Flight into Fantasy

Dear Members of the Reading Public:

Let me draw to your attention something that really frosts my cookies, crisps my bacon, and burns my toast, to use some complicated and completely random metaphors.

URBAN FANTASY =/= PARANORMAL ROMANCE!

Whew. There,. I feel a little better now.

This is one reader’s opinion, but since I actually do read in both genres, I feel qualified to write on this topic, because I know what I’m talking about.

So, here’s how I define the two genres.

Paranormal Romance: A subset of books in the romance genre that takes place in alternate worlds. Each book is a complete story, featuring two or more protagonists who find their Happily Ever After (or HEA, as they say in the genre) together. Usually, these books, if they’re presented in series format, don’t follow the same protagonists from book to book. Usually, paranormal romance series feature friends of previous protagonists.

Authors I think of who write paranormal romance include but are not limited to: Meljean Brook, Nalini Singh and Kresley Cole.

Urban Fantasy: Urban fantasy is usually set in an alternate world similar to our own except that magical creatures are to varying degrees involved in the world. The protagonists usually have to deal with these magical forces.

Nowhere in that previous definition does romance figure. Urban fantasy does not always involve kick-ass chicks. (The Nightlife series by Rob Thurman comes to mind as an exception. So do the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher..) Not all urban fantasy even has a romantic element. (Happy Hour of the Damned by Mark Henry doesn’t.)

I do think there can be some overlap between the genres of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. I agree with the publisher’s distinction of Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh as a book that works well in either genre. But those books are not as prevalent as people expect.

“But, Shannon,” I hear you say. “All the urban fantasy I ever see involves characters in impossibly convoluted love triangles! That’s romance, isn’t it? ISN’T IT? I know you and your evil romance conspiracy ways! You just want me to read an urban fantasy book, discover the girl cooties, and then you’ll insist I read a bodice ripper!”

OK, calm down. Yes. I’ll admit there is a lot of urban fantasy with convoluted romantic subplots. But I would also like to point out that the dreaded love triangle (which I hate. A lot, for what it’s worth) is present in other genres besides urban fantasy. Just ask Janet Evanovich fans and former fans about their opinions of Morelli vs. Ranger. I don’t have any idea why love triangles are so popular in urban fantasy, except that it’s an easy way to string readers along through a convoluted series.

And, as I mentioned earlier when talking about paranormal romance, there’s an expectation of a HEA. In urban fantasy, that’s not always the case. Urban fantasy authors can kill the love interest, kill the heroine, or turn everybody into teletubbies as long as it works within the conventions of the world they’ve created.

For the record, as I said, I don’t tend to like urban fantasy where a long, drawn-out love triangle is what keeps the books moving. In fact, it was one of my initial prejudices about the genre–that it was full of these soap opera romantic conflicts. But it is possible to find books that feature romantic subplots to a greater or lesser degree depending on what you like. Just like with any other genre fiction.

In conclusion, paranormal romance features separate characters from book to book and a pronounced happily ever after. Urban fantasy doesn’t. Just because urban fantasy sometimes has a romantic subplot is no reason to dismiss the whole genre as trite.

Thanks for your attention in this matter.

Love,

Shannon

I like the idea of doing a short story feature every Sunday. The truth is that I seem to collect anthologies that I then don’t actually read because I’m afraid the short stories are all going to run together. So I’m hoping that my participation in the Once Upon a Time reading challenge will motivate me to keep reading short stories.

Anyway, I’ve chosen to review the first four short stories from the Chicks in Chainmail anthology edited by Esther M. Friesner. Friesner describes the book as “Amazon comedy”, and the first four stories certainly fit the mold.

I’m not going to assign letter grades to these stories, because they’re so short and I’m not even sure how I’d grade them. But here are my thoughts on the first four.

I found another reading challenge, linked to from several places, that I’m going to participate in. I figure if I don’t sign up for very many of these, and/or pick ones with reasonable numbers of books to read, I’ll be doing well.

I first heard about this one from Kailana and it looked like fun.

Here’s the place to go for the details.

