Christine Rains's Blog, page 62

Review for The Necromancer's House

Blurb:
Andrew Ranulf Blankenship is a handsome, stylish nonconformist with wry wit, a classic Mustang, and a massive library. He is also a recovering alcoholic and a practicing warlock, able to speak with the dead through film. His house is a maze of sorcerous booby traps and escape tunnels, as yours might be if you were sitting on a treasury of Russian magic stolen from the Soviet Union thirty years ago. Andrew has long known that magic was a brutal game requiring blood sacrifice and a willingness to confront death, but his many years of peace and comfort have left him soft, more concerned with maintaining false youth than with seeing to his own defense. Now a monster straight from the pages of Russian folklore is coming for him, and frost and death are coming with her.

My review:
Andrew Blankenship is a recovering alcoholic and a practicing warlock.

Reading that hook alone prompted me to pick up this book without having heard anything about it. Christopher Buehlman didn't disappoint me.

This urban fantasy horror isn't an easy read. It's not fast-paced or what you might expect. It's thick, and I don't mean in the actual length. Incredibly written with beautiful and, at times, gruesome detail. It's unique in style and content.

The plot has many dark twists and turns, and the world building is phenomenal. The monsters, the spells, the enchanted items, the house itself! Magic isn't free in this world. It has a price. I don't want to give anything away. You must read it for those things alone. Yet it is the characterization that is phenomenal. Characters so far from the mainstream, so gritty and real. I was wrapped up in Andrew, Anneke, and Nadia. Even Sal enchanted me, and my chest tightened when I learned his story.

Highly recommended. I'll definitely be picking up Buehlman's other books.

Buy THE NECROMANCER'S HOUSE here:Amazon * B&N * Kobo
Visit Christopher at his site. 

Friday Five for June 6, 2014

1. Yikes! I forgot to write up this post last night. It's been one of those weeks. My husband and I caught my son's illness. We're all on antibiotics and not feeling ourselves. Not a great way to start off the summer.

2. No news on any of my submissions. I've read things are slower in the summer. So I must keep distracting myself with good reads.

3. I wasn't going to go to Gen Con Indy this year. Last year, I spent most of the time just chasing after my son as he went up and down the escalators. Yet now I see they have Jim Butcher as a guest of honor! Maybe I'll go just one day... if my son can stand in a long line with me to get a book signed. Okay, who am I kidding? I'll just have to send my husband to do it.

4. Did I mention I was sick? I can't think of anything else to say. It's too early in the morning!

5. Don't forget about two awesome giveaways on Untethered Realms. Mary Pax is having a Roadtrip Audiobook giveaway, and Cherie Reich is giving away a huge prize pack of several books including a signed print version of her new YA fantasy novel, REBORN.

Have a great weekend!

A Woman Lost review & sale

Blurb:Elizabeth “Lizzie” Petrie has it all. She’s rich, beautiful, intelligent, and successful. None of this matters to her mom. Les-Bi-An. That’s all her mom sees.
Even though Lizzie insists her mom’s antagonism does not bother her, Lizzie distances herself from her entire family. When her brother, Peter, calls her out of the blue to announce he’s getting married, Lizzie’s entire life changes drastically. Peter’s fiancée wants to bring the lesbian outcast back into the family. Will this desire cause Lizzie to lose everything dear to her?

Sarah, Lizzie’s girlfriend, is ecstatic about this change in Lizzie’s personal life. Sarah, the hopeless romantic, wants it all, including settling down with the fiercely independent Lizzie.

Can Lizzie be tamed? And can she survive her family and all of their secrets?
My review:Elizabeth Petrie would prefer to have nothing to do with her family. She's happy staying away from them, finishing her doctorate and debating whether to live together with her girlfriend, Sarah. This is until Lizzie's brother calls and introduces her to his fiancée Maddie who ignites Lizzie's desire. Sarah wants more in their relationship, but Lizzie can't stop thinking about Maddie. Lies and secrets. Will Lizzie lose it all for want of the one woman she can't have?

