Review of Mudkin by Stephen Gammell

Book Blurb: "Rain's gone! Time to play!" commands the queen. Well, she's not really a queen--just an ordinary girl who has an extraordinary day. She meets Mudkin, a friendly creature who whips up a robe and crown for her. Away they go to meet Her Majesty's subjects. Even if the kingdom lasts only until the next rain shower, the crown Mudkin gives her is forever. In his unmistakable style, Caldecott-winning artist Stephen Gammell creates an ode to the most potent of childhood mixtures: mud and imagination.

My Thoughts: I really like the artwork in this book. The colors are gorgeous and there's just the right amount of detail, the pages are not crowded or busy. There's some text but it's primarily a picture book.

     We see a young girl playing outside in the mud, when suddenly part of the mud turns into a sentient being that invites her to play. Gammell leaves it up to the reader to decide if the mud creature is real or a figment of the girls vivid imagination. And what an imagination she has; her mud creations are amazing and varied. We see her gleefully playing the mud, getting thoroughly dirty until the sun comes out and the book ends.

     In all, it's a fun book with gorgeous artwork and a story that celebrates getting dirty and using your imagination. A caution: The mud creatures can be a little scary looking for the younger kids.

Publisher: Carolrhoda Books

Release date: April 2011

More info: Amazon

Age range: 4-8 according to the publisher but I think it works for 3 year olds also.

A Chance to Chat with Heather Gudenkauf, author of "These Things Hidden"

A few weeks ago, I read a mainstream fiction novel, "These Things Hidden" by Heather Gudenkauf. I loved it, it was so well written and engrossing. Well, from now (it actually started on the 15th, I'm late) and going until Wednesday the 23rd, you can ask questions and even chat.

To participate, join the BookTrib Club and post any questions you’ve had about her newest book, her last book THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE, or anything else that crosses your mind!

A BookTrib giveaway of 10 copies of THESE THINGS HIDDEN signed by Heather will begin Friday, February 18^th and run through Friday, February 25^th at 12 pm ET.  Feel free to start posting questions on the club wall and Heather will answer them as she can.  On Wednesday, February 23^rd starting at 6:45 pm CT running for an hour, Heather will be chatting live with readers to ensure all questions are answered! 

Winners of the Darklands giveaway!

Ok, there was a small roster of entrants so typing into Random.org was quick for a change, lol. Up for grabs were a print copy of Darklands: A Vampire's Tale and also an ebook copy. Many thanks to Donna for providing these. I really enjoyed both Donna's post, and people's responses to it.

And the winners are..........................................Katy for the ebook and donnas for the print. Congrats!

Review: Dark Oracle by Alayna Williams

Book Blurb: 

TARA SHERIDAN HAS A GIFT . . . AND IT ALMOST KILLED HER. 
 As a criminal profiler, Tara used science and her intuitive skill at Tarot card divination to track down the dangerous and depraved, including the serial killer who left her scarred from head to toe. Since that savage attack, Tara has been a recluse. But now an ancient secret society known as Delphi’s Daughters has asked for her help in locating missing scientist Lowell Magnusson. And Tara, armed with her Tarot deck, her .38, and a stack of misgivings, agrees to try. 

Tara immediately senses there is far more at stake than one man’s life. At his government lab in the New Mexico desert, Magnusson had developed groundbreaking technology with terrifying potential. Working alongside the brusque but charismatic agent Harry Li, Tara discovers that Magnusson’s daughter, Cassie, has knowledge that makes her a target too. The more Tara sees into the future, the more there is to fear. She knows she has to protect Cassie. But there may be no way to protect herself—from the enemies circling around her, or from the long-buried powers stirring to life within. . . .

My Thoughts: As I first read this book I kept wondering why it was classified and marketed as Urban Fantasy. The book spine even calls it that. The book is primarily a mystery, with a little romance and some slight mystical aspects. However, as the story progressed more supernatural elements were gradually introduced. The lead character, Tara, is a practitioner of the Tarot cards. She uses them in her personal life, and, in her former career as an FBI profiler, she used the cards to help in her work. My problem is that it moslty felt like a mystery to me, with some mild supernatuiral elements. The readings are both on point yet vague (which I'm told is how they work in real life too). Tara doesn't actually "see" anything (despite what the blurb says), it's all vague forecastings that are wide open to interpretation. There's a fair amount of science in the book, but I never really felt as if I was reading an urban fantasy. I know that genres and sub-genres are wide open to interpretation, and that's a topic for another day. I just wanted to get that concern/question/comment out of the way. **Note: I am reviewing the second book in the series next week and I'll revisit the UF classification again in that review**


     In some respects the book reminded of Kay Hooper's Bishop: Special Crimes Unit series which are decidedly more UF yet are marketed and sold as mysteries. It's lighter than those stories and the writing not quite as tight but it feels like them nevertheless. 


