Lucan by Susan Kearney - Contest

Lucan (Pendragon Legacy)
by Susan Kearney
Forever (September 5, 2009)

[The contest portion of this post has closed. Thanks to everyone who participated!]

From the publisher: Healer and high priestess of her people, Lady Cael is fated to life without a mate. But a mysterious explorer named Lucan Rourke doesn't know her secrets, and his touch makes her crave a future that her extraordinary birthright has forbidden her. . .

Lucan has just one mission on Pendragon: to find the mythical Holy Grail, Earth's only hope for survival. His powerful attraction to Cael is a distraction he can't afford, unless he convinces her to join forces with him. Yet working so closely together only heightens their passion . . . even when the terrifying truth of Cael's heritage threatens to shatter Lucan's every belief-and the galaxy itself.

Read an excerpt

For an excellent interview with Susan go to Yankee Romance Reviewers. She discusses her thoughts on the Arthurian legends and how she incorporated this into this trilogy. Yes, there are two more books coming, and they are already on my must read list. Although I haven't posted a review on Lucan, I have read and enjoyed it. The story of Arthur with a strong SF element works in a quite interesting way. Good characters. Good story. Good writing. What more can a reader want?

Book 2 in the series Rion (Pendragon Legacy) will be available November 24.

POWER IN THEIR PASSION

Marisa Rourke is a beautiful, fearless telepath who tames dragonshapers on Earth. Rion is a tall, dark, and sexy space explorer whose home planet is a galaxy away. The attraction between them is undeniable, but Rion is hiding a desperate secret that will change Marisa's life forever.

DANGER IN THEIR TOUCH

Marisa's gift is the only way Rion can communicate with his people, enslaved by a powerful enemy. He knows that kidnapping her is wrong, but saving his planet is worth sparking the fiery clairvoyant's fury. Yet hotter-and more explosive-is the psychic bond growing between Marisa and Rion. Could their passion be the key to freeing Rion's people? Only if he and Marisa can discover how to channel their desire . . . before a vicious enemy destroys them all.

Read an excerpt

Book three is JORDAN (Pendragon Legacy). (Forever March 2010)

CONTEST 


[The contest portion of this post has closed. Thanks to everyone who participated!]

Hachette Books is offering a copy of Lucan to 5 lucky commenters.

Please Note: Only U.S. and Canadian residents are eligible. Sorry no P.O. Boxes

FOR AN ENTRY
*Leave a comment (each comment equals one entry)
or
*Post a link to your site or a social network. Be sure to let me know the link. (each link equals one entry)

If your email address is not part of you commenter ID please post your email address.

Contest runs until Oct. 13, 2009 11:59 PM Hawaii Time

Best of luck to everyone!

Dracula: The Un-Dead A Vampire Novel Review

Dracula The Un-Dead
by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt
Dutton, October 13, 2009

The events in this novel take place in 1912, twenty-four years after similar events described in Bram Stoker's Dracula.

The  survivors of the attack on Count Dracula have suffered much mental anguish since their encounter with the vampire. Mina and Jonathan Harker's marriage is terribly strained. Their son Quincy Harker, born after the adventure in Transylvania and now an adult, is estranged from his stern father. He knows nothing of the encounter with Dracula, and both Jonathan and Mina feel it best to keep secret the horrors they witnessed. Jack Seward, the doctor who brought in Van Helsing when a mysterious ailment overtook  Mina's friend Lucy, still fights an evil like the one he and his companions first encountered. He sustains his sanity with heroin.

A demonic force haunts London and is insinuating itself into the lives of the heroic survivors. Elizabeth Bathory, the famed Bloody Countess of 16th century Hungary who thought to keep her beauty by bathing in the blood of young maidens, has arrived.

Over the strenuous objection of his father young Quincy Harker wants more than anything to become an actor. In the course of this quest he meets Bram Stoker, a bitter individual who has had little success with his vampire novel. He hopes to gain more recognition by putting it on as a play. When Quincy reads the story he is dumbfounded to discover the names of his parents as well as others he knew while growing up. How Stoker came upon this information is only one of the several mysteries to be solved. Many complex layers are woven throughout this fast paced, mesmerizing tale.

Dracula scholar Dr. Elizabeth Miller has written a fascinating Afterwords which discusses the various characters and events in both novels. But be warned this essay contains many spoilers.

Although helpful it is not necessary to be familiar with Stoker's novel. Enough of that story is incorporated so that any reader can follow. This is truly a unique twist on the saga of  Dracula who is considered a hero in his native Romania.

