Leta Blake's Blog, page 106

It’s here … is it here? oh lord, it really is.

My friend, Nisha-Anne, has a new book out and I cannot wait to read it! Check out her link below. The cover is to die for. Wow!

 

It’s here … is it here? oh lord, it really is..

New Blog Crush

I’ve taken to reading Tales of Faerie at Blogspot avidly. It is a fascinating blog with a fairy tale focus. What makes it fun, though, is that it takes an academic look at tales and a fannish look at fairy tale related media.

For example, this interesting one about Rapunzel reveals:

The tale of Rapunzel features two story elements which were very common in fairy tales and midieval literature. The first is the maiden imprisoned in a tower, the purpose of this being to protect the maiden’s chastity. Ironically, since these stories all seem to involve the maiden being discovered and wooed by a man anyway, you could take the meaning of the tales to imply that, no matter how hard you try to hide a woman from the world, or perhaps prevent a girl from becoming a woman, it’s going to happen whether you like it or not (remember, in early versions, Rapunzel became pregnant before the prince was discovered). And often, if a child is sheltered to the extreme, they may go to the opposite extreme out of spite.

The other motif is that of the pregnant woman craving a certain food and going to extreme lengths to procure it. Zipes sheds some light on this in historical context: it was believed that if a pregnant woman’s cravings were not met, bad luck would befall the pregnancy, so “it was incumbent on the husband and other friends and relatives to use spells or charms or other means to fulfill the cravings.”

And then this post discusses the lack of enthusiasm behind the CW’s new Beauty & the Beast program.

The blogger also has featured artists showing some of the best fairy tale inspired work out that.

Every time I see this blog pop up on my feed, I know I’m going to be interested in its contents. I highly recommend it.

The Doing It, Everyday…

I am reblogging this from Sweet Mother because I loved it. I read it yesterday on my birthday (sweet 38 here I am!) and it seemed to be exactly what I needed to read. Inspiring and motivational and realistic all rolled into one.

The Doing It, Everyday….

I Forgot What I Loved Most About Reading (And Writing) Until Now

Ever since I started writing seriously, I have had a hard time achieving the above referenced state. Even when reading a really excellent book, I tend to find myself picking at the seams of it, trying to figure out just how they wrote it, trying to glean insight into their success from the characters, to the set-up, to the execution, and trying to learn from other author’s mistakes and triumphs. It has been, sadly, an incredibly long time since I read a book where I just let go, and went with the experience, where I might’ve seen the mistakes or trouble marks in my peripheral vision and instead of zooming in to study them with my magnifying glass, I just said, “Screw it,” and lost myself to the world of the book again.

Anyway, I don’t know if you guys noticed that I didn’t make any posts aside from Writer Wednesday last week. But, if you did, the reason is this–I fell into two books and lost myself in them fully. I forgot about the rest of the world while I was reading. I fell in love with the characters to the extent that my heart aches now that the books are over, because I won’t be able to spend more time with them now. I’ve actually started at the beginning of the first one so that I can read them both all over again.

Are these books perfect? No. But they are wonderful. They are inspirational. They made me remember why I love to read and why I love to write. They reminded me of what I love to write, and of the kinds of characters and worlds I want to spend my time building and exploring. These books are on the list of things that I’m most happy to have had come into my life.

BOOK ONE

BOOK TWO

You can buy them at Blind Eye Books or Amazon. They come in e-book and print.

I don’t know what to say about them that won’t possibly spoil the books. I suppose, for the most part, they were a brimming full cup of my very favorite cuppa. I could pick at them, tell you what parts caught my attention in my peripheral vision as I read, because it is so easy to pull things apart, but I won’t. I love them too much to do that. So, I guess I just want to say that I give these books an enthusiastic five-freaking-stars and encourage you to read them, too.

