Giveaway Winners - Mind Games & Atlantis Redeemed

We have winners from the two different giveaways that ended March 29.

Interview and Giveaway with Alyssa Day

Winners of signed copies of Atlantis Redeemed courtesy of Alyssa Day are -

• vslavetopassionv who said...I am totally with you on the mayo hatred. :) Is Atlantis real? Its interesting to think about but have no clue.
• bianca_riot who said...I'd like to think Atlantis is real! Love this interview, made me smile, so thanks!!! I love the covers too.
• CrystalGB who said... I think that there is a possibility that Atlantis is real. Like to keep an open mind.

Interview and Giveaway with Carolyn Crane

Winner of the signed copy of Mind Games courtesy of Carolyn Crane is -

• Lori who said... So Mote it be! Great interview, although I am wondering who influenced who in the crazy of it all. I have a idea...

Winners of a copy of Mind Games from SciFiGuy.ca are -

• Hawkeyegirl who said... Congrats, the book sounds great and the interview was a riot! One of my favorite places to eat is Jason's Deli. It isn't strange or funny unless you know my fiance's name is Jason. So when I say I went to Jason's for lunch sometimes people look at me funny.
• Stella (Ex Libris) who said... Haha, Carolyn, this is the second interview I read of yours, and each one of them cracks me up! I can't wait to read Mind Games as I've heard brilliant things about it, BUT if it is really only 5 or 8% funny, then I'm begging you to please publish a funny book of yours very soon, I want to read something hilarious with your writing style! :-) My favourite restaurant is called Hemingway, it is located on the bank of a small lake, so the terrace of the restaurant has an amazing view, and you feel like you are dining on the water! The decoration is very Havana-like, sumptuous and tropical, the food are exquisite and the atmosphere is unique (there is also a cigar room and a pianist is playing live!). So it is a really fantastic restaurant.

As always thanks to my two wonderful guests and to everyone that participated!

Author Event - Jessica Andersen (Guest Post & Giveaway)

Author Jessica Andersen is my guest today.and she is here to tell you about the end of the world! Her Final Prophecy urban fantasy series is loaded with romance and frenetic action where the clock is tick, tick, ticking. It all began with Nightkeepers (2008), followed by Dawnkeepers (2009), Skykeepers (2009) and the newest, Demonkeepers, which releases April 6. If you have been following the series, this is Lucius and Jade's story.

Learn what a ballgame has to do with saving the world. Jessica will be dropping buy to chat and answer questions and she is giving away a signed copy of Demonkeepers. Check out Jessica's giveaway guidelines at the end of the post to enter.

Of demons and ballgames
(with running, screaming and sex!)

Mayan lore and modern science warn that 12/21/2012 could bring a global cataclysm … a threat that is far more real than we imagine. Dark forces stand poised to overrun the earth and crush humanity beneath a vicious rule of terror and blood sacrifice. Our only hope rests with a group of saviors living in secret among us: modern magic-wielding warriors called the Nightkeepers.

Now, in the last few years before the 2012 doomsday, these magi must find and win their destined mates in order to protect the barrier of psi energy that forms humanity’s last line of defense against an ancient and powerful enemy.

Book 4 - Releasing April 6, 2010

Books 1-3

Hello!

Thanks very much for having me on today, Doug, and to your readers for stopping by and spending a few minutes with the Nightkeepers.

Mercifully, as I head into the last week before the release of Demonkeepers and I go from what my crit partner and I call ‘release head’ (high stress, low tolerance for stupidity, OCD-level checking of what little sales data are available to authors) toward total-mental-meltdown status, I’ve got a few things to distract me: looming deadlines, finally a new episode of Bones, and the start of baseball season.

I’m not a math person by any means—whereas my mother could guest star on NUMB3RS, I need the calculator function on my phone to figure out a tip. Yet ask me on any given day of baseball season, and I can probably come up with ERAs, OBPs, and RBIs for most of the starters on the Red Sox (and, depending on the year, the Yank-mes).

I think part of the fascination is that I live out in the sticks (relative to New England, anyway), and following the Sox connects me to a larger community. There’s also this great sense of pomp and longstanding tradition … and this year, the fun kismet of Opening Day coinciding with the release of Demonkeepers.

On Demonkeepers, Publishers’ Weekly said: “Andersen ramps up the danger (in a story that) mixes action and elements of Mayan myth—from a voyage to the underworld to a fantastic high-stakes ballgame—with soul-searching, lust and romance.”

