Lucienne Diver's Blog: Lucienne Diver's Drivel, page 13

More from Australia – Wildlife Sydney and the Sea Life Aquarium

Day 3 of my Sydney sightseeing my friend Marina and I teamed up to visit Darling Harbor, Wildlife Sydney and the Sea Life Aquarium.  Awesome! (Especially our koala encounter.)

Tomorrow I’ll post the amazing pics from the Blue Mountains.

More from Australia

I know, this is the slowest reveal of my travels I’ve ever done.  Busy times!  (Which is certainly a good thing, though it sometimes veers into insanity-inducing bouts of wondering how I’ll ever get everything done!)

Anyway, herewith pics from my awesome trip to Manly Beach and dinner with my friend Marina, who I hadn’t seen in ages, before seeing Don Giovanni at the Sydney Opera House.  The opera, by the way, was the most amazing production I’d ever seen.  Absolutely phenomenal from the voices to the costumes to the staging.

Necronomicon

Wonderful time once again at Necronomicon!  Great people, fun costumes and talent show (where I came in 3rd for my rendition of The Flash Girls’ classic “A Girl Needs a Knife”) and wonderful panelists.  Perhaps my favorite thing to come of it is my very own Cerberus, courtesy of Rebecca Foreman, which arrived just yesterday.  My dogs have already accepted him as one of their own.  Ginger has already given him kisses.  (Then, of course, tried to run off with him.)  Anyway, meet the newest addition to our family.  Isn’t he cute?

Yes, a little shameless self-promotion for the Later-Day Olympians series there, where Cerberus might have some part to play, perhaps long about book 2…

Another shameless plug, Samhain is doing special pricing on the first book, BAD BLOOD, starting October 20th.  I will post links and shout to the rafters and would love any boosting of the signal y’all want to give me at that time.  Got to keep Cerberus in kibble.  I’m a little terrified of the alternative!

I didn’t take as many pictures as I would have liked at Necronomicon, but here are some of the fun costumes I did get!

Three exciting new releases

Some really exciting and anxiously awaited new releases today.  Happy book birthday to Faith Hunter, R.S. Belcher and S.J. Harper for:

  BROKEN SOUL by Faith Hunter (Roc Books, mass market, digital and audio)

“The story is fantastic, the action is intense, the romance sweet, and the characters seep into your soul. At the end of Broken Soul, I smiled, closed the book, and hugged it. I loved this one.” —Vampire Book Club

“Broken Soul is just the latest fantastic installment in Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock series, which continues to be one of my personal favorites in Urban Fantasy.” —Rabid Reads

Jane Yellowrock is a vampire killer for hire—but other creatures of the night still need to watch their backs….

When the Master of the city of New Orleans asks Jane to improve security for a future visit from a delegation of European vampires, she names an exorbitant price—and Leo is willing to pay. That’s because the European vamps want Leo’s territory, and he knows that he needs Jane to prevent a total bloodbath. Leo, however, doesn’t mention how this new job will change Jane’s life or the danger it will bring her and her team.

Jane has more to worry about than some greedy vampires. There’s a vicious creature stalking the streets of New Orleans, and its agenda seems to be ripping Leo and her to pieces. Now Jane just has to figure out how to kill something she can’t even see….

  SHOTGUN ARCANA by R.S. Belcher (Tor Books, hardcover and digital, sequel to THE SIX-GUN TAROT)

“The Shotgun Arcana gives readers plenty of reason to look forward to the next installation.” —Publishers Weekly

“A worthy addition to Belcher’s highly imaginative series, with a large cast that is both magical and mundane and a well-drawn historical setting. Weird West fans will happily gobble this one up, and it would be great paired with Emma Bull’s Territory or the recent anthology Dead Man’s Hand.” —Library Journal

“Putting his imagination to good use, Belcher paints a complex and engaging story of love, loss redemption and sacrifice.” —RT Book Reviews Top Picks in October

R.S. Belcher’s debut novel, The Six-Gun Tarot, was enthusiastically greeted by critics and readers, who praised its wildly inventive mixture of dark fantasy, steampunk, and the Wild West. Now Belcher returns to Golgotha, Nevada, a bustling frontier town that hides more than its fair share of unnatural secrets.

A haven for the blessed and the damned, including a fallen angel, a mad scientist, a pirate queen, and a deputy who is kin to coyotes, Golgotha has come through many nightmarish trials, but now an army of thirty-two outlaws, lunatics, serial killers, and cannibals are converging on the town, drawn by a grisly relic that dates back to the Donner Party…and the dawn of humanity.