The blurb for Book One:

Kiram Kir-Zaki may be considered a mechanist prodigy among his own people, but when he becomes the first Haldiim ever admitted to the prestigious Sagrada Academy, he is thrown into a world where power, superstition and swordplay outweigh even the most scholarly of achievements. But when the intimidation from his Cadeleonian classmates turns bloody, Kiram unexpectedly finds himself befriended by Javier Tornesal, the leader of a group of cardsharps, duelists and lotharios who call themselves Hellions. However Javier is a dangerous friend to have. Wielder of the White Hell and sole heir of a dukedom, he is surrounded by rumors of forbidden seductions, murder and damnation. His enemies are many and any one of his secrets could not only end his life but Kiram’s as well.

This review by the Jessewave site does a great job praising the book. For what it’s worth, I knew who the baddie was almost from the beginning, but I’ve read plenty of reviews where the reader said the baddie came as a surprise, so…maybe it won’t be obvious to everyone else. The baddie, though, and the revelation of that person, is so incredibly unimportant in the scheme of the experience of the books, that I don’t think you’ll care either way.

And thank you, Ginn Hale, for writing these books. I’m more fired up about writing than I have been in a long time thanks to you.

So, hi! Been awhile. I can’t say that I’m entirely thrilled to be back posting again, because I’d rather there were nine more books in this series that I could lose myself in instead. But, since there aren’t…hi! I’m back! Now, you go disappear yourself in those books for awhile and get back to me. We can talk about our feelings over ice cream and shared book love.

Writer Wednesday: Sophie Duncan

Today on Writer Wednesday, Sophie Duncan, of Wittegen Press, is here to talk to us about three of her books! She also tells us a bit about herself, gives us some great links to check out, and is a generally interesting and delightful person!

1.

Sacrifice of An Angel (The Haward Mysteries #1)

I wrote this one with my twin sister, Natasha and we have 6 more planned in the current arc

Odd piece of information about this book: I invented the Grail language in the book that is used when the characters cast magic (I have developed the grammar and have a dictionary that I keep up to date to keep any spell work consistent – yes, I am that geeky. ;P )

“Harry Potter (with grownups) meets Midsommer Murders with a magical version of C.S.I. thrown in for good measure.” – Rob Drake

The body of a beautiful girl dressed in a ceremonial robe is found on a playground roundabout. Her throat has been ripped out and the roundabout has a bad case of perpetual motion. Is it a ritualistic, magical murder or a setup to distract from the real killer?

That is the question that faces twins, Theo and Remy Haward, detectives in the Sorcerous Crimes Task Force (SeCT), when they are called to the scene in the middle of the night. That and who could commit such an act. They must find the answers to these and other questions, all the while ensuring the general public finds out nothing about the magical world that co-exists with their own.

Armed with their experience, their natural magical abilities and their complimentary instincts, Remy and Theo must identify the victim, follow the evidence and find the killer before anyone else dies.

2.

Death In The Family (Heritage is Deadly #1)

Odd fact about this not in the blurb: I have been writing and rewriting it since I was 15 and it was originally set in the US, but I moved it to the UK because I realised I could do the setting more justice, since I’m a Brit.

Leaving a good London school with solid prospects, Tom Franklin has the world at his feet. Yet one thing has always haunted his perfect life: his dreams. When Tom discovers that the nightmarish images of dark places and even darker instincts are in fact repressed memories from his early childhood, he must face the heritage from his birth-father, a savage vampire known only as Raxos.

Realising his memories are his only hope of controlling his awakening instincts, Tom returns to, Coombedown, the sleepy, Cornish village in which he was born, unknowing that the night-breed in his veins will lead him into danger.

“Death In The Family” is a young adult, paranormal novel.

This is the first story in the “Heritage is Deadly” Series.

3.

Bonds of Fire (based on novella of the same name, this is the WIP)

How would you describe Bonds of Fire? And what might you compare it to?
There’s magic, tech and action, running through an adventure on two levels: external conflicts coming from war, new enemies and old relationships, and Drekken’s inner journey of self-discovery. Oh yes and dragons, cute little baby ones and sassy full-grown ones.

