Layers of Thought: November 2012

Friday, November 30, 2012

Incoming Books: November 30, 2012

Crown of Vengeance ~ by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, bestselling authors individually and together, return to the world of their New York Times and USA Today bestselling Obsidian and Enduring Flame Trilogies with Crown of Vengeance.

Here, readers will learn the truth about the Elven Queen Vielissiar Faricarnon, who was the first to face the Endarkened in battle and the first to bond with a dragon. She worked some of the greatest magics her world has ever known, and paid the greatest Price.

Crown of Vengeance is an exciting fantasy adventure that will appeal to fans of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series. No previous knowledge of Lackey and Mallory's collaborations is necessary to enjoy this fast-paced, action-packed novel, but returning readers will be excited to discover this amazing story.

Tor Books; November 2012; Hardcover; 608 pages

Bard’s Oath ~ by Joanne Bertin

A stand alone, and long awaited conclusion to this series.

In The Last Dragonlord and Dragon and Phoenix Joanne Bertin created a world unlike our own, where Dragonlords soar in the skies above the many realms of the land.

The Dragonlords’ magic is unique, giving them the ability to change from dragon to human form; to communicate silently among themselves; and other abilities not known to mortals.

For many millennia, the Dragonlords have been a blessing to the world, with their great magic and awesome power. And though they live far longer than the humans who they resemble when not in their draconic state, these fabled changelings are still loyal to their human friends. Now in Bard's Oath, their magic is not the only power abroad in the world. And not all the magic is as benign as theirs.

Leet, a master bard of great ability and vaulting ambition, has his own magic, but of a much darker nature. Years ago, death claimed the woman he loved, setting him on a course to avenge her death, no matter the consequences. Now, mad with hatred and consumed by his thirst for revenge, Leet has set in motion a nefarious plot that ensnares the friend of a Dragonlord, using his bardic skills . . . and dark powers only he can summon, to accomplish his bitter task.

Raven, a young horse-breeder friend of the Dragonloard Linden Rathan, is ensnared by Leet and under the bard’s spell, is one of the bard’s unwitting catspaws. When accused of a heinous crime, Raven turns to Linden, and while Dragonlords normally do not meddle in human affairs, Linden comes to Raven’s aid, loath to abandon him in his time of desperate need.

But Raven, and others victimized by Leet, are at the mercy of human justice. Can even a Dragonlord save them from a dire fate before it is too late?

Tor Books; November 2012; Hardcover; 432 pages

River Road (Sentinels of New Orleans #2) ~ by Suzanne Johnson

Hurricane Katrina is long gone, but the preternatural storm rages on in New Orleans. New species from the Beyond moved into Louisiana after the hurricane destroyed the borders between worlds, and it falls to wizard sentinel Drusilla Jaco and her partner, Alex Warin, to keep the preternaturals peaceful and the humans unaware. But a war is brewing between two clans of Cajun merpeople in Plaquemines Parish, and down in the swamp, DJ learns, there’s more stirring than angry mermen and the threat of a were-gator.

Wizards are dying, and something—or someone—from the Beyond is poisoning the waters of the mighty Mississippi, threatening the humans who live and work along the river. DJ and Alex must figure out what unearthly source is contaminating the water and who—or what—is killing the wizards. Is it a malcontented merman, the naughty nymph, or some other critter altogether? After all, DJ’s undead suitor, the pirate Jean Lafitte, knows his way around a body or two.

It’s anything but smooth sailing on the bayou as the Sentinels of New Orleans series continues.

Tor Books; November 2012; Hardcover; 336 pages

King of the Dead (Jeremiah Hunt Chronicles #2) ~ by Joseph Nassise

Joseph Nassise shook up the urban fantasy genre with Eyes to See, a novel New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry called “heartbreaking, deeply insightful, powerful and genuinely thrilling.” In a devil’s deal, Jeremiah Hunt sacrificed his human sight in exchange for the power to see the hidden world of ghosts and all of the darker spirits that prowl the streets. Hunt uncovered a world of murder and magic that took his daughter from him and nearly cost him his life, but that was only the beginning....

Now Hunt is on the run from the FBI, who have pegged him as a mass-murdering dark sorcerer. His flight from the law is diverted to New Orleans when his companion, a potent witch, has a horrific vision of the city under magical siege. When they arrive, they realize that the situation is more dire than they could have imagined: the world of the living faces a terrifying attack by forces from beyond the grave. King of the Dead, the second book in this groundbreaking series, promises more of Nassise’s electrifying writing that will enthrall readers looking for a supercharged, supernatural thrill.

Tor Books; November 2012; Hardcover; 352 pages

A Legacy of Stars ~ by Danielle Ackley McPhail

Turn your eyes to the heavens and be amazed…

With one small step, mankind embarked on a journey fraught with potential and danger in equal measure. In A Legacy of Stars, Danielle Ackley-McPhail delves into those same depths as humanity ventures out into the complexity of space. New worlds…dangers…marvels… Unearthly landscapes and beings that transcend alien. The conflicts of man versus, well… everything, including man. The bittersweet triumph of survival out among the stars.

In eleven reprints and two never-before-published stories, explore the harsh realities and boundless possibilities of mankind let loose on the greater universe. Pirates and gypsies, elite armed forces and scientific pioneers, all faced with the horror, wonder, and unexpected challenges that life in space has to offer. Pitch battles, political intrigues, military conquest, wondrous discoveries… glimpse what it is to be human, or not, in the technological age, beyond the bounds of humanity’s cradle.

February 28th 2013; Dark Quest Books - DTF Publications

Advent ~ by James Treadwell

For centuries it has been locked away.

Lost beneath the sea.

Warded from earth, air, water, fire, spirits, thought and sight.

But now magic is rising to the world once more.

And a boy called Gavin, who thinks only that he is a city kid with parents who hate him, and knows only that he sees things no one else will believe, is boarding a train, alone, to Cornwall. No one will be there to meet him.

Paperback, 614 pages; November 22nd 2012; Hodder & Stoughton

The Vorrh ~ by B. Catling

Taking its name from the imaginary African forest in Raymond Roussel's Impressions of Africa, The Vorrh is a magnificent, vibrant backdrop on which to stage a high octane narrative led by hunter, Tsungali, the Cyclops, Ishmael and famous photographer Eadweard Muybridge. In contrast with the tired clichs of the traditional fantasy tale, The Vorrh is an invigorating, epic fantasy at its most original, ground-breaking and visionary. Features a foreword from the legendary comics and graphic novel creator, Alan Moore.

