Books Read in 2012...

 

 

DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS (H&W Investigations #3): Jess Haines

*AVENGER'S ANGEL (The Lost Angels #1): Heather Killough-Walden

TEMPEST'S LEGACY (Jane True #3): Nicole Peeler

DARKNESS FALLS (Immortal Beloved #2): Cate Tiernan

EIGHTH GRADE BITES (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #1): Heather Brewer

INCANTATION: Alice Hoffman

HANA (Delirium #1.5): Lauren Oliver

SADIE WALKER IS STRANDED (Zombie #2): Madeleine Roux

DARKNESS BECOMES HER (Gods & Monsters #1): Kelly Keaton

GREEN WITCH (Green Angel #2): Alice Hoffman

PURE (Pure #1): Julianna Baggott

NINTH GRADE SLAYS (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #2): Heather Brewer

TANTALIZE: Kieren's Story: Cynthia Leitich Smith

ENTANGLED: Cat Clarke

XVI (XVI #1): Julia Karr

LENOBIA'S VOW (House of Night Novella #2): P.C. and Kristin Cast

THAT THING AT THE ZOO (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter #0.5): James R. Tuck

NIGHT SCHOOL: C.J. Daugherty

SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP (A Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter short): James R. Tuck

TWAS THE FRIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (A Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter short): James R. Tuck

TENTH GRADE BLEEDS (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #3): Heather Brewer

THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: Jennifer E. Smith

SWITCHED (Trylle Trilogy #1): Amanda Hocking

THE VITTRA ATTACKS (Trylle #1.5): Amanda Hocking

ELEVENTH GRADE BURNS (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #4): Heather Brewer

GRAVEMINDER: Melissa Marr

*ADVENT: James Treadwell

THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER (Mara Dyer #1): Michelle Hodkin

WONDER WOMAN: Amazons Attack!: Will Pfeifer and Pete Woods

ONE HELL OF A RIDE (InCryptid #0.5): Seanan McGuire

TWELFTH GRADE KILLS (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #5): Heather Brewer

GONE TO THE DOGS (An Ethan Banning File): Naomi Clark

ICE, ICE BABY (An Ethan Banning Christmas Special): Naomi Clark

PANDEMONIUM (Delirium #2): Lauren Oliver

ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER (Guilty Pleasures #1-12): Laurell K. Hamilton, Ritchie, Ruffner-Booth, Booth, Lim

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 1 (Days Gone Bye): Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore

THE GOOD NEIGHBORS, Book 2 (Kith): Holly Black & Ted Naifeh

STRANGE CANDY: Laurell K. Hamilton

GLITCHES (The Lunar Chronicles #0.5): Marissa Meyer

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY: Jay Asher

JOHN CONSTANTINE HELLBLAZER (Setting Sun): Warren Ellis

THE GOOD NEIGHBORS, Book 3 (Kind): Holly Black & Ted Naifeh

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 2 (Miles Behind Us): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

FURY (The Fury #1): Elizabeth Miles

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 3 (Safety Behind Bars): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 4 (The Heart's Desire): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD, Book 3: Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 7 (The Calm Before): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 8 (Made To Suffer): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 9 (Here We Remain): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 10 (What We Become): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 11 (Fear The Hunters): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 12 (Life Among Them): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 13 (Too Far Gone): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 14 (No Way Out): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

HOLLOW PIKE: James Dawson

AMERICAN VAMPIRE, Vol. 1: Scott Snyder and Stephen King

A MONSTER CALLS: Patrick Ness (From an original idea by Siobhan Dowd)

True Blood, Vol. 1 (All Together Now): Alan Ball, David Tischman, Mariah Huehner, David Messina

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 15 (We Find Ourselves): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

BUNHEADS: Sophie Flack

THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS: Alden Bell

THE ROTTEN BEAST: Mary E. Pearson

THE WALKING DEAD Issue #91: Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD Issue #92: Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD Issue #93 (A Larger World, Part One): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE WALKING DEAD Issue #94 (A Larger World, Part Two): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

