Review of The Goddess Legacy by Aimée Carter

The Goddess Legacy
Aimée Carter
Harlequin Teen
ISBN13: 9780373210756
395 pages

Aimée Carter’s Goddess Tests novels now have a companion book in The Goddess Legacy. Inside she gives me five original novellas about her fabulous characters from the Goddess Tests novels. Meet Hera/Calliope, Ava/Aphrodite, Persephone, James/Hermes, Henry/Hades and see Kate Winters star of her Goddess Tests novels as a little girl too. She takes me deep inside her world building focusing on the original six over throwers of the Titans giving me documented myth and her own take on the legends, she goes beyond the stories of her series to the beginning giving me a glimpse of how it all came to be. It was such an engaging book that I read it in one sitting, she had me so engrossed in all her mini stories I couldn’t put it down and when I finished it all I wanted was to go back to the beginning and read them again while at the same time lusting for the one to come.

In the beginning they were six, the children of Cronus, King of the Titans, they were tired of being pawns in their father’s rule so they overthrew him and imprisoned. They became known as the Greek Gods, they were Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter and Hestia. But their rule was not without dissension as they fought among themselves for supremacy often inflicting cruelties that rivaled the reign they overthrew. But there were also among them stand outs, real heroes and heroines who deserved our fealty, who fought through the darkness and gave us light. And after eons of being revered and feared by humans they were also dying and now are on a quest to discover why. Will they persevere or will they fade into nothingness like so many before them.
Buy the Book here  visit the author's website here

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Interview with Ryan David Jahn author of B&N.com August featured read The Dispatcher

Interview with Ryan David Jahn

The Dispatcher

Debbie - Ryan first off thank you so much for agreeing to participate in B&N.com’s General Fiction forum as we feature your latest novel The Dispatcher as our featured read. I have to be honest and say that this was a most gripping read and not an easy one to take, but one that I am really glad that I read.

Where did you get the premise for The Dispatcher?

Ryan - In 2009, after working in TV for five years, I found myself unemployed and in need of steady income. The LAPD was looking for police dispatchers. I mailed in an application and, a week later, received a postcard with the location, date and time of an aptitude test on it, and, of course, drove down to take it. When I arrived, about twenty minutes early, there was a line around the block. I don’t know how many applications the LAPD received, but about five hundred people showed up for the test. As I stood in line I started thinking about the job of a dispatcher, and imagined receiving a phone call from my wife. In the brief mental movie, our apartment was being burgled while I was at work, and she called 911. I happened to answer the call, and was aware of all the sounds in the apartment, of the fear in her voice, and of the fact that I was miles away and unable to do anything. The story of The Dispatcher is very different, but it began with that brief fantasy and the emotions it evoked.

Is there a certain audience you write for or do you write to please yourself?

I primarily write to please myself. That is, if I don’t like the story and the characters I have no reason to finish a piece of work. That said, if I only wrote for myself there would be no reason to edit, and I spend a lot of time editing—both for story and character, and for flow. I want the reading experience to be a smooth one. So, I’d say I write the first draft for myself and subsequent drafts for an audience, but an audience that likes the same things I like.

According to your bio you left school at 16 and after several odd jobs you joined the service. Does your past feature into your wanting to write fiction and does it make it’s way into your writing?

I’ve been writing since I was twelve, so I think I was born with whatever it is in me that made me want to be a writer. But my past does make its way into my fiction. Usually, in small moments of reality—Kat’s first memory in Good Neighbors, in which she is lying in bed watching dust motes dance in a beam of light, is in fact my first memory; Ian Hunt flicking a wad of belly button lint at his daughter is something I saw a friend do, and it stuck with me, as it just seemed so human; and I’ve had a few characters with military backgrounds.

Are you a reader and if so who are some of your favorite authors or genres?

Right now I’m on a bit of a biography kick, but some of my favorite crime/thriller/suspense books are Savage Night by Jim Thompson, Cujo by Stephen King (which is not among his best work, but I read it when I was twelve and it really made in impact), Black Friday by David Goodis, and Donald Westlake’s Parker novels.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a violent father-son story called The Algebra of Blood. I’m always afraid to say too much, as talking about a work tends to make it shrivel, so I’ll leave it at that. I’m very excited about it, though.

Do you write full time?

For now, I am lucky enough to do so, yes.

On your website the event on July 20^th in the UK shows up. How was that? Are the UK audiences different in any way from the US ones?

Harrogate was great fun. I always like crime/thriller conventions. They’re the one place I’m likely to be recognized, for one, and I get to see many of my writer friends who I normally only exchange emails with. The primary difference between US and UK audiences for me is that  more people in UK audiences tend to have read my stuff. I have four books out there, while I only have two out here. But both tend to be very enthusiastic and friendly. I think those who write crime fiction have a relationship with their readers that other types of writers don’t—science fiction excepted—as crime writers tend also to be fans.