Paperback, 502 pages; November 12th 2012; Honest Publishing

The Return Man ~ by V. M. Vito

Civilisation's gone . . . He's stayed to bury the dead.

The outbreak tore the USA in two. The east remains a safe haven. The west has become a ravaged wilderness, known by survivors as the Evacuated States. It is here that Henry Marco makes his living. Hired by grieving relatives, he tracks down the dead and delivers peace.

Now Homeland Security wants Marco for a mission unlike any other. He must return to California, where the apocalypse began. Where a secret is hidden. And where his own tragic past waits to punish him again.

But in the wastelands of America, you never know who — or what — is watching you.

Hodder & Stoughton; 08 Nov 2012; Paperback; 417 pages

Strangers in the Land ~ by Stant Litore

The aging prophet Devora bolts awake in terror, gasping for air. In her dream she heard her mother’s shrieks as the ravenous dead pulled her from the tent. Devora had been only a girl then, crying as she listened to her mother's screams and the tearing of her flesh.

And in the morning, when her mother rose—undead and hungering—Devora slew her.

This third volume of The Zombie Bible takes you to 1160 BC Israel as the walking corpses devour the tents and homesteads of the People. Four will stand against the dead: Devora, who sees what God sees. The slave girl Hurriya. Zadok, a legend among warriors. And the widower Barak, fighting to keep his vineyard free of this new peril. But can they stand together? For the living fear each other—fear the strangers in the land—as much as they fear the hungry dead.

Strangers in the Land brings an episode from the biblical book of Judges to life, fierce and blood spattered. Few will survive the coming of the dead. None will survive unchanged.

October 16th 2012; 47North

A Trace of Moonlight (#3) ~ by Allison Pang

Drinking from the waters of lethe and offering herself up as Faerie’s sacrificial Tithe . . . these just might be the least of Abby Sinclair’s problems.

Abby’s pact with a daemon—whether or not she remembers making it—is binding, so she’d better count herself lucky that (in the words of a daemon who knows better) there’s nearly always a loophole. But her friends’ reckless attempts to free her, well intentioned though they may be, set off a disastrous chain of events. In no time at all, Abby turns her incubus lover mortal, then gets herself killed, cursed, and married to an elven prince whose mother wants her dead. On top of everything else, she’s lost the Key to the CrossRoads to her mortal enemy, who promptly uses his restored power to wreak havoc on the OtherWorld and put its very existence in jeopardy. Only one person can make things right again, but to find her, Abby must place her trust in allies of mixed loyalties, and conquer her nightmares once and for all.

Pocket Books; October 2012; Mass Market Paperback; 400 pages

Mandarin Gate (Inspector Shan Tao Yun #7) ~ by Eliot Pattison

In Mandarin Gate, Edgar Award winner Eliot Pattison brings Shan back in a thriller that navigates the explosive political and religious landscape of Tibet.

In an earlier time, Shan Tao Yun was an Inspector stationed in Beijing. But he lost his position, his family and his freedom when he ran afoul of a powerful figure high in the Chinese government. Released unofficially from the work camp to which he'd been sentenced, Shan has been living in remote mountains of Tibet with a group of outlawed Buddhist monks. Without status, official identity, or the freedom to return to his former home in Beijing, Shan has just begun to settle into his menial job as an inspector of irrigation and sewer ditches in a remote Tibetan township when he encounters a wrenching crime scene. Strewn across the grounds of an old Buddhist temple undergoing restoration are the bodies of two unidentified men and a Tibetan nun. Shan quickly realizes that the murders pose a riddle the Chinese police might in fact be trying to cover up. When he discovers that a nearby village has been converted into a new internment camp for Tibetan dissidents arrested in Beijing’s latest pacification campaign, Shan recognizes the dangerous landscape he has entered. To find justice for the victims and to protect an American woman who witnessed the murders, Shan must navigate through the treacherous worlds of the internment camp, the local criminal gang, and the government’s rabid pacification teams, while coping with his growing doubts about his own identity and role in Tibet.

Minotaur Books; November 2012; Hardcover; 320 pages

Girl on the Cliff ~ by Lucinda Riley

We have a guest post from the author about how she writes historical fiction.

To escape a recent heartbreak in New York, Grania Ryan returns to her family home on the wind-swept coast of Ireland. Here, on the cliff edge in the middle of a storm, she meets a young girl, Aurora Lisle, who will profoundly change her life.

Despite the warnings Grania receives from her mother to be wary of the Lisle family, Aurora and Grania forge a close friendship. Through a trove of old family letters dating from 1914, Grania begins to learn just how deeply their families’ histories are entwined. The horrors of World War I, the fate of a beautiful foundling child, and the irresistible lure of the ballet give rise to a legacy of heartache that leaves its imprint on each new generation. Ultimately, it will be Aurora whose uncanny intuition and indomitable spirit may be able to unlock the chains of the past.

US - Atria Books, October 2012; Trade Paperback, 416 pages; UK – Penguin; October 2011

Tempestuous (A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare’s The Tempest) ~ by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes

Recently banished, unfairly, by the school’s popular crowd, former “it girl,” Miranda Prospero, finds herself in a brave new world: holding dominion amongst a rag-tag crew of geeks and misfits where she works at the Hot-Dog Kabob in the food court of her local mall. When the worst winter storm of the season causes mall workers and last-minute shoppers to be snowed-in for the night, Miranda seizes the opportunity to get revenge against the catty clique behind her social exile. With help from her delightfully dweeby coworker, Ariel, and a sullen loner named Caleb who works at the mall’s nearby gaming and magic shop, Miranda uses charm and trickery to set things to right during this spirited take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Hardcover, 224 pages; December 18th 2012; Merit Press

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Review: Cold City ~ by F. Paul Wilson

Review by John for Cold City ~ by F. Paul Wilson

A book that goes back in time and sets the foundation for the popular “Repairman Jack” series of novels. He is the “urban mercenary” and fix-it man who helps victimized people that have nowhere else to turn.

About: Jack is a 21 year old college dropout who decides to sever all home and family ties and move to New York City. With absolutely no personal documentation or links to his past life, he moves “off the grid” and leads a solitary and hard-working life, being paid in cash and using only cash to live on. While initially working with a group of Latinos as a gardener, inevitably he ends up taking on some dodgy jobs – not hard-core crime but definitely not legal either.