[But if you would like more info go to this POST for a list of characters in Dracula]

Note:  Author Dacre Stoker is Bram Stoker's great grandnephew. For more information about the book and the authors go to the Dracula: The Un-Dead web site.

Christine Feehan & Project Paranormal

Penguin has an interesting online series, which I recently discovered, called Project Paranormal. The first episode I saw (actually episode 4) centered on Christine Feehan. All of her series are mentioned, but there is one video interview where she discusses her vampire series, the Carpathians. A personal tragedy was the impetus for these dark romantic tales. To see the Carpathian interview go to the Project Paranormal site.  The featured book is Feehan's Dark Slayer
(Berkley, Sept. 1, 2009) In the video below Feehan discusses her writing.





An interview with Christine Feehan.


Other Project Paranormal Episodes:

Episode 1: J.R. Ward: Behind the Black Dagger Brotherhood

"This episode features the incredibly popular, #1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward and her brand-new release Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 7) —which is now in stores and an instant bestseller. J.R. Ward will take you behind the scenes of her thrilling series, introduce you to the brothers, and disclose her writing process, and what's up next for her. Also in this program you'll get a chance to hear from two of our top editors on the hottest new trends in paranormal romance (think vampires, shapeshifters, werewolves, and more!) and what should be on the top of your reading pile this Summer."

Episode 2: Laurell K. Hamilton: The Start of a Phenomenon

"Episode Two of Project Paranormal takes readers to the heart of the paranormal genre with a behind-the-scenes look at #1 New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton. Readers will have the opportunity to hear the genesis of the series from Laurell herself through an in-depth interview, as well as a discussion of her latest bestseller Skin Trade (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 17). In addition, interviews with the cover art director behind the many looks of Laurell's novels, as well as her editor, give readers the chance to learn first-hand what makes the Anita Blake series unique, both inside and out."

Episode 3: Spotlight on Romance Writers of America

"This special installment of Project Paranormal takes readers behind the scenes of the 2009 Romance Writers of America convention. Here, we sit down with J. D. Robb as she discusses collaborating on anthologies with her friends; Jim Butcher and his wife, Shannon, as they elaborate on being married writers; J. R. Ward and Jessica Andersen as they illustrate how their different writing styles make them the best critique partners; and Jayne Castle as she reveals her own insights on paranormal fiction. We also take to the hallways of RWA to find out just why readers love this convention so much."

Dark Hunger by Rita Herron Contest

Dark Hunger (Demonborn)
by Rita Herron
Forever (August 1, 2009)
Book 2 in the Demonborn series

From the publisher: Reporter Annabelle Armstrong will go to any lengths to deliver a story, even track down Quinton Valtrez, a man she believes is a cold-hearted assassin. Quinton has fought his demonic powers since he was a child. Now using his gifts for the good of national security, he can't let himself be distracted by the beautiful, determined Annabelle. A wicked enemy is out for vengeance, a demon who wants to draw Quinton into a life of pure evil and is willing to use Annabelle as bait. To save her, Quinton must achieve the near impossible: tame the sinister force that is both his inheritance and his curse before it claims him forever.

Read an excerpt.



Insatiable Desire (The Demonborn)
Forever, September 1, 2008) is Book 1 in the Demonborn series.

Also available in e-book.
Read an excerpt.
Check out the Fun Facts.
Go to DemonBorn.com to learn more about the characters, the legend, symbols, and the series.
Visit Rita Herron’s website.


Contest Information:

Hatchette Books is offering a copy of Dark Hunger to 5 lucky commenters.

Please Note: Only U.S. and Canadian residents are eligible. Sorry no P.O. Boxes

For an entry
*Leave a comment

or

*Post a link to your site or a social network. Be sure to let me know the link.

If your email address is not part of you commenter ID please post your email address.

Contest runs until Oct. 5, 2009 11:59 PM Hawaii Time

Best of luck to everyone!

Undead Update Sept. 10, 2009

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange (Sourcebook, August, 2009) continues to gain attention. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but this one is definitely on the TBR shelf.

