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Final Reading Discussion

Today is the FINAL DISCUSSION for our amazing Summer-Read-Along! But before we jump in I wanted to let you know, Champions, that W. R. has two novelettes out for this series as well: All the Different Shades of Blue, and Cloudy With A Chance of Dropbears. She also has some free extras over on her Facebook Page (under the Notes section) so if you haven’t gone and liked her page, here’s the excuse you need! (Side notes, the Novellas take place farther out in the series in books that aren’t available yet. W. R. says Cloudy should take place after book 5 and Shades of Blue is between books 6 & 7. (And I say mad props to her for being able to keep all of this straight!)

W. R. Gingell and I will be holding an online talk…soon, ahaha we have to get our Timezones figured out and a day picked, but you can expect to see some kind of Youtube live event in the next two weeks or so, so stay tuned!

Next, I want to give a big thank you to W. R. Gingell for joining us in our fun in the comments, and for taking the time to answer my interview questions. And I also want to thank you awesome Champions for entering into the spirit of our Summer-Read-Along. This event was so much fun for me, and it’s been such a blast looking over your theories and seeing all the things you guys picked up on that I missed!

Since today is the last day I’m naturally raising the spoiler ban so we can discuss everything today! I also thought it would be fun if we closed out by taking a look at some of your amazing theories from past few weeks.

Eleniel had some amazing insight on our favorite goth girl Morgana and noted that perhaps she is part mermaid given that she’s bedridden and her breathing sounds raspy! Colleen, on the other hand, wondered if W. R. is goes with another poem theme she might be Elaine from The Lady of Shalott. Either theory thinks way out of the box, so mad props!

Summer Read-Along: Between Frames

We’re in the last bend now–though the series isn’t over yet! This week we’re reading Between Frames

Two fae is company, but a company of fae is trouble.

Which is exactly what we’ve got. Trouble, I mean. Well, and fae. Lots of fae.

Something or someone is stalking and killing high-level fae around Hobart—tearing out hearts and leaving a trail of bloody bodies behind. Fae don’t like it when they’re the ones getting killed, so of course they came to hire my owners.

Owners, you ask?

Hi. I’m Pet. No, that’s not my name. I am a pet.

My owners? They’re fae. Well, two fae and one stroppy vampire.

Welcome to the world Between.

***

We’ll discuss this book Saturday, June 29th, officially ending our Read-Along. But we’re going to close out with a bang! So, onto the interview section with W. R.

Kitty: If you don’t mind, could you explain more of the parallels between The Highwayman poem, and Athelas’ situation? (And perhaps could you tell us what was Athelas’ reaction was when he realized this?)

W. R.: As soon as I knew it was moonlight Upper Management had used to control Athelas, I knew exactly what it would take to set him free. For those of you who aren’t familiar with The Highwayman, it’s a highly coloured, highly romantic poem about a highwayman who falls in love with the Inn Keeper’s daughter, Bess. The police of the day come to realise that and set a trap for him at the inn, while tying up and gagging Bess with a musket beneath her heart. The only way she can warn him of the impending ambush is by pulling the trigger of that musket to give off a warning gunshot—killing herself in the process. She can save either her lover or herself.

So when Athelas is imprisoned in moonlight, he knows it will take the sacrifice of a life to set him free. Being twisty fae, he at first tries to accomplish this by killing the person he thinks is fake Pet. Once he is more or less certain that she is Pet, he knows she’ll have to kill herself willingly to save them both—or that he’ll have to kill himself to do the same. Of course, Pet, not being familiar with the poem, doesn’t know this.

And Athelas also knows that if he’s wrong, and she’s not the pet, he’s just killed himself for no reason at all…

Kitty: Ohhh, the feels! Yeah, I can see how this would make Athelas excessively unhappy, hahah! Next question–what has been the most fun about writing this series?

W. R.: The most fun about this series is writing Pet. There is a LOT of myself in her (more than with quite a few of my characters) but she does so much more, and she’s so much more inclined to run her mouth than me, that it’s just delightful to let her go.

Also, there’s a certain thread on my Facebook Author page that has been giving me life these days…

Reading Discussion: Between Floors

Let’s get ready to RUMBLE!! It’s time for the reading discussion of Between Floors! (So excited, so excited, SO EXCITED!!)

There is so much to unpack! This book has a whole lot of revelations, from learning JinYeong’s transformation into a vampire–and the story of his sister which explains why Zero has been careful to (sort of) keep Pet at an arm’s length for anything besides protecting her. We learn that the series’ foes aren’t just the serial killer from book 1, but also Behindkind who seem to be prepping for some sort of coup.