Through a growing reputation for reliability and trustworthiness, he builds up a core of contacts who find him useful and who may be able to help him. Some might even become friends. But living life on the edge of society, he also comes across many unscrupulous and dangerous people.

In no time he encounters (or becomes embroiled with) interstate smugglers, a child slavery ring, a group of dangerous jihadists, the mob, a vengeful con-man and a pair of ruthless vigilantes – some of whom Jack aggravates. While already blessed with wits and plenty of “street smarts”, he has to learn quickly from some of his new-found friends and contacts in order to stay one step ahead of his new enemies.

John’s thoughts: This is a fun, action-oriented piece of escapism. A few bits of the plot and some of the characters aren’t very believable, but it doesn’t really matter in a story like this.

However - annoyingly, the jacket describes this as a novel and it isn’t; it is a partial novel. After reading 360 pages you find out that nothing is answered, nothing has become clear, and you have to read more books in the series in order to reach any sort of conclusion. Very frustrating. When I read a book that is clearly part of a series, I do expect there to be some loose ends or hooks that can provide a foundation for future stories, but I also expect the book to be reasonably coherent and to stand on its own. This one does not.

So I can’t tell you about how cleverly multiple plot threads are brought together or how the story builds to an exciting climax, because I don’t know. Which is a shame, because the Jack character is interesting and the story pulls you along at a good pace. I blew through the 360 pages in no time at all and was looking forward to seeing how everything turned out.

Given that I have no idea how anything ends up, I can only rate the book 2.5 stars. It’s definitely one for existing Repairman Jack aficionados, or for people who like the sound of the character and are prepared to invest their time in a lengthy series of books.

Tor Books; 11/27/2012; Hardcover; 368 pages

F. Paul Wilson is the New York Times bestselling author of horror, adventure, medical thrillers, science fiction, and virtually everything in between. His books include the Repairman Jack novels—including Ground Zero, The Tomb, and Fatal Error—the Adversary cycle—including The Keep—and a young adult series featuring the teenage Jack. Wilson has won the Prometheus Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Inkpot Award from the San Diego ComiCon, and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Horror Writers of America, among other honors. He lives in Wall, New Jersey.

F. Paul Wilson’s sites:

We also have a giveaway for Cold City. Good luck.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Giveaway: The Rise of Ransom City ~ by Felix Gilman

It’s Release Day for The Rise of Randsom City ~ by Felix Gilman, and we have a giveaway to celebrate!

The Rise of Random City is the sequel to the author’s acclaimed steampunk novel The Half-Made World.

And we have one copy of the book for a US or Canadian resident.

The Rise of Random City ~ This is the story Harry Ransom. If you know his name it’s most likely as the inventor of the Ransom Process, a stroke of genius that changed the world.

Or you may have read about how he lost the battle of Jasper City, or won it, depending on where you stand in matters of politics.

Friends called him Hal or Harry, or by one of a half-dozen aliases, of which he had more than any honest man should. He often went by Professor Harry Ransom, and though he never had anything you might call a formal education, he definitely earned it.

If you’re reading this in the future, Ransom City must be a great and glittering metropolis by now, with a big bronze statue of Harry Ransom in a park somewhere. You might be standing on its sidewalk and not wonder in the least of how it grew to its current glory. Well, here is its story, full of adventure and intrigue. And it all starts with the day that old Harry Ransom crossed paths with Liv Alverhyusen and John Creedmoor, two fugitives running from the Line, amidst a war with no end.

Tor Books; 11/27/2012; Hardcover; 368 pages

Not part of this giveaway, here’s information about the first book in the series:

The Half-Made World ~ A fantastical reimagining of the American West which draws its influence from steampunk, the American western tradition, and magical realism. The world is only half made. What exists has been carved out amidst a war between two rival factions: the Line, paving the world with industry and claiming its residents as slaves; and the Gun, a cult of terror and violence that cripples the population with fear. The only hope at stopping them has seemingly disappeared - the Red Republic that once battled the Gun and the Line, and almost won. Now they’re just a myth, a bedtime story parents tell their children, of hope.

To the west lies a vast, uncharted world, inhabited only by the legends of the immortal and powerful Hill People, who live at one with the earth and its elements. Liv Alverhyusen, a doctor of the new science of psychology, travels to the edge of the made world to a spiritually protected mental institution in order to study the minds of those broken by the Gun and the Line. In its rooms lies an old general of the Red Republic, a man whose shattered mind just may hold the secret to stopping the Gun and the Line. And either side will do anything to understand how.

Tor Books; July 2011; Trade Paperback; 480 pages

FELIX GILMAN has been nominated for the John W. Campbell award and the Locus Award for best new writer. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Thunderer, Gears of the City, and The Half-Made World, which was listed by Amazon as one of the ten best SFF novels of 2010. He lives with his wife in New York City.

Now for the Giveaway!

Please be a reader or follower to enter this contest, and fill out the Google form:

You must do one of the three below:

Google: via the blog’s side bar (I will follow back if I can find your blog) or
Facebook: for updates in your feed and add me as a friend or
Your Email Box

Optional ways to keep up to date on giveaways, reviews and more:

Feed Reader
Twitter (I will follow back, for any of these social media sites.)
Google+
Pinterest
Goodreads (no giveaway updates here)

Please remember that your personal information will be use for this giveaway only. Promise. Good luck!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Giveaway: Dreaming of Summer Hop ~ Nov 27th to Dec 2nd

Welcome to the Dreaming of Summer Blog Hop from November 27th to December 2nd. Hosted by Me, My Shelf and I and I Am A Reader Not A Writer.

This blog hop is offering books that have a flavor of summer to them.

We have one ebook copy of each book below. And because they are ebooks this giveaway is international.

Ebook number 1: Songs of Love and Darkness ~ various authors listed below

Featuring five of the greatest authors of fantasy, romance, and science fiction, this exclusive eBook set is a chilling collection of unearthly delights and harrowing thrills.

Featuring stories by Mary Jo Putney, Carrie Vaughn, Yasmine Galenorn, M.L.N. Hanover, and Lisa Tuttle these contemporary tales of ill-fated love, originally published in the anthology Songs of Love and Death (edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois) explore romance in five wildly creative settings—from the hidden supernatural side of New York City to werewolf-occupied West Texas. Available at a special low price, these stories promise to keep you up all night.