I’m not very good at comparisons and I haven’t read a lot of fantasy lately, so I’m going to cheat and look at film as well. So I’d say that for the mix of fantasy/magic and technology, the nearest comparison would be Star Wars and that ilk, although planet rather than space based. For the dragons, if you like Flight of Dragons then you should like Bonds of Fire.

Drekken is a dragon warrior. Bonded to his dragon, Miri, together they lead a squadron of fliers. His fliers respect him, his enemies fear him, his reputation precedes him. Yet, nothing in his life could have prepared Drekken for his greatest challenge: babysitting.

Stranded after a deadly battle, separated from his squadron and Miri, Drekken finds himself the only hope for two young empaths and their nursery group of hatchlings. He must lead them all to safety and, along the way, discover some truths about himself.

I have another 6 books/short stories out as well, my full bibliography is available from my author page on Wittegen Press.

5. Tell us a little bit more about yourself!

Twin, author with Wittegen Press, fan of a few rock bands, Tokio Hotel, Elliot Minor. I also sing, read and used to earn a living as an IT project manager (I started as a developer and then just wanted to earn more money and boss people about ). Oh yes, and proud to be a geek. I’m a big fan of Dr Who (I ran the sci fi society at university). I love vampires, although I have no experience of the sparkly kind. I crochet, I ring hand bells (and write music for them), I enjoy writing fanfic, started in Highlander fandom, but then moved to Harry Potter, I’m a Harry/Draco gal (and I would die of delight if someone wrote fanfic for my books ). I’d like to carry on writing professionally full time if I can make a living at it, but I may have to go back to being a project manager

If you want some views into my head, I just did a blog tour discussing some topics I found interesting, links to the seven posts are in THIS POST.

6. Where can we find you and your books online?

Twitter: thwax and wittegenpress

LiveJournal: Thwax and Wittegen Press

Blog: Sophie’s Thoughts & Fumbles -

Google+: Sophie Duncan

Facebook: Sophie Duncan &

Wittegen Press

Pinterest: Wittegen Press

Goodreads: Sophie Duncan

Writer Wednesday: Mardi Ballou

This week’s author, Mardi Ballou, is pleased to offer an e-book from her back catalogue, listed on her site, to one lucky winner. Leave a request that you’d like the book, and I’ll use the online dice roller to see who gets the highest number to win.

***

1. The Teach Him Tonight series is all about women teaching deserving men some valuable lessons. What inspired you to make this concept into a series?

So many men, so much inspiration. Magazines, the news, TV, movies — all are filled with examples of guys just begging for lessons in life and love. I imagine we all could tell our own stories. I think about the year my DH — I love him madly — chose a very special holiday gift just for me. Are you ready? Would you believe a tire gauge. When I got tears in my eyes, he looked puzzled. He said, “But it’s something you really need.” As this is the second marriage for both of us, I couldn’t help wondering if his first wife had ever tried to teach him anything. According to the grapevine, my ex gave his second wife great gifts… Never gave me any, but he sure learned how to treat the next one. Hmmm.

So my inspiration is guys. Also, you might have guessed this, I’m a teacher. It’s the way I organize the world. I see a guy, I want to teach him something. My heroines are like me in that regard. Take one great guy and help him meet his potential for romance. You’ll be happier, and I expect he will too.

2. Tell us a little about the first book in the series, Photo Finish.

Photo Finish is a sexy contemporary romance inspired by my daughter. When I published my first novel, my daughter said, “Wouldn’t it be something if a woman wrote a sexy novel and used her beautiful daughter’s photo as the picture of the author.” Hmm, what a great idea! Only for my book, I made the women sisters — Cassandra and K.C. Here’s the blurb:

Ambitious attorney Cassandra Harrell is primed to battle her hot, hunky opposing counsel Alex DeLuca-a.k.a. Alexander the Great — in the courtroom. Though she fantasizes about getting him into her bedroom, she’s determined to avoid this bad boy distraction and focus on her career.

