Pearl Awards 2009

2009 PEARL

"Chosen by the members of Paranormal Romance lists as the best books and authors of Paranormal Romance published in 2009. Go to PNR for a complete list.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Best ANTHOLOGY

Winner Must Love Hellhounds

From the publisher: From New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris and Nalini Singh and national bestselling authors Ilona Andrews and Meljean Brook, tales of man's worst friend...

In these hound-eat-hound worlds, anything goes... and everything bites.

Follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya into Lucifer's realm, where they encounter his fearsome four-legged pets, in Charlaine Harris's The Britlingens Go to Hell. Seek out a traitor in the midst of a guild of non- lethal vampire trackers, one that intends to eradicate the entire species of bloodsuckers, in Nalini Singh's Angels' Judgment. Find out why the giant three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades has left the underworld for the real world-and whose scent he's following-in Ilona Andrews's Magic Mourns. Embark on a perilous search for the kidnapped niece of a powerful vampire alongside her blind- and damn sexy-companion and a hellhound in Meljean Brook's Blind Spot.

These four novellas by today's hottest paranormal authors will have hellhound lovers everywhere howling.


Best FANTASY

 Winner: Queen of Song and Souls
              by C. L. Wilson
              Leisure Books; Original edition (October 27, 2009)

From the publisher: As the Fey King and his bride finally complete their truemate bond, they defeat their most powerful enemy and discover hidden truths about their world






Best FUTURISTIC ROMANCE

Blaze of Memory
by Nalini Singh
Berkley; Original edition (November 3, 2009)

From the publisher: Dev Santos finds a woman with amnesia—and all she can remember is that she's dangerous. Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor and programmed to kill, Katya's only hope is Dev. But he could very well be her next target.





Best FANTASY/MAGICAL ROMANCE

Angel's Blood
by Nalini Singh
Berkley; Original edition (March 3, 2009)

From the publisher: FIRST IN THE GUILD HUNTER SERIES.

Nalini Singh introduces readers to a world of beauty and bloodlust, where angels hold sway over vampires.

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux is hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael. But this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break.


Best SCIENCE FICTION

Hope's Folly
by Linnea Sinclair
Bantam (February 24, 2009)


From the publisher: Admiral Philip Guthrie is in an unprecedented position: on the wrong end of the law, leading a ragtag band of rebels against the oppressive Imperial forces. Or would be if he can get his command ship—the derelict cruiser called Hope’s Folly—functioning. Not much can rattle Philip’s legendary cool—but the woman who helps him foil an assassination attempt on Kirro Station will. She’s the daughter of his best friend and first commander—a man who died while under Philip’s command and whose death is on Philip’s conscience.

Rya Bennton has been in love with Philip Guthrie since she was a girl. But can her childhood fantasies survive an encounter with the hardened man, and newly minted rebel leader, once she learns the truth about her father’s death? Or will her passion for revenge put not only their hearts but their lives at risk? It’s an impossible mission: A man who feels he can’t love. A woman who believes she’s unlovable. And an enemy who will stop at nothing to crush them both.


Best SHAPESHIFTERS

Branded by Fire
by Nalini Singh
Berkley; Original edition (July 7, 2009

From the publisher: Though DarkRiver sentinel Mercy is feeling the pressure to mate, she savagely resists when Riley Kincaid, a lieutenant from the SnowDancer pack, tries to possess her. The problem is not simply that he pushes her buttons; the problem is that he’s a wolf, she’s a cat, and they’re both used to being on top.

But when a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped from DarkRiver territory, Mercy and Riley must work together to track the young man—before his shadowy captors decide he’s no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it’ll leave them both branded by fire…

Best TIME TRAVEL 

Guardian: The Time Hunters

by Angela Knight

Berkley; Original edition (May 5, 2009

From the publisher: Riane Arvid is a superhuman cop from the future, trapped in the year 2009 by group of murderous fanatics called the Xeran.

Nick Wyatt is a handsome twentyfirst century warrior who has been a target of the Xeran his entire life. He's the only one Riane can turn to, but his intentions are as mysterious as his origins. In an attempt to discover the truth about each other, both Riane and Nick decide seduction is the best tactic. 