Pocket Star, October 2012, eBook, 80 pages

And ebook number 2: The Mysterious Madam Morpho ~ by Delilah S. Dawson

Taking place after Wicked as They Come, this original eBook features a mysterious lady and a reclusive mechanical genius who find love and danger in a traveling circus.

An elusive woman arrives at Criminy’s doorstep with a steamer trunk, begging for a position in the caravan to perform her unique new act. She opens her trunk to reveal a menagerie of brilliantly colored butterflies. The woman, who calls herself Madam Morpho, is on the run from a dark past in London, where she was forced to leave her equipment behind and abscond with only her tiny performers. Playing a hunch, Criminy hires Madam Morpho on the spot. Taking her down to meet Mr. Murdoch, the reclusive talented engineer who keeps the carnival’s clockworks running, Criminy instructs them to work together to design and build a groundbreaking new circus for the butterflies. Amid the magical ambiance of the circus and the hint of danger from Madam Morpho’s pursuers, she and Mr. Murdoch soon find that their scientific collaboration has produced chemistry of a more romantic kind.

Pocket Books, October 2012, eBook, 100 pages

Now for the Giveaway!

Please be a reader or follower to enter this contest, and fill out the Google form:

You must do one of the three below:

Google: via the blog’s side bar (I will follow back if I can find your blog) or
Facebook: for updates in your feed and add me as a friend or
Your Email Box

Optional ways to keep up to date on giveaways, reviews and more:

Feed Reader
Twitter (I will follow back, for any of these social media sites.)
Google+
Pinterest
Goodreads (no giveaway updates here)

This contest is now closed. Please stop back by for future giveaways, reviews, author guest posts and more.

Congrats to our winners Jasmyn & Tara! A big thank you to Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster) for providing this giveaway.

Guest Post: James Garcia, Jr., author of the DANCE ON FIRE series ~ insight into creating an author’s platform

Guest post from James Garcia Jr. on Creating an Indie Author’s Platform.

James Garcia Jr. has recently graduated from being a small publisher-published author to a self-published author. What I like about James, beyond his bravery in deciding to write as a self-published author, is that he has successfully created a well done, professional and accessible indie author’s platform.

Let’s welcome James with his friendly and professional advice.

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts… Oops! Wrong blog. That’s what I call the folks who follow my regular posts. I’m a horror writer, you see. I currently write vampires with a crossover slant. That’s my veiled attempt of disclosing that you can find some Christian themes in my series. I don’t’ really call what I write Christian, but that’s another post entirely.

I have the second installment on my vampire series just released around Halloween. It wasn’t intentional, but simply how the whole thing worked out. If you’re curious, I have a “good” vampire and a bad vampire. They don’t sparkle – not that there’s anything wrong with that – but they do come after you while you sit on the proverbial edge of your seat. They won’t gross you out, mostly, but they definitely do have bite. I’d love for you to come by and check my series out; however, that isn’t what I have come to tell you.

I didn’t come by to give you writing advice either. I don’t feel qualified to do that. If we’ve met before, chances are you have figured this out about me already. Although my name doesn’t show up on bestseller lists as of yet, I’m working on that - and that is definitely something that I can share about. There have been many false starts, hiccups and bumps in the road these past three years. Perhaps hearing about these might help you on your road.

Writers just want to write. Unfortunately, unless you get your novel picked up by the big six, Amazon or have your story picked up by Hollywood, you are going to have to do everything yourself. It’s the sad reality.

I had a small publisher for a while until they just recently closed their doors. A month before they published my debut novel back in 2010, I was informed that I would have to build a platform. This meant blogging. I didn’t know the first thing. She created one for me which I’m still using, handed me the virtual keys and said go for it. The successful bloggers will tell you that you have to have content in order to get traffic. I did this for nearly two years; however, I eventually realized I only had time for one post a week. It works for me because I am able to spend the rest of the week visiting the blogs of others who are like-minded, similar in content or friends that I’ve made.

From there I moved to Facebook and created an author page. I already had a Facebook profile for myself, but I needed something that was for my writing. I had some professional photos taken and stayed with that shot for two years, using it for each and every site since those early days. That list now includes Twitter, Google Plus, Goodreads, LinkedIn, etc. I have since changed that photo to something a bit friendlier. That first one was too serious. I don’t have a degree in Marketing, but you won’t need one to figure out that you should be consistent and serious with your “brand” or “image”, if you prefer. We all hate having to hunt for our shampoo because they seemingly change the bottle twice a year, so change very little about yourself and only when necessary.

At some point you might begin to worry over your numbers on those social networking sites or even on your author page on Amazon.com. Don’t be. Just keep doing the work and they will come. I have spent time in these groups where we all like one another’s pages; however, we have to ask ourselves whether this is really getting us where we want to be. I thank those people who have taken the time to do this for me. I have done it for them, too. Yet, are they buying my books or spreading the word for me? No. All we’re doing is padding our numbers. It just doesn’t seem real to me anymore. As I meet new people I love to drop by their sites and throw them some love. I’m just not going to spend a day doing forty of them in a “liking session” anymore.

I recently wrote a blog post asking the following question: “Where are the readers?” I’m still searching for that answer, but I don’t think we’ll find them by promoting to fellow authors all the time. We need to make friends and support one another in this great community because writing can be a very lowly and difficult proposition and the group can and frequently does offer a helping hand or virtual shoulder when things are tough; and they certainly celebrate our successes. In the meantime, what we can do is build our brand, continue to improve our writing, and do everything we can to appear professional. In this community you will find competent cover artists, folks willing to beta read your work well before the buying public, professional editors to polish your work and challenge you to make it the very best it can be.

Remember, my friends. This is a very tough road that you have decided to travel, but you’ve chosen it because you have an artistic bone in your body that needs to show itself. There will be heartache, but there will be successes, too. If it doesn’t work out quite the way you hoped, at least you’ve given it your very best attempt. That’s what got me writing again. I just didn’t want to go to my grave with any regrets.

I realize this isn’t my blog, but I’ll close the way I do over there…

We’ll talk soon.