Here are the rules Herding Cats II (April 1st, 2009 – December 31st, 2009):

1. Make a list of five books you love. Directions:

• Five. I’m as serious as a beached whale.
• All titles must be books you’ve read in 2007, 2008 or 2009.
• Please don’t list a series; just the first book. If you really want to list a book in the middle of a series, you can, but it has to be that specific book.
• Feel free to share why you’re putting the book on your list, because I am nosy.

2. Post your list:

• in your own journal, in the comments here, whatever is fine. Share the list here.
• Lists should be public (no locked entries, no logging in to view).

3. Browse the new book list. Stay a while. Read a few (eta: if you want; not even reading is required this time around if you don’t have time to commit to a new challenge but still want to share your favorites).

4. If you review your books, you can share the reviews. You know, if you want. No pressure. Definitely not.

I haven’t even looked at the list but listing favorites is always entertaining, even though narrowing it down to five books might be difficult.

Anyway, here’s the old college try:

• A Red Heart of Memories by Nina Kiriki Hoffman: This is beautifullywritten urban fantasy in the style of Charles de Lint and follows the adventures of Matt Black, a wanderer who can talk to inanimate objects, and the friends she gathers around her. All of them need healing, and all of them get it in a way that’s just very sweet and heartwarming.

• The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler: I thought this book handled the struggles of an overweight teenager extremely well. It goes on my list because I have actually reread it since, something I rarely do.
• The Keeper by Sarah Langan: I’m not normally a fan of horror, but I loved this book, especially for its sense of atmosphere and the utter creepiness of its backstory.
• Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold: This is the book that started my continuing and long-standing love affair with Miles Vorkosigan. I love Miles and I love Bujold.
• Geek Love by Katharine Dunn: This is another of my all-time favorite books ever. I love its exploration of family and what it means to be normal, and who exactly the freaks are.
• Happy Hour of the Damned by Mark Henry: Zombie chick lit! Come on, what’s not to love about that?

My selections from the list so far:

This is why I do not have my finger on the pulse of the romance genre.

I know that Lisa Kleypas is one of the best romance authors out there. But after reading Ana’s review of her latest book, Smooth Talking Stranger, I could only sit there and roll my eyes. A lot.

I know there’s been a lot of talk, particularly on Dear Author and Smart Bitches about saving the contemporary romance. But I have to be honest and admit that the one genre of romance that is less likely to work for me than anything else is contemporary romance.

Essentially, when I read contemporary fiction, I want the characters to be people I could meet and hang out with in real life. I need some way to relate to the characters, and with very few exceptions, I can’t say that I do. Even contemporary romance authors I like, such as Janice Kay Johnson, sometimes misstep. One of the things that brought my grade down after reading the delightful Snowbound was the fact that the heroine, who was my age, didn’t think like any woman in her mid to late twenties I’d ever met. She was just a bit too prudish, and it really bothered me that not even in her head did she use any four-letter words. I mean, I get that not everybody has a potty mouth the way I do, but sheesh. It’s not like “damn” is such a shocking word.

The other issue that trips me up in contemporaries is that I often don’t agree with the politics of the writers. The thing that really made me decide to skip this offering from even a maven of romance like Lisa Kleypas was a phrase that has been known to strike terror into the hearts of… at least me. “feminist heroine.” It’s my experience that feminist heroines in romances, no matter the genre, are the sorts of women who like to stomp around and scream about the evils of men with the same ardor my three-year-old niece displays in dismissing some food she hates. These women are usually silenced by the application of the hero’s penis to some receptive hole, so one gets a sense their principles weren’t strong to begin with. I’m at least grateful that the Kleypas heroine is feminist and, at the start of the book, in a relationship with someone else, but we all know where that’s going, because her soon to be ex is a Vegan. Because nothing quite says limp-dicked wussy boy like a desire not to consume dairy, eggs or meat, apparently. And I just know that the real hero, a millionaire playboy, votes Republican. I seriously cannot think of anything I’ve read where the hero espoused any kind of liberal politics, unless we’re talking about contemporary M/M romance, which is somewhat different. No, liberal women are generally misguided, and liberal men are weenies. (To be fair, Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James subverts this, and quite well, because her heroine is a strong feminist at the beginning and at the end, despite being with the very conservative hero, but I don’t seem to hear about cases where this particular trope is ever subverted very often.)

But all that’s fairly minor. Mostly, I’m just not interested in the genre as a whole. I don’t want to read about modern cowboys. I don’t have any interest in multigazillionaires. I don’t want to know about what sort of utterly useless job the heroines have. I’m also pretty sure I could be wowed by a decent contemporary romance. (I have books by Jennifer Crusie and Robyn Carr on my TBR pile and will get to both of them one of these days, after all.) But mostly, they just don’t interest me, and that, more than my annoyance at a tendency toward strawman characterizations of positions I feel strongly about in real life, is what will keep me away. I’ll leave the rest of you to keep the contemporary from dying whatever ignominious death is being threatened. Leave me alone with my historicals and paranormals.

P.S. Lest the Lisa Kleypas fangirls attack me in droves, I’m sure Smooth Talking Stranger is a great book and you will love it. It just happens to handily illustrate the points that drive me crazy.

I just recently found out about the Once Upon a Time reading challenge. The idea is to read fantasy books between March 21 and June 2. This being me, this will not be a problem and I can definitely commit to five books in the fantasy, fairy tale, mythology, and folklore genres. I mean, it’ll give me an excuse to read more Charles de Lint. I also like the idea of doing short story reviews on the weekend that fit this theme, so I think I’ll dig into my collection of unread anthologies, pick one, and see how well I can do at reviewing short stories. Hopefully, we’ll see the first of these tomorrow.

I love the idea of reading challenges, but have tried not to sign up for any. I think the only other one I’m participating in is the TBR challenge hosted by Avid Reader, which I’m doing well with so far.

ETA: Clearly, I suck at being organized. For those interested, I have decided to do the first quest in this reading challenge, which goes like this:

Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time III criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.

My list, as of this exact second, is as follows:

I spent last night organizing all my RSS feeds into folders. I have my romance folder, my fantasy and SF folder, my politics and feminism folder, my general books folder, and my Culture and Sociology folder, which is where, apparently, blogs that don’t fit into those other categories go. Since I’m subscribed to something like 90 feeds, I’m hoping this will make life easier on me.

Reading-wise, I’m about two thirds of the way through Through Wolf’s Eyes by Jane Lindskold. Apparently, I was in the mood for lighter fantasy, and this book is doing the job quite nicely. I would totally glom the rest of Lindskold’s work except that the number of books I’ve started and then put down to save for a better mood is astronomically high, and I should really weed down my TBR mountain at some point.

I really don’t know how people who read one genre or type of book exclusively do it. Me, I just can’t. Because sometimes I’m not really in the mood for swords and sorcery. Sometimes I want something dark and spine-chilling. Sometimes I want smut. I can’t always get everything I ever want in one book, and I don’t think I’d want to if I could. So I read omnivorously, and it seems to work out for me, because invariably there’s something in my TBR pile to suit whatever mood I’m in.

What about the rest of you? Do you read pretty much in one genre in favor of others, or do you spread it out?

For one of my classes–the requisite health class I need to complete in order to finish my associate’s degree at the community college I attend–we’ve started watching Super Size Me, the 2004 documentary in which the filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, ate at McDonald’s for 30 days. I have not been enjoying this piece of cinematography, to put it mildly, not enjoying it so much so that I almost walked out of class today, something that, nerd that I am, I just don’t do.

I’m a big girl. I’ve always been a big girl. My family is composed of big people, and we make up part of Spurlock’s 60 percent of Americans who are either overweight or obese. And before we get any further, I would like to admit that, yes, my diet and exercise need improvement. I realize that spending the majority of my time sitting in front of a computer does not a healthy person make, and I really am trying to adopt better habits. But having said that, having a self-righteous, pompous asshole like Spurlock sit in judgment of me? Not going to help. In fact, my first impulse, after I got out of class, would have been to go out and eat a whole box of super sized fries just out of spite. If only I hadn’t had toi go directly to another class, and if only there had been an actual McDonald’s on my way to anywhere I had to go today, I would have done so.

The part of the movie that really killed me was when Spurlock interviewed one guy who basically said that now it’s become socially acceptable to hector smokers for their bad habits, so when, oh when, will pop culture embrace criticizing fat people for their habits? He seemed genuinely sad that he couldn’t just walk up to, say, me, and be all, “I notice that’s not a diet soda you’re drinking. Have you checked your cholesterol lately?” Because, yeah. Shame and humiliation are really going to solve that problem.

And that’s not even getting to the fact that I don’t know anyone who actually eats every single meal at McDonald’s every day. Maybe those people are out there. Maybe they are the same people who buy snuggies. I don’t know. I do know that the whole premise of the experiment is highly flawed and thus, I can’t take it seriously. It seems like the filmmakers keep trotting out these absolutely mind-bogglingly horrible statistics for the shock value. “Oh, noes, you fat cows. By following this diet, you will be consuming over 30 pounds of sugar and 12 pounds of icky, gross fat. Now don’t you want a salad?”

It doesn’t help that the overweight people he has talked to aren’t the kind of people I want on my side. We stopped the video after a teenager whined that she couldn’t follow Jared Fogle’s infamous Subway diet because she couldn’t afford to eat at Subway every day. Well, sweetheart, you can probably just make yourself your own turkey sub sandwich at home and pay much less to do it, so that isn’t an excuse.

I’m not sure, because I’m not a health expert, what needs to be done to get Americans to eat smarter. I am, however, fairly sure that, like smoking cigarettes and other perfectly legal but horrible things a person can do for their health, that grown-up fucking adults can decide for themselves what kind of stuff they want to put in their own bodies. People should eat right because it’s a healthy thing to do, because not eating right can lead to serious health complications, not because they got shocked and shamed into doing so by a fucking douchebag with a camera crew.

We have more of this video to watch on Thursday. I imagine Thursday night I’ll manage to squeeze in some more vitriol on this subject.

I haven’t owned a television in my entire adult life. I have lived in apartments where televisions also happened to be, but for myself, I’ve never seen the need, because I’m addicted to the Internet, which is a differently completely passive activity. Anyway, I’m mostly OK with this lack of TV, because I still absorb important pop culture through interacting with the rest of the human race.

Which is why, last night, I found myself embracing the latest kitchy thing to take America by storm. Oh, I’d heard about it. I mean, how could I follow Katiebabs on Twitter without knowing about this?

I am, of course, referring to the snuggie. Katiebabs recently blogged about the snuggie, and my reaction was a mildly amused “…OK?”

Then I actually watched the commercial. And a strange thing happened. For a brief moment, I found myself thinking, “Oh! My! God! It’s a blanket! With sleeves! I must have one!” I don’t even particularly care that one commenter on a blog somewhere described them as fugly choir robes. It’s a blanket! With sleeves! What’s not to love about that? Never mind the fact that the Snuggie is made in China, probably with sweatshop labor from people who, in their entire life, couldn’t make enough to *buy* a snuggie. Never mind the fact that it is almost April, and therefore too warm to even be thinking about buying a blanket. The utter cheese of this commercial makes me want to own one.

Well, I suppose, better the snuggie than the Shamwow!

So does anyone out there in bloglandia own a snuggie? Come on, you can admit to it! Meanwhile, I will be huddled, cold and without a blanket with sleeves, under my rock.

P.S. I intensely love this parody commercial.

This is a review I should have posted last week, but I kind of lost track of it. So here it is today.
Title: The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden
Author: Catherynne M. Valente
Genre: Fantasy
Reason for Reading: Another book that millions of people have recommended to me.
Synopsis:

A Book of Wonders for Grown-Up Readers. Every once in a great while a book comes along that reminds us of the magic spell that stories can cast over us–to dazzle, entertain, and enlighten. Welcome to the Arabian Nights for our time–a lush and fantastical epic guaranteed to spirit you away from the very first page…. Secreted away in a garden, a lonely girl spins stories to warm a curious prince: peculiar feats and unspeakable fates that loop through each other and back again to meet in the tapestry of her voice. Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of the girl’s own hidden history. And what tales she tells! Tales of shape-shifting witches and wild horsewomen, heron kings and beast princesses, snake gods, dog monks, and living stars–each story more strange and fantastic than the one that came before. From ill-tempered “mermaid” to fastidious Beast, nothing is ever quite what it seems in these ever-shifting tales–even, and especially, their teller. Adorned with illustrations by the legendary Michael Kaluta, Valente’s enchanting lyrical fantasy offers a breathtaking reinvention of the untold myths and dark fairy tales that shape our dreams. And just when you think you’ve come to the end, you realize the adventure has only begun….

My Thoughts: This book didn’t last long on the TBR pile once I got it. I’d been excited to read it, because I love fairy tales, and this one looked like it would be fun. But when I bought this book, I was in the middle of something else. Still, I decided I wanted a taste of what this book had to offer, and so I started reading. Only through sheer force of will did I stop and go back to the other book I was supposed to have been reading. I felt kind of like the young prince we meet at the beginning of the book, hungry for yet one more story and bitterly disappointed when I couldn’t have it. When I finally actually got the chance to finish this book, I devoured it quickly.

I loved the structure Ms. Valente uses here. The tales do weave in and out of each other in surprising ways, but they resolve themselves neatly at the end, with just enough room open for the second volume of the series. No character is wasted, and there are some really surprising twists. To give away the plots would constitute spoilers in a huge way, so I won’t, and encourage any readers to delve in as I did.

I also tend to be one of those readers who finds words like “surreal” or “stylistically brilliant” to be problematic. I mean, I am a member of Generation Y. I don’t want to have to work to understand what I’m reading. I’ve heard this book described as both, and I suppose it is, but it’s still quite accessible without having to wade through the prose to figure out what’s being said. And, indeed, I did notice the prose, which was beautiful and evocative. I can tell Ms. Valente is a poet, because her imagery is amazing.

My quibbles with the book were the sort that only occurred to me after I finished the book with a satisfied sigh. I guess I’m too used to reading darker fantasy than this, because I felt that none of the villains were especially redeemable, and I much prefer reading about imperfect characters with enough shades of gray to make them interesting. Also, I didn’t really feel like each of the characters had particularly strong voices, which tended to make the stories run together.

Final Thoughts: This is definitely not the kind of book I’ve read before, and its uniqueness is welcome. It’s beautiful despite its flaws and comes highly recommended.

Grade: B+

This is why I don’t do contests. I keep forgetting to announce the winners and then people send me emails saying, “Um, hello? Can I haz book plz?” and that just adds to my guilt. But anyway, here we go with the winners.

The winner of Islands by Samantha Kane is…

Caffey.

The winner of Cry Sanctuary by Moira Rogers is…

Channon V.

The winner of Gobsmacked by LB Gregg is…
Marg!

The winner of Crossing Swords by Kirsten Saell is…

Cathy M!

And the winner of the grand prize, the $25 Fictionwise gift certificate is…

Jen B!.

I’ve contacted the authors with winner’s names and email addresses, so hopefully you’ll get your book soon.

Thanks for your patience and next time I will leave snippy reminders for myself all over the place so I don’t end up waiting a whole week to take care of this.

It’s another Wednesday, and it’s late at night, so naturally, it’s time for the TBR challenge post.

Title: A Free Man of Color: Benjamin January, Book 1
Author: Barbara Hambly
Genre: Historical mystery
Reason for Reading: I’m participating in the TBR challenge hosted by Avid Reader.. Originally, I was going to read Phillippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl , but I needed something shorter, so I picked this instead.
Synopsis:

A lush and haunting novel of a city steeped in decadent pleasures…and of a man, proud and defiant, caught in a web of murder and betrayal.

It is 1833. In the midst of Mardi Gras, Benjamin January, a Creole physician and music teacher, is playing piano at the Salle d’Orleans when the evenings festivities are interrupted–by murder.

Ravishing Angelique Crozat, a notorious octoroon who travels in the city’s finest company, has been strangled to death. With the authorities reluctant to become involved, Ben begins his own inquiry, which will take him through the seamy haunts of riverboatmen and into the huts of voodoo-worshipping slaves.

But soon the eyes of suspicion turn toward Ben–for, black as the slave who fathered him, this free man of color is still the perfect scapegoat….

My Thoughts: To my shame, I haven’t had time to pay particular attention lately to the discussions of race, white privilege, and cultural appropriation that have been cropping up in the blogosphere. Honestly, I doubt I’m going to start, because the discussion seems so widespread and there seems to be a lot of noise and not so much signal, but I have heard bits about the discussions from other bloggers who have more time than I. It seems appropriate, then, in light of all these discussions of racism and privilege, that I found this book when I did. It is a haunting story, as well as a damn good mystery. By turns it made me uncomfortable and angry and joyful, and I don’t think anyone can ask for anything else in a book.

I loved January. Ms. Hambly brought him so vividly to life through this book that I hurt for him when bad things happened to him, and I felt his longings, his griefs, his sadness. He’s a complicated man, with complicated relationships that weren’t so very easily resolved, and, though it wasn’t always fun to walk around in his shoes, I was glad to have made his fictional acquaintance. I also liked meeting his friends, from the consumptive fiddler Hannibal Sefton to his sisters Olympe and Dominique, to his snarky, dry-tongued mother to the white policeman drawn to the murder investigation. Not all of them are likeable all the time, but then, neither is anyone.

But what I really liked about this book, even more than the wonderful characters, was the sense of place. This is no wallpaper historical with a few details sprinkled here and there but with characters mostly seeming to play dress-up in 21st century costumes. Oh, no. Everything felt authentic. Life for a free black man in those days, quite frankly, sucked, and Ms. Hambly doesn’t shy away from exactly how much. I can’t imagine the research she must have done to pull this all off, to get all the nuances of this society so exact, but it seems she did.

The mystery was compelling. I liked that Ben isn’t a detective, and he’s compelled to investigate what happened in order to clear his own name. I know that’s not exactly a novel premise, but I liked the perspective of someone who stands to lose quite a lot if the people in power decide he’s guilty. I also didn’t peg the villain right away, even though I did puzzle over it quite a bit when I wasn’t reading, but the revelation, when it came, was seamless, and totally made sense.

One last thing I have to mention. I liked that Ms. Hambly not only talks about how much life sucked for people like Ben, but she also discusses quite a bit about the actual power women, both black and white, had in their society, which, of course, is not very much. It’s amazing to me how much women had to put up with in those days because they really didn’t have any other choice. There are even alusions to homosexuality in the book, which just added another fascinating touch.

My Thoughts: I didn’t expect to love this book so much. I really didn’t. The time period wasn’t one that particularly interested me, but having read it, I definitely want to read more from Ms. Hambly’s backlist, and I give this a strong recommendation.

Final Grade: A-

Continuing with the Burke love today…

Title: Strega
Author: Andrew Vachss
Genre: mystery
Reason for Reading: I am a huge fan of this series.
Synopsis:

Andrew Vachss’ implacable private eye has a new client, Strega. She wants Burke to find an obscene photograph–and that search will take him into the ocean that flows just beneath the city, an ocean whose currents are flesh and money, the anguish of children and the pleasure of twisted adults. It is a place that Burke can visit only at the risk of his sanity and his life. But between the power of Strega and his own sense of justice, there is no turning back. In Strega one of our most acclaimed crime writers gives us a thriller that might have been imagined by Dante. For this is a tour of hell with no stops left out, conducted by a novelist who writes with the authority of the damned.

My Thoughts: First of all, I am glad to know that in other genres besides romance, blurb writers are given to absurd hyperbole. While this book is every bit as dark as Flood , and it’s not an easy read by any means, the story makes it sound like some kind of exploitation story, which it’s not.

In this book, since I knew what to expect, I found Burke a much more likeable character, and was drawn into his story right away. Vachss gives us much more of a glimpse into Burke’s past, and I really liked learning more about the man behind the tough private investigator facade. I also really liked seeing more of the secondary characters from the first book, especially Max the Silent, who gets a relationship of his own. And there’s a woman in Burke’s life that I hope he has to continue to run into.

The plot is gripping, both intense and at times disturbing. As with Flood, Burke hesitates to intervene, but finds himself drawn to the case despite himself. The journey he takes in finding the picture brings him in contact with a wide variety of different people, and it’s interesting to watch the effect these people have on Burke. In fact, the climax is sort of anticlimactic, because Burke’s success is never in doubt.

What didn’t work for me was Burke’s relationship with Strega. Strega is a deeply disturbed and disturbing individual, and I found her hard to like. The sex scenes between herself and Burke were squick-making, and I really hope never to see her again.

Despite the romantic subplot, such as it was, I loved this book, and I look forward with sick fascination to the trips I take to visit Burke in his world.

Final Grade: A-

I originally wrote this review for The Good, the Bad, and the Unread. But I’m reposting it here because I have recently read the second book in the series, and I wasn’t planning to review it there.

Title: Flood
Author: Andrew Vachss
Genre: Mystery
Reason for Reading: An offhand comment my friend Primavera made in her LJ about how awesome she finds the Burke series. For the record, she is totally right.
Synopsis:

In Vachss’s acclaimed first novel, we are introduced to Burke, the avenging angel of abused children. Burke’s client is a woman named Flood, who has the face of an angel, the body of a high-priced stripper, and the skills of a professional executioner. She wants Burke to find a monster — so she can kill him with her bare hands. In this cauterizing thriller, Andrew Vachss’s renegade private eye teams up with a lethally gifted vigilante to follow a child’s murderer through the catacombs of New York, where every alley is a setup for a mugging and every tenement has something rotten in the basement. Fearfully knowing, buzzing with narrative tension, and written in prose as forceful as a hollow-point bullet, Flood is Burke at his deadliest — and Vachss at the peak of his form.

My Thoughts: I’m not sure that I would have ever picked up this book if I hadn’t seen a blog post about its author. I would provide a link, but blog posts run together in my head, and I don’t remember who it was. [At least, until Prima mentioned the series as a whole.] Anyway, Andrew Vachss is a serious bad-ass. The proceeds of his books, according to his wiki page go toward his law practice, where he defends children and youth. In real life, I am a social work major, and I figured if anyone was going to write compelling books about issues that are important to me, it would be someone like him. But when one of my good online friends confessed to being a Burke fangirl, I decided I had to see whether the badassery would translate into decent writing.

I suspect that a reader’s enjoyment of Burke will depend a lot on her politics and her squeamishness. Vachss has his opinions, and he doesn’t sugar-coat them, and not all of his opinions are easy to swallow. (Burke clearly dislikes social workers, for one thing, and he doesn’t seem to have a lot of love for middle-class white liberals, either.) And, good Lord, is this book violent.

There were a few places where I was reading with clenched teeth, just on the point of being squicked. But it all works for me. I didn’t feel any of the violence was gratuitous or inserted there just so that we could have a random violent scene. Burke’s world is a hard, cold place, and bad things happen, and it all serves its purpose.

Burke himself is a compelling character. He lives an underground life, hiding from normal everyday citizens because it’s easier that way. Stepping into Burke’s world leaves the reader, as it does Flood, the woman who finds Burke and asks him to find a man called the Cobra so she can kill him, either keeping up or being lost. I was able to keep up, though for the first bit of the book, I didn’t especially find Burke a likeable character. He was, however, compelling, and that goes a long way. I also found him to be an alpha male type I could certainly respect, even if I don’t always like him.

This isn’t a romance, and it’s not even so much a mystery as it is a look at some of the seedier places the world has to offer. But the characters aside from Burke, from the titular Flood to Max the Silent to Michelle, a transsexual prostitute, are all people I want to learn more about. I’m really glad I was pointed at this series, and if you like your mysteries with a bit of grit, this book definitely comes recommended.