     Despite (maybe because of?) the genre-confusion, the book is an original. It's mix of Taro cards, a mystical practice with a long history, and the cultish Delphi's Daughters, give this book a different spin. The Daughter's were intriguing and I look forward to reading more about them. One of the Daughters, Adrienne, passionately hates Tara. I never fully bought the explanation for that, it felt weak to me, but she was interesting and one of those people that you enjoy disliking. Another easy to dislike character is Tara's former partner at the FBI, Corvus. As the story went on I began to suspect what horror Corvus had perpetrated in the past. He is a lazy yet ambitious man who knows how to play the system and is content to ruin lives and stab people in the back to get what he wants.


     Many of the characters in the book are gray as opposed to all black (bad) or all white (good). Even Tara is not always likable though I empathize with her. I liked that Williams didn't take the easy way out but made her characters complex. Occasionally, things are predictable but overall, it's an imaginative, enjoyable story with some unusual elements.


Publisher:  Pocket Books                                                 Release date: May 25th, 2010

More info:  goodreads                                                      Series: #1 in the Oracle series 

This book was won in a contest at a blog and sent by the author.  

Interview with romance author Morgan Ashbury Part 2

 

Hello, and welcome back. Today I wrap up my interview with Morgan, writer of romance and erotic romance. If you missed part 1, you can find it here.

Morgan writes romance and erotic romance and has been very busy in the 4 years since she was first published , with almost 20 books to her credit. Today we are talking about romance, her mentors and other assorted topics.

Welcome back Morgan, thank you for taking the time to do this. 

Bea: Was there someone who was, or is, particularly helpful to you? Was there someone who inspired you in your writing? In what way(s)?

Morgan:  I always acknowledge Kelley Armstrong. I met her at a writing seminar just as her second book, Stolen, came out. We clicked. I went to her website. One day she said, “What do you think about starting a writing group on line at my site?” That group gave me the forum I needed to improve my craft. Kelley also invited me to go to CanWrite 2005 in Kitchener with her, and that was where I first learned about “erotic romance”. Then she said, “let’s go to RT in May next year. It’s in Daytona Beach!” I did, and that is where I met my publisher.

I consider her friendship to be one of my greatest treasures.

Bea: Ok, so now I have to ask: Who are some of your favorite authors? 

Morgan:  How much space do we have? Kelley Armstrong, Emma Wildes, A. J. Menden (KA OWG member), D. B. Reynolds (KA OWG member & future featured interviewee), Sharon Ashwood, Raina James (KA OWG member), Lara Santiago, Nora Roberts, J. D. Robb, Jayne Ann Krentz, Catherine Coulter, Kay Hooper, Barbara Delinsky, Clive Cussler, Vicky Lewis Thompson. I also enjoy the staff writers who write as “Richard Castle”, lol. 

Bea:  Do you have a favorite of the stories you’ve written?

Morgan:  I am proud of every single story I have written. I have 16 titles published under the pen name of Morgan Ashbury (and no, please don’t tell them my real name), and I have 4 stories (well, 5 on Friday the 11^th) published under a second pen name, Cara Covington.

My Magic and Love series is my sentimental favorite. I was very proud of The Lady Makes Three, my first ménage.  I am also really liking this Lusty, Texas series, too!

***I think Magic and Love is my fave also, I really enjoyed them - Bea*** 

Bea: If you could be a character in a book, which one would it be, and what part would you play? (Romantic lead, sidekick, etc)

Morgan: Oh, there’s a bit of me in every book I’ve written. I’m Hannah in the Magic and Love Trilogy. I’m Lily, in Lily In Bloom. But if I could be in someone else’s books, I’d be a friend or a confidante to the hero or the heroine. It’s just the way I’m wired, at heart, I’m not a centre-stage kind of person.

Bea: You’re on Twitter and facebook, but don’t use them often that I’ve seen. Do you think that hurts your sales at all? Do you think they are important or necessary for published authors?

Morgan: Yes, they are important. All promotion is important. That said, I do believe the best promotion is writing really good stories.