About James Garcia’s first book ~ Dance on Fire:

Each May, the Central California town of Kingsburg celebrates its Swedish heritage with the annual Swedish Festival: a weekend event where the town puts on its traditional dress, culminating with a dance around a Maypole on Friday, and a Swedish pancake breakfast and parade on Saturday. The town with a population of over 11,000 residents draws thousands more to the event. This year, two uninvited guests also converged upon the unsuspecting town.

Nathaniel is a vampire. He wandered into town, bothering no one; feeding upon stray cats and other vermin, wanting nothing more than to have a place to rest his head. Vincent is a second vampire, and the one responsible for making Nathaniel. He has been searching for his long lost “son” for well over two centuries. Vincent’s goal is to take Nathaniel home or kill him. Nathaniel has often wished for death, wondering why God ever allowed this punishment: to walk the earth undead and unable to be redeemed. Does God remember the little boy from Romania who watched his parents die, was raised by the murdering vampire, only to become one himself? What does God think of Nathaniel and could there yet be redemption for one outside of heaven?

Ten days before the start of the Swedish Festival the most tumultuous week in the history of Kingsburg has begun with two vampires leaving death and destruction in their wake. Kingsburg Police Detectives Mark Jackson and Michael Lopez, Barbara and the entire Lopez family find themselves drawn into something that threatens to destroy them all or leave them scarred forever.

In a marriage of the classic horror story and the Christian themes of good conquering evil and redemption, Dance on Fire is the account of characters being drawn into the fire and the supernatural forces around them watching as they burn.

His latest recently self published effort and sequel Dance on Fire is ~ Flash Point.

Five years after the death of their only child Tiffany, Steve and Angie Rosen receive an unexpected guest to their Morro Bay, California home: their daughter. She comes with a tale of having suffered a terrible head wound in the fire that took their Kingsburg home, causing her loss of memory and migraine headaches that force her to hide from daylight in order to prevent. Tiffany's reemergence is treated like Manna from Heaven; however, her story is only half true. Tiffany is a vampire and their daughter in name only. She sleeps during the day and hunts for human blood during the night, and has come back to enact a twisted revenge upon those who ruined the plans of her master, the notorious vampire, Vincent. And she is not alone.

Five years after the terrible events that reshaped the Swedish Village, Kingsburg lies unsuspecting as five vampires descend upon her with a great evil in their black hearts.

Five years after old wounds have finally healed and the old fires were thought extinguished, Police Chief Michael Lopez and Officer Mark Jackson and their families find themselves surrounded when fires blaze anew. The good vampire, Nathaniel, has pledged his service to these people, but he is no longer among them. He lives high in the Oregon Mountains near the California border, seeking whether God might have a place in His kingdom yet for him.

When Nathaniel discovers that Tiffany has returned, will he be too late to stop her? And will his desire to protect his friends destroy what God has begun in him?

It will all begin with a Flash Point.

James Garcia Jr. is the author of the vampire novels, Dance on Fire and Dance on Fire: Flash Point. Find him at his blog, Facebook , Twitter and Goodreads.

Both of his books can be found on Amazon.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Review: Vegan for the Holidays ~ by Zel Allen

Review by Shellie for: Vegan for the Holidays ~ by Zel Allen

An easy-to-read and follow cook book with recipes specifically created for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza and New Year’s Eve. All for eating without meat and dairy.

Thoughts: This reasonably sized paperback book contains sections with unusual and delicious sounding concoctions for each of the holidays mentioned above. It has starters, soups, main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and drinks. With names like Lemony Carrot Soup, Autumn Vegetable Roast, Mashed Potatoes with Onion-Chardonnay Gravy, Holiday-Ready Apple Crisp, and Pumpkin-Apple Nog; these are a small selection of the recipes for Thanksgiving alone. With a number of beautiful colored photographs of many of the recipes in its 153 pages you can see examples of how to serve some of the dishes in the book. I also like that the index includes each of the recipe names and many of the major ingredients for easy access in creating dishes with specific foods.

We especially enjoyed a delicious recipe that will more than suffice in exchange for the obligatory turkey (a center piece for a lot of holiday meals – in the US at least) called Thanksgiving Philo Pie. The dish is large and dense, using nuts, mushrooms, and traditional poultry spices to give the dish protein, a meat like flavor, and the familiar taste that most of us crave when thinking about the holidays. I will have to say that the pie is gorgeous, and tasty. And it will have those who try it believe that there can be an alternative to eating meat and dairy.

So, what exactly is a Vegan? Often the word vegan is confused with vegetarian. But it’s different. Being a vegan means that you do not eat meat, eggs or any dairy products. Some vegans do not wear or use any animal products (wool and silk included), and may even forsake honey.

Eating a diet that is vegan is lower in fat, better for the environment, and also kinder to our fellow animals. With that being said, it also takes a large commitment including changing your entire way of eating and cooking. This is a process -especially if you have been eating and cooking as an omnivore for years. But one does not necessarily need to go “the whole hog”. You can start by considering recipes that are vegan and bringing them into your diet and your body just may thank you. And with this book especially, it can help find alternatives to traditional recipes for the holiday. It will surely help to convert even staunch meat consumers into thinking and eating differently at your dinner table. Some may not even realize that there is a difference. It’s a 4 star cook book in my opinion.

160 pages | Book Publishing Company |July 1, 2012

About the author and her husband: Zel and Reuben Allen are “just a couple of adventurous pigeons” who live in Los Angeles. With many fun explorations in their own city and cruising the world on the web, they’ve discovered that paradise is just about anywhere they can touch the fruits of the earth.

Connect with them at their many sites which have loads of recipes, color pictures, and links for more information on eating without meat or dairy:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Giveaway: Cold City ~ by F. Paul Wilson

Giveaway for: Cold City (A Repairman Jack Novel # 16) ~ by F. Paul Wilson

It’s a perfect way to start reading this popular series with the first in a new planned three book prequel.

We have one copy for a US or Canadian resident.

Blurb: The first of three Repairman Jack prequels, revealing the past of one of the most popular characters in contemporary dark fantasy: a self-styled “fix-it” man who is no stranger to the macabre or the supernatural, hired by victimized people who have no one else to turn to.

We join Jack a few months after his arrival in New York City. He doesn’t own a gun yet, though he’s already connected with Abe. Soon he’ll meet Julio and the Mikulski brothers. He runs afoul of some Dominicans, winds up at the East Side Marriott the night Meir Kahane is shot, gets on the bad side of some Arabs, starts a hot affair, and disrupts the smuggling of preteen sex slaves. And that’s just Book One.