DEEP DARK SECRET (Secret McQueen #3): Sierra Dean

TORN (Trylle Trilogy #2): Amanda Hocking

ONE DAY: THREE WAYS (Trylle #2.5): Amanda Hocking

FIGHTING TO SURVIVE (As The World Dies Trilogy #2): Rhiannon Frater

CHOSEN (Anna Strong, Vampire #6): Jeanne C. Stein

DEADLOCKED (Sookie Stackhouse #12): Charlaine Harris

BLACK HEART (Curse Workers Trilogy #3): Holly Black

RIGHT HAND MAGIC (Golgotham #1): Nancy A. Collins

BLOOD AND BULLETS (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounter Hunter #1): James R. Tuck

THE CHOSEN SEED (The Dog-Faced Gods Trilogy #3): Sarah Pinborough

WICKED BUSINESS (Lizzy and Diesel #2): Janet Evanovich

DEAD TIME (The Murder Notebooks #1): Anne Cassidy

SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN: Lily Blake

SPIDER'S LULLABY (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounter Hunter #1.5): James R. Tuck

RECKONING (Night Huntress #0.5): Jeaniene Frost

SIEGE (As The World Dies Trilogy #3): Rhiannon Frater

THRONE OF GLASS: Sarah J. Maas

THE LAST ECHO (The Body Finder #3): Kimberly Derting

THE DARK & HOLLOW PLACES (The Forest of Hands and Teeth Trilogy #3 : Carrie Ryan

STRANGENESS ON A TRAIN: Julia Crouch

WE CAN REMEMBER IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE: Philip K. Dick

CHIME: Franny Billingsley

SUPERNATURALLY (Paranormalcy #2): Kiersten White

AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD STORIES, Volume 1: Rhiannon Frater

THE NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED: Kristopher Rufty

PAINLESS (A Theo Kane Story): Naomi Clark

BLOODED (A Jessica McClain Novella): Amanda Carlson

THE BOY IN THE LOT: Ronald Malfi

DEATH'S AVATAR (Descent #0.5): S.M. Reine

THE EDGE OF NOWHERE (Saratoga Woods #1): Elizabeth George

IN THE DEAD (Volume 1): Jesse Petersen

HAPPILY NEVER AFTER (Night Huntress #1.5): Jeaniene Frost

BLOOD ENGINES (Marla Mason #1): T.A. Pratt

HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET: Lily Blake

THE LOST ART OF WORLD DOMINATION (Skulduggery Pleasant #1.5): Derek Landy

BONE SHOP (Marla Mason Prequel #1): T.A. Pratt

THE WALKING DEAD, Vol. 16 (A Larger World): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

THE LOST BOY: Karen Mahoney

PALE DOG (Marla Mason Prequel #3): T.A. Pratt

MOMMY ISSUES OF THE DEAD (Marla Mason Prequel #4): T.A. Pratt

GRANDER THAN THE SEA (Marla Mason #1.5): T.A. Pratt

*GHOUL: Phaedra Weldon

THE AFFAIR OF THE WOODEN BOY (A Mina and James Stark Investigation): Ian Doyle

FULL BLOODED (Jessica McClain #1): Amanda Carlson

SUMMONING THE NIGHT (Arcadia Bell #2): Jenn Bennett

FRACTURE: Megan Miranda

ELEVEN MINUTES (Exclusive Tie-In Story): Megan Miranda

DEATH WARMED OVER (Dan Shamble, Zombie PI): Kevin J Anderson

KETCHUP CLOUDS: Annabel Pitcher

WICKED AS THEY COME (Blud #1): Delilah S. Dawson

*SECONDS AWAY (Mickey Bolitar #2): Harlan Coben

NOTORIOUS NINETEEN (Stephanie Plum #19): Janet Evanovich

*/**DANCE OF SHADOWS (Dance of Shadows #1): Yelena Black

THE WALKING DEAD Issue #97 (Something to Fear, Part One): Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

BLOOD AND SILVER (Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounter Hunter #2): James R. Tuck

THE WEIRD GIRLS (Weird Girls #0.5): Cecy Robson

ROYAL STREET (Sentinels of New Orleans #1): Suzanne Johnson

KITTY GOES TO WAR (Kitty Norville #8): Carrie Vaughn

KEEPING SECRET (Secret McQueen #4): Sierra Dean

AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD STORIES, Volume 2: Rhiannon Frater