This is a wonderfully written contemporary romance about a woman who doesn't know what she really wants. The characters might be rich and successful, but their problems have nothing to do with their careers or financial status. These are real problems that I found it easy to relate to and commiserate with the characters.

Lizzie is a strong, intelligent, and passionate woman. Being self-absorbed, her point of view is skewed. I loved it when things about other characters were revealed that she missed, because I was so caught up in Lizzie too. Sarah, Maddie, and Ethan are powerful presences. Each fascinated me in their own way. The story is driven forward by the people, and the characterization is exceptional.

5 stars for A WOMAN LOST. A fantastic hook that brings you a brilliant story.
This week, A WOMAN LOST is on sale! Get your copy today.
Amazon.comNormal price: $2.99 * Sale price: $0.99
Amazon.co.ukNormal price: £1.99 * Sale price: £0.99
Here's a tantalizing excerpt:
Neither of us mentioned how odd it was that she’d showed up outside of my apartment. She’d never been here before. How did she find out where I lived? I wasn’t sure she had forgiven me yet for the conversation we had at our last meetings. I hoped both of us could forget the incident.

“I had a lot of energy, so I went longer than normal. I rode to LaPorte and back.” I tugged at my T-shirt, which was sticking to my skin. “Geez, look at me—I’m a mess! Do you want to come in? I’m dying for a hot shower. You can hang out while I get cleaned up.”

“That sounds nice. Hope you don’t mind, but I won’t hug you until you shower.” She waved her hand in front of her nose. “Stinky.”

“Smelly McGee, that’s me.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I froze. What had compelled me to make such a nincompoop out of myself?

Maddie snapped her head up to eyeball me. “Oh, wow. That’s pretty dorky, even for you. I wouldn’t suggest trying that one on the ladies.” She snickered.

“Come on, smartass.” I led her up the flight of stairs to my apartment, searching for my pride with each step.

“Is Sarah home?” Maddie asked.

Had she sensed my embarrassment and wanted to divert the conversation away from my gaffe?

I laughed, feeling more at ease. “She doesn’t officially live with me. But no, she isn’t here right now. She and her mom are bonding today. They’re having breakfast, and then they’ll shop till they drop. They are definitely shoppers. When I go with them, I have to take energy shots just to keep up.”

“Two women after my own heart. You don’t like to shop?”

“I prefer to have someone else do it for me.”

“So you always have a girlfriend to take care of you?” 
* * * * *
Author Bio: T. B. Markinson is a 40-year old American writer, living in England, who pledged she would publish before she was 35. Better late than never. When she isn’t writing, she’s traveling the world, watching sports on the telly, visiting pubs in England, or taking the dog for a walk. Not necessarily in that order. A Woman Lost is her debut novel.

Links:Goodreads * Blog * Twitter * Amazon * Mailing List

IWSG for June 2014

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

I'm still waiting to hear back from novel, novella, and short story submissions. Tons of insecurities and anxiety there. I clean the house, check my email, water the garden, check my email, play hide-and-seek, check my email.

Instead of doing that, I really should be doing something else. I should be writing.

There's nothing more energizing than having my favorite people (fictional and real) telling me to write. Hope they inspire you too!

Check out "Ladgarda"

( Lathgertha by Morris Meredith Williams, 1913 on Wikipedia )

My viking pirate short story "Ladgarda"
is now up on Luna Station Quarterly.
A grand battle at sea, betrayal, and subterfuge.
The story is based on a Danish legend of a viking shieldmaiden and onetime wife of famous viking Ragnar Lodbrok.

For any women speculative fiction writers, Luna Station Quarterly is a great place to showcase your work.

Double the fun on Monday - Flight Fest and Secrets of Honor cover reveal

Flight Fest
Today we're celebrating the release of Tyrean Martinson's newest book, Champion of Flight.
A year after she won the battle for Septily, Clara feels trapped in Skycliff by the Allied Council. As the last pieces of information about the Healing Caves fall into place, Clara is attacked by an assassin. Covert Drinaii mercenaries and the Council aren’t going to stop Clara from her quest to heal her broken blade. As Champion of Aramatir, she must act. Meanwhile, in the joint kingdoms of Rrysorria and Wylandria, the youngest and still cursed swan prince despairs of ever being whole again. In a moment of anger and desperation, Liam discovers a blood link between him and a dark sorceress. Clara won the battle for Septily, but her battle isn’t over.

