The View from Monday - December 31, 2012

Happy Last Monday in December as well as last day of 2012! Happy New Year's Eve. Thank you tremendously for reading The Qwillery in 2012.  I'm hoping for a calm 2013 and wish you all a New Year filled with joy, success and much good reading!

Here are the books and eBooks out this week:


December 31, 2012

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Throne of the Crescent Moon (h2mm)	Saladin Ahmed	F - Crscent Moon Kingdoms 1
Magic Bites: A Special Edition of the First Kate Daniels Novel	Ilona Andrews	UF - Kate Daniels 1
Legacy (e)	Vivi Anna	SP - League of Illusion 1
Forbidden	Kelley Armstrong	UF - Otherworld Tales
The Wheel of Ice	Stephen Baxter	SF - Doctor Who
The Daemon Prism (tp2mm)	Carol Berg	F - Collegia Magica 3
Doktor Glass	Thomas Brennan	SP
Shifter's Wolf	Patricia Briggs	F - Sianim 1 and 2
The Goddess Collection, Volume One	P. C. Cast	PNR - Goddess Summoning 1 and 2
Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti	Bailey Cates	PCM - Magical Bakery Mystery 2
A Wild Ghost Chase (e)	E.J. Copperman	PCM - Haunted Guesthouse Novella
Ember: A Penguin Special from Roc (e)	James K. Decker	SF
Daughter of Regals & Other Tales	Stephen R. Donaldson	F - Short Stories
Murder Hooks a Mermaid	Christy Fifield	PCM -  Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery 2
Home Improvement: Undead Edition (h2tp)	Charlaine Harris (ed) Tony L.P. Kelner (ed)	F/H/M - Anthology
Grave Sight: A Harper Connelly Graphic Novel	Charlaine Harris	PM - Harper Connelly
Between Their Worlds	Barb & J.C. Hendee	F - Noble Dead Phase 3, Book 1
The Dog in the Dark	Barb & J.C. Hendee	F -Noble Dead Phase 3, Book 2
Black Fallen	Elle Jasper	UF - Dark Ink Chronicles 4
I'm Not Sam	Jack Ketchum Lucky McKee	H
Death's Angel	Heather Killough-Walden	PNR - Lost Angels 3
Copper Beach (h2mm)	Jayne Ann Krentz	PNR - Dark Legacy 1
Dreamspinner	Lynn Kurland	F - Nine Kingdoms 9
A Taste of Ice	Hanna Martine	PNR - Elementals 2
The Threads of the Heart	Carole Martinez	F/MR
The Hunter from the Woods	Robert McCammon	F/H
Come in and Cover Me (h2tp)	Gin Phillips	S/F/Gh
Out of This World (ri)	J. D. Robb Laurell K. Hamilton Susan Krinard Maggie Shayne	PNR/SFR - Anthology
Sealed With a Curse (D)	Cecy Robson	UFR - Weird Girls 1
Touch of the Demon	Diana Rowland	UF - Kara Gillian  5
Valentine Pontifex (ri)	Robert Silverberg	F/SF - Majipor Cycle 3
Angels' Dance (e)	Nalini Singh	PNR - Guild Hunter
Battle	Michelle West	F - House War 5
Skirmish (h2mm)	Michelle West	F - House War 4

January 1, 2013

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Called to Darkness	Richard Lee Byers	F - Pathfinder Tales
Video Night	Adam Cesare	H
Shivers VII	Richard Chizmar (ed)	H - Anthology
Timeline (ri)	Michael Crichton	SF
Beneath the Skin	Lauren Dane	PNR - De La Vega Cats 3
Evermine	Hailey Edwards	SFR - Daughters of Askara 2
American Psycho (signed by author) (ri)	Bret Easton Ellis	H
Peace-After Earth: Ghost Stories (e)	Robert Greenberger	SF - After Earth
Great North Road	Peter F. Hamilton	SF/Th/M
Battle of Kings	M. K. Hume	F - The Merlin Prophecy 1
For the Love of a Goblin Warrior	Shona Husk	PNR - Shadowlands 3
The Witch's Seduction (e)	Elle James	PNR
Odd Interlude: A Special Odd Thomas Adventure	Dean Koontz	H - Odd Thomas
Blessed By a Demon's Mark	E.S. Moore	UF -Kat Redding 3
The Iron Breed	Andre Norton	SF - Breed Omnibus
The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women	Marie O'Regan (ed)	GS - Anthology
The Sin Eater (h2tp)	Sarah Rayne	H
Tiger by the Tail	John Ringo Ryan Sear	MSF - Paladin of Shadows 6
A Dark Autumn (e)	Kristopher Rufty	H
A Little Night Muse (e)	Jessa Slade	PNR
Jin Village	Vincent Stoia	H
The Mammoth Book of Futuristic Romance	Trisha Telep (ed)	SFR - Anthology
Ravenwing	Gav Thorpe	F - Warhammer 40,000
Sunset of the Gods	Steve White	TT/Th - T.R.A. 2
The Middle Kingdom	David Wingrove	F - Chung Kuo 3