Best URBAN FANTASY

Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson)Bone Crossed

by Patricia Briggs

Ace Hardcover; 1ST edition (February 3, 2009)

From the publisher: Marsilia, the local vampire queen, has learned that Mercy crossed her by slaying a member of her clan. Now, she's out for blood. But since Mercy is protected from direct reprisal by the werewolf pack-and her relationship with its sexy Alpha-it's not Mercy's blood Marsilia is after...

Best VAMPIRE

Lover Avenged

by J. R. Ward

NAL Hardcover (April 28, 2009)

From the publisher: J. R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood novels have introduced readers to a "different, creative, dark, violent, and flat-out amazing" (All About Romance)world. Now, as the vampire warriors defend their race against their slayers, one male's loyalty to the Brotherhood will be tested-and his dangerous mixed blood revealed...

Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood-even though his sister is married to a member, for he harbors a deadly secret that could make him a huge liability in their war against the lessers. As plots within and outside of the Brotherhood threaten to reveal the truth about Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in his darkening world, Ehlena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him-and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction. 

Best NEW AUTHOR

Kimberly Frost

Eva Gordon - Guest Blog and Contest

PVN welcomes Eva Gordon author of fantasy and paranormal stories. She states, "I love to create stories that combine my passion for mythology, romance and werewolf lore."

[Eva will giveaway an ebook copy of Werewolf Sanctuary

The contest is international. See detail at the end of the post.]
 [This contest has ended}

Wolves as Archetypes in My Novels

                                                           

By Eva Gordon

I would like to tell you why my fantasy and paranormal novels center on wolves as main characters, or spirit guides.  In my debut fantasy novel, Mystic Stone of the Tenth Realm (soon to be resold), my hero is a Scottish werewolf, an alpha of his own pack.

My current series is an epic lycan series, The Wolf Maiden Chronicles. Book 1, Werewolf Sanctuary released May 2009 followed by Beast Warrior (August 2009), which takes place during the Viking era. White Wolf of Avalon is due out in late March 2010. My totem guide is the raven but my heart guide is the wolf. I’m not alone. Numerous authors are following the call of the wild.

Why is the wolf a common archetype in many myths and stories, even today? Nothing sends a chill down your spine more that hearing a wolf’s howl in the night. While at a wolf sanctuary, I spent the night in a trailer on the grounds and was privileged to hear night after night of thirty wolves in their nightly serenade.  No sound is more awesome.

Yet in the past the wolf had a more sinister reputation. During the development of agriculture and domestication of livestock people settled down and pushed out old hunting deities. Wolves were vilified as part of pagan beliefs and turned the wolf into Satan’s ally. Fear of the wolf once ruled Europe. Wolves were hunted and exterminated. Legends of werewolves were rampant. Little Red Riding Hood and the story of Bisclaveret brought fear to the hearts of many. Many accused of being werewolves were tortured and or burned at the stake.

Today there is more of a movement to save the wolf and what was once considered a savage killer is now becoming a spirit guide for folks who need a strong archetype and for environmentalist who see the wolf as a “spokes creature” for nature. So why is the admiration and fear of the wolf so universal?  My own explanation is that the wolf’s biogeography, high intelligence; and social interaction helped them enter into the mythos and literature.
    
The wolf is ubiquitous, found throughout most of the world from the icy Tundra in the Northern Hemisphere to the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula.  Even in countries where the wolf is not found such as Australia, there are canines that serve as a wolf proxy such as the dingo. Here in our modern homes and cities our pet dogs are constant reminders of our “wolfen” companion. We after all, created the dog from the ancestral wolf, as our most loyal companion.

 Wolves display common social and intelligent behavior similar to our own. They both play and have a strict social status, just as some of our cultures have. They communicate with their kind, much the same way we do, both vocally and in non-verbal ways. We have kings and presidents, they have the alpha pair. Humans low in status such as slaves and peasants certainly were low on the pecking order or in a wolf pack the omega. Wolves also mate for life, which endears them to people who long to have a long and loving relationship with a mate. How romantic!