Okay now for something personal. What would your perfect vacation be?

A week in bed with the woman I love.

Ryan thanks again and I can’t wait for the discussion to start Monday August 7, 2012
Fans of B&N.com and Ryan’s please check here for updates, reading schedule and other relevant information about the August featured novel. 

Buy the book here it’s available in both paper and digital forms, visit the author’s website here 

My review of The Dispatcher

The Dispatcher

Ryan David Jahn

The Penguin Group

ISBN13:9780143120704

351 pages

Ian Hunt is a shell of the man he once was his life changed for the worse seven years ago when his daughter Maggie was kidnapped from her bedroom, she was seven years old and the fallout didn’t stop with the kidnapping. Working as a police dispatcher Ian receives a call that will once again change his life. What would you do if you got a call from your dead daughter, Ian will have to answer that question and face the consequences that go with it.

Maggie Hunt has lived the last seven years of her life in a Nightmare World, the people who took her keep her locked away, scared and often in harms way until one day they leave the door unlocked and she escapes, makes a crucial 911 call before she is recaptured and the nightmare starts all over again. But now she has something that she hasn’t had in a long time, she has hope. Hope that her daddy will rescue her, hope that he will not rest until she is in the loving arms of the family that she was ripped away from.

What would you do?

Mr. Jahn gives us a thriller that’s as good as I’ve ever read, a plot of a world that no parent, in fact no one wants to get up close and personal with. His dialogue will take us into the seedier side of life and death with no holds barred, where his narrative is brutally beautiful and his scenes come alive to his readers. His characters will shine from his slightly noir-ish Ian to his sadistic villains and to the magic of Maggie and all the others as well as he clearly and succinctly lets us into their hearts and their minds. He takes us on a journey where the outcome is always just out of our reach, but reach we must.

If you like the writing of Michael Connelly, Andrew Gross or Nelson DeMill, you will love Ryan David Jahn, if you need that edge of your seat, nail biting drama where the bloodier and guttier the better you’ll love this novel. And then just keep asking yourself, What would you do?

Buy the book here visit the author's website here.

New Release Feature The Things I Do For You + Interview with Mary Carter

Interview with Mary Carter
author of The Things I Do For You

Debbie - Mary you will have your 6^th novel published on July 31^st,
Do you still get butterflies on release day.

Mary - First, thank you for having me. Yes, The Things I Do For You, will be out on July 31^st. I don’t necessarily get butterflies because I’m not physically present when the “release” happens, but I do look forward to it. I now have an image of thousands of butterflies being released—I like that, I think I will hold on to it. There is always a lot of anticipation when a book comes out. You’ve spent so much time on it, it’s like your child and you want people to like it, and be nice to it, and invite it to their birthday parties. But you also have to learn to relax because you really can’t control how your book will be received. I try to spend most of my energy on writing the best story I can, and am learning to be a bit Zen about the rest.

Tell us about your new project The Writers Den, how did it come about and why did you start it.

I love talking about writing and I always have aspiring writers ask me for advice. Years ago I took an online writing course that helped me tremendously while writing my first novel. The course later became a published book—Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver. He’s been teaching his course in Chicago for 26 years and running. We’ve stayed in touch with each book I’ve published, so one day I emailed and asked what he thought about me teaching his unique 6-week writing workshop in NYC. He loved the idea, and it all snowballed from there. So I’ve franchised the workshop, but as a working novelist I have practical experience of my own to offer my students as well.

Tell us where you were and how you felt when you first learned you were going to be a published author.

I was living on a houseboat in Seattle at the time. It was a very small houseboat but it was just “down the block” from the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat. Speaking of which—I have to tell this cute little story—I was told that there was a little boy who lived on the houseboat they used to film Sleepless in Seattle, and one bright summer day they were filming and this little boy fell asleep on the dock. While he was napping they set up for a Christmas scene. So he wakes up to find Christmas lights and fake snow. The poor kid thought he slept through summer and fall. Don’t know if it’s true, but that’s what you hear when you hang around houseboats. Back to me. Believe it or not I don’t remember exactly where I was when the call from my agent came in, I think I was on the houseboat—but I do know that shortly afterwards I walked up and down the pier with this incredible feeling of joy. It had just rained (Really? Rain in Seattle?) and I looked up and there in the skies over Lake Union was a double rainbow. I took it as a promising sign. It was a very special moment.

Tell us about the history of your writing, did you always want to write, are you an overnight success.