I write a weekly blog and have since 2006. It’s called Wednesday’s Words, and it has a substantial following. It’s included as a regular article in a number of blogs, and is a featured item in “Euro Reviews” an European book review site based in Antwerp, Belgium.

Just this past December I finally set up a blog for it, specifically. This blog keeps the name of Morgan Ashbury visible, and that is half of what promotion is all about.

I don’t use the social networks often because I’m so busy writing! I published 6 books in 2010, which is a lot. And, sadly, I forget to tweet. It’s not that I don’t want to tweet and…[um is there a verb for posting on face book? Is it facing? Booking?] I do want to. There’s just not enough hours in the day.

There is one other aspect to all of this tweeting and facing and blogging. Let me say it like this: my first computer was an abacas.

Bea:  Do you prefer paper books or ebooks? Why?

Morgan:  I do like holding a paper book. But I have an awesomely lucrative career writing e books. So, I have to say I prefer both, for different reasons.

Bea: What is the most romantic anyone has ever done for you? How would you define romance in real life? 

Morgan:  In real life, romance changes as you grow older, and closer to the one you love. I have been married now for 39 years, come July 2011. When my feet or ankles ache, I say to my beloved, “please rub my feet” and he never says no.

That is pretty darn romantic.

Bea: Does your family read your books? What do they think?

Morgan:  My husband reads every single book I write. He is my main beta reader, and he is very proud of me.

My daughter reads some of what I’ve written, but she kind of skips over the sex scenes as she doesn’t want to know that I know those things!

My brother has purchased every one of my books, and my sister has read a few.

Bea: You first became published a few years ago, at what some might consider a late age. Do you think that has been an advantage, disadvantage, or irrelevant? 

Morgan:  I think things happen when they are meant to happen. In this day and age, when I can sit at home in my pajamas and write, and people buy and read what I write, things like age or infirmity really are irrelevant. 

I personally know a very good author, a top seller with both Amber Quill and EC, who is in her 80s.

Bea: Anything that you want to add or say to your readers?

Morgan: I consider myself highly blessed to have been given this second career at a time when I didn’t know what the future really held for me. 

So many of my readers take the time to write, and I am thrilled each and every time I hear from them. To my readers I would like to say, thank you! Thank you so much for reading what I have had enormous fun writing. 

Morgan, thank you again for coming by. I've enjoyed this. 

Guest Post by Molly Harper

 Molly Harper , author of novels such as "Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs" and "Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men" recently wrote and shared with us, and other bloggers, a post about being snowed in. That experience led to her upcoming release, "How to Flirt with A Naked Werewolf". Read on to find out the details. 

     An ice storm. Stranded in a strange, isolated place without power. Children with an unsettling ability to win staring contests. This is how horror movies start.

     Watching the news coverage as cities across the Midwest are pelted by the much-touted historic blizzard, I’m having strange sympathy pangs. In January 2009, an ice storm ripped through Kentucky, taking out power and phone lines for thousands of homes, including mine. The first night I spent camped out in my in-laws’ darkened living room with my two young children, I was sure this was just a temporary blip.  It was going to be a funny story we could tell the next winter. As in, “Remember that night we had to sleep on an air mattress in front of Grandma’s fireplace and cook on a gas grill in the garage?”

     By the sixth night, I was no longer amused.

     Over the next week, Kentuckians were cold, cranky and progressively ill-groomed. I returned to my dark, cold house to forage for supplies one afternoon, only to find my neighbor shaving his head in his driveway. I sincerely hoped that was related to the lack of electricity and not just a personality quirk I'd never noticed before. Neighborhood block parties have been stilted and awkward since.

     But I managed to channel my cabin fever, before going the full fire-ax-through-bedroom-door and elevator-full-of-blood route. I started writing. Having recently published the Nice Girls books, a vampire romance series about an undead librarian in small-town Kentucky, I’d already decided that I wanted to write a werewolf story. And being isolated, in the dark, in an increasingly crowded, enclosed space, I decided to set the story in the frozen regions of Alaska.

     While we waited for the power to come back on, I wrote about twenty pages of notes by candlelight.  What emerged was the story of Mo Wenstein, a woman who moves across the country to escape her intrusive hippie parents and make a life for herself in the remote town of Grundy, Alaska. Cantankerous neighbor Cooper has been giving Mo a hard time about her place in her new community since day one. But when Cooper stumbles onto her porch, naked, with a bear trap clamped around his ankle, she realizes there’s more to him than a surly- though attractive- surface. A series of werewolf attacks, for which Cooper may or may not be responsible, dysfunctional werewolf clan drama, and romantic hijinks ensue.