January 2, 2013

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Death's Head Legion: The Spear of Destiny (e)	Trey Garrison	AH - Far Ranger Adventure Part2
The Explorer	James Smythe	SF

January 3, 2013

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
We Modern People: Science Fiction and the Making of Russian Modernity	Anindita Banerjee	Literary Criticism

D - Debut
e - eBook
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
ri - Reissue or Reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback


AH - Alternate History
F - Fantasy
Gh - Ghosts
GS - Ghost Stories
H - Horror
M - Mystery
MR - Magical Realism
MSF - Military Science Fiction
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
S - Science
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SP - Steampunk
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
UF - Urban Fantasy
UFR - Urban Fantasy Romance

What's Up for 2012 Debut Authors in 2013 - Part 6

What are the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Authors up to in 2013?  This is the sixth is a series of posts.

See Part 1 here.

See Part 2 here.

See Part 3 here.
See Part 4 here.

See Part 5 here.

See Part 7 here.
See Part 8 here.
See Part 9 here.

See Part 10 here.

See Part 11 here.

See Part 12 here.

Linda Grimes

Quick Fix
Ciel Halligan 2
Tor, August 20, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook, 368 pages

The second installment of the original urban fantasy series starring human chameleon Ciel Halligan

Ciel Halligan, an aura adaptor with a chameleon-like ability to step into the lives of her clients and fix their problems for them — as them — is working a job at the National Zoo with her boyfriend, Billy, and his ten-year-old sister, Molly. It's supposed to be a quick fix, giving her time to decide if it's wise to pursue the romantic relationship her charming scoundrel of a best friend wants, or if she should give Mark, the CIA spook she's crushed on since hormones first rattled her pubescent brain, a chance to step up to the plate.

Molly has already begun to show signs of being an adaptor herself. She's young for it, but she's always been precocious, so it's not impossible. What is impossible is her taking on the form of the baby orangutan she touches — adaptors can only project human auras. Until now, apparently. Worse, Molly is stuck in ape form. She can't change herself back.

Escaping from the zoo with their new baby orang, Ciel and Billy head for NYC and the only person they know can help: Ciel's brother James, a non-adaptor scientist who's determined to crack the aura adaptor genetic code. But when Billy winds up in jail, accused of attempted murder, Ciel begins to suspect Molly's unusual adapting ability is more than just a fluke. Who's been experimenting on Molly, and what do they hope to gain? And will Ciel survive to find out?

Cover and descritpion from the Author's site.

Rhiannon Held

Tarnished
Silver 2
Tor, May 21, 2013
Hardcover and eBook, 352 pages

Experience the romance and danger of running with the werewolves in this urban fantasy.

Andrew Dare has found his mate in Silver, but they haven’t found the pack they can call home. Some of his old friends think he should return and challenge Roanoke for leadership of all the werewolf packs on the East Coast. But Andrew has baggage—his violent history with the packs of Spain and the rumors of his lack of control. And then there’s Silver—the werewolf who has lost her wild self to a monster’s assault, and who can no longer shift forms. But perhaps together they can overcome all the doubters.

The second book in this wonderful urban fantasy series plunges readers into the world of the shape-shifter packs who live hidden among us.

Alex Hughes

Sharp
Mindspace Investigations 2
Roc, April 2, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 352 pages

HISTORY HAS A WAY OF REPEATING ITSELF, EVEN FOR TELEPATHS.…

As a Level Eight telepath, I am the best police interrogator in the department. But I’m not a cop—I never will be—and my only friend on the force, Homicide Detective Isabella Cherabino, is avoiding me because of a telepathic link I created by accident.

And I might not even be an interrogator for much longer. Our boss says unless I pull out a miracle, I’ll be gone before Christmas. I need this job, damn it. It’s the only thing keeping me sane.

Parts for illegal Tech—the same parts used to bring the world to its knees in the Tech Wars sixty years ago—are being hijacked all over the city. Plus Cherbino's longtime nemesis, a cop killer, has resurfaced with a vengeance. If I can stay alive long enough, I just might be able to prove my worth, once and for all...