CHANCE (Prequel to Seduction): Kate Forster

ROADKILL (A Short Story): Ed Chatterton

NATURE TRAIL TO HELL (A Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter short): James R. Tuck

HELLFORGED (Deadtown #2): Nancy Holzner

TIFF'S FIRST DAY: (A Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter  Between the Scenes short): James R. Tuck

FIRST FROST (Mythos Academy #0.5): Jennifer Estep

 

 

 

Books Read in 2012: 134/100

 

 

*Some skimming involved
**DNF

FIRST FROST by Jennifer Estep

I am Gwen Frost, and I have a Gypsy gift. It's called psychometry - that's a fancy way of saying that I see images in my head and get flashes of other people's memories off almost everything I touch, even guys. 

 

My gift makes me kind of nosy. Okay, okay, maybe a lot nosy--to the point of obsession sometimes. I want to know everything about everyone around me. But even I don't want to know the secrets my friend Paige is hiding or the terrible loss that will send me to a new school - Mythos Academy, where the teachers aren't preparing us for the SATs, but to battle Reapers of Chaos. Now I have no friends and no idea how my gift fits in with all these warrior whiz kids. The only thing I do know is that my life is never, ever going to be the same. . .

 

  

Since today is the last day of the year, I didn't want to get stuck into a new book... so instead, I read this prequel novella.

Gwen has the Gypsy gift of psychometry and uses it to make a few bucks on the side by finding lost things for other kids. But the day she touches a classmate's hairbrush, her life changes forever.

I didn't know what to expect with this novella, but really enjoyed it. I liked Gwen's voice and it sounds like there are some pretty intense battles waiting for her at the Mythos Academy. What happened to her mother was pretty sad, though.

Looking forward to reading more...

HELLFORGED by Nancy Holzner

A demon is stalking Vicky's dreams-just as several of Deadtown's zombies are viciously attacked and become really dead. And when Vicky realizes she is the only connection between the victims, she suspects that the demon is somehow working through her dreams to become Deadtown's living nightmare.

 

 

It's no secret that I love urban fantasy novels and read a bunch of series in this great genre, so I've been catching up lately...

Vicky is a demon exterminator and gets off to an electrifying start while dealing with a Glitch. But when her dreamscape is compromised by a powerful demon from her past, and zombies start dying around her, she's forced to go to Wales for further training with her aunt, Mab.

However, as soon as she gets there, she meets the very creepy, Pryce--who calls himself her cousin--and finds out that her destiny is a very dark one. And will probably lead her straight to hell...

Wow. This was an excellent book, and a great installment to this very interesting UF series. There's a bit of everything--Welsh mythology, mystery, romance, fighting, cool weapons, and a frustrating villain. But the best thing about this book was Vicky herself. No matter how hurt or how hard things got, she never gave up. Mab is also a great character and I'd love to know more about her past.

Loved it! Good thing I've got the next book on my bookshelf already. :)

Just wanted to wish you a very...

MERRY
 

CHRISTMAS!

Well, it's Christmas Eve...

...and the year is winding down. So I've been in my usual end-of-year mood,  which includes some spring cleaning, sorting my bookshelves so I can pull out the books I no longer want, and feeling a little restless without being able to focus on doing any real writing...

 

I'm not freaking out, though. This happens every year, and besides, Sierra hasn't stopped whispering in my ear the whole time. :) Can't wait to revise Book #4, and write #5!!

 

Instead of writing, I've been reading. Quite a bit, actually. I've read three UF kick-ass blonde chick books, and a few novellas on the side. It's a lot of fun, and I'm also catching up with my most fave series. Think I'll keep the UF-blonde-chick thing going with this book. LOL.

 

The other thing I've been doing is re-watching GRIMM. We've decided to introduce my daughter to the show, so we didn't want her to miss out on the backstory. She's loving it so far, and I'm having a great time watching it again. It's one of those shows that doesn't lose its entertaining re-watching value. Cool! Besides, you can never have too much Monroe in your life. ;)

 

We've been having some lovely summer days lately, so I hope they stay. There's nothing like a blazing hot summer Christmas Day!

 

See ya later.