Alex spots the author photo on the back cover of a steamy romance and recognizes Cassandra. Who knew the desirable but icy lawyer had such a fascinating sensuous side? When he teases her about the book at a deposition, she furiously denies any connection.

Her sister wrote the book and, for a prank, used Cassandra’s photo. Outraged at Alex for embarrassing her in front of clients, Cassandra plots a revenge lesson. This teacher comes out on top until her student raises the stakes — and the heat.

3. Tell us a about Emergency Ex, the second book in the series.

Inspiration is everywhere. So’s chocolate, thank goodness. Like so many others, I love chocolate. I’ve always wanted to write a story with a chocolatier as a main character, and here was my chance. The title and idea for Emergency Ex came to me on a train in England. I looked over at a window and saw written the words Emergency Ex. Right away I started thinking. What’s an Emergency Ex? Who’s an emergency ex? Of course I know the sign should have said Emergency Exit, but what fun would that be? Here’s the blurb:

“Love is the emotional chocolate of the universe.” Actually, successful chocolatier Brenda Lockheart deals with the sweet brown confection lots better than she does with love. For years she’s been in love with Keith Tarrant, her best friend with benefits. As her thirtieth birthday approaches, hot lovemaking and intense friendship no longer satisfy her. She demands more. It’s time to make a commitment or say good-bye. Keith goes along at first, and she’s hopeful. But as her birthday gets closer, her relationship with Keith hits snags.

Keith loves Brenda and can’t bear to lose her, but he’s got lots of unresolved baggage and a history of being less than she deserves. Though he’ll try to get over his issues in time to make her birthday special, when a new roadblock arises, he’s out of his depth. Can Keith man up and commit to Brenda in time? Or will their relationship crumble and turn her into one more of his many exes?

FYI, the After Class, the third book in the Teach Him Tonight series, will be coming out later this fall.

4. I see from your back catalogue that you’ve written both m/f and m/m stories and novels. Do you strive to mix it up, or do you simply write them as the inspiration hits you? Have you found that there is additional research that goes into m/m works? If someone were to check out one of your m/m titles, which do you have a big soft spot for, personally?

I’ve always written m/f stories. I did write m/m stories in the past — when I had someone in my life who could help with the research and point out where I got things wrong. I enjoyed getting into the futuristic vampire world that’s in the From the Light collection from Changeling Press — originally inspired by the movie Ladyhawke. The character I had the most fun writing for this series was Retkove, the villain. Someday I might return to this world to give him his own story.

The m/m story that I have the biggest personal soft spot for is Tingle Bells from Ellora’s Cave. This is a fun paranormal Christmas novella that takes place in Princeton, New Jersey. I’m a Jersey girl living in California and love to set stories in the Garden State. I always get a big smile when I reread this story of an inventor and a private eye who are dealing with a very “eccentric” but loving family during the holiday season.

5. You’ve got quite a back catalogue of romances. How long have you been publishing? And what has been the most rewarding aspect of your second career as a romance author?

I actually wrote stories and newspaper articles before I started writing romances. I sold my first romance Hook, Wine & Tinker from the Pantasia series to Ellora’s Cave in 2003, and it was released in January, 2004. There’s so much that’s rewarding about being a romance author. First of all, there’s the fun of creating stories and then finding that people enjoy reading them. It’s a treat to meet and chat with fans. It’s also a treat getting to know other writers and spending time with them at meetings and conferences. I have to admit I get a kick out of people being surprised to discover that I’m a romance writer. Their first question always is, “Are you published?” What a thrill to be able to say, “Yes!”

Twitter account:  twitter.com/mardiballou
Facebook account:  www.facebook.com/MardiBallou
website:  http://www.MardiBallou.com

Inertia discounted at Amazon and Kobo

Inertia discounted at Amazon and Kobo.