I love that they mention the ballgame. It’s not an OMG huge part of the book, but the story has lots of geeks-versus-jocks and sport-as-combat overtones, and the symbols of the ballgame are all over the place when you talk about the 2012 doomsday: The I-shaped ball court represents the underworld, the ball is the sun, and the game-winning play of putting the ball through the high, vertical-set hoop represents the passage of the sun through the center of the Milky Way galaxy … which will occur on 12/21/2012 and is why the Maya set their calendric cycle to zero out on that day.

I could go on forever about the symbology of the end-date and the Mayan ballgame (cue my wonderful editor’s voice in my ear: “cut the lecture and get to the running, screaming, shooting and/or sex!”). But the thing is, games are part of the fabric of life. And I can think offhand of any number of great games that have been used to enrich the stories I love.

Friendly (and not-so-friendly) challenges and wagers are made on hands of Starfield Doubles in Linnea Sinclair’s most excellent Games of Command. Pyramid is a part of daily life on Caprica and in (the new) Battlestar Galactica. The holo-chess board on the Millennium Falcon is still way cool decades after the fact. And the Barrayaran version of ping-pong is one of the few games young Miles Vorkosigan can play without hurting himself. All small moments in the larger scheme, perhaps, but ones that bring added depth.

Similarly, I hope you’ll find that the Mayan ballgame adds to the story of Lucius, an Indiana Jones wannabe who never quite measures up until a twist of magic brings him powers beyond belief … and reunites him with Jade, the magic-wielding one night stand he never forgot.

Despite the sizzling chemistry between them—and the added power that comes with a love match—Jade is determined to prove that she’s more than a researcher … she can be a Nightkeeper warrior in her own right.

But as the two race to rescue the sun god himself from the underworld, they learn that kicking ass isn’t enough. They’ll need all their brains and skill—and the long-denied love that burns between them—to foil the dark lords’ plot.

JESSICA's GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES To celebrate Opening Day, warmer weather, greener grass, and the impending release of Demonkeepers on April 6, I’m giving away a signed copy of Demonkeepers. All comments are entered to win—tell me about a cool otherworldly game  you’ve come across in a favorite book or show/movie, ask me a question,  comment on the books, or just say ‘hi.’ I’ll be here all day, and would  love to hear from you! Contest is open until  Midnight, April 6, 2010 EDT. Leave a way to contact you should you win and if you'd like an extra entry spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, your blog or other social network of your choice.

For more information on Demonkeepers and the other Nightkeeper novels, please check out www.JessicaAndersen.com.

To get a signed copy of Demonkeepers delivered to you the first week of its release, please visit http://store.radcliffbookstore.com and click on ‘virtual signing.’ As a bonus, you can also order a signed copy of Ward’s Lover Mine, which will be out later in April!

2012 is Doomsday!

Drop in tomorrow for a terrific post from author Jessica Andersen whose Final Prophecy urban fantasy series revolves around the Mayan prediction that the end of days is coming in the year 2012 (12/21/2012 to be precise).

Cover Art - "The Eternal Kiss of Darkness" by Jeaniene Frost

Jeaniene Frost unveiled the sexy new cover for The Eternal Kiss of Darkness which is the follow-up to First Drop of Crimson. The book releases July 27 and  Jeaniene will be guesting her at SciFiGuy.ca on July 29 to talk about the novel. About this newest installment of the Night Huntress World, Jeaniene says, "Some of my favorite things are the green in Mencheres’s eyes and how his hand is curled around Kira’s. Also what the .jpg doesn’t show, but you’ll see once the book is out, is that the entire cover has a sheen on the front, so in the light, it flashes a faint, hazy silver. SO pretty! The stepback is still being tweaked. I’ll post that once it’s ready."

Urban Fantasy Weekend Report

INTERVIEWS and EVENTS at SciFiGuy.ca: 

The highlight of the past week was my "interview" with the wonderful and funny Carolyn Crane whose debut novel Mind Games launched March 23. Be sure to check it out if you haven't already and enter to win one of three copies of the book.

There is still time to enter the giveaway for three copies of Atlantis Redeemed by Alyssa Day from our interview and giveaway. The contest closes March 29.  I also have a giveaway of The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint. Charles is one of Canada's national treasures and one of the finest fantasists I know. Contest open until March 31.

