New Authors?

[Jess]

As this group centers around some of our favorite authors of PNR and UF, I was wondering if anyone has a favorite author that isn't really talked about.

There are definitely some rising stars out there who are just starting to be recognized in the genres like: Caitlin Kittredge, Karen Chance etc...

Any authors that you know of that are sort of popular but are still underground, or any new rising stars people could keep an eye out for?

[Jess]

One author that I just recently read is Jennifer Lyon. She wrote Blood Magic and the sequel to that is coming out sometime next year I believe.

I also read an interesting book by Diana Rowland called Mark of the Demon, which was pretty interesting.

I think that Lyon is an author who's already getting more popular and we'll probably see a lot more from her in the future.

I'm not sure about Rowland. I liked her book but I don't know many people who have read it besides myself lol.

[[deleted user]]

Jess - I have it oin my TBR, but haven't gotten to it yet.
I can't think of any newer authors that I've read recently. There are some debuts coming up that I'm excited about though.

[Shannon]

An author that I think gets overlooked is T.A. Pratt and his Marla Mason series, so much so that his publisher won't be releasing any more of his books in the series. : ( But, no! don't let that scare you away! Pratt is still writing Marla stories, prequels, and you can read them for free online here. Maybe start there and read a chapter or two to see if you like his style. The fourth book in the series, Spell Games, doesn't end in a cliffhanger so you don't have to worry about things being left open-ended. All of the Marla books are self-contained stories.

If you like Ilona Andrews's Kate Daniels, or really any foulmouthed ass-kicking female, then you'll like Marla. The first book in the series is Blood Engines.

Another funny thing; Marla twitters.

Here are some gems from her feed:

"I really need to invest in new utensils. Using the same knife to slice bagels AND to gut homonculi possessed by chupacabra feels wrong."

"It's a good thing I can't make people explode just by looking at them. After the morning I've had, the city would be depopulated."

"To clarify: of course I CAN make people explode just by looking at them, but only with extensive preparation, and I get a headache, too."

"My glass house is made of bulletproof glass, so I'll throw all the stones I want. Also bullets."

"One of these days I'll get to sit down and read a book that's not bound in demon skin and etched in eldritch runes."

[Anna]

I've been thinking of a reading the Marla Mason series for a while, after reading those twitter quotes its going to the top of my pile.

What is the author going to write if not Marla Mason books? Is there any chance another publisher will pick them up if he wants to write more Marla Mason books?

[Shannon]

Anna wrote: "What is the author going to write if not Marla Mason books? Is there any chance another publisher will pick them up if he wants to write more Marla Mason books?"

He's been looking for a new publisher but so far no takers. Marla's tweet on 9/10 was: "I hear my stalker T.A. Pratt is considering various publication options, and says Book 5 will appear somehow someday." I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

He also said on his blog that he sold a new story in a market where he's never appeared before so he's still getting someone to publish his work. I'm really curious to see what the new story is going to be though since he's being so secretive about it.

[Jess]

I just added Blood Engines to my list of books! Thanks for the name!

I also just read a book called Nightkeepers by Jessica Anderson. It was a good book. I think there are 2 others in the series?

My only issue with it was that it was a tad long and some parts dragged on. But I will definitely look into the next two.

[Literary Ames]

[Author:Steven E. Wedel]'s Werewolf Saga books are quite good. [Author: Kelley Armstrong] seems to be a fan as she wrote the introduction to [Book: Call to the Hunt] which is an anthology of werewolf stories which prove to be the basis of the series. Here is the order that I would read them in:

[Book: Call to the Hunt] - anthology & basis of series
[Book: Murdered by Human Wolves] - prequel to series
[Book: Shara]
[Book: Ulrik]
Nadia's Children - currently being written

He is a Goodread's author and his website is here: http://sewedel.wordpress.com/

[[deleted user]]

Shannon wrote: "An author that I think gets overlooked is T.A. Pratt and his Marla Mason series, so much so that his publisher won't be releasing any more of his books in the series. : ( But, no! d..."

I just got through posting on a different thread about T. A. Pratt. :) I really like the Marla Mason series...she is pretty hard core and I am not big on all the foul language but I like his writing. I had read the first 3 a long time ago and just saw the 4th one...I am anxious to read it.