     The manuscript grew over the next few months and became HOW TO FLIRT WITH A NAKED WEREWOLF, which is due to be released by Pocket Books on Feb. 22, wherever books are sold.  The sequel, THE ART OF SEDUCING A NAKED WEREWOLF, will follow on March 29.

     So, while the encroaching claustrophobia is frustrating, make the best of your snow days. Use the milk, eggs and bread you hoarded to make French toast. Plow through the To-Be-Read pile of paperbacks on your nightstand.  Write journal entries about the sights, sounds and emotions you’re experiencing as a blizzard survivor.

     You never know.  You could turn this experience into your first manuscript.

Note: This post was provided by Ms. Harper's publisher, Simon & Schuster.

Interview with romance author Morgan Ashbury Part 1

Morgan Ashbury is an author of erotic romance. Her first book was published in 2007. In just 4 short years, she has published almost 20 books.  I've known Morgan since before she was published and am delighted that she agreed to an interview. It actually turned into a fairly lengthy interview, I kept thinking of "just one more question!", lol. She graciously put up with all of them. I have broken the interview into two parts to make it a little easier to read. This first part deals mostly with her writing and her books, the second part is more general.

Last week, Morgan's publisher, Siren Publishing, announced that she also writes as Cara Covington, bringing her published works to over 20 books.

This is also the first installment of my year long series of interviews with authors who are also members of Kelley Armstrong's discussion board (though they may have a different name on the board). All of the writers are now, or were in the past, part of the KA board's Online Writers Group. That group has been remarkably successful at getting published.

A little bit about Morgan, from her website : 


The only dream I've ever had was to be a published author. It was a dream formed in childhood, and held on to through the business of growing up. Life intruded, as life does, and my dream was put on hold. But now, through hard work, faith, and luck dream has evolved into reality.

Romance is a wonderful genre that accommodates every other. Comedy, mystery, paranormal, suspense, or science fiction, romance embraces them all. Erotic romance gives all of that, and so much more.

For readers who want all the best traditional romance has to offer – great characters, compelling stories and a happy ending – and who crave that extra bit of heat – I invite you to read one of my novels and let me know what you think!

Morgan can also be found on facebook, twitter, and at  goodreads.


Bea: Morgan, thank you so much for being here today, I really appreciate it.

Morgan: Thank you so much for this opportunity!

Bea: Why writing? Would you continue to write if you were no longer published?

Morgan: I think it’s a case that writing chose me, rather than the other way around. I don’t believe it was ever a conscious decision on my part, as I wrote my first story when I was 8.  Would I continue if I was no longer published? Of course. Being an author isn’t what I do, it’s who I am. 

Bea: What is your favorite part of writing?

Morgan: There comes a moment, as you’re progressing through the steps of writing when everything gels. The characters step up to the plate, take over, and the story begins to grow, almost on its own. When that happens it’s absolute magic, and makes everything that might be difficult about this calling worth it.

 Bea: What advice would you give writers who aspire to get published? What is your least favorite part of the whole writing and publishing process eg edits, pr, interviews <big evil grin>, etc?  What is your favorite part? 

Morgan: I am one of those strange creatures who likes every aspect of this process. I can even put on my promoter’s hat when I have to—as so many of your readers who’ve met me at the RT Booklovers’ Convention will know. There isn’t anything about the writing process I don’t like.

My biggest piece of advice to anyone who wants to be a published author is…write. Write every day, at least something. Write and write and write some more. And one more thing. Don’t you ever, ever quit.

Bea: Why erotic romance? What do you like about it? Any plans to write in other genres? What do you say to people who look down erotic romance?    

Morgan:  I love romance. The main thing I love about it is you can find any other genre within its pages; also, romance, with its emphasis on the happy-ever-after, is a reading experience that uplifts. The author of romance can unashamedly portray the human character as very human, and as striving toward the ideals of love, honor, fidelity…the list goes on. Erotic romance just allows me to tell the whole story.

I do, of course, hope to continue to grow as an author; and so I look down the road, and hope to become published in mainstream romantic suspense and mainstream fiction.

As to those who look down on erotic romance, I just shrug. Did you know there are people who look down on all genre fiction as being “transitory” or “trashy”? To them, only literary fiction is worth reading.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. You can’t generally change people’s minds: they have to do that themselves.

