Stacia Kane - Downside Series

Good news for all the fans of Stacia Kane's Downside series. Book four
Read the PVN review of book one below:


Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, Book 1)
by Stacia Kane
Del Rey; Original edition (May 25, 2010)


Unholy Ghosts is a dark, mesmerizing tale with a heroine, Chess Putnam, who has always felt different and alone. She stumbles through life and gets through the hours with a wide assortment of drugs. Her only true haven, the one place she feels safe, is at the Church of Real Truth. This is an organization that preaches "there is no god". The Church runs the country since the horrific time when the dead rose and walked the earth destroying the living in their wake.

After a blistering upbringing in a series of foster homes, each one more horrible than the last, the Church took an interest in her because she had the valuable gift of magic. She was shown how to enhance her powers and began working for the Church as a Debunker.

A true haunting is rare anymore now that the church is in control, but there are often people willing to run a a con hoping they can make the Church pay them money. That's where Debunkers like Chess come in. She can feel the power when a ghost is involved and knows how to use her magic to exorcise it. She can also easily spot a hoax.

Chess does her job reasonably well. The pay isn't great but it keeps her supplied with drugs. Too bad her dealer decides to quadruple the amount she owes him and informs her that the only way she can pay off her debt is by doing a dangerous job for him - get rid of whatever is haunting the small airport just outside of town. He needs it for his business.

Terrible, yes, that's his name, is a big, muscular guy with a sacred face and broken nose. He is designated as her body guard. Chess doesn't care much for him but overtime she changes her mind. He is fearless in guarding her even in the face of strong, spine-chilling black magic.

It took me several pages to get into this story, but at some point in the second chapter I became hooked. Chess may not be a character to admire, but she has a deep vulnerability that makes you care what happens to her. The character of Terrible as well as Lex, another fearsome man in her, life are just as vividly depicted. The action sequences, and the plot, are so well done I scribbled in my notes, "at times I feel like I'm watching a 3-D Cinemax movie. I was completely captivated."

Lots of darkness pervades this story yet there are rays of something like hope for Chess and the others. Life may actually be worth living. I can't think of enough great things to say about Unholy Ghosts. It is Urban Fantasy with a difference.

Sequels:

Unholy Magic (Downside Ghosts, Book 2)
Del Rey (July 6, 2010)

City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, Book 3)
Del Rey (July 27, 2010)

Melissa de la Cruz - Guest Blog and Contest

 

PVN is delighted to have New York Times best-selling author Melissa de la Cruz as today's guest blogger. Melissa's most recent book is Bloody Valentine, three short stories featuring characters from her young adult Blue Bloods saga.

"Might a witchy new girl help cure Oliver’s broken heart? How did Allegra fall in love with a human? Will Schuyler and Jack finally be bonded? Romantic and sensual, BLOODY VALENTINE illustrates that in matters of the heart, even vampires are prey…"
 
[Three lucky commenters will win a copy of Bloody Valentine See details at the end of the post.]


Since my favorite story in Bloody Valentine is Just Another Night in Suck City featuring a new character, the witch Freya, I asked Melissa the following question: How do Freya and the witches view the Blue Bloods?


Melissa answers:

I feel I can't answer this question without spoiling the book, since the part where the Blue Bloods characters appear in Witches is a really fun part of Witches of East End for Blue Bloods fans, and this question is answered there. Instead I'll talk about the process of writing Witches.

The idea came from the title. Blue Bloods came from the title as well, (Blue Bloods=American vampire elite) so I thought it was a good sign of things to come that I liked the title so much. Yes, it's a play on Witches of Eastwick, and I think all books are in conversation with each other, so I like the playful part of it, but I also like the whole idea of the "East End."

My husband and I used to rent a house on Shelter Island, so I am a bit familiar with the Hamptons, and in fact, set my first YA book there—The Au Pairs. So having the Witches set in that part of the world, a paranormal in the Hamptons—felt like "going back home" in a way.