According to the Mayan calendar the world is going to end in 2012 - doomsday. My guest next week (Tuesday) is Jessica Andersen who will be here with a guest post to talk about her Final Prophecy series and the forthcoming release of Demonkeepers about which Publishers’ Weekly said: “Andersen ramps up the danger (in a story that) mixes action and elements of Mayan myth—from a voyage to the underworld to a fantastic high-stakes ballgame—with soul-searching, lust and romance.”

Remember to check my Author Events and Interviews schedule posted on my left sidebar for the most recent updates.

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AUTHOR and BOOK NEWS:

FREE READS:

• Back cover copy and sneak peek of Chapter 6 of the forthcoming Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane.
• The Galaxy Express has an a list of 20 free eBook downlaods of Science FIction Romance from authors such as Ann Aguirre, Catherine Asaro, Linnea Sinclair and more... 
• Read all of Kelly Armstrong's YA The Summoning at HarperTeen. 
• Jennifer Rardin brings us Cole Bemont, Supernatural P.I. in: The Case of the Bimbo Bloodsucker
• Laura Bickle offers an excerpt from Chapter 1 of Embers. 

INTERVIEWS:

• Jackie at Literary Escapism has compilations of this weeks interviews around the blogosphere here, here and here.

Carrie Vaughn announced that she and "Kitty Norville" have left Grand Central Publishing and moved to Tor.  For the full story on this dramatic move read Carrie's post "Breaking up is Hard to Do".

RhiReading featured the book trailer for Inside Out (April) by Maria V. Snyder.


Chris Marie Green posted the contributor list to the urban fantasy anthology Those Who Fight Monsters (March 2011) edited by Justin Gustainis and it includes stories by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp, Rachel Caine, Laura Anne Gilman, Chris Marie Green, Simon R. Green, Justin Gustainis, C.J. Henderson, Tanya Huff, Julie Kenner, Jackie Kessler, Caitlin Kittredge, T.A. Pratt, Lilith Saintcrow and Carrie L. Vaughn.

Angela at Dark Faerie Tales has two Books to Watch lists here and here, with some interesting genre-related titles and all the details. She reveals that the next Accidental series book from Dakota Cassidy will be called Accidentally Catty. Chris at Stumbling Over Chaos does a weekly blogosphere recap with gadzillions of great links that should be on everyones weekly blog reading rounds. There's something for everyone. Likewise you really need to read Rebecca's Friday news and views recap at Dirty Sexy Books . Join in the conversation. A highlight this week is her insightful look at book covers and why they should start copying movie posters.

An interesting trailer for the National Geographic book Vampire Forensics.


OCD, vampires, and rants, oh my! has a rant and post on the many "re-written" classics from Pride Prejudice and Zombies to Jane Slayre. Worth a look to see what you missed. Speaking of missed, Jackie at Literary Escapism adds The War of the Worlds Plus Blood, Guts and Zombies by H.G. Wells, Eric S. Brown and Robin Hood and Friar Tuck: Zombie Killers – A Canterbury Tale by Paul A. Freeman to the list. Ooops and not to be forgotten as identified by VampChix are Little Vampire Women, Emma and the Vampires and of course Romeo and Juliet and Vampires. Dark Faerie Tales in her Books to Watch list also references Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer, both by Maureen McGowan.

Radiant Shadows book trailer from Melissa Marr.


Heather Massey at The Galaxy Express profiles the new SFR Brigade blog. Heather elaborates -

The SFR Brigade is a brand new consortium of authors both established and aspiring whose mission is “To advance the interests of the Science Fiction Romance (subgenre-niche-specialty genre-whatever) and SFR writers everywhere.” They are actively recruiting members. Basically, what it means is that authors can gather in one place to further both their own projects as well as promote science fiction romance as a whole through member-generated content.

Check out Literary Escapism for the latest news on the Wicked Lovely movie (Melissa Marr) and info on the new YA novel from Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Dear Author has the complete scoop and comments on the RITA's. Patricia's Vampire Notes has New Vampire releases for March 2010

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CONTESTS:

The hostest with the mostest contest, Abigail at All Things Urban Fantasy has 139 UF giveaways listed this week.

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MEDIA:

Lilith Saintcrow pointed me towards this trailer for a Luc Besson (Fifth Element) film which she characterizes as "Lady adventurers and steampunk dragons"


Dr Who is back (April 17 BBC America). Tor has a great list of media links on coverage of the new series.