Tor Books; 11/27/2012; Hardcover; 368 pages

F. Paul Wilson’s sites:

Now for the Giveaway!

Please be a reader or follower to enter this contest, and fill out the Google form:

You must do one of the three below:

Google: via the blog’s side bar (I will follow back if I can find your blog) or
Facebook: for updates in your feed and add me as a friend or
Your Email Box

Optional ways to keep up to date on giveaways, reviews and more:

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Please remember that all information provided from you in this form is used for this giveaway only.

Good luck!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Review: Ironskin ~ by Tina Connolly

Review by Shellie for Ironskin ~ by Tina Connolly

The first in a dark steampunk-ish themed series that is a fantastical re-telling of the classic Jane Eyre. Only it includes fey, dwarves, magic and a creative twist.

About: Set on the moors of an alternative yet familiar England-like world, Jane Elliot is a victim of a Great War against an illusive and ethereal fey. She is horrifically scarred on one side of her face. Covering it with an iron mask is the only way to prevent it’s dark magic from oozing emotions to everyone around her. Sadly, it’s an affliction common to many who have been injured in the war against the fey.

Inevitably life moves forward after the war, and Jane, in an attempt to avoid being a burden on her soon to be married sister, applies for a job as a governess – to the young daughter of the mysterious Edward Rochart, both who have been afflicted by dealings with the fey.

With the large household located near the forest (a known dwelling of the fey), it becomes apparent that there are comings, goings, and complications within the woods; and that perhaps the members of the Rochart household may have dealings within them. And as Jane falls deeply for the much older Mr. Rochart, she soon suspects that he may hold a key to healing her wound. She also discovers that he has more secrets than she wishes to believe, very much like the original Jane Eyre.

Thoughts: First off, I loved, loved, loved Jane Eyre. It was a rare five star for me. Having read it just several months prior to finishing this book made this re-telling even more fun for me. It felt like I was almost re-reading the original, only with a sparser language and with an added fantastical flair. Tina Connolly has a special way of writing which is very surprising and “retro” in flavor. It’s like a modern version of an old fashioned style which is suitable for a Victorian-like time period and similar to the original Jane Eyre. It was very refreshing. I also loved the setting – an alternative England with its lovely green moors that I too have a special connection to. Lastly, Jane Elliot is a strong female character, like the character Jane Eyre, which has a big appeal for me.

The only negative thing that I thought abound the book is that as I was nearing the end, I felt like it was just not going to be long enough. I was actually slightly nervous about it and kept thinking how the author was going to successfully manage to conclude the story without a “drop off the side of a cliff” ending. Or worse yet and impossible “dangler” which leaves the reader stranded. Happily it does have a satisfying conclusion which makes the book a decent stand alone read. But even better, it doesn’t have to be the end since there is a sequel in the works.

Labeled as young adult by a number of reviewers, I do think it will work better for adults. There are dark themes, some violence, and others which are adult in nature (some that teens may not connect well with). However, with its light romance (no sex) and clean language it will work for teens. Recommended especially for readers who enjoy dark fantasy, evil fey and magic set in a familiar world. I devoured this book and give it a 4-star rating. I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel.

Tor Books; October 2012; Hardcover; 304 pages.

This is Tina Connolly’s first novel. She has previously written a number of shorts for a variety of Science Fiction and Fantasy genre magazines. To find out more about the author:

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Guest Post: Robert Dunbar ~ November Chills

Guest post by Robert Dunbar ~ November Chills.

We have one of my favorite “living authors”, Robert Dunbar, sharing some enlightenment on what we could be reading after all the Halloween drama has ended and we are still looking for something of a thrill.

Do not let the quaint sounding title “November Chills” fool you. It coaxes a post Halloween reader (suffering from a loss of what to read next) into a deeper choice. Here Rob recommends literary classics to read this fall season with his usual satirist’s bent.

Let’s welcome Robert Dunbar. It’s always a pleasure to have him share his thoughts.

November Chills

Do you suffer from post-holiday depression? Same here. It’s a long way from Samhain to Beltane, and I never know what to do with myself after Halloween. Of course, Thanksgiving is coming, but somehow I can never get enthusiastic about commemorating the subjugation of indigenous peoples.

Must be me. I have the same problem with Columbus Day.

And this time of year holidays don’t improve in a hurry. There’s nothing but tediously pious “celebrations” from now till spring. Not that I even get invited to good Walpurgis Eve parties anymore. Not since that incident with the goat a few years ago. (The less said about that the better.) So drab. Does it have to be this way?

I mean, where are we on the calendar now? Winter is coming, fall well advanced. The colors in the wind excite your senses, even as the damp chill in the air seems to shut them down: contradictions are an integral part of life. So what is this time of year good for?

There’s something about being curled up with a book while the world is drizzly and gray that feels like the height of luxury. Anything this pleasurable probably ought to be illegal.

Someday it probably will be.

So what’s everybody reading? Let’s think of this blog as Fifty Shades of Drop that Drivel and Open a Real Book. My literary affections have always run to the – shall we say – weird. I’ve recently fallen back in love with James Purdy and – as so often happens in situations like this – can’t remember why we ever broke up in the first place. Anyone who can read NARROW ROOMS without being emotionally stirred is probably already dead … as is one of the major characters. (It’s a rare book that gives me nightmares. This one is harrowing.) I’ve also recently treated myself to THE COLLECTED STORIES OF ELIZABETH BOWEN, a massive tome, replete with some of the treasures of postwar British supernatural fiction. Actually, many of Bowen’s tales take place during the war, and the atmosphere is unlike anything I’ve encountered before. Outside, bombs are falling. Inside, phantoms whisper. (See? Contradictions again. Powerful stuff.) There’s quite a contrast between Bowen’s lucid intensity and Purdy’s passionate frenzy, but the authors have genius in common. That’s a requirement. It’s always been difficult for me to read down. Lately, it’s become almost physically painful. Only about ten percent of Bowen’s short fiction contains any specifically ghostly content, but all her tales boast a dreamlike, otherworldly quality, a sort of hallucinogenic hyper-consciousness reminiscent of Virginia Woolf. If you don’t know Bowen’s work, I can’t recommend her stories enthusiastically enough. Just dive in. You’ll find the mood intensely dismal, like the season.