 

Since I just blogged about this book, I thought people might like to know that it has gone on sale for quite a discount, in case anyone was wanting to give it a try!

Reading: Inertia by Amelia Gormley

Before I get into the review of the book I just finished reading, I’d like to say that we’re thrilled to report that Top2Bottom Reviews gives Earthly Desires 4.5 out of 5!

Inertia by Amelia C. Gormley is the story of Derrick, a man in his early thirties, who has cut himself off from risk, adventure, and relationships after an unfortunate series of circumstances that led him to losing everyone he loved by the time he was twenty-one. Unwilling to experience the crushing pain of loss again, he’s drifted through a pleasant if boring decade of the same old, same old. Until he meets Gavin and suddenly the possibility for something more appears on his radar. Will he be brave enough to accept the inherent risk that goes along with daring to feel something new?

I worry that what I will say next will somehow come across as a backhanded compliment, when it is definitely not intended as such. It’s just a straight up compliment. So, please keep that in mind. Amelia writes Derrick with an attention to detail that in another person’s hands could become tedious. Instead, however, this detail shows us a fully fleshed out picture of a man who takes his time in everything, who tries to mitigate even the smallest loss, or unexpected outcome, by concentrating entirely on the steps of each part of his day and job. Every time I’d start to think something like, “Did we really need to know about how Derrick took his time sanding that bit of shelving?” I’d realize that, yes, we did need to know that–because Derrick’s inability to deal with unexpected outcomes, and his extreme caution in the face of everything is the crux and crisis of this book.

Derrick is a kind man, and given how slow and thorough he is, I never found myself annoyed with him for that trait. I did find his reaction to one of Gavin’s revelations sufficiently appalling (and thus incredibly realistic and human) that I had a hard time forgiving him for a little while, and frankly had a harder time forgiving him than Gavin did. In addition to Derrick’s initial reaction to Gavin’s story, I also had a hard time with the fact that Derrick, knowing what he ends up knowing about Gavin, keeps the specifics of his own issues to himself and doesn’t share them with Gavin. He uses a somewhat believable excuse that he doesn’t want to make Gavin’s problems all about him. But the way Gavin’s problems intersect with his own are the crisis of the book and the relationship, and I felt that remained unresolved because Derrick never actually shared the most damaged part of himself with Gavin.

That bothered me because Gavin laid it bare, made himself vulnerable in a really intense way, Derrick reacted horribly to it, and then, in my opinion, didn’t make up for it by providing Gavin with an equal vulnerability. That left a bit of sour taste in my mouth, because it gave Derrick a power position over Gavin, whether he intends to use it or not.

But here’s the thing–I was glad for these problems with the character. This is a very psychological book. There’s not a lot of external adventure. It’s not got a lot of vibrant world building, or evil villains, or anything outside of two people’s very realistic hang-ups about sex, love, and life as the problem that needs to be resolved to reach a HFN or HEA ending. Had Derrick handled things beautifully, there would have been no book, because it would’ve been boring as hell, and completely unrealistic. So, while I did find myself annoyed with Derrick at times, I was also incredibly happy to feel that way, because it meant I was emotionally invested and I cared about both men.

The book ends in a place without any cliff-hangers, but it’s a good thing there is another book (two, actually) coming, because I felt like if this was all that had been offered, I would have been somewhat annoyed. In fact, looking at the reviews of Amelia’s book, I’ve wondered if she would not have been possibly better off combining books one and two, because I think she would’ve gotten higher ratings had people been able to see what happens next. For the record, I know a little of what happens next because I’ve communicated with Amelia about it, and I’m very curious to see how Derrick and Gavin go from this relationship to that relationship.

If I had stars ratings, I’d give this a solid 4.5/5 stars because I was turning the pages like crazy and felt really invested in the outcome of these characters. I wanted more from them, and kind of wished the book had another 20 pages in it so that I could just revel in how cute they could be together a bit longer. I’m not sure the 20 pages I wanted would’ve added to the story in any way, though, so I am not saying this is a flaw of the book, but am saying that the book and characters left me wishing for more, more, more.