And here is a teaser trailer.


SciFi Wire also has a story on a proposed U.S. version of Torchwood. Good or bad idea?

Still on a scifi note SF Signal reports that Gordon R. Dickson's Dorsai may be coming  to the small screen.

You know you wanted to see it so here's the first official poster for Season 3 of True Blood.

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PROMOTIONS:

UK blogger and SFF aficiando Mark Chitty is hosting a Science Fiction Appreciation Month throughout April at Walker of Worlds. Mark will have a wide range of interesting guests and posts and it should be fun month. Be sure to check it out.

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COVERS and ART:

Foreign Covers:

Richelle Mead has the Dutch covers for the Vampire Academy series, Bulgarian Shadow Kiss and Japanese Frostbite. Karen Mahoney features UK and US covers for Incarceron and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher. Tez Says has a bunch of UK covers including Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews.

Stumbling Over Chaos gives us Misadventures in Stock Photography: Part the Fifteenth (Slouching Open Black Jacket Guy, with Towel)

Tor.com has an interview with artist John Picacio on his work with Michael Moorcock.

Tez Says found the cover for the next Skyler White novel, In Dreams Begin  and All Things Urban Fantasy has the details on Allyson James' Firewalker.

Dark Faerie Tales has details and the cover for Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl as well as details on Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan.

Dark Faerie Tales was on a roll this week with covers for two forthcoming YA's, Firelight by Sophie Jordan and Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. Details here and here.

Gena Showalter posted the cover for Ecstasy in Darkness (October) a forthcoming entry in her Alien Huntress series.

This is a very preliminary cover for The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook which Lurv a la Mode uncovered. Check her post for the blurb and all the other details.

Claire Delacroix/Deborah Cooke unveiled the cover for Rebel (August 31), the third Eyes of the Republic SFR book.

The Eyes of the Republic Are Everywhere…

Having sacrificed his wings in a bid save humanity, fallen angel Armand has a bold plan to assassinate Presidential candidate Maximilian Blackstone. When things go awry and his partner Baruch is gravely injured, Armand fears that he will fail in his task and forever lose the chance to rejoin the angels in Heaven.

Theodora is a wraith, a woman who officially doesn’t exist. She lives in the shadows, taking risks to earn the bounty placed on dangerous assassinations-bounty that buys the chance at a new life for those she loves. Captured when her latest hit goes horribly wrong, Theodora finds herself the prisoner of a strong, arrogant stranger.

Soon enough, these two solitary souls find their missions-and their hearts-entwined. But in their desperate attempt to save the world, will they be able to save each other?

Carrie Vaughn released the cover for her contemporary fantasy novel Discord's Apple (July). Carrie describes the story as "contemporary fantasy, with a little near-future apocalypse thrown in, and a whole lot of Greek mythology on the side.  (I recently had a friend ask if I was ever going to write a book with a male point of view character.  Well, this one has two point of view characters, and one of them is a male soldier from the Trojan War".

Plot in a nutshell:  Evie Walker rushes home to the small town of Hopes Fort, Colorado, when her father falls ill.  There, she discovers that she’s the heir to a family heritage that runs much deeper than she ever imagined.  She also discovers that the Trojan War isn’t really over — Hera still wants that apple, you see.  And it’s sitting in Evie’s father’s basement.

Literary Escapism featured the cover for Immortal Sea, the fourth Children of the Sea book by Virginia Kantra.

Cover art featured here this past week at SciFiGuy.ca included:

• Poison Kissed by Eric Hayes
• The Hollow Crown by Diana Pharaoh Francis
• Forged of Shadows by Jessa Slade
• The Loving Dead by Amelia Beamer

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AROUND the BLOGOSPHERE:

Want to keep up with what's being tweeted about SciFi? Check out "100 Fun Twitter Feeds for Serious SciFi Geeks”

See the real Forks from Twilight. Check out this video [via Loving True Blood in Dallas]


Kristen Painter has a list of fabulously funny activities to help you avoid Monday's.

Nicola at Alpha Heroes talks about trends in urban fantasy where the setting isn't so urban. Nicola says, "These are heroines that are comfortable with shotguns, The Dixie Chicks, and good old boys. They're more likely to encounter tobacco chew than Jimmy Choo."