 Buy Champion in Flight here:Smashwords * Amazon
Author bio: Tyrean Martinson lives and writes in the Pacific Northwest. Dragonfold and Other Adventures, and Light Reflections showcase her short stories and poetry. She is currently at work on the third novel of The Champion Trilogy: Champion’s Destiny.
You can find Tyrean on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Amazon.
The Flight Fest question: Answer in 100 words or less. What is your favorite way to fly and why?

I'd love to fly just like Superman. Free of any machine or wings. I often have dreams where I'm flying, and I wake feeling wonderfully lighter in mind, body, and soul.
* * * * *
I'm also happy to be a part of Carol Kilgore's cover reveal for Secrets of Honor. Isn't it awesome?
Sometimes, a woman has to do what a woman has to do . . . even when she knows she shouldn't.
By the end of a long evening working as a special set of eyes for the presidential security detail, all Kat Marengo wants is to kick off her shoes and stash two not-really-stolen rings in a secure spot. Plus, maybe sleep with Dave Krizak. No, make that definitely sleep with Dave Krizak. The next morning, she wishes her new top priorities were so simple.

As an operative for a covert agency buried in the depths of the Department of Homeland Security, Kat is asked to participate in a matter of life or death—locate a kidnapped girl believed to be held in Corpus Christi, Texas. Since the person doing the asking is the wife of the president and the girl is the daughter of the first lady’s dearest friend, it’s hard to say no.

Kat and Dave quickly learn the real stakes are higher than they or the first lady believed and will require more than any of them bargained for.

The kicker? They have twenty-four hours to find the girl—or the matter of life or death will become more than a possibility.

Author bio:
Carol writes grocery lists, texts to her family, new lyrics to old songs for her dogs, love notes to her husband, and novels for herself. And for you. In between, she blogs weekly at Under the Tiki Hut and is active on Facebook and Twitter.

She sees mystery and subterfuge everywhere. And she’s a sucker for a good love story—especially ones with humor and mystery. Crime Fiction with a Kiss gives her the latitude to mix and match throughout the broad mystery and romance genres. Having flexibility makes her heart happy.

You can find out more about Carol and her books on her website, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Friday Five for May 30, 2014

1. I finished my revisions for WIP #1. It went through some major changes, but it's beautiful. Now I need to find the editor that thinks so too. I queried three publishers earlier this week. I already received one rejection. Yup, two days after I queried, I was rejected. Remarkably, I wasn't totally devastated. I'd love to get picked up by a publisher, but if the manuscript doesn't find a home somewhere, I will self-publish it. A few years ago, I wouldn't have been comfortable with that possibility, but I am now.

2. No word on any of the short stories or the novella I submitted. Waiting never gets any easier.

3. My son had his last day of school and now summer vacation begins. Unfortunately for the poor guy, it starts with him feeling sick. Yet he really wanted to go to his last day of school. I'm happy he loves it so much.

4. Did you see Annalisa Crawford's awesome new cover? Check it out.

5. There are two fabulous giveaways happening over on Untethered Realms. Mary Pax is having a Roadtrip Audiobook giveaway, and Cherie Reich is giving away a huge prize pack of several books including a signed print version of her new YA fantasy novel, REBORN.

Have a wonderful weekend!

An American Girl in Italy release day!