Sheriff Jon Highfather and his deputies already have their hands full dealing with train robbers, a mysterious series of brutal murders, and the usual outbreaks of weirdness.  But with thirty-two of the most vicious killers on Earth riding into Golgotha in just a few day’s time, the town and its people will be tested as never before—and some of them will never be the same.

The Shotgun Arcana is even more spectacularly ambitious and imaginative than The Six-Gun Tarot, and confirms R. S. Belcher’s status as a rising star.

 

RECKONING by S.J. Harper (Roc Books, mass market and digital, sequel to CURSED)

Praise for Book One in the Fallen Siren Series, Cursed

“One entertaining and fast-paced read. Best of all? Zack, the wildly sexy werewolf FBI agent! What better crime-fighting partner could a girl have?”—Jennifer Ashley, New York Times bestselling author of Tiger Magic

“Cursed is the perfect blend of magic, mystery, and romance. Emma and Zack are strong, noble characters who are trying to overcome their dark pasts, and their quests for redemption will make your heart hurt. This is a series you need to read now.”—Sandy Williams, author of the Shadow Reader series

“A promising new writing collaboration…After delivering a hefty helping of danger and drama, Harper then sets the groundwork for more fast-paced adventures.”—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

Join Agents Emma Monroe and Zack Armstrong.

She’s sacrificed. He’s suffered. They’ve both been betrayed.

Now it’s time for a reckoning.

Special Agent Emma Monroe has a secret. She’s a Fallen Siren, cursed by the gods and banished to Earth for her failure to prevent the kidnapping of Persephone. As an FBI agent she saves the lives of others believing redemption could be one rescue away.

Her partner Zack is a werewolf and former Black Ops sniper who once carried out a string of questionable assignments. Now he’s determined to atone for his past. Ironically, there’s a portion of his past Zack doesn’t remember—an affair with Emma. Giving into their attraction for one another almost led to their undoing. Now it’s back to business as usual.

While trying to unravel the mystery behind a series of kidnappings in Southern California, Emma and Zack become entangled with political tensions in the vampire and Were worlds. Not to mention the struggles they face in their relationship with one another. With so much uncertainty, they come to realize the only thing they can really count on is one another…or can they?

Coming events

I’m going to be busy (I know, surprise, surprise) the next five weeks, first with Necronomicon in Tampa this coming weekend, where I’ll have a table in the dealer’s room and a full schedule of panels (below).  Then on Saturday, October 18th emceeing the Lake County Library system’s Trash to Fashion event.  And finally, in Arlington, VA for the World Fantasy Convention November 6-9.  Then I get a break from travel (at least the work-related kind) until February.  Huzzah!

Anyway, if you’re at any of these upcoming events and want to stop by and say “hello”…

DAY
TIME
ROOM
EVENT NAME


Friday
4:00:00 PM
Audubon E-F
How to Write Believable Characters


Friday
6:00:00 PM
White Ibis South
Stuff You Really Ought to Know Before You Write Your Book


Friday
8:00:00 PM
Audubon C
Writing Characters that Aren’t Quite Human


Saturday
12:00:00 PM
Audubon C
Alternate Mythology


Saturday
4:00:00 PM
Audubon D
The Scoop on Small Presses: for Writers


Saturday
5:00:00 PM
Audubon C
Romance with Fantasy Elements or Vice Versa

Taronga Zoo

More belated pics from my Australian travels, these from the amazing Taronga Zoo.  Scroll down to see the adorable koalas and the baby gorilla!

 

New and exciting book birthdays!

So excited for today’s diverse list of new releases!  On the Knight Agency list, we have the stunning conclusion to Gena Showalter’s White Rabbit Chronicles, THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS, and the latest rock hero romance by Nalini Singh, ROCK COURTSHIP.  On my list, we have a fun-filled, caffeine-fueled sexy romance in SOME LIKE IT HOTTER by Isabel Sharpe, cowboys, babies and suspense…oh my! in A SECRET COLTON BABY by Karen Whiddon, and the wonderful history and horror of Sleepy Hollow in CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION by Keith R.A. DeCandido.  Book blurbs below.  Congratulations to all!

SOME LIKE IT HOTTER by Isabel Sharpe (Harlequin Blaze)

She takes hers tall, dark and extra hot!