Most importantly, WE LEARNED ATHELAS HAS A BIG SOFT SPOT FOR PET! I just LOVE Athelas’ friendship with Pet! It’s for certain my favorite part of the whole story. (Yes, I have friendship ships, and I will go down with them!)

The soft spot is apparent in a multitude of ways–from the fact that the shadowy foes who captured Athelas used Pet’s appearance to question him, to the fact that it made him really mad that they used her, even to the way you can see each time he “kills” her it makes him more and more upset. (Did anyone else notice that with every time he killed her, he held her more and more gently/closely?)

In a chat with my author friend Kenley Davidson about Athelas and Pet, she theorized that Athelas killed Pet’s parents. (Because the rather…er…gorey way he dismembered those who had captured him is reminiscent of her parents’ deaths.) I have to acknowledge the similarities, but it might just be that fae are violent like that in general. (Though it certainly seems like one of the twisty twists W. R. might pull on us.)

Moving on to Zero, we did see he obviously cares more for his friends than he lets on (or than Athelas believes) based on how worried he was for Athelas. We also saw, for the first time, that he chose Pet’s well being over his friends’ in a rather playful way at the end when he puts that spell on her that zaps JinYeong.

And JinYeong. Don’t even get me started. By the end of the book that vampire has got it BAD for Pet. We see it in the whole book (Buwahahah that kiss was hilarious) I think—I think–he might even possibly be looking at her in more of a romantic sense and less of a pet sense.

Remember last week when we discussed Athelas and Pet talking love and their merry little band? Athelas said JinYeong can love but shouldn’t. At the very end of Between Floors, when Athelas warns Pet as she’s attempting to yank JinYeong’s jacket off so she can clean it, he tells her “It’s more work than it’s worth,” I’m fairly certain he was referring back to his warning that JinYeong shouldn’t love.

And while we’re on that particular line, I’m positive Athelas now loves Pet as well (I don’t think it’s in a romantic sense as much as it is familial or friendship) because when she’s dragging him out and informs him she’s going to forgive him, he tell’s her not to, because it’s not going to do either of them any good. My theory is he knew if she forgive him, she would become that much more important to him. (Which, this is Athelas. Even if he’s fond of Pet he’s not going to enjoy knowing he has a weakness!)

But turning away from the more relationship-driven aspect of the series, after seeing all of Pet’s newest tricks, how many of you think she’s an heirling or a changling? (Or rather an heirling changling? Because she obviously knew nothing about between or behindkind before meeting the trio.) OR!!! As we know because of the werewolves, maybe it’s possible that she’s not fae but an entirely different sort of behindkind?

I’m also very interested to see what happens to the sick girl she met in the apartment building across from Daniel’s…hospital(?) room. “The Kids” might be behindkind? Or something else–there has got to be more to her than meets the eye.

And as a side note, the text message sequence from the detective is quite possibly the most hilarious and life-like thing I have ever read. I had to put the book down and re-read it twice I was laughing so hard. A close second was when Pet was informing Zero she couldn’t possibly go to bed because her owner got back and “us pets get too excited when our owners get home.”

Finally, I wanted to add that this book is my favorite because of Athelas, but it’s also because I am a huge fan of the poem “The Highway Man” by Alfred Noyes, and Between Floors actually contains a key reference to it, which explains some of Athelas’ mutterings while being captive. If you haven’t read The Highway Man you can click here to read it, but the basic premise is that a highway man is in love with a young lady named Bess and visits her at night. Soldiers are told of his presence, so the next night when he would visit, the soldiers are waiting in Bess’ room and tie a musket to her chest. To warn him, Bess fires off the musket, warning off the highwayman and sacrificing her life.

The poem ends in a tragedy–the highwayman finds out about Bess’ death and dies attempting to avenge her–but there is a particular line in the poem “I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!” which particularly applies to Athelas’ situation, considered he his held there by moonlight. (He even recites that specific line of the poem.) This is why he and Pet finally break free when he stabs himself, and why he was so reluctant to do so.

It’s a beautiful part of the story…though I’ll admit I laughed really hard when I asked W. R. how upset Athelas was when he realized that he was Bess–the female love interest–in the story. (The answer: Extremely.) I’ll ask W. R. a few questions about this aspect of Between Floors next week, but here’s a few questions we can chew on in the comments in the meantime:

Do you think Pet is an heir, a changling, or something else?
Out of the three books we’ve read so far, what do you think is the funniest line/scene?
Which of Athelas, Zero, and JinYeong do you think Pet prefers–or even, does she have a preference?