An Italian paradise is the last thing she wants... but the one thing she needs!
Surely any girl would kill for the chance to tour Italy’s most famous cities for the summer? To experience the warmth of the Tuscan sun, the culinary delights of the pizzerias and caffés and to stroll along the cobbled streets of the City of Love itself...
Any girl apart from ambitious oboist Carly Davis that is! For her, the Easthampton Civic Symphony’s latest European tour is one massive inconvenience. She can’t even put her smartphone down long enough to snap a picture of the Coliseum.
Only, there’s one Italian attraction that Carly hadn’t quite expected to be a part of the tourist route... Tour guide Michelangelo is as dark and delicious as Carly’s morning espresso. And when she needs a few lessons in the language of love to land her an important gig, he’s a more than capable tutor.
But with her promising career back in Boston, can Carly really afford to lose her heart in Italy?
Now available for the Nook and Kindle!
About the AuthorAubrie Dionne is an author and flutist in New England. Her books have received the highest ratings from Romance Times Magazine, as well as Night Owl Reviews and Two Lips Reviews. She has guest blogged on the USA Today Happily Ever After Blog and the Dear Teen Me blog and signed books at the Boston Book Festival, Barnes and Noble, and the Romance Writers of America conference. Her books are published by Entangled Publishing, Harper Impulse, Astraea Press, Spencer Hill Press, Inkspell Publishing, and Lyrical Press. When she's not writing, Aubrie teaches flute and plays in orchestras.
Links-Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2964057 Twitter: https://twitter.com/authoraubrie Blog: http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com

Wicked Wednesday - beards not sexy?

Today I'm just wondering out loud...  Why do so few PNR heroes have beards? Or even facial hair beyond the sexy scruff? And when does scruff become a beard?
I'm seeing more and more men these days with beards. Maybe it's a pirate thing, or even a Hobbit movie dwarf thing. My husband says it's a hipster trend. I see as many men with beards with a lovely woman on their arms as I do clean-shaven men.
I'm not a big fan of facial hair myself, but I could be persuaded.
(Alcide the werewolf from True Blood)
Oh yes. Surely Alcide could convince most women that beards are hot!
What do you think about beards: sexy or not?

WRiTE CLUB

First rule of WRiTE CLUB: talk a lot about it!Here's DL to tell you about this awesome competition.
  First off, I’d like to thank Christine for the opportunity to talk to you today about something near and dear to my heart…WRiTE CLUB. My modest writing contest has proven so popular that the DFW Writers Conference is now considering incorporating it into their agenda for 2015. 
For the newbies out there, let me explain what WRiTE CLUB is? It’s a modest writing competition whose inspiration was derived from the movie FIGHT CLUB. There are numerous versions of this concept around the internet, but nothing like we do it. Its essence embodies simple, good-natured competition, with lots and lots of fun sprinkled on top. 
Over the course of eight weeks I hold twice-weekly bouts in which the winners advance to the play-offs, which will ultimately lead to a single champion. Bouts between who…or what…you ask? Anonymous 500 word writing samples, submitted under a pen name by anyone who wishes to take part, that’s who. The writing can be any genre, any style (even poetry) with the word count being the only restriction. It’s a way to get your writing in front of a lot of readers, without having to suffer the agony of exposure. 
And the winners are determined by WRiTE CLUB readers!
To find out how to become part of the fun just head on over to DLHammons.comand click on the WRiTE CLUB tab. 
Submissions are open until May 31st. After that date a panel of a dozen judges will read all of the entries we received and pre-select 32 of the best writing samples to climb into the ring. Those 32 participants will then be randomly matched to compete over the next eight weeks, each of them hoping to make it into the play-off rounds and moving towards the ultimate goal – WRiTE CLUB Champion. No one (other than my wife)…not even the judges being used to pre-select the 32 contestants, will see the true identity of any sample. Unless you win, of course.
Again this year, the most exciting part is the winner of the final round will be chosen by a panel of publishing industry professionals! Judges include New York Times best-selling and multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning horror and thriller author Jonathan Maberry, Agents Katie Grim of Don Congdon Associates, Margaret Bail of the Andrea Hurst Agency, Sarah Negovetich of the Corvisiero Literary Agency, Brittany Booker of The Booker Albert Literary Agency. Also included is Candace Havens, Editorial Director of Entangled Publishing Covet line, Authors Les Edgertonand Lydia Kang, and previous WRiTE CLUB winners Tiana Smith(2011), Mark Hough (2012) and Tex Thompson (2013).

Are you willing to WRiTE for what you want? Then crack those knuckles and get ready to flex that imagination. And whatever you do, tell your friends!
WRiTE CLUB – The contest where the audience gets clobbered!