J.A. Kazimer

Froggy Style
F***ed-Up Fairytale 2
Kensington, February 26, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook, 288 pages

Jean-Michel La Grenouille has a lot going for him. He's a prince. Handsome. Filthy rich. And definitely charming. But he also spent his first few years as a fly-catching, pond-dwelling frog. All that saved him was the kiss of The One, the girl who saw nobility through his slimy form and fell into True Love. Okay, fine. Technically she was a toddler who tried to eat him, but whatever. The curse broke, and as long as he finds and marries her by his 30th birthday, he's a free man.

Trouble is, he's going to be 30 in ten days, and he's getting some seriously cold-blooded feet. He's pretty sure Princess Sleeping Beauty is The One. But his best man has some villain issues, his in-laws-to-be belong in a really special castle, and a smoking-hot lady biker named Lollie Bliss has him rethinking all this happily-ever-after stuff. Oh, and he may have accidentally put out a hit on his blushing bride. Oopsie.

Bec McMaster

Heart of Iron
London Steampunk 2
Sourcebooks Casablanca, May 7, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 448pages

Lena Todd is the perfect spy. Nobody suspects the flirtatious debutante could be a rebel against London’s vicious elite—not even the ruthless Will Carver, the one man she can’t twist around her little finger.

Will Carver, is more than man, he’s a verwolfen and he wants nothing to do with the dangerous beauty who drives him to the very edge of control. But when he finds Lena in possession of a coded letter, he realizes she’s in a world of trouble. To protect her, he’ll have to seduce the truth from her before it’s too late.

Carol Wolf

Binding
Wolf Moon Saga 2
Night Shade Books, April 2, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook, 288 pages

What do you do after you’ve saved the world—and nobody believes you?
Amber is a teenage runaway, hiding out in Los Angeles, who is also a daughter of the wolf kind. And, not long ago, she had her own personal demon. Richard was her servant, her lover, and a hellish force bound to the earth against his will. Together they turned back the World Snake that threatened to destroy the city—and she had granted Richard his freedom.
Now Amber is alone, but nobody accepts that she has truly shed her demon. Many still fear the World Snake and seek to capture the demon’s power for their own purposes, unaware that Richard has already departed the mortal realm. Amber finds herself hunted, in both wolf and human forms, by cultists, illusionists, raisers of power, and even an evil veterinarian.
Saving the world was one thing. To save herself Amber may have to call back her fearsome demon lover, who is no longer bound to obey her. . . .

2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars - COVER OF THE YEAR!

It's time for the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars for COVER OF THE YEAR!




As part of this year's Debut Author Challenge I thought it would be fun for you to choose a favorite cover from each month's debut novels. Now the 12 monthly winners are pitted against each other for you to choose the 2012 Debut Novel Cover of the Year.

Voting will be open for 2 weeks instead of the usual 7 days.

January

Cover artist - Michael Komarck

February

Cover created by Amazing15

March

Cover created by Amazing15

April

Cover created by Joey Hi-Fi

May

Cover created by Aleta Rafton

June

Cover created by Sparth

July

Cover by Cyanotype: Book Architects

August

Cover design - James Iacobelli.

September

Cover art - David Palumbo

October

Cover art - Chris McGrath

November

December

Guest Blog by Cassandra Rose Clarke. author of The Mad Scientist's Daughter and The Assassin's Curse - December 28, 2012

Please welcome Cassandra Rose Clarke to The Qwillery as part of the 2013 Debut Author Challenge Guest Blogs. The Mad Scientist's Daughter, Cassandra's adult debut, will be published January 29, 2013 in the US and Canada.

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Measure of a Man,” Data is put on trial to determine whether or not he is property of Starfleet. Captain Picard argues that viewing Data as an object rather than a person will eventually lead to Starfleet mass-producing a race of slaves. Starfleet (being Starfleet) rules that Data is a person.

In the Alien movies, the opposite ruling holds sway. Weyland-Yutani manufactures robots that do exactly as they are programmed, and there doesn’t seem to be much (by which I mean any) moral discussion about whether or not androids are people. Everyone basically treats them as sophisticated computers.

You really can’t write robot stories without escaping Isaac Asimov’s three laws, to the point that a fictional robot being or not being “three laws safe” is as intrinsic to its robot-ness as being made of electronic parts. However, the more interesting robot question for me has always been the issue of why people create robots in the first place, and the implications of that creation, which is why I find those two robot backdrops — Alien and Star Trek — so interesting in the diametric approaches.

Now, the “created being” trope is a well-established one in Western literature, with both Pinocchio and Frankenstein (and a myriad of others!) making the English class circuits. In both cases, a man creates life and can not, in way or another, control it — because that created life wants the same freedom its creator has. The human race has a long history of dehumanizing those they wish to deny freedom (and insert any definition of “freedom” here), and I think the robot stories of science fiction are a way of coming to terms with that history (and present). In Star Trek, Starfleet rejects that way of thinking, hoping to move forward into a brighter future. Weyland-Yutani embraces it, and that’s why they’re an evil space corporation.