 

 

 

CHANCE by Kate Forster

Willow and Kitty will discover there is no such thing as chance - only destiny.

Actress Willow Carruthers is living the dream in London, with an Oscar on her shelf, a rock-star husband and two gorgeous children. But Willow isn't coping with her seemingly perfect life.

Country girl Kitty Middlemist arrives in London desperate for a job. She has a perfect pedigree on paper, but no particular skills in real life. Work is hard to find until Kitty, quite by chance, takes on a job with Willow.

 As their lives and secrets become intertwined, Willow and Kitty discover there is no such thing as chance - only destiny.

I actually got this novella for free on Google Play Books, and read it in one sitting.

It was a great and interesting introdution to Willow--famous actress and now a full time mum--and Kitty--mysterious girl without much ambition. The day their worlds collide, both of them are facing personal challenges in their lives.

I'm intrigued...

AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD TALES, Volume 2 by Rhiannon Frater

In the second volume of the AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD TALES experience three terrifying tales of those who are forced to face the unrelenting and hungry walking dead.
In a nearby town Ken and Lenore have started their regular routine at Ken’s Beauty Salon. A terrible accident brings the undead plague to their front door and soon the best friends are scrambling to escape their overrun town…

Katarina is just finishing her shift at a roadside café when a badly injured man stumbles through the front door. She quickly realizes that to survive she must learn to kill…

And finally, a trapped family must face the fearsome truth that sometimes zombies are not the worst monster they have to fear as the world dies…

This is the second volume of Rhiannon Frater's anthology featuring stories about other survivors from the As the World Dies Trilogy, and even a few not introduced before...

 

 

Revelation: This is Katarina's story--where she was, what she was doing, and how she survived long enough to get to the Hotel construction site. She was one of the characters I wanted to know more about, so this story was great.

 

It was good to see how the zombie apocalypse changes her into a much stronger person than she was during the normal times, when her selfish and cruel mother ruled her life. She takes to the rifle right away, and we catch a glimpse of the tough, skilful survivor she becomes.

A Terrible Moment: Is actually a story about a bunch of people that aren't in the trilogy, and I have to say that it was my favourite one in this anthology! Great, great story about a woman who is a wee bit delusional and totally loses it, putting everyone around her in danger.

It's a great study of human nature at its most paranoid.


Frienship in the Time of Zombies: You know, for some reason, it took me ages to finish this story. Before starting it, I was sure I was going to love Lenore and Ken's tale, but sadly I didn't. :( Not sure what it was, but their adventure of survival just didn't hook me in, no matter how many times I tried to get back into it.

In the end, I wound up skimming most of it. Though I did like Tito. :)

KEEPING SECRET by Sierra Dean

Something old, something blue, something deadly what else is new?Secret McQueen, Book 4
It s a nice day for a white wedding. At least that s what Secret McQueen is hoping for, with her poofy-princess-dress marriage to a werewolf king looming closer and closer by the day. But as ever, nothing can be that easy for a vampire/werewolf hybrid for whom someone still harbors a death wish.

Summoned to the south by her werewolf uncle, who makes no bones about the fact her mate bond with Lucas doesn t pass muster, Secret learns her furry heritage looks more like a tangled vine than a family tree. Getting her royal uncle s blessing hinges on finding one of the missing twigs. Even with vampire sentry Holden Chancery at her side, she manages to land up to her neck in a swamp of trouble.

As an assassin s scope zeroes in, family dramas boil up and a fast-collapsing love square threatens to bury her alive, making it to the church on time could be the least of Secret s problems.

Warning: Contains a grumpy bride who shouldn t be wearing wedding white, a motley crew of bridesmaids, a dangerous scenic drive in the woods and a smoking-hot trio of suitors who might be too scorching to touch.

 

 

 

Firstly, I just want to say that I love this cover. All of the covers in this series are awesome, but this one is totally kick-ass. Love it!

Secret is about to marry a werewolf king. Even if her heart really isn't as convinced as her sense of duty to the pack, and she's not enjoying the planning process. Especially since someone is trying to kill her, and haunting dreams keep hounding her.