To coffee-shop owner Eva Meyer, the California coast is beautiful, mellow…and boring. The solution? Swapping lives—and coffee shops—with her twin sister for one month. Now Eva’s settled in the bustling Big Apple, where she can order anything…anytime.

And what Eva really wants is the extra hot, topped-with-whipped-cream sexiness that is Ames Cooke.

While Eva is convinced she’s found her perfect cup of Delicious Man, Ames isn’t quite sure what to do with the quirky little number who’s charged into his life. He’s supposed to be attracted to someone cool and reserved—like her sister. But Eva has the unnerving ability to turn things seriously hot and steamy. Besides, it’s only for one month. And like every good coffee addict, Ames can stop whenever he chooses….

A SECRET COLTON BABY by Karen Whiddon (Harlequin Romantic Suspense)

A new addition to Wyoming’s most scandalous family

Is Theo Colton the father of a baby dropped at his doorstep by a dying socialite? Even more shocked than the sexy bronc-riding champ is his beautiful cook, Ellie Parker. Just as she becomes the baby’s nanny, she discovers a terrifying stalker has followed her to Dead River.

What’s worse—as a mysterious virus quarantines the town, danger goes viral, too. But to Theo and Ellie, the biggest dangers are their sizzling attraction and profound new feelings. Can Ellie tame the cowboy who wants nothing more than a wild ride with women? Or must she deny her heart to save his life?

SLEEPY HOLLOW: CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION by Keith R.A. DeCandido (Broadway Books)

When Ichabod Crane, a soldier from the Colonial Army, is resurrected from his grave, more than two centuries after he was killed in battle, he partners with Lieutenant Abbie Mills of the Sleepy Hollow Police Department to fight the evil forces that have taken hold of the town.

 

It’s a cold day in January, and Ichabod visits Patriots Park for a moment of peace. Instead, he receives a disturbing vision from his wife, Katrina, in which she delivers a cryptic but urgent message: he must retrieve the Congressional Cross that he was awarded by the Second Continental Congress for bravery in action. There’s just one problem: Ichabod was killed before he ever received the medal, and he is unsure where it might be. Together Ichabod and Abbie set out to uncover the mystery of the cross and its connection to George Washington and his secret war against the demon hordes. They soon learn that a coven of witches is also seeking the cross in order to resurrect their leader, Serilda, who was burned at the stake during the Revolutionary War. Now they must locate the cross before the coven can bring back Serilda to exact her fatal revenge on Sleepy Hollow.

Travel and Trouble

The trouble comes in the form of my character Hermes (and what a character he is!) getting the drop on me and running off on his own to do an interview for I Smell Sheep about what would happen if he ruled the world.  Just take a look!  If you like him, you might want to check out my whole Latter-Day Olympians series. If you’re not sure yet, you can check out their Character’s Court, where my heroine, Tori Karacis, takes me to task for everything I put her through.

In other news, I know I’ve been back for more than a month now, but I’m finally caught up enough on work that I can find a few minutes to post some of my pics from Australia!  Today some shots from my jetlagged day one – the harbor, the botanical gardens (mind you, it was their winter season) and St.

       

New Paranormal Book Birthdays!

I’m so pleased to wish some awesome new happy book birthdays.  All the birthdays today seem to have something in common…modern stories with mythic/supernatural slants.  Check them out!

 PREDATOR by Janice Gable Bashman

The hunt is on!

Sixteen-year-old Bree Sunderland must inject herself with an untested version of her father’s gene therapy to become a werewolf in order to stop a corrupt group of mercenaries from creating a team of unstoppable lycanthrope soldiers.

When Bree went with her scientist father to Ireland, she thought it would be a vacation to study bog bodies. She never expected to fall in love with a mysterious young Irishman and certainly never expected to become the kind of monster her father said only existed in nightmares. Dr. Sunderland discovers that lycanthropy was not a supernatural curse but rather a genetic mutation. When they return home, her dad continues his research, but the military wants to turn that research into a bio weapons program and rogue soldiers want to steal the research to turn themselves into unstoppable killing machines.

Bree’s boyfriend Liam surprises her with a visit to the United States, but there are darker surprises in store for both of them. As evil forces hunt those she loves, Bree must become an even more dangerous hunter to save them all.

Predator gives the werewolf legend a couple of new spins by introducing the Benandanti (an actual folkloric belief that certain families of Italy and Livonia were werewolves who fought against evil), as well as a modern scientific approach to mutation and the science of transgenics.

