Megan Chance's Blog, page 19

Seattle7Writers Gathering

Last night, I attended a social for the Seattle 7 Writers, a non-profit group that is dedicated to raising money for literacy programs. More information on them here. A lot of fun was had by all, and here I am, surrounded by many talented authors (including Lynn Brunelle, Jennie Shortridge, Suzanne Selfors, Boyd Morrison, Rebecca Wells, Kaya McLaren, Erica Bauermeister, Susan Wiggs, and Kristin Hannah, among others):

Also, this week, Blanche managed to find her way to my office, and much exploring and messing up of things commenced. I will not be inviting her back any time soon.

New Publication Date!

The powers that be have decided to move the publication date of The Web, (The Fianna Trilogy, Book Two), to January 20, 2015! Even less time to wait!

Bone River Special

Today through October 8th, the print edition of Bone River is being offered at the special price of $3.99. And don't forget about Kindle Matchbook--if you buy the print edition, you can get the Kindle edition for $.99. All in all, a pretty cool deal. Details and ordering are here.

Now, back to the cave, where I'm doing the final edit on the new manuscript ...

The Web news and Guest Blog

I've done a guest blog over at Vox Libris on "The Believable Character"--five tips to remember when developing characters that work for me.

And ... I've seen the cover ideas for The Web, (The Fianna Trilogy, Book 2), and it is going to be as gorgeous as The Shadows. I'll be sure to post it when it's ready. Also, I received the page proofs as well--another beautiful design from Skyscape. I can hardly wait for everyone to read this one. More Celtic myth, more danger, and more love story ... just holding my breath for February 25, 2015!

Interview: The Examiner

Today I'm the featured author for the Examiner's "Ten Questions with a Historical Fiction Author." This was a fun interview to do--a couple of offbeat questions. The link is here.

Book Review: The Black Sheep

The Black Sheep by Honoré de Balzac

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I like to pick up Balzac whenever I feel like watching a train wreck, and to this point, he has never disappointed. The Black Sheep is no exception. It is full of some really compelling characters: the charming, charismatically cunning Maxence Gilet; Phillipe Bridau, the selfish, supremely self-involved favorite son who is the apple of his mother's eye; and Flore, the poor crab-girl taken in by a rich doctor, who makes the very unfortunate mistake of falling in love, are only a few of the interesting people here. The book takes a while to get going--about a 100 pages or so--but once it hits, it's a non-stop ride of plots and counter-plots, cringe-worthy naivete, and a game where the reader is constantly wondering which of the villains MOST deserves to be strung up. While the book takes its time setting up the conflict, and the ending is both a bit drawn out and too abrupt (I know, weird, but you'll see what I mean), this is still one of my favorite Balzac works.



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Inamorata Signing Pics

Wednesday night's signing at Liberty Bay Books was a lot of fun, with plenty of wine, women and song (well, the first two anyway). Here are some pictures from the event (featuring some very special guests):

Me and author Katherine Stone:

Katherine Stone, me, author Jill Barnett, and author Kim Fisk

Liberty Bay Books is the official Megan Chance bookstore, and they keep in stock autographed copies of my books. You can also get them personalized, and Liberty Bay will ship anywhere.

Now, I'm back to editing the new manuscript ...

Kindle Daily Deal!

Today, The Shadows, the first in my young adult trilogy about Celtic myth coming alive in New York City, is the Kindle Daily Deal. It's offered at a great price of $1.99. The link is here. Today only!

Signing Tonight!

Tonight, at 6:30, I'll be discussing all things Inamorata (and signing as well) at Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo, WA.

I also want to remind everyone that this is the bookstore that stocks autographed copies of my books (not just Inamorata). If you want something personalized, just let them know! They ship everywhere.

Book Review: Between the Spark and the Burn

The new manuscript came back from my critique partner with MUCH less to do that I anticipated, so before jumping back into editing, I gladly picked up the second book in this duet:

I Between the Spark and the Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The first book of this duet, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, was one of my favorite books of last year. While I don't like this one quite as well, I still enjoyed it very much. It feels fresh; it's genuinely creepy in places; and it's permeated from almost the first pages with a sense of dread that kept me from putting it down. The Redding brothers are truly morally compromised at the same time they are hard to resist--a bad boy archetype that isn't just window dressing. Tucholke's characters are not black and white, but elegantly rendered in shades of gray. Between the Spark and the Burn doesn't feel as fully developed as its predecessor, and I did think the ending was a bit weak, but I read it at a pummeling pace. She does a fantastic job with atmosphere, and I'm looking forward to more from her.



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