NOTE: Reading her book by candlelight for the several nights we were without power, thanks to the recent hurricane, only enhanced the experience.

There are gothic novels where it never stops raining, where the wind never stops blowing. If you’re looking for a guide to the best of these, check out THE GOTHIC TRADITION IN FICTION by Elizabeth MacAndrew, a pretty comprehensive list of the better known titles. Also GHOSTS OF THE GOTHIC, a book of essays by Judith Wilt, out of print but still widely available, illuminates many of the more obscure works.

Immerse yourself.

In case you’re having difficulties finding the books Robert Dunbar has suggested in this guest post - try this classic collection:

SHADOWS: Supernatural Tales by Masters of Modern Literature, edited and with an introduction by Robert Dunbar

It features terrifying explorations of the dark by D. H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, E. M. Forster, Edith Wharton, Henry James, Willa Cather and many of the other great writers who revolutionized dark fiction.

It’s available from a variety of the “big online book sellers” in ebook and paper format.

292 pages, Published October 18th 2010 by Uninvited Books

Robert Dunbar is a writer, editor, and playwright. He has written for radio, television and theater and is the author of The Pines, The Shore, Martyrs & Monsters, Willy, and Wood.

Find him at:

His website and blog
Goodreads
His group on Goodreads ~ Literary Horror
Twitter
Facebook

For an interview with Robert Dunbar, and more about his other books please see our post from 2011.

I loved the two books by Robert Dunbar that I’ve read. I reviewed Robert’s book WILLY in 2011 and it also made our 2011 best of the year list . Also, earlier this year I reviewed WOOD, his recent darkly funny novella.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Giveaway: Gratitude Giveaways Hop ~ November 15th to 25th

Welcome to the 3rd Annual Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop from November 15th to 25th, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

We have one copy for a US or Canadian address of The Girl on the Cliff ~ by Lucinda Riley.

It’s historical fiction set during WW1 in Ireland.

Blurb: To escape a recent heartbreak in New York, Grania Ryan returns to her family home on the wind-swept coast of Ireland. Here, on the cliff edge in the middle of a storm, she meets a young girl, Aurora Lisle, who will profoundly change her life.

(US: Atria Books, October 2012; Trade Paperback, 416 pages)(UK: Penguin, October 2011)

Bio: Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland and became an actress working in film, theatre, and television. She is a prolific writer having written a large number of published books, many which have been translated all over the world. Her previous novel is Hothouse Flower (UK) or The Orchid House (US).

The Girl on the Cliff, her most recent book has been published in Europe and has finally reached the US where it was published in October 2012.

She currently lives in Norfolk and France with her husband and four children.

For those readers who are writers we have a guest post from Lucinda Riley about writing historical fiction. It has some great tips.

Now for the Giveaway!

Please be a reader or follower to enter this contest, and fill out the Google form:

You must do one of the three below:

Google: via the blog’s side bar (I will follow back if I can find your blog) or
Facebook: for updates in your feed and add me as a friend or
Your Email Box

Optional ways to keep up to date on giveaways, reviews and more:

Feed Reader
Twitter (I will follow back, for any of these social media sites.)
Google+
Pinterest
Goodreads (no giveaway updates here)

This hop is now closed and our winner has been notified. Congratulations Daniel T. from Tomales, CA!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Review: In War Times ~ by Kathleen Ann Goonan

Review by John for In War Times ~ by Kathleen Ann Goonan

An excellent read – a mashup of alternative realities, particle physics, experimental jazz music, the Second World War and science fiction. How could you not like that combination?

About: It’s 1941 and Sam Dance is a an intelligent but uncoordinated jazz lover who has poor eyesight. He struggles to be accepted by the US army, but finally manages to wangle his way in, and then finds himself plucked from regular training and sent on a series of esoteric technical courses. After a passionate evening with one of the temporary lecturers, a brilliant and mysterious Eastern European physicist, the woman leaves him with a strange device, associated technical plans and scientific papers. While the device is an early prototype, she believes that once improved and if used properly, it can change the course of history for the good; it can affect the physics of consciousness and human behavior, and maybe even diminish man’s warlike tendencies. Dance is puzzled but intrigued and tries to understand some of the complex papers.

The very next day, the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor and Dance’s beloved elder brother is killed in the attack. He is heartbroken and the US is drawn into the Second World War.

So begins a strange tale. Dance becomes deeply involved in a program to design and deploy a top-secret radar and gun director that could help to win the war. He becomes close friends with Wink, another soldier who like him is a fanatic lover of modern jazz. They are deployed first to England and then to France and Germany, becoming ever more embroiled in the war effort and experiencing first-hand the horrors of the Nazi regime. All the while Dance remains fascinated by the device, and with Wink’s help they secretly try to create improved versions of it. Their deep understanding of jazz seems to help them make mental connections in the complex science behind the devices. Mysteriously the devices almost seem to have a mind of their own, and periodically mutate – but it’s not clear that the devices are actually doing anything. Meanwhile it is clear that the allied secret services suspect that the devices exists and want to find them.

Times move on, the Second World War ends but evolves into the Cold War, and Dance remains involved with the US armed forces, in Europe, the US and the Pacific. But strange things are happening. Times seem to be shifting, people are appearing and disappearing, and Dance becomes aware of alternative realities that seem to intertwine. He becomes drawn towards a critical historic event that appears to be the locus for those alternative realities. Can he and the mutated device affect those possible realities and prevent a grim new world from evolving?

John’s thoughts: This is a meaty, twisty, complex and thought-provoking story. At times I felt like I was just about hanging on, and found I often had to re-read sections - which isn’t intended as a criticism; this is one of those chewy stories that exercises the old grey matter in a positive way.

I like all of the detail about the Second World War, much of it (and some of the plot elements) being pulled directly from Goonan’s own father’s wartime experiences. He was actually involved in the secret radar project and was based for a time in most of the places featured in the story. I found those details really interesting, apart from which they also help to give the fantastic storyline a very grounded foundation (which I think is a definite plus in a plot that is so complicated.) I guess any story that is based around alternative realities and time travel is bound to be complicated, and this one is certainly no exception.

I really like the way that an actual historic event (the assassination of JFK) was used as the pivot for a variety of alternative futures. You can certainly see how our world might have turned out very differently if that event had never happened.