So I had a title. Witches of East End. But who were these Witches? And what was so special about the Hamptons? How do I make the Hamptons paranormal? I started doing a little digging, and discovered the history of Gardiners Island, one of the oldest privately-owned islands in the country. So that became one part of it. I also find a lot of my books come from images, just cool stuff that I want to write about. I loved the images from that documentary Grey Gardens, this idea of these sort of kooky, useless women—or I should say, utterly useless in productivity and housekeeping, but totally useful for a life they don't lead anymore. These women could never hold down a job or keep house, but they were the kind of women who could throw parties, host salons and be charming and witty.


So I wanted to write about that, and I also wanted to write about a family of women. I have a very close relationship with my mom and my sister, and I wanted to write about what that is like, two sisters dealing with a strong mother. And I knew I wanted to write about Norse mythology, which is incredibly tragic and has all these super-sad love stories, and one of the hardest parts of writing the book ended up being how much of the mythology I would use, and how much I could change.

I wanted to write about a small town, so I decided I wanted to write about the Hamptons, but not the "Hamptons-Hamptons" per se. So I decided I would make the town a fictional one, and made up the town of "North Hampton." In New York, there is East Hampton, Westhampton and Southampton, but no North Hampton.

When we used to live on Shelter Island, we went to the Ram's Head Inn all the time, and some of our friends dated fishermen whose families had lived on the island for generations. These boys (who were always very cute) made all their money in the summer, catching big-eye tuna to sell to Japanese buyers, and then in the winter, they just sort of hung out at the bar. So I had this idea of setting it at the Ram's Head, (and I was very gratified when one of the sales reps who had lived on Shelter Island said – "is the North Inn Bar based on the Ram's Head – because that's what I thought when I read it?" Yes! Yes it is.)

So that's where the book comes from: sisters, strong mom, Hamptons, Ram's Head, Gardiners Island, Norse mythology, magic, tragic romance, hot boys.
Witches of East End comes out June 21st. Hope you all enjoy it!

CONTEST

*Melissa is offering a copy of Bloody Valentine to three lucky readers.

*Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. 

*Contest is limited to US and Canadian residents.

*Contest ends Feb. 17, 2011 at 11:59pm EST

Read PVN's review of Bloody Valentine

Calen - Paranormal Book Review

Calen: My Soul to Keep
by Rie McGaha
Noble Romance Publishing, 2009.

From the publisher: "When Calen MacLeod begins having dreams of an ethereal beauty who beckons to him, he passes it off as just having an itch he hasn't scratched in a long time. But when he leaves on a journey to find her, following the directions she's given him in his dreams, he begins to doubt his sanity. And when he finds himself high in the Mackinaw Mountains in a secret fortress with unicorns and a pink and white castle, surrounded by women, each one more beautiful than the next, it's a fantasy no man would want to wake up from. Calen’s life would be perfect, but there’s just one thing standing in his way: a 500-year-old demon intent upon destroying Arianna, Calen’s new-found love, and her entire world."

PVN: The story begins with a young boy hiding and terrified while a band of angry men destroyed the family's encampment and murdered his parents. Days passed before he was found by the brothers Caleb and Calen who take him to the castle of their father Lord William. It is a mystery why this child's parents were singled out. About this same time Calen begins to dream about the beautiful Arianna. She calls out to him to find her. It's then that he discovers the danger to Arianna's mystical world and how it ties together with the orphaned boy.

Calen has a well thought out plot with plenty of action and lots of sizzling sex, but it also includes a few disturbing scenes of rape. Not enough to deter most readers just a cautionary note that it's there. This is book one in a planned trilogy.

Read an excerpt

Scorched - Book Review

Scorched 
by Sharon Ashwood
Signet Eclipse, December 1, 2009,


[read an interview with Sharon]

From the publisher:
"Ex-detective Macmillan always had a taste for bad girls, but his last lover really took the cake—and his humanity. Now half-demon, Mac's lost his friends, his family and his job.