My first short story was written when I was four-years-old. It was called “The Boy and the Mouse.” Then in third grade I won a state-wide writing contest with a story about a boy and a muskrat. I don’t know why I was so fascinated with boys and rodents, but hey, whatever gets you going, right? I continued to write poems, essays, short stories, plays, and even a screenplay up until I attempted my first novel. So technically I was very lucky in that the first novel I’d ever written was published, but I had many years of practice behind me.

Tell us about your life as an author, do you write full time, do you belong to a writer’s group.

I am getting close to the dream of writing full time. I still do some freelance work in another field but it’s trickled way down lately. I also conduct the writing classes now. I’ve always thought about writer’s groups but I’ve never actually joined one. Maybe there’s one in my future because I do love meeting and being with other writers. The act of writing is so lonely that we need the support and like-mindedness at times.

Do you do your research behind a desk or do you get to go to the places you write about.

A bit of both. For The Pub Across the Pond I went to Ireland for a month. I’m currently writing a novel set in Italy, but I was only able to go for 8-days so a lot of my research will be online, books, travel videos, etc. Whenever I can, I prefer to be free of the “behind the desk” syndrome and actually get out and see, and do, and touch, and smell, and eavesdrop.

Take us on an average day in the life of Mary Carter

I truly don’t have an “average” day. Sometimes I write on my couch in PJs. Sometimes I go to a coffee shop. Sometimes I go to my writing space. Some days I do other freelance work. Some days I have class in the evening so I am preparing for that. I guess I shake things up quite a bit. I also try to balance it with a social life—friends and activities. I live in NYC after all, so there’s never the excuse that there’s “nothing to do”.

Now let’s step away from the world of books, tell us what’s at the top of your bucket list, if you have one.

I guess I keep mine in my head, I’ve never actually written it down. I want to travel more—if I were rich—I’d probably always be going to a new place. I’d love to spend more time in Italy and learn to speak Italian. I also want to visit Madrid and Portugal. Hong Kong. An African Safari. Machu Piccho. Some day I’d also like to have a house on a beach with a labradoodle.

Mary, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule for answering these questions and for being an integral part of our discussion. 

Thank you so much, it’s so much fun answering these questions.

My Review of The Things I Do For You

The Things I Do For You
Mary Carter
Kensington
ISBN 13:9780758253378
352 pages

In this romantic comedy Mary Carter introduced me to a couple that I laughed with and at, cried with and wanted to throw things at too, why because she made them so real and along with her other memorable characters led me down her merry path. Her storyline is a delicate mix of comedy, tragedy and everyday living that she expertly molds into her tale giving it just the right slice of authenticity. Her narrative brings the scenic views from the Lighthouse, the Hudson river and the surrounding vistas to life told in a dialogue that’s easy to read and understand. This is not my first trip with Mary Carter and I know it’ll not be my last either. If you’re looking for a beach read, a novel to take your mind off your own troubles or just a good read this one fits the bill.

Bailey and Brad Jordan have been in love since they were ten and grew up to stay in love and marry. During their marriage Bailey has followed Brad throughout Europe, through owning many mom and pop business gone bust and would willingly go through Hades and back. The only thing that would make the union better in Bailey’s eyes would be a child, but Brad will have none of that and is always making excuses why they should wait. After Brad’s near fatal accident which sent him spiraling toward the light of afterlife Bailey follows him one more time, this time to ownership of a Lighthouse in upstate New York that he plans on turning into a B&B. Now in their late thirties Bailey hopes that this time he’ll settle down enough so they can have a baby before her biological clock becomes a ticking time bomb. What follows is a series of events that will forever change their lives, will it be for the better. Let’s check into the B&B and see.
Buy the book here visit the author's website here

 

New Release Feature Feels Like Home review and Q&A w/author Vicki Lewis Thompson

 New Release Feature 7-24-12 Feels Like Home

and Q&A w/Vicki Lewis Thompson

Debbie - Vicki Lewis Thompson is a multi-award winning multi-talented author, so please welcome her to the forum.

Vicki thanks for joining us today and celebrating release day for Feels Like Home, tell us a little about the new novel.

Vicki - Thanks so much for inviting me here!  I always get wrapped up in my characters, but with Rafe and Meg I was more involved than usual.  He’s a city slicker who needs to discover his inner cowboy, and she’s a woman who’s learned how to live for the moment.  She has so much to teach him, and once he opens up, he has so much to give her.  And then there’s Diana, the wayward mother who abandoned Jack Chance when he was a toddler, moved to San Francisco, remarried, and had twins – Wyatt and Rafe.  Rafe and Jack have issues, understandably, and when Diana shows up, it’s every man for himself.  I’ve been building toward Diana’s reappearance for nine books.  I loved writing that scene.

Okay I’ve been doing a little spying on your website and according to your bio you have more than 100 books published, so first WOW and second, how does this release day compare to the very first one.