The Toronto Star  has an interview with George R.R. Martin about his A Song of Ice and Fire series that again speaks to the controversy over his long delayed fith book, A Dance with Dragons. [via Finishthe Book, George]

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QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Hotel room in Covent Garden. Blank page before me. London outside window. Explore page or city? Sorry, page. Today, you lose.
- Tweet from Kelley Armstrong

I sometimes wonder what kind of innovation renaissance the USA would undergo if it really did pass proper universal coverage. Who would start her own business? What would your neighbors invent, patent, and produce? I thrill to imagine people with the liberty to start over, try something new, to make things — without the stifling terror of being left uncovered or uncoverable. I dream one day of dancing on these eggshells, like the rest of the industrialized world.
- Blog post by Cherie Priest

This morning, while taking Mason to school, I had to stop the car to let a wild turkey cross the road on Summit near Victoria. I excitedly pointed it out to Mason, who looked up from his Pokemon book and said, "Huh, the chicken must have had the day off!" My son, the comedian.
- Blog post Tate Hallaway 

People love vampires, ghosts and zombies, but no one really loves werewolves. They're the bass players of horror.
- Tweet by Richard Kadrey

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CANDID CAMERA:

Kelly Gay receives prints of her Chris McGrath covers

Sean Cummings at Cal-Con

Mark Henry and wife Carolyn at Times Square

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Cover Art - "Poison Kissed" by Eric Hayes

Poison Kissed is book number three in the Shadowfae Chronicles urban fantasy series by Erica Hayes. It has a complete new cover look. The book releases in September.

Beyond the veil of magic, a fairy otherworld pulses with glamour and dark beauty... It's a place where passions run deep and dark -- and death is just one kiss away...

Mina is a banshee whose greatest power lies in her siren song. She's beholden to her boss Joey, a snake-shifter who once saved her life and now employs her as a gang enforcer. She refuses to upset the fragile balance between them by admitting that she longs for him, that his embrace is the only thing she craves more than revenge for her mother's death...

When Mina learns that Joey may have been involved in her mother's murder, fury threatens to spill out of her, note by vicious note. She and Joey have always trusted each other to stay alive, but now she's not sure what to believe. The evidence stacked against him -- or the one man who haunts her dreams and burns in her blood...

Cover Art - "The Hollow Crown" by Diana Pharaoh Francis

Diana Pharaoh Francis, who writes the urban fantasy series The Horngate Witches, unveiled the cover to The Hollow Crown, the fourth book in her Crosspointe Chronicles fantasy series. I love this series of covers and the maritime feel. The Hollow Crown releases in June.

Books 1 - 3

Giveaway - The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint

I received a copy of the trade paperback release of The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint, one of my all-time favourite fantasy writers. Last year I reviewed the hardcover release so I'm putting this wonderful book up for grabs. To enter just tell me about your favourite de Lint book or if you haven't read him, tell me what appeals to you about this title. Contest closes March 31.

From my original review - "De Lint is a master at illustrating the purity of spirit and the extraordinary humanity that may lie within the simplest or most ordinary of us as exemplified in The Mystery of Grace. De Lint leaves us with questions and the sense of unknown possibilities. I was both sad and happy for Grace. I was sad that her journey came to an end but happy for sharing the experience. You will be too."
Read the complete review.

LINKS OF INTEREST:
Read an excerpt of Chapter 1.
Charles de Lint Website

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From Publishers Weekly: Prolific Canadian fantasist de Lint, recently focused on YA (Dingo), returns to adult fiction with a supernatural love story set in the American Southwest and an odd afterlife. Following her death, auto restorer Altagracia "Grace" Quintero awakens in a timeless realm inhabited by her recently deceased neighbors. Briefly returned to our world during Halloween night, Grace falls in love with John, a young artist, and he returns the feeling even when he discovers her condition. As the obvious pun in the title indicates, this tale of attachments formed and relinquished is also about belief and hope. De Lint doesn't endorse any particular religious system, but he writes passionately about the individual's ability to discover an effective personal magic. The story develops through comforting, warm compassion to reach the inevitable, mostly satisfying solution. (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist: Grace Quintero works at Sanchez Motor Works, customizing hot rods. Her whole world consists of her apartment building, the grocery store, the library, the record shop, and the local music hall. She misses her grandfather, the only person she was close to. She meets John at the music hall one night and has a feeling that they might have a relationship, not just a hookup. But there’s one problem. Grace is dead and trying to adjust to her “life” as a ghost. De Lint’s skillful depiction of people trying to resolve unfinished business, develop the courage to let some things go, and distinguish between the two draws the reader into a world that is neither life nor death. We agonize, in the classic sense, along with Grace and root for her resolution. This is a stand-alone work, unconnected to anything else de Lint has done before, but it should please his regular readers, and perhaps fantasy fans in general, no end. --Frieda Murray

Bite Me & Shadowglass Winners

Giveaway - Shadowglass by Erica Hayes

The winner from the guest post and giveaway with Erica Hayes is -

• Stella (Ex Libris) said... I read amazing reviews about this series, so I would love to read them and see for myself.