When her uncle demands Lucas and her visit the south to get his blessing, things go from bad to worse... because her uncle has an ulterior motive. One that reveals a few shocking family secrets and puts Secret's life in danger. But what's new about that, right? ;)

This is another awesome book in an excellent series. One that changes Secret's life in many weird, wonderful, and heartbreaking ways. Wow. I felt so bad for her, and disliked Lucas even more than before!

Looking forward to the next book...

KITTY GOES TO WAR by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Norville, Alpha werewolf and host of The Midnight Hour, a radio call-in show, is contacted by a friend at the NIH's Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology. Three Army soldiers recently returned from the war in Afghanistan are being held at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs. They're killer werewolves—and post traumatic stress has left them unable to control their shape-shifting and unable to interact with people. Kitty agrees to see them, hoping to help by bringing them into her pack.

Meanwhile, Kitty gets sued for libel by CEO Harold Franklin after featuring Speedy Mart--his nationwide chain of 24-hour convenience stores with a reputation for attracting supernatural unpleasantness--on her show.

Very bad weather is on the horizon.

 

 

This is one of my fave UF series but for some unknown reason, I've fallen behind. The other night, I decided to change that. :)

Kitty survived a pretty awful ordeal in the previous book and it still haunts her. But when a sketchy guy--and CEO of a chain of convenient stores--sues her after she speculates about him on her radio show, and she's called in to help with three rogue werewolf soldiers with PTSD, she hasn't got time to dwell on it. Then there's Cormac. Her husband's enigmatic cousin who's finally out of jail...

Yeah, there's plenty to keep her busy.

I loved this book! Reading a Kitty book always feels like getting in touch with old friends. Sure, they're friends surrounded by supernatural problems and fast-paced trouble, but it never gets boring.

This is another excellent installment to a terrific series.

Last week of Year 6...

Yeah. My daughter finishes Primary School tomorrow. It's a bittersweet thing, really. I mean, I'm excited about her finishing school with such a great report card, and her constant giddiness--because she's having a great time with all the farewell stuff they're doing--is awesome... but it also means she's growing up so fast!

 

I still can't believe she starts High School next year. Yikes! Before we know it she'll be a teenager. :/

 

Speaking of my daughter, she made the ghost tile on the left. Isn't it cute? It's part of a golf course the kids decorated for the rest of the school. I love all the tiles she made, and snapped plenty of pics. So I'll probably be posting them over here soon. LOL.

 

Y'know, I've kinda lost track of time because for some reason I thought Christmas was still a few weeks away, and it's not. It's next week!

Although, personally, things have been going good this month, sometimes things happen in this volatile world of ours that affect your mood even if you're not there and don't even know someone that it's affected. I'm talking about what happened to those innocent children who went to school last Friday and were gunned down inside their classrooms by a madman. It breaks my heart every time I think about it, and I can't bear to watch the news because seeing the photos makes me sad all over again.

 

I just can't understand why/how anyone could hurt/kill a child. It's something I find repulsive. That's why whenever I think of what happened, I don't want to get into any arguments about guns and mental health... I just struggle to understand how a human can be so broken he would even contemplate doing something so callous. I just wish people would stop taking out their anger and personal problems on the innocent. It happens too often.

 

There are things that change the way people look at the world, and this was one of them. Sometimes people make it SO hard to have faith in human nature. It's sad.

 

Anyway. Let me just take a deep breath. Exhaling now. Phew. That was my sad and heavy thoughts for today.

 

So, what's going on? Anyone got any good news to share? I'm still excited about Sierra's third book coming out next year! So happy about it that I can't wait to revise the fourth one so I can submit it and move onto writing the fifth/final book. :)

 

Well. That's it for today. Just wanted to post a little update. I haven't been doing a lot so far this week because I've been so darn tired, but I did finish an awesome book yesterday! And I've been worldbuilding an upcoming project, as well as constantly getting new snippets from Sierra.

 

Have a great day!

ROYAL STREET by Suzanne Johnson

A fantastic new urban fantasy series set in post-Katrina New Orleans staring the city's junior wizard sentinel, Drusilla Jaco.

 

As the junior wizard sentinel for New Orleans, Drusilla Jaco spends more of her time mixing potions and retrieving pixies than she does sniffing out supernatural bad guys that slip over from the preternatural beyond. It is DJ's eccentric boss and mentor, Gerald St. Simon, who is tasked with protecting the city.