But Constance, a strangely innocent vampire trapped in the supernatural Castle prison, needs his help. Her son has been kidnapped, so suddenly Mac has a case to work—one that embroils him with a mad sorcerer, an even madder city council, and a winged love god. The trail leads deep into the supernatural prison, and Mac soon learns that cracking the case will cost him his last scrap of his humanity.

Fiery, vulnerable Constance will do anything for those she loves, including Mac. He'll be damned if he turns his back on her… and a demon forever if he doesn't."



PVN:  Sharon Ashwood has a way of coming up with complex characters and intricate plots all the while keeping the reader completely engrossed in every nuance of the story.

Her second book in the Dark Forgotten series brings back the half-demon ex-cop Conall Macmillan. One hunky, macho guy who continually battles to keep his humanity front and center and his demon in check. He is also one truly nice fellow who as a former cop found his greatest satisfaction in helping people.

Then there is the gentle Constance a half vampire who never fully turned, and has lived all of her long, undead existence in the strange environs of the Castle. Not until her son, the young incubus Sylvius, is kidnapped does she realize her own resolute strength. The powerful witch Holly and her soul-mate the luscious vampire enforcer Alessandro (heroes of Ravenous) play important, although secondary, roles in Scorched . Mac and Constance overcome many difficulties before being able to reach out to one another in order to save the life of Sylvius, and, as it turns out, many others within the Castle.

I must add that the first time Constance and Mac make love is one of the most sensuous scenes in recent urban fantasy memory. Not to be missed!!

Ashwood creates an ensemble of paranormal creature, all fully realized and memorable. She is a born storyteller.  As in Ravenous any angst or horror is leavened with dollops of humor. In fact it is the hunky demon Mac with his sardonic view of life who has the best lines.



Read an excerpt of Scorched

Unchained (Book 3 of The Dark Forgotten) by Sharon Ashwood will be released July 6, 2010.

Witch Heart - Review

Witch Heart (Elemental Witches Book 3)
Anya Bast
Berkley (Sensation), January 2009

 

From the publisher: With the immense powers of an earth witch, Claire isn't destined to be a demon's handmaiden. Yet this has been her fate since she was six, when her warlock mother brought her to Eudae. Now as an adult, she's about to discover her true power—and how far others are willing to go to take it away...

As part of a mission with the Coven, Adam Tyrell rescues Claire from her enslavement—and finds himself immediately taken with the beautiful witch. But this charming playboy soon learns that it's easier to steal Claire from demons than win her heart, for her life as a servant has ravaged her spirit. But with Adam determined to protect her from the warlocks who want to harness her magick for evil, Claire's resistance starts to give way—and they find themselves in the heat of danger, surrendering to the lure of their deepest desires...

Read an Excerpt


From PVN: This is how the story begins: "Twenty-three years as the Handmaiden of a daaeman had prepared Claire for many things, but not this. Nothing could have prepared her for this.

"She huddled back against a brick wall, the cold seeping through her thin dress, and watched the inky shadows grow on the building opposite her. Discarded paper disturbed by the wind rustled/over the pavement and a sudden bloom of voices and laughter came from the mouth of the alley and gradually faded away.

"Still the shadows grew..."

Right from the start the fear is palpable. Claire is on the run for her life. Her pursuers, the Atrika, most malevelant of all daaemon, want the powerful magic she carries and will stop at nothing until they have it. The coven of Elemental witches stand ready to help Claire, but their combined magic has little effect against the Atrika.

One of the witches is the handsome, playboy Adam. He and Claire have a strong attraction for one another which they at first try to ignore.  Although they usually find the time and inclination for ardent love making they must always be mindful of the relentless Atrika.

Anya Bast has created a vivid combination of sizzling, sexual passion and pulse pounding adventure!