I won’t lie to you.  The first day you see a book with your name on the cover sitting right there on a bookstore shelf is magic.  I’ll always love that first book and the thrill of finally being a published author.  But ego is not such a factor anymore.  These days I’m eager for readers to find the story and get involved with the characters, because I love those people.  I’m excited for my characters to go into the world more than I am about me, personally, having my name out there.

Also according to your bio it says that you’re fascinated by the many ways a man and woman fall in love.
Tell us what you mean by that and how does that reflect in your writing

I’m obviously in the right profession because relationships, especially romantic relationships, do fascinate me.  Ideally, two people come together and help each other grow.  While real life doesn’t always work that way, sometimes it does.  I write about the times that it works.

I see that your Harlequin books are mostly contemporary and I see that the new featured is a Blaze title. What does Blaze mean and is this title part of a series.

Blaze is the hot line, which suits me because I’ve been drawn to the more explicit stories from the beginning.  FEELS LIKE HOME is the ninth book in the Sons of Chance series, which is part of the Blaze line.  Fortunately my wonderful editor Brenda Chin is enthusiastic about the Sons of Chance series, so it will continue for another eight books!

You also have a paranormal series, tell us a little about that.

I’m writing a comic werewolf series for New American Library’s Signet imprint.  It’s a total departure from the Sons of Chance, which turns out to be a good thing.  Writing both keeps me from getting into a rut.  My werewolves are rich, sexy, and non-violent.  They don’t kill people, and they don’t bite them and turn them into werewolves.  They’re noble, gorgeous, and they prefer their steaks rare with a good red wine.

Are you a reader as well as a writer, which authors do you like to read, what genres

I read literally everything, from YA to contemporary to historical.  I’m a wuss, so romantic suspense that’s too scary doesn’t find its way onto my shelves.  But I do read mysteries sometimes.  One of my favorites is The #1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith.  I don’t dare start naming romance authors because I have too many friends in the business, and I really do try to read them all!

You as I mentioned above are a multi-awarded author, is there one in particular that means the most, is there one you’re still hoping for.

The most amazing award I ever received was in 2008 when Romance Writers of America gave me the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award.  I was Cinderella that night, and I’ll never forget it.  As for the one that got away –I’ve been a finalist for RWA’s RITA award eight times, but I’ve never won the thing.  I wouldn’t mind getting it someday, but if I don’t, I’ve had my share of recognition and I really can’t complain.

What is coming next for you

More cowboys and werewolves!  I have WEREWOLF IN DENVER coming out in October, and I’m in a December anthology I’m crazy about.  It’s called RESCUING CHRISTMAS and features stories about rescue animals from me, Catherine Mann, and Kathie DeNosky.  It’ll warm your heart!  Then next summer more Sons of Chance books will arrive, along with WEREWOLF IN ALASKA.

Do you write full time and do you belong to a writer’s group

I write ALL the time, LOL.  Well, not quite.  I take some breaks for visits with family and trips to Disneyland.  Last fall my daughter and I went on a Greek cruise.  But whenever I’m home, I’m writing.  It’s what I do.

I have three writers I meet with twice a year and we plot our books together.  We don’t critique pages, but we do hammer out plot ideas, and we’re all involved in multiple book projects, so having the chance to discuss plots is wonderful.  My plotting partners are Rhonda Nelson, Kira Sinclair, and Andrea Laurence.

I’m sure that fans here would love to meet you in person, do you have any B&N events or signings coming up.

I don’t have specific plans for a B&N signing, but I’m always open to the opportunity!  Barnes and Noble provides such a friendly venue for readers.

Thank you Vicki for your time and Good luck with the new book!!

Thank you, and thank you for the chance to talk about what I love – reading and writing!

My Review of Feels Like Home

Feels Like Home
Vicki Lewis Thompson
Harlequin Blaze series # 699
ISBN 13:9780373797035
224 pages

Rafe Locke came to The Last Chance to see his twin brother married and perform his duties as best man, he’s not looking forward to the drama having his mother here will cause or the pain she may cause his older half brother who she abandoned as a small child, but he’s willing and up to the task. There’s another task he’s willing to perform when he meets the maid of honor, only there’s nothing honorable about the performance he has in mind.
Meg Seymour traveled from PA to see her best friend married and as soon as she arrived at The Last Chance it starts to feel like home to her and since she’s more interested in being happy than having money she’s already looking for ways to become a permanent resident another thing that will make her happy is getting up close and personal to best man Rafe Locke who’s one handsome gift and she’s ready to unwrap him.
The explosive attraction they have for one another starts as pure lust but soon grows to something that neither has expected or thought they wanted. Will they be the next recipients of the magic of the Last Chance or will this love affair fizzle out before the bride and groom say I Do.