 

But when Hurricane Katrina hammers the city's fragile levees, it unleashes more than just flood waters. As the winds howl and Lake Pontchartrain surges, the borders between the modern city and the Otherworld start to crumble away...

 

Now the dead and the restless are roaming the Big Easy, and a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering soldiers sent to help the city recover. To make it worse, Gerald St. Simon has gone missing, the wizards' Elders have assigned a grenade-toting asshat as DJ's new partner, and the pirate Jean Lafitte - who has an impressive libido for a 200-year-old - wants her to walk his plank.

 

If she is going to survive, DJ will have to learn that loyalty requires sacrifice, allies can be found in unlikely places ... and that duty mixed with love creates one bitter gumbo.

I've been looking forward to checking out this series for a while now, so I was really excited when I started this book and was instantly hooked.

 

When Drusilla Jaco (DJ) is sent to get rid of a pesky, undead pirate who has crossed over into our world from the Beyond, she didn't count on making an enemy that would return to haunt her in violent, surprising and lustful ways. But the junior wizard sentinel hasn't got time to worry about him at the moment because Hurricane Katrina is about to hit New Orleans and she has to leave the city, which she does for a few weeks. But when her mentor Gerald St. Simon disappears, she returns to the devastated area determined to find him.

 

At least her house has survived, and she's able to carry on with her life in the almost empty city.

 

The Elders send her a partner--an enforcer--who is easy on the eye, but very frustrating and trigger happy. Not to mention that he's got his own secrets and a cousin that ends up being just as alluring as he is. DJ has her work cut out for her now that she's knee-deep in the mud and trying to find out what happened to Gerry, while uncovering some secrets from her own past, learning a bit more about her power and wielding it like she hasn't before.

 

Royal Street is an awesome book. A fantastic start to an interesting and unique urban fantasy series featuring a great heroine. As well as a supporting cast that I can't wait to catch up with again. I also loved how vivid the New Orleans imagery was, as well as how the devastation caused to such a beautiful city was portrayed with respect and made even more sinister by adding the supernatural.

 

I'm already a fan and can't wait to read more!

Royal Street, December 2012, ISBN 9780755397655, Headline

THE WEIRD GIRLS by Cecy Robson

Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other 20-something girls—with one tiny exception: they're products of a backfired curse that has given each of them unique powers that make them, well, a little weird…

The Wird sisters are different from every race on earth—human and supernatural. When human society is no longer an option for them, they move in among the resident vampires, werebeasts, and witches of the Lake Tahoe region. Could this be the true home they’ve longed for? Um, not quite. After the sisters accidentally strip a witch of her powers in a bar brawl, they soon realize the mistake will cost them. Because to take on a witch means to take on her coven. And losing the battle isn’t an option.

Includes a preview of the first full-length novel in the Weird Girls series, Sealed with a Curse—as well as introductions to the Weird World, and a letter from the author.

 

 

The night the Wird sisters decide to celebrate finding a nice place to settle within the Lake Tahoe region, they get caught in a fight with a crazy bitch--ah, I mean witch--who viciously attacks them before setting her coven against the Wird girls.

I really enjoyed the introduction to the four Wird sisters, and can see a lot of magical trouble waiting on the horizon.

I'm really glad I've got the first book on pre-order. :)

BLOOD AND SILVER by James R. Tuck

He hasn’t met a monster yet that could give him a scare. With ice in his veins, silver hollow-points in his chambers, and an innate ability to rise from the dead, what’s to fear? The answer may be something he doesn’t want to face…

Deacon Chalk normally has no trouble telling innocent victims from real monsters. So protecting an abused pregnant were-dog is a no-brainer…until a vicious lycanthrope leader and his brotherhood target Deacon, other shape-shifters, and any humans in their way. Suddenly, Deacon is outnumbered, outgunned, and unsure who—or what—to trust. The only edge he has left is a weapon hungry for his soul and his most savage impulses. And using it will exact a price even this hell-raising hunter fears to pay…

 

 

Firstly, I need to mention that the Deacon Chalk, Occult Bounty Hunter series is fast becoming one of my favourite UF series.