Giveaway - Bite Me by Christopher Moore, incl. T-Shirt

The two winners of the special prize pack from the Christopher Moore Bite Me giveaway are:

• Jessy who said...I've been hearing such great things about this book. Please count me in.
• Morning Glow from Novel Addiction who said... It was while searching my library for a good read several years ago, that I came upon a book by Christopher Moore. I've come across several others by him since then (more like.. actively looking for him), and I've yet to find one of his books I didn't love. 

 Thank you to all that participated!

Cover Art - "Forged of Shadows" by Jessa Slade

Jessa Slade unveiled the cover for Forged of Shadows, the second book in her Marked Souls urban fantasy romance series. The book releases in June.

The war between good and evil has raged for millennia, with the Marked Souls caught in the middle, but the new girl doesn’t play by old rules…

Liam Niall never meant to be a leader. Barely surviving the horrors of the Irish Potato Famine with body and soul intact, he escaped to Chicago…where he lost half his soul and gained a wayward band of demon-possessed warriors. Now, as the talyan face a morphing evil, Liam grows weary and plagued by doubt.

Then a new weapon falls into his hands. Her name is Jilly Chan. To save his talyan and her demon-ridden soul, Liam must win her to his battle and his bed.

Waging a one-woman war against the threats to the street kids she mentors, Jilly stands her ground against danger in all its guises. She won’t be any man’s woman… or weapon. But Liam—with his hard eyes, soft brogue and compelling hands—is a danger to her rebellious independence… and her heart.

These two halved souls sharing one fierce passion will sear a fresh scar across the city. Who’s in danger now?

Winners - ARC of Magic on the Storm by Devon Monk

The great and powerful randomizer has spoken and the two winners of the ARCs of  Magic on the Shadows by Devon Monk are:

• Alexis Pendragon who said...I love this book series and can't wait for the next one to come out. It would be awesome to get it ahead of time too! Some title ideas: Magic on the Wind and Magic in the Water
• mundane who said...Magic up the wazoo? lol. That just begs for a joke short story. Perhaps a fantasy match up between Allie and Cedar. I am surprised that Zayvion was not planned from the start. While I think Allie is a great main character I absolutely love the supporting cast.Has the addition of characters like Zayvion or Shame (or even stone, yeah stone!) altered your thinking about the main story arc? Title suggestions Magic From/In the Pain and Magic Worth the Cost/Price.

This fourth book in the Allie Beckstrom series doesn't release until May so congratulations to the winners on their very early sneak peek!

Thanks to my terrific guest Devon Monk for agreeing to visit and making the ARCs available.

Magical Titles for a Magical Series

Commenter's were asked to suggest possible titles for future books in the series (my request by the way, not Devon's) and there were some really impressive recommndations. Here is the complete list. Do you have a favourite?

Magic After Hours Magic Against the Odds Magic Against the Wind Magic as the Moon Rises Magic at Midnight Magic at the Door Magic at the Threshold Magic Bolts Magic Curls Up on the Couch With a Book and Maybe a Spot of Tea & Some Knitting Magic for All Time Magic for the People Magic from the Ground Magic from the Heart Magic from the Soul Magic From/In the Pain Magic in a Cup Magic in All Hours Magic in Madness Magic in Mayhem Magic in My Head Magic in One Breath Magic in the Air Magic in the Aura Magic in the Bed Magic in the Dark Magic in the Deep Magic in the Depths Magic in the Eyes Magic in the Fire Magic in the Genes Magic in the House Magic in the Instinct Magic in the Lines Magic in the Memories Magic in the Memory Magic in the Mind Magic in the Mind Magic in the Mist Magic in the Moonlight

