There’s a new group blog of some Samhain authors who write paranormal: Beyond the Veil. I just put up my first post, which a Thursday Thirteen post—my first.
I list my most recent shapeshifter reads. Lots of good books!
I’m sure if I was a wiser, better person, I just wouldn’t post anything. But, really, if you don’t like a blog or a site, don’t go there. Don’t read it. Life is too short.
And you know what? Not everyone is going to agree with what is right—or not—to post. I have blogs I don’t visit, because they irritated me or even disgusted me. (And if I’m mesmerized despite myself, well, that is my responsibility.) But no one is forced to go read whatever.
I don’t get it.
I know someone who refuses to read any reviews of her work. Just doesn’t want to know. Her perogative and good for her.
If you don’t like negativity—though negativity, like much else, is one of those eye-of-the-beholder things—don’t visit it.
I suppose I sound self-righteous. Sigh. And I admit that while I’ve had meh reviews, I haven’t had a book shredded.
In other news, just adored this quote of Alison Kent’s, found in the comments of this post by Janine of Dear Author:
This is something I think isn’t talked about enough, how forward motion doesn’t have to stop to give the description of a parlor or a character’s clothing or the landscape.
Five books from Samhain this week:
Best sellers from My Bookstore and More:
1. Go Fetch! by Shelly Laurenston
2. Nothing Personal by Jaci Burton
3. Chased by Lauren Dane
Missing in Action, from last week, and The Ocean’s Shadow, from two weeks ago, also hit the bestseller list.
I don’t always enjoy urban fantasy. Sometimes, the world can get too crowded, with its werewolves, vampires, magic and other assorted creatures. Too many creatures and too many explanations. But here, despite all the different creatures in Patricia Briggs’s Moon Called, I loved this story.
Maybe because I love werewolves and shapeshifters and they were the primary focus. But also just because I found Brigg’s story engaging, her characters appealing and the world believable. Really good read. Werewolves have powers, but it’s not easy being a werewolf. It costs and sometimes the cost is way too high.
Mercedes or Mercy is not a werewolf, but a walker, one who can shift into coyote form, unaffected by the moon. She was raised by werewolves, but is not one of the them. This creates an interesting tension, in that the werewolves are and are not her family. She is associated with but not part of the pack. It also allows the author to explain a lot of things werewolves would take for granted, because Mercy has issues with what is normal for werewolves.
There is a complicated plot that pulled me through the story. Like a lot of mysteries, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the final explanation—I am just not the best mystery reader. But, nevertheless the world and the characters and the voice (it’s first person narrator) more than compensated for any disappointment in story.
There are two love interests but not actually much romance at all. There’s a death that hurt me :( There are lots of appealing secondary characters.
I’ll be reading the next one in this series. I’m pleased. Because I keep trying to read urban fantasy and failing to be engaged. But this one was a keeper.
Jane of Dear Author gave Moon Called an A-. Keishon gave it an A.
This week, five novels from Samhain:
Best sellers from My Bookstore and More:
1. Kiss and Tell by Sandy Lynn
2. Go Fetch! by Shelly Laurenston
3. Haley’s Cabin by Anne Rainey
Exactly the same three as a week ago. From last week’s releases, Nothing Personal and Steelflower hit the bestseller list.
I read the rest of The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt in one gulp. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I will be picking up The Leopard Prince.
That said, I am glad I didn’t read the back cover until I was hooked. (If you haven’t read the book, the rest of this post has spoilers. Well, I guess they’re only spoilers if you read the back blurb.)
How to hook me:
The man heaved himself out of the mud puddle to loom over her in that irritating way gentlemen had of trying to look important when they’d just been foolish.
And then have the hero be both compelling and attractive, but not handsome. With past trauma. I’m a goner.
This is the much-touted The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt. I’m only on chapter one.
Not quite so compelling was a book I laid aside, which shall remain nameless, in which the magic just kept coming, in its many different forms. I need structure, people! First shapeshifting, then psychic powers, then this, then that…well, it just begins to feel like anything can happen, and not in a good way. Too bad, I liked the characters.
But back to The Raven Prince. I find it a bit of a relief if the hero really isn’t handsome. Don’t get me wrong, I love beautiful heroes, too, but you know, they’re pretty thick on the ground and variety is nice. Which brings me to Rosario’s recent post at Romancing the Blog where she wants the envelope pushed further.
In relative terms, therefore, the heroine will always end up in a role less traditionally masculine than that of the hero. As for the hero having a traditionally more female role? Forget about it.
I guess most readers prefer to see a more traditional conception of manliness and femininity in their books, and that’s fine; I’m not advocating that all books change in this direction. But surely there are enough of us out there for at least some books to be published that push the envelope, even a little bit?
The comments are interesting, in that you have such a variety of responses. Some want alpha hero/beta heroine, some want beta hero/alpha heroine, others wants alpha/alpha, some talk about gammas though I’m never sure what that means.
But really, I just like the idea of variety in stories, of choice. And the discussion is fun. I guess the alpha heroes still sell best, not that I’m an expert.
Samhain Publishing has been added RWA’s list of recognized publishers.
So very cool :)
ETA: And, look, we’re already listed.
Well, after saying I’d post more often, I forgot to list Samhain’s new releases. There’s a good mix this week: contemp, fantasy, shapeshifter, futuristic, erotic… And I adore the covers. I can’t decide which one is my favorite. Maybe Steelflower, for now.
Anyway, this week:
Best sellers at My Bookstore and More:
1. Kiss and Tell by Sandy Lynn
2. Go Fetch! by Shelly Laurenston
3. Haley’s Cabin by Anne Rainey
This week’s Nothing Personal is already on the list. Last week’s Chased and Stone Queen are, too. As is Sex and Sexuality.
I know, I’ve been an extremely bad blogger. And I am going to try, slowly, to pick up speed again.
Anyway, there were a couple posts around the blogosphere that I enjoyed reading and which I think are somewhat related.
First Lauren Dane is fascinated by different reactions to the same sex scenes.
I wonder then, if books with sex and sexuality at their core aren’t the most difficult to access because they’re not universal. Yes, we all have sexuality in some sense whether it’s none to nympho but at the same time, sexuality is incredibly individual and what made me stop, read the paragraph, stop, read it again and once more while my heart pounded and my brain screamed, “That’s amazing!” – someone else read it and thought “holy crap, this is awful”
This can be true of any type of scene, of course, but I do think sex provokes stronger reactions. Now this doesn’t mean all sex scenes are equal, not that Lauren claimed any such thing. If no one likes your scene, you’re not likely to be widely read and if you write in such a way as to attract a lot of readers, you’re probably connecting to a lot of people.
One of my favorite scenes ever, and one I found erotic and moving, is the consummation scene in Laura Kinsale’s The Shadow and the Star. (Fangirl swoon.) But, in my opinion, that requires the full lead up, in part because it takes place more than halfway through the book.
See, how I so smoothly, or not, segue into the second post, in which Karen Scott asks:
So, can any of you honestly tell me that you never purposely search for sex scenes when browsing?
I don’t. Because if I love the book, I generally love the lead up to sex. I want to read hot, riveting sex scenes, but I want to read them in the book, not by themselves. I find they’re more emotionally charged when they have context. (Not to say there aren’t exceptions, but as a generalization, this is true for me.) Then again, I adore well-done sexual tension. Yum.
There a post. Not much in it, but it was fun to write.