THE HISTORY BEHIND MR. DARCY, VAMPYRE

In the summer of 1816, Lord Byron and his personal physician, Dr. John William Polidori, were traveling in Switzerland and soon discovered Percy Bysshe Shelley and his lover, Mary Godwin (soon-to-be Mrs. Shelley) were staying nearby. The group became fast friends, each sharing a passion for the written word. One night, Lord Byron proposed they each author their own scary short stories to see who could conceive the most terrifying tale. Byron wrote “Fragment of a Novel,” and quickly abandoned his attempt. Shelley wrote “Fragment of a Ghost Story”—which wasn’t published until much later. Mary Godwin wrote what would eventually evolve into her masterpiece, Frankenstein. Dr. Polidori wrote The Vampyre, one of the first vampiric tales in English literature. For years it was attributed to Lord Byron, but soon enough, as the character of Count Dracula gained popularity and momentum, Dr. Polidori was given his due credit.

In Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, Darcy’s mysterious uncle, Count Polidori, serves as homage to the story’s place in history. And at the time that Darcy and Elizabeth take their wedding tour through Europe, Dr. Polidori and Mary Shelley would have been in Switzerland creating the beginnings of their terrifying tales!

“For two such enduring stories to come out of one evening is truly remarkable,” says Amanda Grange, on her blog, MrDarcyVampyre.blogspot.com.

Hope you had a chance to watch the premier of Vampire Diaries last night on CW. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Here is an article from the Boston.com about the series which as most of you know is based on the books of L. J. Smith.

I have posted a list of September Vampire Book releases on VampChix

Here are a few selected titles:

Hot for the Holidays
by Lora Leigh, Angela Knight, Anya Bast
Allyson James
Jove (September 29, 2009)

Featuring four all-new novellas of sensual surprises and seasonal spirits, this collection includes a new tale of the Breeds from Lora Leigh and a return to the world of the Mageverse from Angela Knight.





Vampire a Go-Go: A Novel
by Victor Gischle
Touchstone (September 1, 2009)

Victor Gischler is a master of the class-act literary spoof, and his work has drawn comparison to that of Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, and Thomas Pynchon. Now, Gischler turns his attention to werewolves, alchemists, ghosts, witches, and gun-toting Jesuit priests in Vampire a Go-Go, a hilarious romp of spooky, Gothic entertainment. Narrated by a ghost whose spirit is chained to a mysterious castle in Prague, Gischler's latest is full of twists and surprises that will have readers screaming -- and laughing -- for more.

Retribution (Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles, Book 5)
by Jeanne C. Stein
Ace, September, 2009

With her partner out of town, her family abroad, and her mentor estranged, newly-turned vampire Anna Strong is keeping a low profile.

But now young vampires are turning up dead, completely drained of their life force. And though Anna wants to say no when Williams, her former teacher and now leader of a supernatural enforcement squad, asks for her help, she can't. But soon, she'll wish she did.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. For the complete list visit VampChix




If you are a Twilight fan and plan to be in the UK at the end of September you might want to check out:

In the Shadow of the Moon

Twilight Proms

The guests for the event are: Kellan Lutz "Emmett Cullen", Chaske Spencer "Sam Uley" and Jose Zuniga "Mr. Molina". 

For more information got to Twilight Proms

I am currently reading:

By Blood We Live
by John Joseph Adams (Editor),
Stephen King , Kelley Armstrong, L. A. Banks, Neil Gaiman, Sergei Lukyanenko, Harry Turtledove, Anne Rice, Joe Hill, Tanith Lee
Night Shade Books (August 15, 2009)

"Vampires. They are the most elegant of monsters--ancient, seductive, doomed, deadly. They lurk in the shadows, at your window, in your dreams. They are beautiful as anything you ve ever seen, but their flesh is cold as the grave, and their lips taste of blood. From Dracula to Twilight, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to True Blood, many have fallen under their spell. Now acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams brings you 33 of the most haunting vampire stories of the past three decades, from some of today s most renowned authors of fantasy, science fiction, and horror.

"Charming gentlemen with the manners of a prior age. Savage killing machines who surge screaming from hidden vaults. Cute little girls frozen forever in slender bodies. Long-buried loved ones who scratch at the door, begging to be let in. Nowhere is safe, not mist-shrouded Transylvania or the Italian Riviera or even a sleepy town in Maine. This is a hidden world, an eternal world, where nothing is forbidden...as long as you re willing to pay the price."

Most of the stories are reprinted from other sources. I am familiar with a few, but most are brand new to me. I just finished Sunrise on Running Water  by Barbara Hambly (one of my favorite writers) which is an amusing tale on a series subject, the sinking of the Titanic. The humor comes from a vampire, with a sarcastic turn of mind, who finds himself aboard the unsinkable ship.