Magic in the Mountains Magic in the Pain Magic in the Park Magic in the Rain 'Magic in the Soul Magic in the Stones Magic in the Threshold Magic in the Water Magic in the Way Magic is the Color Magic is the Word Magic Lives Here Magic of Destiny Magic of the Path Magic of the Soul Magic of the Windows of the Soul Magic on the Brain Magic on the Edge Magic on the Flame Magic on the Ground Magic on the Hoof Magic on the Rise Magic on the Run Magic on the Street Magic on the Wind Magic on/at the Edge Magic Over the Rainbow Magic Rising Magic Surge Magic Through My Heart Magic Through the Lines Magic to the Coil Magic to the Core Magic to the End Magic Turned to Black Magic Under Darkness Magic Under the Moon Magic Under the Skin Magic Underwater Magic Until the End Magic Worth the Cost/Price Meridian Magic

Guest Author - Carolyn Crane (Mind Games)

Interview and Giveaway

Today is a very special day for author Carolyn Crane. It is release day for her debut novel Mind Games. Mind Games is the first in The Justine Jones Disillusionist Trilogy to be followed by Double Cross at the end of September.

Some might call it urban fantasy, I like to think of it as a new hybrid - urban science fiction and I loved it. Many of you may know Carolyn from her witty and eclectic blog The Thrillionth Page (how many pages is that exactly?) She also has a spanking new website at authorcarolyncrane.com where you can find lots of bonus features about the series.

Carolyn has threatened promised to drop in and say hello to commenter's and answer questions, so please make her welcome.  Carolyn has donated a signed copy of Mind Games and I also have two unsigned copies of the book to giveaway, so check out the giveaway guidelines at the end of the post to see how you might win one.

Carolyn put together a great inteview for this important day (an author's work is never done).  A couple of cinemeatic giants (Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck) said it best (cue music) -

Overture, curtain, lights!

This is it. We'll hit the heights!

And oh, what heights we'll hit!

On with the show, this is it!

Sci Fi guy and I had an email interview set up for today, but due to the demands of his Sci Fi media empire and blog celebrity status, Sci Fi Guy was having a hard time getting to it. Well, what is a girl to do? I got on a plane and flew to Canada! Appearing on Sci Fi Guy’s blog on the day of my release is a huge deal for an author! Plus, I’ve never been to Canada. What would it be like?

8:09 am My plane lands in the picturesque Canada airport, which is surrounded by a vast and pristine forest and sky blue waters. From there, I took a twin-engine plane over the wilderness to a small clearing. There, I was met by several Canadian Mounties on horseback who took me to Sci Fi Guy’s rustic log home, which is apparently the style of home favored by the people of Canada.

The home is cheery from the outside. Snowshoes are set on either side of the door, and woodland animals frolick about.

I knock on Sci Fi Guy’s rustic door, wait nervously for him to answer. What is Sci Fi Guy like? Nobody has ever laid eyes on him. I hold my breath as the door creaks open.

Well, he is just as you might picture him! Rugged good looks, light brown hair, a chiseled, determined expression peering out from inside a transparent bubble-glass space helmet. On this particular day, he wears a brown spacesuit and very thick silver gloves. I am immediately put at my ease.

He thanks the mounties, who ride off into the pine forest, and we go inside. The home is comfortable with rustic furniture. Every wall is covered in books, except for the far wall, which seems to be a large console with lots of wires and panels.

Sci Fi Guy: Thanks for traveling all this way, Carolyn. This certainly makes the interview easier, eh?

Carolyn Crane: Thanks for having me. I wouldn’t miss it for the world! And I love your place. It’s so rustic!

Sci Fi Guy: That is the look we go for in Canada.

Carolyn Crane: Does the President of Canada live in a rustic cabin, too?

Sci Fi Guy: [frowning] We have a Prime Minister, not a president.

Carolyn: Oh! [At this point I’m thinking, @&%$! Sci Fi guy is going to think I’m a stupid American who doesn’t pay attention to Canada!]

Sci Fi Guy: I bet you don’t even know his name.

Carolyn: Uh, uh… Dudley…uh…Dudley Do…

Sci Fi Guy: [scowling] Our Prime Minister’s name is Stephen Harper. [Cracks open two Molsons and hands one to me.]

Carolyn: Thanks! [large swig] How do you drink through that helmet?

Sci Fi Guy: I take it off. [Sci Fi Guy takes off his space helmet, puts on a red and black checked cap.] Now I must tell you, your book Mind Games is absolutely brilliant!

Carolyn: Thank you! [My attention is drawn over Sci Fi Guy’s shoulder, to the far wall. Lights have started to blink furiously. What is going on in here?]