This is my first Vicki Lewis Thompson read but it won’t be my last. She gave me a country feel romance with down home characters right along with big city slickers and made them all fit together in a great story set under the big sky country of Montana. Her hero and heroine are a most unlikely couple for that all elusive HEA but totally spot on for that hotter than Hades scorcher of an affair, but as we get to know the real people behind the masks we also see just how right they are for each other and have the added fun of watching them trip and fall in love and it especially impressed me how playful she made them in regards to lovemaking and just interacting in general. Her love scenes are definite sheet burners and should come with a warning of rapid pulse and heartbeat. So if you’re looking for that modern day knight in shining armor we call cowboys look no farther.
Ms Thompson thank you for one heck of a line dance and just so you know I’ll be dancing to your tune again real soon. YeHa!

Buy the book here

Fans visit Vicki’s website here, she always has a monthly contest and this month she’s offering a B&N gift card along with one of her novels.

Review of When In Doubt Add Butter + Q&A w/Beth Harbison

New Release Feature When in Doubt Add Butter
and Q&A w/Beth Harbison

Please welcome Beth Harbison #1 NY Times Bestselling author to the forum

Debbie - Beth Welcome, tell us a little about your new Release – 

Beth - It’s about a private chef who works for a crazy collection of people, all of whom fire her imagination one way or the other, and ends up following her personal recipe for life only to end up with a dish she never imagined.

Tell us the biggest challenge going from Silhouette Romance to mainstream fiction – Remembering I have the freedom of more words/pages to tell more of the story.  Ideally every book concentrates on one central and compelling question and the sub-plots, if you have room, fan out from there, adding depth and other perspective.  Silhouette didn’t have a lot of room for sub-plots, though focusing on the romance was definitely fun.  I think Jennifer Crusie once said that writing series romance is like writing Gone with the Wind on the head of a pin – not easy!

Where do you get your ideas for your novels – 

Everywhere, anywhere; each usually starts with one question, i.e. “what if you ran into your first love again and found out he’d never gotten over you?”

If I was say your mother-in-law :) would I recognize myself in any of your novels – 

You might think you do, because everyone who knows a writer well thinks they must inevitably end up on page, but the truth is everyone I write about is an extension of myself in some way – either what I am or what I never want to be, or something in between.   It’s the only way to write anything that will come across as authentic – every emotion, rationale, etc. must have a logical initiation, even if the outcome (like PTA moms doing phone sex to pay off a debt) seems really ill-advised.

How does it feel to also have a published author daughter Paige (who I’ve read and reviewed) and did she come to you for advice on becoming an author – 

We read each other’s work and offer critique.  It’s very funny but somewhere along the way she turned a corner from being someone who made me want to scream because her school essays were so fragmented to being an enviably awesome writer.  Every single time I read her work, I am amazed at how good she is, how that brain developed and knows things, even intuits things, that I never taught it.  I know that sounds ridiculous, but I think every doting over-protective parent out there can probably relate.

Are you already working on your next novel – 

Yes.  Always.

Do you write full time – 

Yes.  Apart from parenting, it’s my only job.

Are you a reader and if so what authors and genres do you enjoy – 

I love humorous essays: Quinn Cummings, Jen Lancaster, Jenny Lawson, Laurie Notaro, Bill Bryson, David Sedaris, etc.  If I want to get wrapped up in a story, I head toward cozy suspense: Nicci French is a favorite, Harlan Coben, Stephen King, Peter Straub, etc.

I’m sure your fans here would love to meet you in person, do you have any B&N events or signings planned – 

I don’t at the moment, but I’m easily found and contacted on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorBethHarbison

Thank you so much for taking the time to let us get to know you a little better and Good Luck with the novel

My  Review of When In Doubt Add Butter

When In Doubt Add Butter
Beth Harbison
St. Martin’s Press
ISBN13:97803125999096
338 pages

Gemma Craig has a dream job, a few select friends and her cousin, best bud and confidant Penny. Gemma is a private chef and she loves being her own boss and doing what she’s most passionate about in the world, cooking. Even though some of her client’s are a bit off she has others that she genuinely likes like Lex and one who’s a mystery that she’d love to solve she calls him Mr. Tuesday who she’s never met. Oh and she’s also terminally single it seems with no prospects on the horizon which never bothered her in the past, but with Penny’s pregnancy her clock may have just started ticking again. As fate would have it a one night stand seems to be the turning point in her life and unfortunately not for the best, even though the sex was. It seems someone’s trying to sabotage her reputation as a chef, and since she doesn’t have the requisite 6months savings it’s not good news, oh and the result of her tryst has just tested positive on a certain stick and even though the man in question seems to want to see her again fate isn’t being kind to them. So now her future’s in question not just professionally but personally too and although she has the support of her friends she knows this is her own demon to face. Fortunately she’s gotten through other tough spots in her life, unfortunately it looks like they’re back. But she’s older and wiser now and after all it can’t all be wrong when your motto is “When In Doubt Add Butter”.