The sex in the book was very hot (yay!), but ended up being secondary for me. I was much more interested in how Gavin got to where he is now, and in how Derrick was going to open up. Was he really going to dare and risk and make himself vulnerable? Was he going to step up to the same level as Gavin in terms of putting himself out there? I wanted to know!

I thought this was a wonderful fall read. It definitely lent itself to curling up in my comfy covers while the autumn light drifted in. I can’t wait for the second book and I highly recommend this one to all who enjoy a slow burn romance with the promise for more!

By the way, if you’ve read the book, I’d love to discuss it in comments! Especially if you disagree with anything I’ve said above.

1. Inertia by Amelia Gormley

2. Writer Wednesday interview with Amelia Gormley

Earthly Desires by Leta Blake and Keira Andrews

Reblogged from Top 2 Bottom Reviews:

Title: Tempting Tales 1: Earthly Desires
Author: Leta Blake, Keira Andrews
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Pages: 92
Characters: Prince Efrosin, Dmitri
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Medieval Fantasy, Fairy Tale Romance
Kisses: 4.5


Blurb:

Cursed as an infant with a lack of physical and emotional gravity, Prince Efrosin can’t keep his feet on the ground or his head out of the clouds. Laughing his way through life, he’s never been weighed down by love and lust.

Read more… 702 more words

Aw, wow! Am quite pleased with this review of Earthly Desires!

Listening: Night of Hunters and Gold Dust

First, I’d like to point you over to Joyfully Jay’s Review Blog where she gave Earthly Desires 4.25 our of 5 stars! I’m very pleased and proud that the first book in my series with Keira Andrews has received some very nice reviews. Pleased as punch, as my grandmother would’ve said!

Next, I’d like to talk about how I have strange (and admittedly controlling) rules about music. There are certain albums and songs which are only allowed to be played at certain times in my household. For example, the Mum album, Finally We Are No One must only be played in winter time, or else I will be displeased. (Which, for what it’s worth, just consists of me saying, “Are you really playing this in summer? Really? Can’t you tell that this is a winter-only album?”)

Last year, there was a new release that became an Autumn Only album in my mind, and my poor kiddo has suffered the last month of me saying, “No, honey, we can’t listen to that one because it isn’t fall yet.” Um, okay, I really do understand that is weird and I’m probably scaring the child for life, but, seriously, it is an Autumn Only album, okay? Ahem. And that album is awesome. It’s Night of Hunters and you can listen to two songs from it below.

Star Whisperer Short Film

Carry

Buy Night of Hunters

Now, I’m very excited because, as it turns out, Night of Hunters was such a fantastic album that Deutsche Grammophon has chosen to support the new album Gold Dust, which will be out in October, and, I feel quite sure, is going to be an Autumn/Winter Only album, too. I’m practically vibrating with excitement over it.

Here are two videos where you can hear some music from the upcoming Gold Dust. If you only watch one of these videos, make it the first one here, Flavor, because it is just a great video, with gorgeous NYC footage, and we all know how much I adore NYC, right? So much. It owns part of my heart.

Wait, wait, wait…guys, guys, this is terrible. I just went to find the link to the video and it’s been removed by the user that uploaded it. I’m so bummed. It was seriously just an amazingly gorgeous video and I fully intended to watch it twenty more times. Dang it. Oh, well, parts of it are featured in this video below:

Gold Dust Trailer

And you can read a review of the now erased, vanished, poofed, gone Flavor video HERE, because that will totally make up for not being able to see it, right? Boo.

Buy Gold Dust

Regardless, Gold Dust is sure to be something I’ll have to buy on vinyl to play on the good stereo, because it will, no doubt, be divine. Be sure to pre-order it and be ready to roll around in some Autumn Only joyful sounds as soon as it hits your doorstep.