Deacon fights monsters, and never gets a day off. So the day he gets to hang out at the carnival with Tiffany, he's not surprised to get caught up in some shit. When they spot some guy beating a dog, Deacon rescues her... and gets himself caught up in some serious shifter business.

But he doesn't care. He wants to help the were-dog, especially when they find out she's pregnant with some cross-species babies.

This book was like an action-packed movie--heart pounding and relentless. As soon as I started it, I was hooked and couldn't stop. Deacon's one tough dude but what happens to him in this book pushes him to the point of breaking physically and mentally.

A lot of bad things happen to a lot of good people, but it is balanced out with some tender moments and suprises.

This is such a kick-ass series. Love it!

Can't wait to read his next adventure...

Awesome Sierra News!

I'm very excited to announce that I've just signed another contract with Samhain Publishing. It's for the third book in my urban fantasy series, Sierra Fox Stories.

 

How awesome is that? :)

 

I'm so, so excited about this! I'm really glad that my new editor loves the series as much as I do, and really gets the characters. I can't wait to work with her.

 

The name of the book is: ON PINS AND NEEDLES, and will be released next year.

 

Wow. Cool. Excellent. Awesome!

 

*taking a deep breath*

 

This is a great Christmas present, that's for sure. And it's also a reward for writing the fourth book.

 

Well, that's all for today. I'm too excited to talk about anything else. See ya!

Sunny days are finally here!

The other day I mentioned that I had a new shade in my hair, and here it is! What'd you think? I love it.

 

I took this pic--with my daughter's help--this morning and finally managed to capture the actual colour. I've taken a few other shots, but they came out looking a little too dark because my hair looks black indoors. It's not until the sun is shining on it that you can see the true shade. :)

 

So. This week's flying by. I'm slowly working my way through my to-do list, but for some reason it feels like I'm not getting anything done. I always feel that way after finishing a first draft, revision or edit. When I'm working on either one of those, there are always word and page counts achieved at the end of the day, but now there's nothing. lol.

 

I just need to adjust, that's all. Which isn't going to be easy if Sierra things keep popping into my head.

 

Yesterday, my daughter and I attended Orientation Day at the high school she'll be attending next year. It was one of those really tiring things that took a few hours and left me exhausted, even though I didn't do much but sit around and listen. The cool thing is that my daughter's actually excited about starting high school, not worried/scared. I shouldn't be surprised since she was the same way when she was about to start pre-school and kindy. She adapts well, so I hope things go very well for her next year. Sometimes, I can't believe she's actually going to start Year 7 in 2013.

Time sure flies!

 

As far as my to-do list, I've managed to cross off a bunch of things but still have a few things left to tackle--some nitty-gritty worldbuilding issues/character notes/inspirational pics for one of my upcoming projects, random Sierra research, and nitty-gritty behind the scenes stuff for the final Sierra book. Doesn't sound like much, but it kinda is, so I'm taking my time with it.

 

One thing I haven't done this week is read. I just haven't had the time because I get caught up in my own stories and/or end up playing Zookeeper for ages. :D

 

Well, better go and do something...

It's a wet Monday...

Yeah, it is. And I'm kinda over the shitty rainy weather already. Sure, it's only been going for a few days but it's summer now and I want me some sunny, lovely days with blue skies. Not this dark and dreary crap that belongs in winter. :/

 

Enough bitching about the weather.

 

We had an awesome weekend, though I wish it wasn't over. They're never long enough, are they? I did get some awesome (awesome) news that had me giddy all weekend. Okay, I'm still giddy about it. Hopefully I can share the news soon. :)

 

Hubby coloured my hair on Saturday, and it looks great! I was also happy about not suffering any sort of allergic reaction, like what happened in early October. I went back to using the brand that was working for me, just chose a different colour. This time I used Raspberry Black, and I really like it. 

 

So, what else did I do? Well, not much really. We had a nice relaxing weekend, though we did buy my daughter's high school uniform! I can't believe she's starting high school next year. Actually, this Wednesday, I'm going to attend Orientation Day. Yikes!

 

Okay. That's it for today. Haven't got much planned for this week, except for the to-do list I put together last week. 

BTW, if you're interested... I blogged over at Samhain last Friday.

Have a nice day!