Because I tend to view robot stories as primarily about freedom, Asimov’s three laws have never appealed to me. After all, he took a complex moral question and solved it like an engineer. Weirdly, it was actually the movie Aliens that first got me thinking about the problems with the three laws. Bishop assures Ripley that he’s reliable and then quotes the first law at her, but he doesn’t call it the first law — he calls it a behavioral inhibitor. Which is an unsettling, even upsetting, way of phrasing it. It’s also accurate.




About The Mad Scientist's Daughter

The Mad Scientist's Daughter
A Tale of Love, Loss and Robots
Angry Robot, January 29, 2013 (US/Canada)
February 7, 2013 (UK)
Trade Paperback and eBook, 400 pages

“Cat, this is Finn. He’s going to be your tutor.”

He looks and acts human, though he has no desire to be. He was programmed to assist his owners, and performs his duties to perfection. A billion-dollar construct, his primary task now is to tutor Cat. As she grows into a beautiful young woman, Finn is her guardian, her constant companion… and more.

But when the government grants rights to the ever-increasing robot population, however, Finn struggles to find his place in the world.

Following her acclaimed Young Adult debut for our sister imprint Strange Chemistry, The Assassin’s Curse, the very talented Cassandra Rose Clarke moves on to more adult themes, in a heartbreaking story of love, loss … and robots.

File Under: Science Fiction [ Constant Companion | Finn X | Sentient Rights | Hot Tin Roof ]

Pre-order
Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Also by Cassandra

The Assassin's Curse
Strange Chemistry, October 2, 2012 (US/Canada)
October 4, 2012 (UK)
Trade Paperback and eBook, 320 pages

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan. But that only prompts the scorned clan to send an assassin after her. And when Ananna faces him down one night, armed with magic she doesn’t really know how to use, she accidentally activates a curse binding them together.

To break the curse, Ananna and the assassin must complete three impossible tasks — all while grappling with evil wizards, floating islands, haughty manticores, runaway nobility, strange magic, and the growing romantic tension between them.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

About Cassandra

Cassandra Rose Clarke is a speculative fiction writer living amongst the beige stucco and overgrown pecan trees of Houston, Texas. She graduated in 2006 from The University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in English, and in 2008 she completed her master’s degree in creative writing at The University of Texas at Austin. Both of these degrees have served her surprisingly well.

During the summer of 2010, she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle. She was also a recipient of the 2010 Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund.

Website : Twitter

What's Up for 2012 Debut Authors in 2013 - Part 5

What are the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Authors up to in 2013?  This is the fifth is a series of posts.

See Part 1 here.

See Part 2 here.

See Part 3 here.
See Part 4 here.
See Part 6 here.
See Part 7 here.
See Part 8 here.
See Part 9 here.

See Part 10 here.

See Part 11 here.

See Part 12 here.

Jill Archer

Fiery Edge of Steel
Noon Onyx 2
Ace, May 28, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

Lucifer and his army triumphed at Armageddon, leaving humans and demons living in uncertain peace based on sacrifice and strict laws. It is up to those with mixed demon and human blood, the Host, to prevent society from falling into anarchy.

Noon Onyx is the first female Host in memory to wield the destructive waning magic that is used to maintain order among the demons. Her unique abilities, paired with a lack of control and reluctance to kill, have branded her as an outsider from her peers. Only her powerful lover, Ari Carmine, and a roguish and mysterious Angel, Rafe Sinclair, support her unconventional ways.

When Noon is shipped off to a remote outpost to investigate several unusual disappearances, a task which will most likely involve trying and killing the patron demon of that area, it seems Luck is not on her side. But when the outpost settlers claim that an ancient and evil foe has stepped out of legend to commit the crimes, Noon realizes that she could be facing something much worse than she ever imagined…

Lee Battersby

The Marching Dead
Marius don Hellepsont 2
Angry Robot, March 26, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook

Find the dead a King, save himself, win the love of his life, live happily ever after. No wonder Marius dos Helles is bored. But now something has stopped the dead from, well, dying.

It’s up to Marius, Gerd, and Gerd’s not-dead-enough Granny to journey across the continent and put the dead back in the afterlife where they belong.