Beth Harbison is another first timer for me and it’s been a pure pleasure to get to know her a little through her fiction. This tale shows her maturity as well as her quirky sense of humor how she deals with all of life’s injustices and inadequacies as well as the good. Her protagonist has a few blooms off her vine but she’s by no means decrepit, she has the sense of humor that lights the pages of what could otherwise be dooming and a narrative that is very visually stimulating and at times salivating. Her other characters are a stable full of kooks, villains, and good friends with one or two that are completely outside of the box of normalcy. This is a love story yes, but it’s far from just a romance, it’s about making lemonade when life hands you lemons, it’s about realizing you can come of age at any age and it’s about trusting in yourself and recognizing the care and love of those around you and finally it’s about a leap of faith even when the cliff is looming.
You won’t need a leap of faith to enjoy this novel and if you love women’s fiction you’ll love this as much as I did.
Ms. Harbison to you I say, what took me so long to find you and I can’t wait for our next journey together.
Buy the book here visit the author's website here

Here is a sample of the audio book

WhenInDoubtAddButter.mp3 2276K   Play   Download

Review of Immortally Yours by Angie Fox (Pub date 8-28-12)

Immortally Yours
Angie Fox
St. Martin’s Press
Publish Date 8-28-2012
ISBN13:9780312546663
320 Pages

The war between the immortals is raging out of control, in the balance hangs the lives of all the mortals on earth most of them never knowing what’s happening on the front lines in Limbo. One ray of hope is the prophecy that’s predicted to turn the tide. A healer is predicted to sound the charge and change the outcome. Dr. Petra Robichaud meets those predictions but she’s been burned before and is not in a believing frame of mind anymore until a certain Demi-God turns up on her operating table and not only makes her think the prophecy has a chance but also effects her in a visceral way that hasn’t happened in many years. Galen of Delphi is an immortal warrior who believes wholeheartedly in the prophecy especially when the sexy doctor saves his life, touches his soul and takes his heart. Galen knows she’s the missing piece of the prophecy puzzle but convincing her will be the hardest battle he’s ever fought. Will Petra and Galen fulfill the prophecy and save all the mortal and immortal souls or will they burn in the fires of Hades.

I have enjoyed Angie Fox’s Demonslayer series and when I opened the pages of her debut novel in her new series I thought I’d find something similar, I was right and wrong. I found the comedy relief that the first series provided but I also found a darker tale a story that held a more serious feel. She introduced me to many new characters and did a great job of building not only them but her new and dark world as well and makes me wonder where she goes from here. Her dialogue is what you might find on any battlefield, a take no prisoners speak that fits her story and characters well. Her romance between Galen and Petra have obstacles that seem impossible to overcome and their love scenes burn like the vents of Hades featured in her novel.
If you liked Angie’s first series I think you’ll like this one as well, if you’re into adult fairy tales, hard urban fantasy with a romance this one fits that bill as well. If you’re tired of the copy-cat series and are looking for something unique you’ll like this one too.

For Angie's other titles and more information on her upcoming novel visit her website here

To Pre-order the book go here

Review of Shadow of Night and Q&A w/Author Deborah Harkness

A CONVERSATION WITH DEBORAH HARKNESS

Q: A Discovery of Witches debuted at # 2 on the New York Times bestseller list with publications following in 37 countries.  What has been your reaction to the outpouring of love for A Discovery of Witches? Was it surprising how taken fans were with Diana and Matthew’s story?

A. It has been amazing—and a bit overwhelming. I was surprised by how quickly readers embraced two central characters who challenge our typical notion of what a heroine or hero should be. And I continue to be amazed whenever a new reader pops up, whether one in the US or somewhere like Finland or Japan—to tell me how much they enjoyed being caught up in Diana’s world.

Q:  Last summer, Warner Brothers acquired screen rights to the trilogy, and David Auburn, the Pulitzer-Prize-winning writer of Proof, has been tapped to pen the screenplay. Are you looking forward to your novels being portrayed on the big screen?  What are your favorite casting ideas that you’ve heard from friends and readers?

A. I was thrilled when Warner Brothers wanted to translate the All Souls trilogy from book to screen. At first I was reluctant about the whole idea of a movie, and it actually took me nearly two years to agree to let someone try. The team at Warner Brothers impressed me with their seriousness about the project and their commitment to the characters and story I was trying to tell. Their decision to go with David Auburn confirmed that my faith in them was not misplaced. As for the casting, I deliberately don’t say anything about that! I would hate for any actor or actress to be cast in one of these roles and feel that they didn’t have my total support. I will say, however, that many of my readers’ ideas involve actors who have already played a vampire and I would be very surprised if one of them were asked to be Matthew!