Sci Fi Guy: So, tell us about it.

Carolyn: Huh?

Sci Fi Guy: The book! Mind Games!

Carolyn: Well, it’s about a hypochondriac heroine who joins a psychological hit squad, run by a tortured mutant mastermind who is mysteriously trapped in a restaurant…

[loud beeps]

Sci Fi Guy: One moment, eh? [goes to wall and punches a series of buttons. The lights stop.] Okay, where were we?

Carolyn: Well, okay, the psychological hit squad. See, they’re vigilantes who zing their anxieties into criminals, resulting in a total collapse for the criminal—but temporary peace and well-being for the zingers—that is, for Justine and her neurotic vigilante friends. The whole thing is morally questionable. And that’s before the mysteries begin to—

[more beeping from console]

Sci Fi Guy: Hold that thought, eh?

Carolyn Crane: [I stand there watching Sci Fi Guy operate the strange console. Is this connected to his blogging? Something seems to be wrong. Nervously I clink the coins in my pocket, then pull them out and look at them. A Canadian penny, I notice, has the face of Queen Elizabeth II. WTF? Since when did England take over Canada? Could this have something to do with the arrest of Mick Jagger? I really want to ask Sci Fi Guy about it, but he already thinks I’m a stupid American who has no idea what is going on in Canada. Was there a war between the two countries? I suppose it could’ve happened during the OJ trial…]

Sci Fi Guy: Sorry. Morally questionable world. Psychological hit squad. Mutant mastermind. Go on. Do you see it as a funny book?

Carolyn Crane: No, not really. It’s quite serious, but maybe 5% funny.

Sci Fi Guy: I’d put it at 8%. [drains his beer] Here’s what I really want to ask you. You were a blogger, and now you’re an author. I feel like you’re abandoning us. What’s up with the switch?

Carolyn: I don’t see it as a switch, or like, I’m a blogger-turned-author. I think blogging just attracts people who enjoy writing, so you’re going to get a certain amount who write fiction on the side. I’ve written novels for years, though they’ve never been publishable. Also, I pay the rent as a freelance writer. I guess blogging seems like a fun hobby to somebody like me.

Sci Fi Guy: Has being published changed your blogging habits?

Carolyn: Definitely. I’m a lot less inclined to do serious critiques—that seems more appropriate for a reader and reviewer to do, not for a fellow author, especially a new one like me! But I do say when I like books.

[knock at the door. Sci Fi Guy opens it. The Canadian Royal Mounties are back.]

Mounties: Carolyn Crane, we have to take you back to your bi-plane.

Carolyn Crane: So soon?

Mounties: I’m afraid so. [Mounties pause to deliver a warning to Sci Fi Guy about a moose herd in the area - all small children and pets are to be kept indoors.]

Carolyn Crane: Thank you, Sci Fi Guy. I really appreciate your making time for me today!

Sci Fi Guy: [putting glass bubble helmet back on] Thanks for stopping by. Good luck in all your endeavors!

Carolyn Crane: Good luck to you, too, Sci Fi Guy!

Book 2 in The Justine Jones: Disillusionist Trilogy

 
 GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES:

1. Three (3) copies of Mind Games by Carolyn Crane, winners to be randomly drawn. First drawn will receive the signed copy from Carolyn and the remaining two draws will receive unsigned copies.
2. Leave a comment or question for Carolyn. The restaurant Mongolian Delites plays an important role in Carolyn's story. What's your favourite restaurant or restaurant with an unusual name?
3. Leave a way to notify you if you should win.
4. Open internationally (anywhere The Book Depository ships)
5. Blog, tweet, post on Facebook or other social network sites for an extra entry. Leave a comment here to let me know.
6. Giveaway open until Midnight, March 29, 2010 EST.

Carolyn Crane is also running a fabulous contest on her website to celebrate the launch of the book.

Trapped in a Restaurant Meme Game

The meme that celebrates the mystery: Why does tortured mastermind Sterling Packard NEVER set foot outside the Mongolian Delites restaurant?

Prizes:

One randomly chosen player will get $100 toward a fancy dinner at a restaurant of their choice!! (Any restaurant anywhere that accepts plastic or sells gift certificates. You don’t have to choose until you win.) Second prize: $50 toward a dinner.

Visit Carolyn's website for all the details. Ends at 11:58pm CST 4/8/10.