The last question is one I’m especially interested in because I have spent a lot of my time trying to decipher which of the three likes Pet the most, but in writing up this discussion post for you, I realized it never occurred to me to wonder who Pet prefers. I think she’s said in previous books that Zero is her biggest target to ingratiate herself with because he’s most likely to protect her, but she has also said she does lots of extra stuff for Athelas because he will actually tell her information. But I don’t know that either of those acts indicates a preference.

What do you think, Champions?

The post Reading Discussion: Between Floors appeared first on K. M. Shea.

Summer Read-Along: Between Floors

*Screams* GAAAAAAAAAH I’ve been waiting all month for this week, Champions! Because we FINALLY get to read my (so far) favorite book in the series, Between Floors.

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I’m not supposed to push through the boundaries of reality without supervision. I’m definitely not meant to drag a cop Between with me.

But stuff happens, you know?

Hi. I’m Pet. Well, not Pet, exactly. I am a pet.

Nothing too hard; I just cook and clean for the Behindkind who took over my house. Easy. But now one of my owners has gone missing. He’s fae, so it shouldn’t worry me, but if there’s something out there that can kidnap fae, I don’t wanna meet it.

Good thing I’ve got another two owners and a spare cop up my sleeve…

***

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! As you can probably guess–and is confirmed early on in the book–the missing fae is Athelas, my favorite character after Pet. This is SUCH a good book, I cannot wait for the Saturday discussion! (June 22) And, as usual, it’s available on Amazon to purchase or read via KU.

But without further ado, some words from W. R. and myself!

Kitty: We are finally about to read Between Floors, but I will forcibly keep myself on target. Let’s start with a fun question! Due to JinYeong being Korean, there’s lots of pieces of Korean culture presented in the books–language, food, and otherwise. Did you have to research that, or was that something you already knew before starting the series?

W. R.: In a sense, I had to research, but mostly the stuff included in the Between books is stuff I learned because of learning the Korean language. It’s no fun just learning the words when you learn a language, and I wanted to learn about the culture, too. So I watch Korean tv shows as well as dramas, and use Youtube—a LOT. Everything I learn gets put back into my books in some way (including, but not limited to, my violin). With the Korean language in particular, it’s helpful to my memorisation and learning to use it through JinYeong. The more I learn about Korea and Korean, the more you guys will learn through the City Between series.

Watch out when I start learning Russian…!

Kitty: How do you balance Pet’s relationship with Zero, JinYeong, and Athelas? It seems like befriending her goes against their instincts and yet all of them are starting to reach out to her in very different/unique ways.

W. R.: The relationships with each of the Troika are very hard to balance! Each one is a different kind of relationship to Pet, and each of the Troika thinks of their relationship to her in an entirely different way. Whether they are right or wrong in their thoughts remains to be seen… And yes—it definitely goes against their instincts! For Zero, there’s a warring sense of human as well as fae instincts, which might make things harder for him, but Athelas has his own share of reasons for not wanting to befriend Pet in any meaningful way. He’s quite amused and sarcastic about the other two doing so, but he doesn’t seem to realise his own danger quite as clearly. JinYeong…well, JinYeong likes to be the one doing the prodding, not the one being prodded, so his instincts are also against a relationship of any kind. There’s also the issue of humans smelling like food to him (which would be off-putting to me as well, quite honestly) so he doesn’t tend to think of humans as friends or lovers—or even, sometimes, people. Luckily for Pet, she doesn’t smell like food.

Kitty: Okay, that’s all for now, Champions. NOW GO READ! WE MUST TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK ASAP!

This Week’s Giveaway

Four randomly selected winners will receive two Second Age of Retha stickers each–the ones shown in the graphic. This giveaway is open to US and International readers! It runs 6/17 through 6/23. Winners will be notified through email. Click here to Enter!

And now for the boring legal stuff: No purchase is necessary, winners have five days to confirm their address after they are notified. If they don’t respond in time, a runner up will be chosen. The stickers will be mailed to the winners once an adequate address is provided. K. M. Shea reserves to right to cancel the giveaway or substitute the prize as seen fit. This giveaway is not sponsored or endorsed by Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, etc, but run solely  by K. M. Shea.

And that’s it for now! Thanks for reading, Champions, enjoy the book!

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Reading Discussion: Between Shifts

Today we’re discussing Between Shifts, book #2 of the City Between series.

In Between Shifts we depart from the search for the Behindkind serial killer, and meet a slew of werewolf characters.

To me, Between Shifts is mostly about Pet settling into a life with the psychos that is more permanent than she initially imagined in book 1, and her “owners” also get more used to her.