Q: SHADOW OF NIGHT opens on a scene in 1590s Elizabethan England featuring the famous School of Night, a group of historical figures believed to be friends, including Sir Walter Raleigh and playwright Christopher Marlowe.  Why did you choose to feature these individuals, and can we expect Diana and Matthew to meet other famous figures from the past?  

A. I wrote my master’s thesis on the imagery surrounding Elizabeth I during the last two decades of her reign. One of my main sources was the poem The Shadow of Night by George Chapman—a member of this circle of fascinating men—and that work is dedicated to a mysterious poet named Matthew Roydon about whom we know very little. When I was first thinking about how vampires moved in the world (and this was way back in the autumn of 2008 when I was just beginning A Discovery of Witches) I remembered Roydon and thought “that is the kind of identity a vampire would have, surrounded by interesting people but not the center of the action.” From that moment on I knew the second part of Diana and Matthew’s story would take place among the School of Night. And from a character standpoint, Walter Raleigh, Christopher Marlowe, George Chapman, and the other men associated with the group are irresistible. They were such significant, colorful presences in Elizabethan England.

Q: In SHADOW OF NIGHT, we learn more about the alchemical bonds between Diana and Matthew.   In your day job, you are a professor of history and science at the University of Southern California and have focused on alchemy in your research.  What aspects of this intersection between science and magic do you hope readers will pick up on while reading SHADOW OF NIGHT?

A. Whereas A Discovery of Witches focused on the literature and symbolism of alchemy, in Shadow of Night I’m able to explore some of the hands-on aspects of this ancient tradition. There is still plenty of symbolism for Diana to think about, but in this volume we go from abstractions and ideals to real transformation and change—which was always my intention with the series. Just as we get to know more about how Elizabethan men and women undertook alchemical experiments, we also get to see Matthew and Diana’s relationship undergo the metamorphosis from new love to something more.

Q: SHADOW OF NIGHT spans the globe, with London, France, and Prague as some of the locales. Did you travel to these destinations for your research? 

A. I did. My historical research has been based in London for some time now, so I’ve spent long stretches of time living in the City of London—the oldest part of the metropolis—but I had never been to the Auvergne or Prague. I visited both places while writing the book, and in both cases it was a bit like traveling in time to walk village lanes, old pilgrim roads, and twisting city streets while imagining Diana and Matthew at my side.

Q: Did you have an idea or an outline for SHADOW OF NIGHT when you were writing A Discovery of Witches?  Did the direction change once you sat down to write it?

A. I didn’t outline either book in the traditional sense. In both cases I knew what some of the high points were and how the plot moved towards the conclusion, but there were some significant changes during the revision process. This was especially true for SHADOW OF NIGHT, although most of those changes involved moving specific pieces of the plot forward or back to improve the momentum and flow.

Q: A Discovery of Witches begins with Diana Bishop stumbling across a lost, enchanted manuscript called Ashmole 782 in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, whose secrets Diana and Matthew are still trying to uncover in SHADOW OF NIGHT. You had a similar experience while you were completing your dissertation.  What was the story behind your discovery?  And how did it inspire the creation of these novels?

A. I did discover a manuscript—not an enchanted one, alas—in the Bodleian Library. It was a manuscript owned by Queen Elizabeth’s astrologer, the mathematician and alchemist John Dee. In the 1570s and 1580s he became interested in using a crystal ball to talk to angels. The angels gave him all kinds of instructions on how to manage his life at home, his work—they even told him to pack up his family and belongings and go to far-away Poland and Prague. In the conversations, Dee asked the angels about a mysterious book in his library called “the Book of Soyga” or “Aldaraia.” No one had ever been able to find it, even though many of Dee’s other books survive in libraries throughout the world. In the summer of 1994 I was spending time in Oxford between finishing my doctorate and starting my first job. It was a wonderfully creative time, since I had no deadlines to worry about and my dissertation on Dee’s angel conversations was complete. As with most discoveries, this discovery of a “lost” manuscript was entirely accidental. I was looking for something else in the Bodleian’s catalogue and in the upper corner of the page was a reference to a book called “Aldaraia.” I knew it couldn’t be Dee’s book, but I called it up anyway. And it turned out it WAS the book (or at least a copy of it). With the help of the Bodleian’s Keeper of Rare Books, I located another copy in the British Library.

Q: Are there other lost books like this in the world?