This is Book 3 in the Elemental Witch series, and the only one I have read so far. I enjoyed the story tremendously, but would probably have had a better understanding of the complex world Bast created if I had read Books 1 and 2 first. That problem will soon be remedied. A dear friend is sending me copies. Then I'll be ready for Book 4.  


Elemental Witches

Witch Fire (Elemental Witches, Book 1)

Witch Blood (Elemental Witches, Book 2)

Witch Heart (Elemental Witches, Book 3)

Witch Fury (Elemental Witches, Book 4)



[Dear FTC, I won this book in a contest]

Bitter Night - Blog Tour and Contest

Bitter Night: A Horngate Witches Book
Diana P. Francis
Pocket, Oct. 27, 2009

Contest has ended. Congratulations to Dot S., Shawna L and walkermisc. Please send your mailing address to patricialtner@gmail.com

Bitter Night is the first in a dark, glittering new urban fantasy series about a headstrong woman who is enslaved to a witch as her finest warrior and who must embrace her enslavement if she is to save humanity.

SOMETIMES YOU CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES. AND SOMETIMES, THEY CHOOSE YOU...

Once, Max dreamed of a career, a home, a loving family. Now all she wants is freedom...and revenge. A witch named Giselle transformed Max into a warrior with extraordinary strength, speed, and endurance. Bound by spellcraft, Max has no choice but to fight as Giselle's personal magic weapon -- a Shadowblade -- and she's lethally good at it. But her skills are about to be put to the test as they never have before....

The ancient Guardians of the earth are preparing to unleash widespread destruction on the mortal world, and they want the witches to help them. If the witches refuse, their covens will be destroyed, including Horngate, the place Max has grudgingly come to think of as home. Max thinks she can find a way to help Horngate stand against the Guardians, but doing so will mean forging dangerous alliances -- including one with a rival witch's Shadowblade, who is as drawn to Max as she is to him -- and standing with the witch she despises. Max will have to choose between the old life she still dreams of and the warrior she has become, and take her place on the side of right -- if she survives long enough to figure out which side that is....

Read an excerpt


This is the first book in the Horngate Witches series, Bitter Night, was released October 27, 2009.

Thanks to Pocket Books two US residents (no P.O. Boxes, please) have a chance to win a copy of Bitter Night.


If you live outside the US let me know in your comment. I have a copy of Bitter Nights that I will send to an international entrant in a separate drawing.

Contest:

To be eligible do one or more of the following:

* Answer this question: If you were a witch what would be the first spell you would cast?

* Link this contest to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL. If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

Contest ends November 24, 2009 at 11:59 Hawaii Time

Contest has ended. Congratulations to Dot S., Shawna L and walkermisc

Please send your mailing address to patricialtner@gmail.com

Interview and Contest with Barbara Bretton

The contest portion of this contest has closed. Thanks to everyone for participating!

Please welcome today's guest Barbara Bretton author of Laced with Magic (Berkley, August 2009). She is an excellent story-teller and has a marvelous sense of humor, both things evident in Laced as well as it's predecessor Casting Spells (Berkley, November 2008)

Besides being a prolific writer (more than 40 novels) she loves to knit. Both novels, set in the magical small town of Maple Sugar, Vermont, are filled with offbeat paranormal inhabitants and happenings along with knitting advice and the thrill of all those lovely yarns.


Read a Review of Casting Spells

See contest details at the end of the interview.

PVN: Hello Barbara. Thanks for joining Patricia's Vampire Notes today.

PVN: You have created an amazing world for Chloe Hobbs. Would you describe what makes the small Vermont town of Sugar Maple so special?

Barbara: What a great question, Patricia! Twenty-three years ago my husband and I moved from a working class neighborhood on Long Island to a semi-rural, upwardly-mobile small town in central New Jersey. Just a few miles north of Princeton, our town looked so perfect to my eyes that it gave me the creeps. Don't get me wrong: I loved it here and was glad we had made the move but the bucolic perfection was downright unnerving. There was no litter, no graffiti, no noise, no weeds, no rowdy kids. Bambi actually grazed in my front lawn.