Zero takes bigger strides to protect her–which to me proves he’s got more of a heart than he or Athelas are willing to admit. I found it adorable that he was so set on teaching Pet to protect herself, and he seemed the most disgruntled with Pet’s temporary jaunt as a werewolf.

The Timeless Fairy Tales are on Sale!

I hope you’ve been enjoying the read-along and the weekly giveaways Champions! As an extra special treat I’ve discounted the boxset of books 1-3 of the Timeless Fairy Tales series! It’s 99 cents on Amazon.com and it’s discounted as low as Amazon would let me go on all the other Amazon stores. This is the first time EVER I’m discounting this boxset and it will be a long time before I put it on sale again, so get it while you can! Enjoy!

Buy it now: Amazon.com | All other Amazon stores

 

I’m assuming if you’re reading this you are already familiar with these books, but maybe I’m wrong!?! I’m including a description of each of the books in this boxset below, just in case. Also note that this boxset does NOT contain exclusive content, so don’t buy it if you already own all three books.

 

Book 1: Beauty and the Beast

A cursed beast. A beauty trapped in her own web of lies. Can true love break the spell?

Once upon a time Elle made a mistake. A miscalculation sends her through the roof of an enchanted chateau owned by the exiled Prince Severin. Cursed to look like a beast until a maiden falls in love with him, Severin has given up all hope of shattering the spell. But Elle is stranded until her broken leg mends, and the pair can’t seem to avoid each other thanks to the meddling servants. Eventually Elle’s playful manners and Severin’s hidden gentleness draw the pair together.

But not all love stories can end that easily. After all, Elle is not what she seems, and when she risks everything to save Severin, will he be able to forgive her lies?

Book 2: The Wild Swans

Elise is no hero. As the foster-daughter of the royal family of Arcainia she is content to indulge her love of numbers and play the part of the perfect princess foil to the seven princes who are her foster-brothers. But when her wicked stepmother curses the princes and turns them into swans there is only one person who can save them: Elise. She must knit seven shirts of stinging nettles, one for each brother. And even though the pain is excruciating, she can’t speak a word.

With famine and war looming in their homeland, if Elise doesn’t finish this task the country and the princes will be lost forever. Is her love enough to save them all?

Book 3: Cinderella and the Colonel

Once upon a time Cinderella put on a pair of glass slippers and things were never the same again.

Cinderella may be a duchess, but her life is in tatters. Orphaned, destitute, and living in a country recovering from a hostile takeover, she is desperate to save her lands and servants.

Unfortunately, her sacrifices aren’t enough, and she is given one season to pay off her debts. All seems lost, until she is befriended by the debonair Colonel Friedrich—a citizen of the oppressing country that now rules her homeland.

Though Friedrich shamelessly flirts with her, Cinderella wonders if he is more than he appears to be. What if together they could unite their lands against the bitterness and resentment that threatens to destroy them?

 

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Summer Read-Along: Between Shifts

We’re going into week two of our Read-Along, which means this week we’re jumping into Between Shifts.

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There’s a body beneath the skip bins. Fae on the forklift. A vampire in the manager’s office. And there’s definitely something skeevy going on in the locker rooms.

Hi. I’m Pet. Well, not exactly Pet. I am a pet.

I was meant to stay out of it, but somebody’s gotta do something when humans are being killed by Behindkind creatures.

Lucky for me, my owners are just as dangerous and inhuman as the bad guys…

…maybe more.

As with all the books in this series Between Shifts is available to purchase, or to read via Kindle Unlimited. We’re going to discuss this book this Saturday, June 15.

And to kick off this week, we’ve got another another little snippet from W. R. Gingell herself!

Kitty: I’ve been dying to know–do you have a favorite character out of Zero, Athelas, and JinYeong?

W. R.: I DO have a favourite, but since I’ve already told my fans on the facebook page that I have a favourite and he doesn’t get the girl, so to speak, I don’t dare say which one he is! It will have to remain a secret until the final book, when all will be made clear (and I reveal him in a flourish at the end!

Reading Discussion: Between Jobs

Welcome to the reading discussion for Between Jobs! Before we get started, a reminder that today and tomorrow are the last days you can enter the giveaway for the MBRC stickers! Okay, now on to our talk!

This book introduces you to our rather mysterious narrator, Pet, and her Three Psychos/owners–Zero, a fae from a noble family; Athelas, a fae who serves him; and JinYeong, a sulky vampire.

Between Jobs cemented Pet as one of my favorite characters ever. She’s so funny and will sass off to her “owners,” but she also has a sense of self preservation so she never goes too far. She has a very good grasp on the psychos’ boundaries, but in a very realistic/human way.