There are some really strong characters in the story – principally Sam Dance himself and the secret agent who becomes his wife. They are both conscientious and deep thinking, and strive to figure out what is right. The enigmatic Eastern European physicist too is an interesting character. She is actually a Magyar Gypsy who was heavily involved in the free-thinking European scientific community of the 1920s and 1930s, providing a nice contrast with the era of the Nazi regime that followed.

Was there anything that didn’t grab me? Well, the jazz connections with particle physics and biochemistry were interesting but at times felt just a smidgeon contrived. Clearly jazz is a big deal for Goonan, but for readers who aren’t that way inclined, the big focus on jazz in the story might get in the way a little bit.

Overall I’d rate this book 4 stars. For anyone who likes stories about alternative realities and histories this will be a great read. Also interested in the Second World War? And Jazz? Then you just have got to give this one a go.

Tor Books; August 2012; Trade Paperback; 352 pages; (originally published in May 2007.) Winner of the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel.

For more information on Kathleen Ann Goonan:

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Giveaway: Thankful for Books Hop ~ November 8th to 13th

Welcome to the Thankful for Books Giveaway Hop from November 8th to 13th, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer (badge links her site) and Tristi Pinkston.

We have one e-book on offer in your choice of formats. So this giveaway is international.

Every House is Haunted ~ by Ian Rogers

It’s a debut anthology of ghost stories.

"There are haunted places in the world, all existing in reality and every bit as tangible and accessible as the house next door. Sometimes it is the house next door."

In this brilliant debut collection, Ian Rogers explores the border-places between our world and the dark reaches of the supernatural. The landscape of death becomes the new frontier for scientific exploration. A honeymoon cabin with an unspeakable appetite finally meets its match. A suburban home is transformed into the hunting ground for a new breed of spider. A nightmarish jazz club at the crossroads of reality plays host to those who can break a deal with the devil...for a price. With remarkable deftness, Rogers draws together the disturbing and the diverting in twenty-two showcase stories that will guide you through terrain at once familiar and startlingly fresh.

(Chizine Publications; October 2012; Paperback; 300 pages)

Now for the Giveaway!

Please be a reader or follower to enter this contest, and fill out the Google form:

You must do one of the three below:

Google: via the blog’s side bar (I will follow back if I can find your blog) or
Facebook: for updates in your feed and add me as a friend or
Your Email Box

Optional ways to keep up to date on giveaways, reviews and more:

Feed Reader
Twitter (I will follow back, for any of these social media sites.)
Google+
Pinterest

This hop is now closed and our winner has received her book. Congrats and enjoy Jenn!

More hops and giveaways coming soon.

Guest Post: Lucinda Riley author of ~ The Girl on the Cliff

Today we have a guest post from Lucinda Riley author of ~ The Girl on the Cliff.

Here Lucinda Riley tell about her inspiration for writing her latest US published novel The Girl on the Cliff, and how she considers herself a writer first and a historian second. She also offers some advice for would-be-authors in her “Five Golden Rules” for historical fiction writers .

It’s perfect NaNoWriMo inspiration. Welcome Lucinda!

The Inspiration

The Girl on the Cliff is a huge, intricate dual narrative story spanning over 100 years. It tells the story of two families, the Ryan’s and the Lisle’s, whose lives and paths have crossed repeatedly.

To begin with, it’s always a location, or a house and the atmosphere surrounding it, that inspires inside me those first seeds which eventually germinate into a book. This was very much the case with The Girl on the Cliff. I was born and lived in Ireland on the West Cork coast and I loved its wildness and isolation. ‘Extreme’ locations are always exciting to me because they are dramatic and of course, romantic. The thought of a vulnerable child, barefoot and alone during the Atlantic storms that used to break with such fury when I lived there with my own small children, gave me the character of ‘Aurora’, the narrator of the book. I wanted to make her ‘other-wordly’ and ephemeral, almost part of the intense, dramatic scenery which surrounded her when she was born.

After I have the location, I begin to research the country and time period I want to write about. I approach this at the beginning with a ‘broad-brush’, reading as much about the era as I can, but not being specific. At the end of the day, I’m a story-teller, not a historian, eg, the ‘story and characters’ must come first. I’m very wary of never letting historical facts dominate or take over the actions of the characters I write about. I’m also aware that I could become so immersed in what I’m reading that I may never actually start writing the book!

So, once the story is written, it’s at this point I go into in-depth research over the specific facts and events that affect my plot and the characters directly.

If I’m honest, I find I’m far more comfortable writing in the past than the present. I have absolutely no idea why this is, but as a child, rather than going shopping in the local mall on weekends and holidays, I’d wander round the local museums. I was always fascinated to the point of obsession with history. And it was undoubtedly my favourite subject at school, along with English. Okay … I’m even sounding a bit of a saddo to myself now, but sadly it’s true!

I also think the fact that I spent some years as an actress has paid off, because I find it very easy to absorb myself in the characters I’m writing about. (And, ironically, almost every role I played was always a character from the past.) I dictate the initial story into a recorder and my PA giggles when she hears me imitating the voices and accents of the characters I’m creating, whatever the time period.

I really am of the opinion that no-one can teach you to tell a story, although they can teach you writing techniques to improve it.

Below are my five golden rules for any potential historical novelist to follow:

1) Let your imagination run wild! In my experience, the factual historical events will always slide into the story. Don’t be completely ruled by them initially and limit yourself or your characters. You’re writing ‘fiction’.

2) Live, breathe and inhabit the worlds you write about and your characters. Have fun with them!

3) Never, ever think that anything you write is ‘unreal’ – the truth really is stranger than fiction.

4) If you have a bad day when nothing seems to be going right, don’t read back or tear up the pages in a rage. Simply get up the following morning and continue with your story.

5) Above all, once you start, DO NOT STOP until you reach the end.

About: The Girl on the Cliff

(US publication details: Atria Books, October 2012; Trade Paperback, 416 pages)(UK details: Penguin, October 2011)

About the author: Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland and became an actress working in film, theatre, and television. She is a prolific writer having written a large number of published books, many which have been translated all over the world. Her previous novel is Hothouse Flower (UK) or The Orchid House (US). The Girl on the Cliff, her most recent book has been published in Europe and has finally reached the US where it was published in October 2012.

She currently lives in Norfolk and France with her husband and four children.

http://lucindariley.co.uk/

https://twitter.com/lucindariley