My stories are well written, have depth of character, and I have a lot of readers – I can honestly say thousands of readers. I write for them.

Bea: Your first books were straight up romances with an erotic component. You've also done some with fantastic or magical components. You have slowly moved into romance stories that are more erotic, exploring other areas of sexuality including multiple partners and BDSM. What prompted the change?  

Morgan: In the beginning, I wrote romance. Then I wrote erotic romance with one hero and one heroine.

One cardinal rule for every published author is: know who your readers are. The second rule would be: give your readers what they want.

So to answer your question, I adapted my writing to meet the demands of my readers.

Bea: Your novel, "Shackled", came out in January, part of your BDSM series. Did you do much research for it? <grin> (see my review)

Morgan: Mr. Ashbury is always a willing and eager research partner. And, too, the Internet allows one to travel unknown worlds from the safety of an office chair. <grin>

 

Bea: Can you tell us something about your next book? 

Morgan: I do plan to do another story in the “Reckless Abandon” universe. And, I am currently working on “Love Under Two Fly Boys”, which will be the fourth book in the Lusty, Texas series. That series grew, by the way, out of the only two historical books I’ve ever written – the Lost collection books called Love Under Two Gunslingers, and Love Under Two Lawmen.

Ok, I'll end here and post the rest tomorrow. 

Review: Shackled by Morgan Ashbury

Book Blurb: Bethany asks Jordan Fitzpatrick, owner of Reckless Abandon, to find her a Master, agreeing to accept his choice. But never would she have guessed that he’d choose young hard-body Jonathan Steele. Fifteen years her junior and a friend for years, Jonathan soon lets her know, in no uncertain terms, that he is coming for her one way or another.

Jonathan’s sights are on Beth, and though she readily accepts her true sub nature, he knows he’s in for a struggle. Beth has been taught by her late husband that she can only depend on herself--a lesson that will be a challenge for Jonathan to undo.

With the help of best friend Peter Hamilton and the atmosphere of the city’s premier BDSM Club, Reckless Abandon, Jonathan knows it’s a challenge well worth meeting. The only uncertainty is whether or not he can get Beth to completely surrender to him before another does her harm.

My Thoughts: I enjoy reading romance novels, and I am a sucker for a happy ending. I also sometimes enjoy some fun-filled sex mixed in with my romance, be it graphic or mild. Happily, Ms Ashbury can be counted on to provide a fun, enjoyable erotic romance. In recent books she has gotten more adventurous, moving away from a standard M/F romance and exploring  M/F/M couplings, BDSM, sex toys, etc. I can't help but wonder if she did any hands-on research. :P *wicked grin*

     I know very little about BDSM so it was interesting for me to read this story. It's primarily told through Bethany's eyes, with occasional peeks into Jonathan's mind. We never get inside Peter's head, we only see him through Beth and Jonathan's eyes. As a result he was less fleshed out which is unfortunate since he is part of the love story.
    
     We follow Bethany on her journeys as she learns about the Master/sub relationship, and her developing relationship with Jonathan. Jonathan has wanted Beth for a very long time and with the death of  her husband, he is free to make his move. To his surprise, she makes the first move by going to the local BDSM club and requesting that she be given a Master. The owner and manager, who knew she was coming because she'd made an appointment, has Jonathan ready and waiting in the wings. Jonathan gives Bethany no time to catch her breath and immeidately whisks her off. He deliberately keeps her off balance so that she will not have time to over think things, as she's prone to do. Peter, a good friend of Jonathan's and a fellow Master, is biding his time, waiting for his cue from Jonathan to join in the relationship. Peter knows Bethany casually but is interested and he and Jonathan are hoping to convince Beth to accept both of them.

     The love story moves along quickly but doesn't feel rushed and Ashbury has gotten quite good at writing her sex scenes. There were a few thigns that didn't work for me: Beth, who is portrayed as a caring and concerened parent gives little thoought to how her grown children will react to her new relationship and livign arrangement. Now I don't expect that to be a large part of the story but some acknowledgement of it would be realistic and normal. The other part that didn't work for me was the subplot with Beth's sister-in-law Constance. While it did provide some additional dramatic conflict, I don't think it was necessary and it detracted from the overall story.

     Despite those drawbacks, this was a fun, sexy, enjoyable love story and definitely worth a read.


Publisher: Siren Bookstrand                                                      Release Date: January 14, 2011

More info: goodreads

**The author is a friend of the reviewer**

This ebook was received from the author for review.