Fain offers her a job finding a missinggirl, Babylon decides to take it. But the missing girl is not what she seems,and neither is Darask Fain. In the meantime twomoon is approaching, and morethan just a few night’s takings are at risk when Babylon’s hidden past reachesout to grab her by the throat. F

Switchblade Goddess, by Lucy A. Snyder

(Dec.27, Del Rey)

WhenJessie Shimmer traveled to a nightmare underworld to save her lover, CooperMarron, she gained magical powers . . . which soon seemed more like curses. Herbeloved familiar, the ferret Pal, became a monster. Her enemies multiplied likedemons. Worst of all, she hasn’t found a moment of peace to be with the man sheadores. Now aswitchblade-wielding demigoddess commanding a private hell stocked withsuffering innocents is after her. The blademistress’ vengeance sends Jessie andPal on a dark journey through strange, perilous realms. Their quest forsalvation will push her newfound abilities—and her relationship with Cooper—tothe breaking point . . . and beyond. Third in the Jessie Shimmer series. UF

Angel Fire,by L.A. Weatherly

(Dec.27, Candlewick)

OnlyWillow has the power to defeat the malevolent Church of Angels, and they willstop at nothing to destroy her. Willow isn’t alone, though. She has Alex by herside – a trained Angel Killer and her one true love. But nothing can change thefact that Willow’s a half-angel, and when Alex joins forces with a group ofAKs, she’s treated with mistrust and suspicion. She’s never felt morealone…until she meets Seb. He’s been searching for Willow his whole life –because Seb is a half-angel too. Second in the series. PNR-YA

City of Light and Shadow, by Ian Whates

(Dec.27, Angry Robot)

Themonstrous Rust Warriors are back! In a land struggling to cope with the onsetof the fatal bone flu, street-nick Tom and Kat - the leader of the Tattooed Men- must find a way to despatch both threats. Meanwhile, the Soul Thief is stillat large, and still killing. Book three in the City of a Hundred Rows series. UF

Silver-Tongued Devil, by Jaye Wells

(Dec.28, Orbit)

Lifeis looking up for Sabina Kane. Now that her scheming grandmother is dead, thethreat of war has passed and the rulers of the dark races are about to sign atreaty to ensure ongoing peace. Her relationship with sexy mage Adam Lazarus isstrong and all her friends are around her. Even her magic training isprogressing further than she ever expected. The only two dark spots in herotherwise settled life are her guilt over her sister Maisie's fragile mentalstate and Sabina's own sinking sense that she's got unfinished business withCain, the mysterious cult leader she let get away months earlier. When a stringof murders rock the New York dark races community and threatens to stall thepeace negotiations, Sabina finds herself helping to find the killer. Herinvestigation leads her down troubling paths that have her questioning everything- and everyone - she knows. And the closer she gets to the murderer, the moreSabina realises this is one foe she may not able to kill. Fourth in the SabinaKane series. UF

Hidden, by Kelley Armstrong (Dec. 31, Subterranean)

Hikingthrough the snow, holiday baking and playing board games by the fire – what’snot to love about an old-fashioned family Christmas? Werewolves Elena Michaelsand Clayton Danvers want to give their four-year-old twins, Kate and Logan,something their parents never had: a nice, normal holiday. No Packresponsibilities, no homicidal half-demons or power-hungry sorcerers to dealwith – just the four of them, alone, at a chalet outside Ontario’s AlgonquinPark. Then a strange werewolf shows up at their door…while the town is buzzingabout a young man, back from college, found half-eaten in the woods. Andthere’s the missing little girl … With all the signs pointing to a rogue muttwith a taste for human flesh, Elena and Clay have no choice but to investigate.But are they the hunters – or the hunted? A special-edition novella in theOtherworld series. UF

Asalways, four entries possible and please include your e-mail: +1 for comment totell me what book (any book) you want, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitterfollow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for a Tweet or RT about the contest. Now….go!

Going All Non-Politically Correct with Aaron Neville

2011-12-22T08:36:00.001-06:00

Whatever your religion or culture, happy holidays to you.

But, as the title says, I'm going all non-politically correct today to wish you all a Merry Christmas with my favorite "reason for the season" song, by New Orleans' own Aaron Neville.

Preternatura is on hiatus until Monday, December 26, when I'll be back with a finished first draft of a novel and a big old honkin' end-of-the-year Reader's Choice award. Until then, Joyeux Noel, y'all.

From the ROYAL STREET Photo Album: Christmas at Tujague's

2011-12-21T08:30:00.000-06:00

Before I head to New Orleans, a quick note: Over at the Booksake blog, Jessica is featuring Royal Street as her Waiting on Wednesday feature. Thanks, Jessica!

Now....DJ, the wizard heroine of my upcoming Sentinels of New Orleans series, is quite talented when it comes to mixing potions and devising magical rituals. Cooking? Not so much.

So, DJ goes out for Christmas dinner every year--and where she goes is Tujague's, the second-oldest restaurant in New Orleans behind the venerable Antoine's. (It's pronounced "Two-Jacks," by the way, sort of a bastardization of "Two-Jags".) In a city teeming with really, really GOOD restaurants, there are pitifully few open on Christmas Day. But Tujague's is always open. The restaurant has operated continuously since 1856 from its spot on Decatur Street across from the French Market and the Cafe du Monde, initially catering to the tradespeople who worked the riverfront.

Tujague's was the ONLY place open the Christmas after Hurricane Katrina. So off to Tujague's we went for a late afternoon/early evening Christmas dinner. Oh, did I mention I also don't cook Christmas dinner? We waited for our table inside the old bar (above).

Once we arrived at our table in one of the tiny dining rooms (and I swear this is the exact table where we were seated), we enjoyed the fixed holiday menu of turkey, oyster dressing, and bread pudding. It was all kind of surreal that year. People at the tables started exchanging Katrina stories. "How'd you make out?" was the question on everyone's lips, and everyone had a story to share. It became like a big family, just us and all these other people we'd never met before or since, sharing a common sorrow, a common love of our city, a common joy at being home again. At some point, a guy at the table next to us pulled out a ukelele and began playing a funny song about evacuating, then he stopped and began singing this strangely beautiful unplugged ukelele version of "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans," and I swear everyone in that dining room was crying. It was a Christmas I'll never, ever forget.

So, in honor of Christmas at Tujagues in December 2005, here's Louis Armstrong doing the original--a song that also plays an important role for the characters in ROYAL STREET.