You are the first one I have seen mention his books, he was a good one to bring up in this thread.

[Joseph]

Two authors that I just finished reading that I think should be added to this list are C.E. Murphy and Seanan McGuire. They both write what I consider nontraditional urban fantasy, using uncommon types of beings such as gargoyles, undines, and kitsune and not all the usual vampires, werewolves, etc. Check out Murphy's Walker Papers series about a woman who is a shaman police mechanic that mixes American Indian and Celtic mythology quite well and McGuire's first book Rosemary and Rue An October Daye Novel that does a great job with fairies and other such magical beings set in San Francisco.

[I ♥ Bookie Nookie (bookienookiereviews.blogspot.com)]

I haven't seen much about the author Sunny. I recently read her Monere Children of the Moon/Mona Lisa series--the first book is Mona Lisa Awakening. I loved the series. It was new and different. She also wrote a spin off series called the Demon Princess Chronicals. There are currently 2 books in the series beginning with Lucinda, Darkly--I flew through both series.

Both series have 2 main creatures, for lack of a better word and without giving too much away:

Demons bad and good ones, in fact I wouldn't mind having a little demon of my own after reading about the things they can do :-)

Monere-which are children of the moon. this sounded a little stupid to me before I read the books becasue I was thinking they would be traveling to and fro the moon...not at all. the moon's rays basically recharges them. The Monere are secretly living among humans and are ruled by Queens, no kings--who are of course very powerful.

Then of course there are a number of other creatures and forces that come in to play in both series. This is a new favorite series for me.

[new_user]

I would say Lynn Viehl and Joey Hill, both not as famous as some other authors in the genre but quite good. Hill with the emotion (good and bad) and Viehl with the tight pacing and edginess.

[Jess]

I like Lynn Viehl.. she's a great author!

[new_user]

LOL. Yay, another fan! :D

[Jess]

Yep.. I've read the first 2 books in her series.. and I'm definitely going to be reading the rest when I can :)

[new_user]

Ohhh, the third book was one of the best. Assassin Lucan. *drool*

[Amanda]

I am so disappointed about TA Pratt, The Marla Books are great, I have read the first 3 and have the 4th on my TBR pile. I hope that somehow, more will be published. FYI for everyone that hasn't read them yet: Personally, Blood Engines was my least fav of the ones I read so far, I liked it enough to continue but I thought books 2 & 3 were a lot better.

[The Flooze]

Since Shannon hasn't mentioned it yet...

Just read Gail Carriger's Soulless. Brilliant! Austen/Wodehouse-like paranormal steampunk mystery....if you can imagine that combination. It's the first in her series The Parasol Protectorate, and I am thrilled to say there's not even a hint of First Book Syndrome. Smooth sailing all the way.

http://www.gailcarriger.com/

[Darcy]

I just read Viscious Cirlce by Linda Robertson, and was surprised by it. I had seen it on a different site I visit and didn't know anything about it. It is the first in the series so a little slow at first as she sets the world, but pretty good. Plus I think there will be more to learn about Johnny.

[K]

over the past couple of months it seems like I have been finding a lot of new (to me) authors some of my new favorites:
Maria Lima, Suzanne McLeod, J F Lewis and Devon Monk

[Darcy]

Kendra ~ If you like JF Lewis check out this link, it is a blog with a lot of urban fantasy and paranormal authors. He had one bit in there where he had Eric give a sex talk to his daughter (I forget her name), that was super funny.

http://reluctantadults.blogspot.com/

[Amelia]

Kimberly Frost. I also call her "The other Frost". She deserves waaaayyy more attention.

She is the author of the Southern Witch series:





She's writing the 3rd now. So far it is called Halfway Hexed.

[I ♥ Bookie Nookie (bookienookiereviews.blogspot.com)]

can someone please tell me what steampunk means?

[The Flooze]

Steampunk is...including technology too advanced for the time period. Like having flying machines and lazers in the 18th century?

[The Flooze]

Oops, I meant 19th.

Read Soulless by Gail Carriger! Steampunk elements there. (Another shameless push from Michelle.)

From wiki:

The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.

Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or digital mechanical computers; these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality.