WWW Wednesday 1-15-2014

WWW Wednesday. This meme is from shouldbereading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

• What are you currently reading?

Through author/reviewer Paul Weimer‘s end of 2013 “best of” post I discovered a new fantasy trilogy that I am positively inhaling. The first book of Emma Newman’s Split Worlds Trilogy is Between Two Thorns. This is an amazing bit of world-building, a setting in modern day London, Bath & Manchester with a hidden magical world in Londinium, Aquae Sulis and–how embarrassing. I’ve forgotten their name for Manchester. [Note: Thanks to Emma (@EmApocalyptic) on twitter for reminding me that Manchester has no hidden world, thus doesn’t have a different name.]

Those magical worlds have remained in the 19th-ish Century with their clothes and lives, living without electricity because, really, how gauche.

There are dynastic families, sorcerers, steampunk details, and more. A wonderfully strong, independent heroine and fascinating twists and turns. If you like magic with your England, as I certainly do, you must check this out. Thanks, Paul, for the head’s up!

• What did you recently finish reading?

I’ve been listening to Georgette Heyer Regencies, and delighting in the experience, as always. I haven’t read them all, so occasionally I stumble across one that is new to me, as happened with False Colours. What a delight! Identical twins, for the win! And such charming twins, who adore their mother, despite the fact that she’s totally inept with money and has landed the entire family in financial hell with her gambling. One twin is set to announce his ‘arranged marriage’ to a rich young heiress, but disappears, and the other twin has to step into the breach and take his brother’s place, lest the arrangement all fall apart. Her characterizations are fun and it’s no wonder her work is still popular almost a century after it was written.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m back into heavy writing mode, which means my listening and reading both are going to shift into historical English voices, especially Regency/Napoleonic War era. My Texas twang needs help getting the right tones in my head so this is where I go into deep immersion. All suggestions welcomed. [Obviously I’m already heavy into Austen, Heyer and various Regency romance and magic worlds!]

Oh, and in case you missed the announcement, La Desperada is on sale for .99 all over the freaking world!

What about you? What have you been reading lately? Put the link to your WWW Wednesday entry in comments, or just tell us!

While you’re at it, want to take a survey on book covers, especially fantasy and/or YA bookcovers? Go here!

WWW Wednesday 11-20-2013

WWW Wednesday. This meme is from shouldbereading.

 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

 

• What are you currently reading?

So many covers to choose from! Do they even show them to her any more when there’s a new edition? I like this one.

Listening to A Knight in Shining Armor, the classic time-travel romance novel by Jude Deveraux. It was her first hardcover book back in 1989 and it shows its age around the edges. Dougless Montgomery is not exactly an independent feminist, despite the fact that she claims to be one. But it’s a fun story and Steve West does a good job with his narration. He’s also the narrator of the Martha Grimes/Inspector Jury mysteries I mentioned last week, which is why I decided to get this book. I like his voice.

 

 

• What did you recently finish reading?

Holy cow, was The Coldest Girl in Coldtown a good book. I’ve never read any Holly Black novels before. Are they all this good?

I’ve been seeing this YA Horror/Paranormal thing all over the interwebs and people loving it, and finally downloaded the sample.  I’ve been reading a lot of samples in an effort to deal with them, something I put into the Embarrassment of Riches meme. I was going to keep track of them but changed my mind, because I really don’t want to list in public all the stuff I checked out and didn’t like enough to buy. Because that is rude. Maybe if I were a reviewer it wouldn’t be; it would be what I do. But I’m not a reviewer. If something sucks or doesn’t hold my attention, I usually just won’t mention it, unless it’s by somebody so hugely successful that I don’t think I’ll hurt anybody’s feelings.

But this? I finished the sample, immediately bought it, and went and told my class to download the sample and read it. This book hits all the marks. As a writer and teacher, my response to this book is that it’s smart in the way it uses and reflects contemporary culture from streaming internet to cell phones, the way it paints the official federal reaction to this vampire outbreak. It has a smart plot, smart world-building, smart characterizations and a really great ending.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m beta reading another historical romance for Patricia Rice. I love my job!