I most enjoy her interactions with Athelas–but that’s because he’s the only one who lets her try to go head to head with him in games of wits, and he’s also the only one who will share any information with her.

Her interactions with Zero are interesting/amusing as well, but mostly because it seems like he really wants to treat her like a little dog, but it’s also fairly obvious he’s more concerned about his “dog” than either Athelas or JinYeong.

And speak of the vampire, that brings us to JinYeong! He doesn’t seem too impressed or fond of Pet, but he also seems to be the most willing to interact with her–for the sake of food, anyway. I love JinYeong as a vampire because he still has that flair of elegance vampires have, but the way he’s sulky, demanding, and much more emotional than Zero or Athelas is a fun change from the way most vampires are depicted in urban fantasy stories.

In all honesty, I don’t have too many theories for Between Jobs. I think there’s going to be romance, but at this point it doesn’t seem like there is a strong contender.

There are a lot of mysteries wrapped around Pet–possibly even more than Zero and the others. Why didn’t she reveal herself to the authorities when her parents died? I’m about 98% certain it’s wrapped up in her need to stay in the house, but if she’s not a fae, why would she feel that drive? (They state again and again she’s very obviously human, but there’s a few spots where she can do things normal humans can’t–like see the sword.)

Obviously there’s something to do with her parents’ death–is it tied to the serial killer Zero and the others are tracking, or is it something different entirely?

The other big mystery to me is the homeless man Pet sees. It seems like he might have abilities similar to Pet’s, but that’s hard to confirm. What role does he have? Can he identify the serial killer Zero & Co are tracking?

So perhaps I have more questions than theories with this book.

Comment below with your thoughts and theories, but I do have a couple of other questions for you to ponder:

Who is your favorite character, and why?
Do you think there is significance to Pet’s ability to stumble out of Between on her own?

Reminder: Try to keep things spoiler free in the comments for now–when we get to the 4th book we’ll let it rip with the secrets, though!

Summer Read-Along: Between Jobs

WELCOME TO THE 2019 CITY BETWEEN SUMMER READ ALONG!

I’ve been so looking forward to this, Champions. I’m the biggest fangirl ever of this series. It’s funny, it’s packed with magic, adventure, great characters–it’s just SO, SO GOOD!

This week we’re starting off the series with Between Jobs.

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When you get up in the morning, the last thing you expect to see is a murdered guy hanging outside your window. Things like that tend to draw the attention of the local police, and when you’re squatting in your parents’ old house until you can afford to buy it, another thing you can’t afford is the attention of the cops.

Oh yeah. Hi. My name is Pet.

It’s not my real name, but it’s the only one you’re getting. Things like names are important these days.

And it’s not so much that I’m Pet.

I am a pet.

A human pet: I belong to the two Behindkind fae and the pouty vampire who just moved into my house. It’s not weird, I promise—well, it is weird, yeah. But it’s not weird weird, you know?

~

As with all the books in this series Between Jobs is available to purchase, or to read via Kindle Unlimited. We’re going to discuss this book this Saturday, June 8.

But to kick off our Read-Along, I have a few words from the author herself, W. R. Gingell! She’s a friend of mine–though I will shamelessly admit I thrust my friendship upon her after reading the City Between series and NEEDING to tell her how amazing it was, even though I had had conversations with her before.

2019 Summer Read-Along!

I’m so excited to announce a new event, the 2019 Summer Read-Along and the selected series, City Between.

City Between is an urban fantasy series written by the lovely W. R. Gingell. It has squeaky clean romance and is low on cursing, but there are bloody battles.

Hi. My name is Pet.

It’s not my real name, but it’s the only one you’re getting. And it’s not so much that I’m Pet.

I am a pet.

A human pet: I belong to the two Behindkind fae and the pouty vampire who just moved into my house. It’s not weird, I promise—well, it is weird, yeah. But it’s not weird weird, you know?

***

So you know the selected series…but what’s a Read-Along?

The basic idea is that together we’re going to read our way through the City Between series, tackling a book a week! Each Monday I’ll post an announcement, reminding you what book we’re reading for the week and include a few fun questions with answers from W. R. Gingell herself! Then Saturday morning I’ll make a discussion post, giving us a spot to talk about theories, observations, etc.

The Read-Along officially begins June 3rd, but you can start reading the first book, Between Jobs, right now if you want to!

In warning, the series isn’t yet completed, BUT half of the fun in City Between is all the twists and veiled plot threads W. R. has written, and I really, really, really want to discuss these books with someone. And Myrrhlynn won’t talk to me about them anymore because I have over blabbed about them.