What impressed me the most about the wolf sanctuary was the relationship between two wolves, Beasly and Barksalot. Beasily a white wolf had been rescued from a cruel man who gouged his eyes out, leaving the wolf blind and helpless. He was brought to the sanctuary and became friends with another rescued wolf, Barksalot, who literally became his “guide dog”.  Beasly grabbed on to Barksalot’s tail and would be lead around. Barksalot would also bark to communicate with Beasly. Barking is unusual for wolves. Beasly was unusual in that he was the only blind alpha known. He passed away last year and soon after his two other companions joined him. These similarities to human behaviors let us see the good and bad in us in them.

We long to emulate their hunting prowess. Wolves use team strategy and their powerful carnassials to bring down a much larger prey. Imagine a hero that can do damage without a weapon.

The wolf is universally regarded as creatures of prophesy and omens, and have connections between the worlds of the living and the dead. The wolf is affiliated worldwide with magic, medicine, healing and transformation.  In Native American culture the wolf is an important archetype. They had great respect for the wolf and often offered prayers before a hunt to the wolf spirit. Wolf spirit was also powerful medicine for shamans who traveled to the world of the dead.  In the New World, there never was an attempt to eradicate the wolf from their land by the indigenous people.  In Europe just as in the New World, myths and stories about wolves are universal. Early Europeans Respected the Wolf as Protector and Teacher. From the Steppes of Asia Minor to the British Isles the Wolf was mighty totemic protector. Hecate, an Ancient Greek deity was worshipped as a goddess with three wolf heads. Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus who were fed by the she-wolf, Alcala.

Ancient Celts respected the wolf as a totem and often as a spirit guide. In Ireland, King Cormac was nursed by a she-wolf. In the Viking world to be a member of the Wolf Clan, Ulfhednar was the greatest honour. Viking warriors believed that if they died a heroic death they would be turned into magnificent wolves. Vikings also believed wolves chasing and devouring the sun and moon caused eclipses. Two wolves accompanied Odin, ruler of the Norse Gods. He created the wolves Freki (Hungry One) and Geri (Greedy One) as loyal companions.

Today the wolf is once again a positive force in literature and as an important part of the predator/prey relationship that keeps nature in balance. And those hot one mate werewolf lovers make us long for the coming full moon.


Eva Gordon: Author of Paranormal and Fantasy Romance/Werewolf Expert

http://www.ravenauthor.com

http://evagordon.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/evagordon

Fan me on Face Book
 

Howling Acres Wolf Sanctuary

NOW FOR THE CONTEST

Eva is offering an ebook copy of Werewolf Sanctuary to one lucky winner

CONTEST IS INTERNATIONAL

*Ask Eva a question: One chance

*Make a pertinent comment: One chance

You may also:

*Link to this contest on any of the social network sites, including Twitter, or your own web page. Let me know the url:  One chance for each link.

*If you are a Google follower (see sidebar on right): One chance

*If you are a member of the PVN Facebook page: One chance

*If you are an email subscriber: One chance

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

Contest ends April 7, 2010
 [This contest has ended} 

Scott M Baker- Guest Post

Today PVN welcomes author Scott M. Baker who discusses vampires and their slayers. He has written the novel The Vampire Hunters which will be published by Shadowfire Press in April, 2010.   

Vampires vs Vampire Hunters

Of all the monsters that scare us, none have terrified the imagination as much as the vampire.  These creatures of the night embody our most inner fears.  The primitive fear of being preyed upon in the dark when we’re most vulnerable and of having our life slowly drained away.  The more modern fear of losing control over our own free will and of giving in to our basest desires.  And the spiritual fear of losing our souls.

     So pervasive and disturbing are these fears that legends of the undead can be found in almost every culture stretching back thousands of years, whether it’s the strigoi of Romania, the chiang shih of China, the brahmaparusha of northern India, or any of the other various names they are known by throughout the world.  Over time, the legends became literature, and the supernatural aspects of the undead gave way to their entertainment value. Today, vampires appear more frequently in film and fiction than any other monster.

     Almost as common as vampires are the men and women who hunt them.