File Under: Fantasy [ Dead Reckoning | Strange Problems | By Royal Decree | Still Running ]

Kira Brady

Hearts of Shadow
The Deadlglass Trilogy 2
Kensington Zebra, May 7, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 352 pages

In this brilliant new novel in the Deadglass series, a fierce young woman’s quest entangles her in an apocalyptic endgame–and unexpected desire…

Grace Mercer’s unmatched wraith-killing ability made her the unofficial defender of a city shattered by supernatural catastrophe. So there’s no way she’ll allow the new regent of Seattle’s most powerful dragon shifter clan to “protect” her from a vicious evil stalking the ruined streets–and keep her from the freedom she’s risked everything to earn. Leif’s science-honed instincts tell him Grace is the key to keeping shifters and humans safe. But helping this wary fighter channel her untapped power is burning away the dragon’s sensual self-control and putting a crucial alliance at risk. Soon the only chance Leif and Grace will have to save their world will be a dangerously fragile link that could forever unite their souls…or consume all in a storm of destruction.

Amanda Carlson

Hot Blooded
Jessica McClain 2
Orbit, April 23, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

It hasn't been the best week for Jessica McClain.

Her mate has been kidnapped by a Goddess hell-bent on revenge --- but Jessica is playing for keeps.

Because she's the only female werewolf in town...it comes with its own set of rules...and powers.

Aided by two vamps, two loyal Pack members, and one very reluctant human, Jessica must rescue her man while coming to terms with what being a wolf really means.

All in a day's work for a girl.

The second novel in the Jessica McClain series is a full on action adventure featuring one angry Goddess and plenty of monsters, demons, and a few newly risen beasties...

Lee Collins

She Returns from War
Cora Oglesby 2
Angry Robot, January 29, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 368 pages

Four years after the horrific events in Leadville, a young woman from England, Victoria Dawes, sets into motion a series of events that will lead Cora and herself out into the New Mexico desert in pursuit of Anaba, a Navajo witch bent on taking revenge for the atrocities committed against her people.

File Under: Dark Fantasy [ The Wilder West | Unseen Forces | A Conspiracy | Fight For Life ]

Leigh Evans

That Thing About Weres
Mystwalker 2
St. Martin's Paperbacks, July 30, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 464 pages

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER

In the never-ending saga that is my love-hate relationship with Robson Trowbridge, I, half-Were Hedi Peacock, have had a change of heart. Ever since I shoved Trowbridge through the Gates of Merenwyn, I’ve been the leader of the pack—hard to believe, right? The thing is: I’m half-Fae. So even though my Were side is ready to heed the call of the wild, the other part of me is desperate to take flight. And much as it pains me to admit it, life without Trowbridge is really starting to were me down…

I AM WERE, HEAR ME ROAR.

To make matters worse, the wolves of Creemore want my blood—and the North American Council of Weres wants me dead. So I’m just counting the days until Trowbridge returns from the other realm…and comes to my brave rescue…and becomes my alpha mate. Wishful thinking? Of course it is. But given all the mess I’ve been through already, what’s the harm in doing a little bit of daisy-plucking? Besides, Trowbridge owes me bigtime. A girl can dream.

Happy Holidays 2012

No matter which holidays you celebrate I hope that the holiday season brings you joy, peace, wonderful new memories, and many new books!



Here's a photo my Dad took during World War II. He served with the 10th Army Air Force. Thank you to all our military for their service!

Happy Holidays!

Guest Blog by Caridad Pineiro - Stop and Smell the Roses - December 24, 2012

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Caridad Pineiro to The Qwillery as part of her Hurricane Sandy NJ Relief Campaign and Blog Tour.

From now until March 1, 2013, Caridad is donating 100 percent of her proceeds from The Prince's Gamble to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund to help the folks who are still suffering from the effects of the Hurricane Sandy.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Friday night as I rushed to catch the train home, I noticed others scurrying about thanks to the Christmas rush. The short, but cute, stubble-faced guy heading to the Amtrak ticket window as the speakers overhead crackled an “All aboard.” A young couple arguing, hand movements sharp and determined.

Yards away, a little old lady, barely 4’8”, dodged and weaved between the people in the crowd, her bob of silver hair bouncing beneath her shocking pink beret. A quick swerve around the corner by the donut shop and she was almost gone, but the sweet smells of just fried dough lingered in her place while visions of sugar glazed donuts tempted me as they glimmered beneath the lights in the display case.

As the last bit of pink beret faded from sight, I thought, “It’s Friday night. Maybe she has a hot date.” Or maybe she's rushing home to family for the holidays.

In New York City, where an escalator just means you can walk up the stairs even faster, rushing to somewhere is just a way of life. Not that NYC is so different from many other places. As a whole, our way of life seems to be rush, rush, rush.

We’re so busy rushing to somewhere that we’ve lost our to ability to experience the where we are, much less remember the where we’ve been sometimes.

It’s the old stop and smell the roses adage.

As a writer, you almost have to stop and smell the roses a great deal of the time because one of the greatest tools a writer can have is her power of observation. The ability to remember the details of people, places and things. It’s those little details that breathe life into our characters and stories.