Well, I'm a writer and sometimes my writerly imagination tends to get the better of me. Suddenly I was conjuring up a whole Stepford scenario that had me checking neighbors for signs of animatronic tendencies.

Is it any wonder that years later I created a picture-perfect New England village where things aren't exactly the way they seem?

I have to admit I love the idea of hiding in plain sight. I love the notion that the woman sitting next to me in a yarn shop might be a vampire or that the friendly hardware store owner is descended from a line of werewolves. The world is a big and wondrous place where anything is possible. Sugar Maple is proof of that!


PVN: What is Chloe like? Is she by any chance an alter ego!

Barbara: Have you been talking to my husband? Chloe and I share an embarrassing number of traits. (Except for the skinny one, darn it.) We both love Chips Ahoy, so-bad-it's-good tv, great yarn, ice cream, and a certain 1985 Buick that happens to live in my garage.

Want to know a secret? There's part of me in every single character I've created. (Even the not-so-nice ones.) But for some reason I seem to understand Chloe better than most. I know what it's like to be on the outside looking in, of feeling that you just don't quite fit in with everyone else. Our reasons might be very different, but the underlying loneliness? That's something I definitely understand.

PVN: Do you ever dream of opening your own yarn store? If so what would it be like?

Barbara: Well, there would definitely be magic at work, I can tell you that! No more dropped stitches for this knitter and I would finally be able to master lace work without muttering words not fit for print. Of course I would be independently wealthy and able to stock every yarn from every manufacturer, including the gifted indies, and I'd offer every color. The space would be large and welcoming with over-stuffed chairs and couches, big work tables, great lighting, a roaring fire place in the winter and lovely central air in the summer. And there would be a cat. There has to be a cat. I don't think yarn shops are allowed to operate without feline supervision.

PVN: Vampires do exist in your world. What are there characteristics?

Barbara: My vampires are middle-aged and older. They live in a world where the "hunt" is no longer necessary. Modern technology can take care of their needs with no muss and no fuss. But same as in the human world, the younger generation is looking for something different and are leaving Sugar Maple to build lives that are substantially different from their parents' lives. Which means a return to the old ways.
It's a topic I hope to dip into in future Sugar Maple books.

On a side note, I have a bit of a vampire reputation myself. I'm a night owl by nature. My brain doesn't start clicking until well after dark. My body clock runs totally counter to the norm and always has. Drive by our house at two or three in the morning and you're likely to see the lights burning. I do my best writing just before dawn.

PVN: How many books are planned for the series?

Barbara: I'm delighted to say there are two more planned for 2010 and 2011. Beyond that is anyone's guess.

PVN: What attracts you to the paranormal?

Barbara: The same quirk in my personality that created Sugar Maple. Deep inside this middle-aged body there's a little girl who still believes in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and elves and even the Tooth Fairy. Even the movies I fell in love with as a child (and love still) contain a big splash of maybe. The Wizard of Oz. Miracle on 34th Street. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. There's something wonderfully appealing about the notion that our reality is only the beginning.

PVN: Describe your writing environment and your writing day.

Barbara: I have a lovely office on the second floor of our house but I can't say too much writing happens there. I'm a "have laptop, will travel" kind of writer. You never know where I'll turn up next. The kitchen. The deck. I've even been known to perch on the staircase and turn out a few paragraphs. I hate the idea of being tied down to any kind of routine or schedule. I know that runs counter to the conventional wisdom about writers and routines but structure makes me itchy.

And it doesn't help that we share our house with three parrots, all of whom seem hellbent on popping the keys off my keyboard and scattering them from one end of the house to the other.


PVN: Which authors have inspired you?