     The man-versus-monster theme made its first appearance in Dracula, the first of the modern-day vampire tales.  Bram Stoker told his story not from Dracula’s point of view but from those of van Helsing and the others who track down the count.  Universal Studios would forego the hunter, only bringing back van Helsing for a brief cameo in Dracula’s Daughter, and instead making the monster the recurring character of its sequels.  In the 1950s and 1970s, Hammer Studios took a different track, introducing Peter Cushing as van Helsing in Horror of Dracula and making the doctor the mainstay of their vampire movies, bringing him back to fight the undead for seven sequels.   

     Stoker’s vampire hunter is the most famous, but van Helsing is only the first among his profession.  Over the last twenty years we’ve watched the battle standard be taken up by Blade, Buffy Summers, Anita Blake, Harry Keogh, Jameson Arkeley, Vampire Hunter D, Jack Crow.  And now, even Abraham Lincoln.

     So why the fascination with vampire hunters?

     Simply enough, the hunters are the good guys.  It doesn’t matter whether they are chosen ones, professionals, or simple men or women who realize the need to confront the undead.  When faced with the ultimate evil, they fight the good fight.  They go into combat outnumbered and outgunned.  They face death, or worse, being turned into a vampire themselves.  In the end, they defeat the undead.  In short, the hunters appeal to our sense of justice and righteousness, and they vindicate our belief that good will triumph over evil.

     It’s why I chose vampire hunters as the theme upon which to base my vampire trilogy.

     I’m an old monster kid who grew up enthralled by the Universal and Hammer monsters.  My first hero was Peter Cushing as van Helsing.  No matter how much vampire films changed over the years, with increased action and special effects, nothing can compare with Cushing sliding across a long dining hall table to tear the curtains off of a bay window and douse Dracula in sunlight.  It was that theme of a normal man going up against the undead that eventually compelled me to write The Vampire Hunters.

     If Peter Cushing could save the buxomly damsel in distress (this was Hammer, after all) and defeat a nest of vampires by himself, then there were few things that I couldn’t face down.  Idealistic?  Yes.  But what type of writer isn’t idealistic?

     So if you like your vampires malevolent and evil, and if you like your good guys flawed but able to kick ass, please check out the book at http://shadowfirepress.com.

And please drop by my blog at http://scottmbakerauthor.blogspot.com.

Or you can follow me on Facebook, My Space (Scott M Baker (author)), or Twitter (http://twitter.com/vampire_hunters).

Winners of Jordan by Susan Kearney

Congratulations to SiNn; Lisa R; Kathleen; Cybercliper; and Reena Jacobs!

You have each won a copy of Jordan by Susan Kearney. Please send your mailing address to me at patriciaaltner@gmail.com I will forward the information to the publisher Forever Romance.

Everyone was asked to name their favorite character from the legends of King Arthur, and it was interesting to do a tally and see the ranking.

        Merlin turns out to be the favorite with 12 mentions

King Arthur himself comes next with 10

Lancelot was named 8 times

Guinevere 4

Gwain 2

Tristan 1

Lady of the Lake 1

And last but not least Morgan le Fey with 1 mention

I have to agree with Lisa who mentioned Morgan le Fey. Although Morgaine is usually depicted as a villain, I have not been able to think of her in that way since reading The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. She tells the Arthurian legend from the point of view of the women. Morgan served the Goddess, and she was Arthur's older sister. See the entry in Wikipedia

This Week on PVN (March 21)

Coming up

Monday March 22 PVN author Scott M. Baker writes about vampires vs their slayers the theme of his novel The Vampire Hunters (April, 201)

On March 24 author Eva Gordon explains why her fantasy and paranormal novels center on wolves as main characters, or spirit guides. Her novel White Wolf of Avalon: Werewolf Knight is due out this month.

Two contests will end this week, both on March 24.

For the CONTEST by author David Niall Wilson there will be three lucky winners. First winner drawn will receive an ARC of Vintage Soul (Five Star Mystery Series). Second and Third winners will each receive an ebook download of This Is My Blood.
Go here for details.


In the CONTEST for a copy of Skyler White's novel, one US readers or Canadian reader (No P. O Boxes please) will have a chance to win a copy of and Falling, Fly
International readers (non-US or Canadian). I will offer one copy of ...and Falling Fly to be sent from Book Depository.