Next time, stop and think about the scene that you are going to write. Think about the smells in the air. The feel of the location and the noises (or lack of noises) that surround you. What do you see as you stand there, experiencing the where you are? Do you taste anything as you stand there? Where had you been before and was it different?

The five senses, or as many of them as you can possibly include, should be present in that scene to bring it alive for readers. When you enhance the descriptions by infusing them with your personal observations, it brings a scene to life in a way that can’t be accomplished just by research.

If you’re a writer, stop rushing to somewhere and take the time to experience what’s around you.

For everyone else, stop and smell the roses anyway! Time is too short to always be rushing to somewhere without savoring the here and now.

P.S. – Do you think that little old lady in the pink beret will ever make into a story?

On this Christmas Eve, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!





The Prince's Gamble

The Prince's Gamble
Dead Sexy (Entangled Publishing), November 13, 2012
eBook, 219 pages

Prince Alexander Ivanov is scrambling to save his reputation and his livelihood. One of the Russian Nights Casino's hostesses has disappeared, and his business is suddenly under investigation by the FBI for associations with the mob and money laundering.

Special Agent Kathleen Martinez has no patience with rich, entitled aristocrats, especially one like Alexander Ivanov whom she believes is involved in the vicious human trafficking ring which she'd tried—and failed—to shut down two years earlier. With a second chance to bring him to justice, she goes undercover in the casino, but instead of facing the villain she expected, she finds herself battling a sizzling attraction to the man.

Now, forced to work together to trace the source of the illegal activities, the danger—and the passion between them—grows out of control, and they slowly begin to realize the biggest danger isn’t to the casino, it’s to their lives…and to their hearts.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble

About Caridad

USA TODAY and NY Times bestselling author Caridad Pineiro has nearly forty published novels and novellas. In 2007, a year marked by six releases from Harlequin and Pocket Books, Pineiro was selected as the 2007 Golden Apple Author of the Year by the New York City Romance Writers. In 2012, Pineiro was a finalist for the romance industry’s top award, the RITA. Past awards won include Top Fantasy Books of 2005 and 2006 by CATALINA Magazine and Top Nocturne of 2006 by Cataromance. In addition, Caridad’s books have received award nominations for RT Book Reviews, Affaire de Couer, Harlequin Readers’ Choice, RIO Reviewers and SingleTitles.com Top Contemporary Romance.

Caridad has appeared at BookExpo America on several occasions, including helping launch Kensington’s Encanto multicultural line and Silhouette’s Nocturne series.

Caridad has appeared on various television shows, such as the FOX News Early Edition in New York, and articles featuring her novels have been published in several leading newspapers and magazines, from the New York Daily News, and LATINA to the Star Ledger. For more information on Caridad, please visit www.caridad.com or www.rebornvampirenovels.com.

You may also find Caridad on Facebook and Twitter.




The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  One commenter will win a digital copy of The Fifth Kingdom from Caridad!

Dr. Deanna Vasquez hasn't spoken to her mother in years, not since the renowned archaeologist abandoned her family in her quest to find the lost tomb of Montezuma. When CIA agent Bill Santana shows up in her classroom with the news that her mother has been abducted by terrorists, Deanna has to help in any way she can.

Bill needs Deanna's expertise to determine the location of her mother's latest find, before her kidnappers do. He fears whatever mysteries the tomb holds could be deadly in the wrong hands. In an effort to make contact with the terrorist cell, Bill accompanies Deanna to Mexico posing as her fiancé--a ruse made doubly dangerous because of the very real heat between them...

How:   Answer Caridad's question:

Do you think that little old lady in the pink beret will ever make into a story?

Please remember - if you don't answer the questions your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)   Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)   Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

There are a total of 3 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry) and Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry).  This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook or Twitter mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Monday, January 7, 2013. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*

The View From Monday - December 24, 2012

Happy Monday and Christmas Eve (for those who celebrate)! There are a surprisingly large number of books out this week. Books make great gifts! Don't forget to buy some books for yourself. 

You may find a printable PDF shopping list of this week's releases by clicking here.

Enjoy!