Barbara: I'm an unabashed fan of Bertrice Small's work. (Loved the Skye O'Malley series and her Hetar books especially.) Laurie Colwin's work has been a big influence on my own. Maeve Binchy. Robert B. Parker. Herman Wouk's Marjorie Morningstar and Youngblood Hawke. I was maybe twelve when I read the latter and I was totally swept up into the world of a young and gifted writer who hand wrote his manuscripts (!!) while eager editors willingly typed them up for him. Talk about a fantasy!

PVN: What are your current projects?

Barbara: I'm embarking on Book #3 of the Sugar Maple Chronicles. I can tell you that there will be a road trip involving Chloe, Luke, Penelope the cat, and a Buick stuffed full of yarn.

PVN: Tell us about Romancing the Yarn.

Barbara: Romancing the Yarn is truly a labor of love. Three years ago I contacted a group of published authors I knew who also happened to be writers and suggested we start a blog. I didn't have a clue if it would work or even if we would still be posting to it six months later but I was delighted when they agreed to give it a shot. And here we are, still writing, still knitting, and still talking about it. We have a lot of fun at RTY and give away tons of fabulous yarn. Needlework lovers of any ilk are invited to join us. And even if you don't knit or crochet, stop by anyway. We talk about life and books and writing as well as needlecraft.


PVN: Where can readers find you on the Internet?

Barbara: I'm everywhere these days! Let me list some addresses for you:

Website: www.barbarabretton.com
Personal blog: http://bmafb.blogspot.com
Romancing the Yarn: http://romancingtheyarn.blogspot.com
Twitter: BarbaraBretton
Facebook: BarbaraBretton
Ravelry: wickedsplitty

My email address is barbarabretton@gmail.com and I'm probably crazy but I still answer all of my own mail. It might take me awhile but I promise you'll hear from me. (Did I mention I have free bookmarks and fridge magnets and book plates available?)


UPDATE (8-14-09) FROM BARBARA: What fabulous comments! I was away for a few days so apologies for delay in reading (and savoring) all of your questions and remarks. Give me an hour or two to add caffeine to my blood stream (yes, I know it's 1:30 in the afternoon but you already know I'm not exactly a morning person) and I'll be back to tackle every single one of them. You guys are great!

And while I have your attention, let's add Casting Spells to Laced with Magic for the winners. They go together, right? Who am I to separate them. A totebag will also be included. AND there will be 5 winners!

Thank you, Barbara!

The contest portion of this contest has closed. Thanks to everyone for participating!

One lucky commenter will each win a copy of Laced with Magic and Casting Spells

To be eligible do one or more of the following:
* Leave a comment
* Ask Barbara question
* Link this interview to your own site or a social network site, and be sure to let me know the URL

If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

Contest ends August 15 at 11:59 PM Hawaii Time

Interview and Contest with Author Barbara Bretton

On August 13 PVN will present an interview with Barbara Bretton.

She is the USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of more than 40 books. Her most recent title, Laced with Magic (Berkley Trade August 4, 2009), received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. She currently has over ten million copies in print around the world. Her works have been translated into twelve languages in over twenty countries. Barbara lives in New Jersey with her husband but has many online homes.


"Knit shop owner and sorcerer’s daughter Chloe Hobbs felt the Fates finally got it right when she met Luke MacKenzie. And no one could have convinced her otherwise—including the trolls, selkies, or spirits who also call Sugar Maple, Vermont, home. But then out of nowhere Luke’s ex-wife suddenly shows up, claiming to see the spirit of their daughter, Steffie—a daughter Chloe knows nothing about.


Steffie’s spirit is being held hostage by a certain Fae leader. And if Chloe weaves a spell to free her spirit, her nemesis will also be free—free to destroy her yarn shop and all of Sugar Maple. But if she doesn’t, Steffie won’t be the only one spending eternity in hell. Chloe’ll be joining her, cursed with a broken heart."

Laced with Magic is the sequel to Casting Spells (Berkley Trade November 4, 2008)

Website: www.barbarabretton.com