Now, while I have you here, which of these covers do you like better? I love them both for different reasons, but I am changing to the one on the right so that all my contemporary romances will have the same basic cover style.

Which do you like best?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What about you? What are you reading, have you been reading, wanting to read next?

 

And another 3-book deal!

You know how I’ve been about to burst with news and have been teasing the living daylights out of y’all?

Well, now the other shoe can FINALLY drop.

In addition to my 3-book deal with Story Spring Publishing, I can finally announce the books that Audible just picked up as part of a deal with Book View Café. In fact, I could have made the headline say, A 100+book deal, because that’s the size of the partial catalog Audible bought from us. Cool beans.

You know how I love my audiobooks. I’ve been an audible customer for ten freaking years and now something I never dreamed of is happening–my own books are going to be available. I don’t yet know who the readers are, but will post more news as it comes in. In the meantime, here we go!  Square CD-type covers for the audible releases. Which means I also have a brand new cover for Some Enchanted Season, thanks to Caleb Wolfson for mad photo-manip skillz and Mj Butler for his ever-elegant design work! [more on that later]!

Coming in audiobook soon!

Coming in audiobook soon!

Coming in audiobook soon!

I hope you are as proud of me as I am for keeping my lips zipped about this as long as I have, because it was hard.

And now, off to work on other exciting projects.

Which I can’t talk about yet.

Ooops.

 

WWW Wednesday 7-23-2013

WWW Wednesday. This meme is from shouldbereading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

• What are you currently reading?

One of the most stunning covers ever.

I’m listening to The Great Gatsby when I go to bed at night, and I keep going to sleep without hearing enough of it. Good news is, that means I’m going to sleep, not always a given. Good news also is that Jake Gyllenhaal’s narration is solid enough that I don’t mind listening to parts more than once, as happens when I have to back up and try and pick up when I went to sleep. No, he’s no Lenny Henry or Jayne Entwistle, but who else is?

I’m also still reading and delighting in Timeless, by Gail Carriger. And I’m finally meeting the most adorable, destructive, ferocious toddler ever–Prudence. [Katherine Kerr‘s review of Beguiled Again called Anne-Elizabeth a ‘feral toddler.’ Clearly I have a soft spot for the little beasts.]

• What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished reading an advance copy of Lhind the Thief, a wonderful YA by Sherwood Smith. It’s not available for sale yet but will be later this month and I will definitely be linking to it.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

The Silver Linings Playbook, by Matthew Quick. Loved the movie and now I want to read the book.
 

Meet Cecilia. At Amazon and Book View Cafe!

Don’t forget my new ebook, Beguiled Again. [Did you really think I could skip mentioning that?]

What about you? What have you been reading lately? Put the link to your WWW Wednesday entry in comments, or just tell me!

2012 and Books I've Loved

This was originally posted at the Book View Cafe Blog on Dec 20, 2012.

These books weren’t all published in 2012. And they aren’t exactly “the best” for several reasons. One, because as soon as I hit “post” I’ll remember something I forgot. Two, because I’m writing this on December 17 and I’m fully prepared to read something before the end of the year that belongs on this list, because I am an optimist. Three, because I decided I was not going to list anything written by a friend, cohort in crime or colleague.

That said, here are some of my favorite reads from the year 2012.

First, a library ebook loan,The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, by Barry Lyga. Fanboy is a high school sophomore with more than his share of burdens to bear. A geek who loves comics and is the smartest nerd in school, he only has one friend, and that friend doesn’t acknowledge him if others are around. I can tell you more, but it makes him sound pretty pathetic. And honestly, he’s so wicked smart and wicked funny (with an emphasis on wicked, if you consider that he had Planned Parenthood send his mother abortion brochures when he found out she was pregnant with the “step-fascist’s” baby) that this book sucked me in from the first words. Oh, and he meets Goth Girl, which gives him another friend. (Not spoiling anything there. Read the title.) I read this in June and may go ahead and buy the book so I can reread instead of checking it out again.