December 24, 2012

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Unnatural Acts	Kevin J. Anderson	UF/H - Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. 2
Luck of the Draw	Piers Anthony	F - Magic of Xanth 36
All for You (e)	Dana Marie Bell	PNR - Nephilim
Cannibalism in Literature and Film	Jennifer Brown	Literary Criticism
Arctic Rising (h2mm)	Tobias S. Buckell	SF/Th
Chicks Kick Butt (tp2mm)	Rachel Caine (ed) Kerrie L. Hughes  (ed)	F - Anthology
Dinosaur Thunder	James F. David	Th/SF
The Trouble with Fate (D)	Leigh Evans	UF - Mystwalker 1
Ice Shards (e)	Yasmine Galenorn	PNR - Otherworld Novella
Latin American Science Fiction: Theory and Practice	M. Elizabeth Ginway (ed) J. Andrew Brown (ed)	Literary Criticism
The Bride Wore Black Leather (h2mm)	Simon R. Green	UF - Nightside 12
Earthbound (h2mm)	Joe Haldeman	SF - Marsbound 3
Sisterhood of Dune (h2mm)	Brian Herbert Kevin J. Anderson	SF - Dune
Exploring the Limits of the Human through Science Fiction	Gerald Alva Miller Jr.	American Literature Readings in the Twenty-First Century
The Lost Goddess (h2tp)	Tom Knox	Th/GB
Transnational and Postcolonial Vampires: Dark Blood	Tabish Khair (ed) Johan Hogland (ed)	H/Literary Criticism
What a Ghoul Wants	Victoria Laurie	PCM - Ghost Hunter Mystery 7
Angelique's Descent (tp2mm) (ri)	Lara Parker	H - Dark Shadows
Living Proof (h2mm)	Kira Peikoff	Th/GB
The Ramal Extraction	Steve Perry	SF - Cutter's Wars 1
Touchstone (h2mm)	Melanie Rawn	F - Glass Thorns 1
Gates of Rapture	Caris Roane	PNR - Guardians of Ascension 6
The Shadow's Heir	K. J. Taylor	F - The Risen Sun 1
The Power of Tolkien's Prose: Middle-Earth's Magical Style (h2tp)	Steve Walker	Literary Criticism
John Dies at the End (ri)	David Wong	H
The Hermetic Millennia	John C. Wright	SF - Count to a Trillion 2

December 25, 2012

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Spellbound (h2mm)	Larry Correia	SuN - Grimnoir Chronicles 2
Future Imperfect (ri)	Keith Laumer	SF - Collection
Kissed by Smoke	Shéa MacLeod	F - Sunwalker Saga 3
Warm Bodies (ri)	Isaac Marion	H/Z
Witchbreaker	James Maxey	F - The Dragon Apocalypse 3
Ack-Ack Macaque	Gareth L. Powell	SF/AH -Ack-Ack Macaque 1
Cobra Gamble (h2mm)	Timothy Zahn	SF - Cobra War 3

December 26, 2012

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Shattered Hourglass	J. L. Bourne	H - Day by Day Armageddon 3
Gilded	Karina Cooper	SPM - St. Croix Chronicles 2
Spiritual Seduction (tp2mm)	Desiree Day	PNR
Demon's Curse (D)	Alexa Egan	UF - Imnada Brotherhood 1
Blood Winter	Diana Pharaoh Francis	UF - Horgate Witches 4
The Frazetta Sketchbook	Frank Frazetta	F - Art
A Soul So Wicked	Sharie Kohler	PNR - Moon Chasers 6
The Body Electric	David Mack	SF - Star Trek: TNG: Cold Equations 3
A Love Untamed	Pamela Palmer	PNR - Feral Warriors 7
Snuff (ri)	Terry Pratchett	F - Discworld 39
Last Kiss Goodnight	Gena Showalter	PNR - Otherworld Assassin 1

D - Debut
e - eBook
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback


AH - Alternate History
F -  Fantasy
H - Horror
GB - Genre Bender
PCM - Paranormal Cozy Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
SF - Science Fiction
SP - Steammpunk
SPM - Steampumk Mystery
SuN - Supernatural Noir
Th - Thriller
UF - Urban Fantasty
Z

Ziggy Stardust and Transformers - December 23, 2012

I finally had a chance to look at this week's comics and found something incredibly awesome. The Retailer Incentive cover for Transformers: Robots in Disguise 12 is a homage to the cover of David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars.  The comic cover features the Autobot Arcee, the most androgynous of the Autobots. The comic cover art is by Casey W. Coller with colors by Joanna Lafuente.

For a lot of information about the album cover artwork head over to The Ziggy Stardust Companion here.

2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars - December 2012 Winner

The 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars winner for December is Trey Garrison's Black Sun Reich (The Spear of Destiny: Part One)  with 48% of the votes cast. Black Sun Reich was published by HarperVoyager on December 18, 2012

The final results:

The December Debut Covers

Thank you to everyone who voted, Tweeted, and participated. The 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars will continue soon with voting for 2012 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars - COVER OF THE YEAR!

Winners x 4 - December 23, 2012

And the winners are...




Deliver Me from Temptation (Paladin Warriors 2) by Tes Hilaire - Read the Guest Blog here.