“Predator is a fast-paced, creepy page-turner! Bashman had me at the opening sentence and she’s still got me. I want more!” — New York Times Bestselling Author Nancy Holder

“I thought I had read all there was about werewolves, until I read Ms. Bashman’s novel. WOW.” — Kimberly S. Mason

“If you like Teen Wolf, you should read Predator.” — Nick Rosenburg

“Cool book. Love the cover and the vibe. Will definitely read her next book in the series.” — Vanessa C.

“Thanks for letting me read Predator by Janice Gable Bashman. Not what I expected at all. Really loved the different take on werewolves.” — Anna Brand

BLACK WATER by Faith Hunter

Three stories from New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter, starring shapeshifting skinwalker Jane Yellowrock.

In Snafu, a young Jane shows up for her internship with a securities firm. But before she even gets her foot in the door, she’s accosted by two street toughs and is forced to draw on her new-found Beast-magic to defend herself…

In Black Water, Jane encounters a dire situation involving an escaped prisoner and endangered hostages. With a helpful—and oddly sane—werewolf, Jane goes after the criminals, but can she stop them in time to bring the kidnapped women home alive?

In Off the Grid, Jane goes on what looks like a simple mission for the Knoxville blood-master—finding a missing Mithran. Her search leads Jane to a young woman named Nell, a woman with a scarred past and a strange power, a woman who may hold the key to saving the missing vampire, if Jane can convince her to assist.

Includes an exclusive preview of the Jane Yellowrock novel, Broken Soul, coming October 2014 from Roc!

“VERDICT: Jane Yellowrock is one of the most intriguing heroines in urban fantasy, and Hunter skillfully doles out tiny pieces of Jane’s backstory to keep readers coming back for more. Mystery and action are at the forefront here, but the romance from the first book continues to build slowly. Readers eager for the next book in Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series may want to give Faith Hunter a try.”    —Library Journal, starred review (for BLOOD CROSS)

“Jane’s world is a fully realized one, full of shapeshifters, Native American magic and folklore, baddies that will make your hair stand on end, and a heroine, that, despite her considerable skills, harbors plenty of vulnerability and self-doubt. If you love urban fantasy or just plain wonderful writing and world building, this is the series for you.” —My Bookish Ways

“Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock series is a must-read for any urban fantasy fan. Start with Skinwalker! drey’s rating: Excellent!” —Drey’s Library

BATTLE FOR THE BLOOD by, well, me

Dragons, demons, gods, gorgons. Who will save the world…and who could destroy it?

Latter-Day Olympians, Book 4

Tori wakes after Rise of the Blood to two very shocking realizations: one, she’s in bed with a very naked Apollo, having lost the fight to resist their attraction. Two, she still has her wings. Not dinky little fairy wings. Full-scale, cover-’em-with-a-trench-coat bat wings.

Apollo suggests consulting the Gray Sisters on the wings. Those cannibalistic, psychopathic oracles who, even with only one tooth and one eye among them, manage to see too much. As in a Rapture, zombie-apocalypse, biblical-plague, hellgates-busted-open the end of the world.

While the Sisters are perfectly on board with death and destruction, the thinning of the human herd doesn’t sit well with them at all. They’ll help her. All she has to do is save the world.

Tori and her team trace the origin of the plagues to New York City, which is under quarantine and martial law—as if that’s enough to stop the influx of gods and gorgons, dragons and demons. But as death threatens from without, betrayal lurks within Tori’s ranks. And nobody is safe. Nobody.

Warning: Betrayal and bad-assery, sensuality and a sizzling hot sun god. Death, demons, destruction and, potentially, the end of the world as we know it…zombie style.

____________________

I won’t weigh you down with quotes on mine, except maybe for my favorite, from Long and Short Reviews, “Bad Blood is a delightful urban fantasy, a clever mix of Janet Evanovich and Rick Riordan, and a true Lucienne Diver original.”

In Honor of BATTLE FOR THE BLOOD

 In honor of the digital release of BATTLE FOR THE BLOOD, my fourth Latter-Day Olympians novel, tomorrow, I’m harkening back to one of my favorite interviews of all time.  Thanks, Jean Marie Ward and Buzzy Magazine!

And seriously, all, gods and gorgons, myth, magic and mayhem…maybe even a zombie virus…what’s not to like?