A. Absolutely! Entire books have been written about famous lost volumes—including works by Plato, Aristotle, and Shakespeare to name just a few. Libraries are full of such treasures, some of them unrecognized and others simply misfiled or mislabeled. And we find lost books outside of libraries, too. In January 2006, a completely unknown manuscript belonging to one of the 17^th century’s most prominent scientists, Robert Hooke, was discovered when someone was having the contents of their house valued for auction. The manuscript included minutes of early Royal Society meetings that we presumed were lost forever.

Q: Unlike Twilight’s Bella and Edward—hormonal teenagers who meet in the halls of a high school—your leading characters Matthew and Diana are established academics who meet in the library of one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.  This is a world where vampires and witches drink wine together, practice yoga and discuss philosophy.   Are these characters based on something you found missing in the fantasy genre?

A.    There are a lot of adults reading young adult books, and for good reason. Authors who specialize in the young adult market are writing original, compelling stories that can make even the most cynical grownups believe in magic. In writing A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, I wanted to give adult readers a world no less magical, no less surprising and delightful, but one that included grown-up concerns and activities. These are not your children’s vampires and witches.

Q: Thank you Deborah for answering these questions, for all the B&N fans here is a list of her B&N appearances

July 12- Barnes & Noble, The Grove, 189 Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 7:00 pm

July 16- Barnes & Noble Walnut Street, 1805 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 7:00 pm

July 18- Barnes & Noble East 86^th Street, 150 East 86^th Street, NY, NY 7:00pm

July 24- Barnes & Noble Wauwatosa, 2500 N. Mayfair Rd. Wauwatosa, WI 7:00 pm

My Review of Shadow Of Night

Shadow Of Night
Deborah Harkness
Viking
ISBN13:9780670023486

A Discovery of Witches recap: Historian and witch Diana Bishop is no longer able to deny her heritage after an ancient book makes it’s appearance and powers known not just to her but to many creatures who have been searching for it, some evil and some not. Matthew Clairmont is a Vampire who’s lived for centuries and is certain the book contains the answers to questions he and others have been searching for, it might contain the origin of all the different species on earth and it might help to stop those same creatures decline.
Together Matthew and Diana begin a journey that will lead them to danger and to love.

Diana Bishop and Matthew de Clermont a witch and a Vampire newly married and with the blessings of their families travel to the 16^th century in search of the Alchemic tome that first brought them together and has caused nothing but trouble for them in the 21^st century known as Ashmole 782. They’re hoping it contains answers to not only the decline of creatures in the present but also answers to the questions of how they all came to be in the first place. The group who killed Diana’s parents, almost killed her and have been trying to stop the pair and get the book will stop at nothing so the journey back in time is necessary to where they think the tome originated. Diana’s powers have been spellbound by her parents since she was a child when it became clear that they were all in danger, so with limited training by her aunt Sarah and Matthew’s strong knowledge of the time they go back to Elizabethan England to find answers, the book and the hope of unlocking the secrets of her powers from the witches of the time. The time in history is especially dangerous to witches so with care and the help of Matthew’s circle of close friends they span Europe following clues. Being in the past is bittersweet for Matthew for there are people he’s loved that no longer live, there are many secrets he’s keeping from his wife and he’s afraid her knowledge of them will kill their newfound love and he’s deeply afraid of the danger he’s putting her in because there are more enemies than the Protestants and they must choose carefully who knows their secrets and who’s kept in the dark.

This amazing second novel in Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy picks up from the heart stopping first and led me into a secret world not only of supernatural creatures of legend and myth but also of the accurate and fragile politics of 16^th century Europe, the intrigue and espionage would alone make a great tale but she takes it farther by adding time travel, sorcery and magic and farther still by introducing me to all the famous and infamous folks of the time. Her invaluable knowledge as a historian and teacher validate the read and also make it enjoyable for a history infant like me as she takes me through the twists and turns of present and past while her words paint the happenings and her narrative tells me how the past was and also how it could have been, how lives lost and gained by the fickleness of the Crown and how Diana and Matthew made their mark while they were there. Her characters illuminate the pages and will stay with me especially her tabooed lovers Diana and Matthew, but to say they alone make it brilliant is not fair to all the others that made this a remarkable tale. This is a gem, a multi-genre and many leveled novel it will appeal to a huge fan base from Historical, Fantasy, Paranormal, Alternate History, Romance and if I may be so bold Literary too. If the third and final novel is any where near the level of the first two it will be one of the most loved, most read and most coveted trilogies on anyone’s keeper shelf and will remain so for many years to come. I urge readers who have not read the first to do so before they take this journey for it will enrich their enjoyment and understanding many times over.
To Deborah Harkness I say thank you once again for this most awesome of ideas that you had the courage to put to paper and if I could time travel I would advance a year so that I could have immediate access to the third and final volume in this story.

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