Question:  Has there ever been a time when your creative muse abandoned you? If so, please tell us how you got out of your funk and if not, feel free to ask any question that comes to mind about me or my writing process.

SdyLion who said...

I write our annual Christmas letter every year. I was better at it in the beginning, rhyming the words and all, but now, I just tell it like it is. I feel like I am either brimming with creativity when it comes to writing, or I am just empty.

Eyes to See (The Jeremiah Hunt Chronicles 1) by Joseph Nassise - Read the Interview here.

Question:  Where (town, city, etc.) was the last Urban Fantasy novel you read set? 

Texas Book Lover who said...

The last UF books I read were the Mercy Thompson series set in the Tr-Cities area of Washington.

Awaken the Curse (Imnada Brotherhood eNovella) by Alexa Egan - Read the Guest Blog here.

Question:  I'm a huge fan of e-novella prequels and e-novellas in general.  What about you?

erin who said...

Thanks for a great post and congrats to Alexa on the newest release! Sounds fantastic :)

I've actually really become a fan of prequel novellas. It gives me a taste of the world and what to expect, which is great if it's a new to me author. Plus, the pricing is pretty good and for just a dollar or two, you get almost a 1/3 of a book! Before my kindle, I'd have never searched out novellas but now that they are becoming more available, I've been gobbling them up :)

Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher (3 winners) - Read the Guest Blog here. 

Question:  What’s your favorite genre blend?

Rebe who said...

I love sci fi with romance, steampunk, and urban fantasy with a touch of romance (I'm a bit off PNR these days).

The winners have been notified and have until 11:59 PM US Eastern Time on December 30, 2012 to respond or The Qwillery will very randomly choose a new winner or winners.

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Review - Ack-Ack Macaque by Gareth L. Powell - December 22, 2012

Ack-Ack Macaque
Author:  Gareth L. Powell
Series:  Ack-Ack Macaque
Publisher: Solaris, US - December 18, 2012 (eBook)
US - December 25, 2012 (print)
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 416 pages
Price: $7.99 (print)
Genre:  Science Fiction/Alternate History
ISBN:  9781781080603 (print)
Review Copy:  Provided by Solaris

In 1944, as waves of German ninjas parachute into Kent, Britain’s best hopes for victory lie with a Spitfire pilot codenamed ‘Ack-Ack Macaque.’ The trouble is, Ack-Ack Macaque is a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey, and he’s starting to doubt everything, including his own existence.

A century later, in a world where France and Great Britain merged in the late 1950s and nuclear-powered Zeppelins circle the globe, ex-journalist Victoria Valois finds herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who butchered her husband and stole her electronic soul. In Paris, after taking part in an illegal break-in at a research laboratory, the heir to the British throne goes on the run. And all the while, the doomsday clock ticks towards Armageddon...

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A -Million : IndieBound

My thoughts:

I can't remember the last time that I had so much fun reading a novel. Gareth L. Powell has penned a fantastic Alternate History/Science Fiction novel with memorable characters and a wonderfully inventive plot.

As noted in the book description, the novel is set both during World War II and in the latter half of the 21st Century in a world where Great Britain and France are under the British Monarchy*. I found the unified France and Britain concept in the novel extremely well done. It's really easy to accept the what-if of the world in Ack-Ack Macaque.

There is mystery, murder, intrigue, a runaway Prince, and scientists who think they are doing the right thing for humanity (we know where that leads).  The novel moves at a breathtaking pace from place to place revealing ever more about the characters as well as the cause for the murders.

I can't say enough about the title character, Ack-Ack Macaque. He is simply superb. He's a simian of action, a larger than life hero! I adore him. Victoria, the Prince, and the other main characters were all appealing and interesting.  They have difficult choices to make and you will root for them, as I did, to find the killer, figure out what is going on, and hopefully save the world.

There are some lovely touches in the novel - 1) alliterative names (e.g., Victoria Valois, Mindy Morris, and others) that fondly reminded me of comics and some of my favorite childhood cartoon shows; 2) news reports and blog posts, and 3) illuminating chapter headings.

Ack-Ack Macaque is over-the top and action-packed with an ending that is both exciting and ultimately satisfying. Gareth L. Powell has crafted a crisply written, engrossing and very entertaining novel.



A side note: The book includes extras at the end including the short story, Ack-Ack Macaque, that is the first appearance of the monkey Ack-Ack Macaque. It was published in Interzone and then in The Last Reef, a collection of short stories by Gareth L. Powell. I'm also happy to note that a sequel to Ack-Ack Macaque, Hive Monkey, will be coming in 2014!



*As noted in a recent interview with Mr. Powell, "union" talks between the two nations actually took place in the 1950s, but obviously the union did not occur.