My Thoughts afterwords: I’ve only read the first two Burke novels. I gave the booka B+ grade at TGTBTU, but it’s definitely a story that has stuck with me. So I’m going to have to revise my final grade to:
Final Grade: A-

I got this from C Squared, who is one of my favorite tweeple in the twitterverse.

Here’s my post from the lazy bloggers post generator.

OMG! I just opened mine eyes, and lo! I have not updated this since they invented sliced bread… You would not believe how hard it is being waited on hand and foot and generally lounging around. I prostrate myself in sorrow and beg thy forgiveness..

I am absolutely consumed with finding Jesus (after someone told me he was lost), watching the grass grow, just generally being of great concern to various lawyers I met recently, my day sprawls from the second I am woken by murderous Teletubbies to I run out of alcohol. I am so tired of my kids wanting me to give them attention and stuff. I wish you could be here to share it.

I swear on the bones of my ancestors if one more person emails me to ask why I haven’t posted today I will start posting pictures of toe fungus, or fecal murals. You wanna test me? The Piccaninnies say I have to!.

An alert reader (I have always wanted to say that! Thanks Dave Barry!) sent the following email in response to a comment I left on another blog.

OK, I had no idea romance novels existed with “strong, independent romance heroines” who are “allowed to be the more dominant partner.” OK, I’ve never been
into romance novels so far, but the heroines you describe would definitely be enjoyable to me.

So… got any recommendations then?

Here’s what I told him. I don’t know that most of what I recommended actually have the heroine being the dominant partner, but the dynamic is definitely not passive woman vs. strong man. I thought this list might interest some of you, and if anyone has anything else to add, well, that is why the comment box exists.

Here’s my short list to get you started. My tastes also run toward paranormal and fantasy in general, so most of these have some kind of SF or supernatural element.

The Guardians Series by Meljean Brook – The heroines are quite unique, and have varying levels of toughness, but they’re all well-drawn and unique, plus the world-building is good and the author treats her readers like grown-up adults capable of following a plot without constant infodumps. Reading order is:
Demon Angel (the heroine here is legitimately kick-ass)
Demon Moon (This one’s an actual, genuine geek. Win!)
Demon Night (I really like the romantic conflict here, as it’s more nuanced than a lot of romance.)
Demon Bound (Her latest. The heroine starts out being genuinely creepy, and I didn’t think she’d work for me, but I really liked her.)

There are novellas between some of the books, but I’m not sure I’d recommend all of them as particularly good stories. Brook is wordy sometimes, and that’s a bad thing in a novella. Though that being said I do hear that her latest short stories are far, far better than her earlier ones.

I’d also recommend the Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre. It’s not really a traditional romance, and to me it feels more like space opera, but Jax is a great combination of kick-ass and genuinely flawed. Books are:
Grimspace
Wanderlust

Book 3, whose title eludes me, comes out this October, so if you like the first two books, you won’t have long to wait.

In a more traditional historical romance vein, I’d recommend Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. Much of what happens to bring the couple to their HEA (that’s Happily Ever After in the lingo) happens because the hero seriously needs to grow up. But the heroine calls him on being a jerk every time, sometimes quite forcefully, and there are some great funny moments, too.

If you don’t mind ebooks, Kirsten Saell’s Crossing Swords is an erotic romance set in a fantasy universe with a great heroine. Its companion story, Healer’s Touch, doesn’t feature a woman who’s all that kick-ass, but she does embrace her sexuality, and the book is basically one long seduction scene, and given how many romances still cling to the whole, “Oh noes! It’s a penis! I shouldn’t want it, but it feels soooooooo good!” dynamic, I love stories where the woman gets to decide what she wants.

There are a lot of others I’m not mentioning. Nalini Singh writes really good heroines, though I’ve not read all of her books. I’m reading her latest, and from the bit I’ve read, the heroine seems capable of taking care of herself. Kresley Cole comes highly recommended by people I know, but then, a lot of people are also turned off by some scenes of very dubious consent in her first book. Unfortunately, I haven’t read past that book, and I didn’t see the dubcon until it was pointed out, so take that for what it’s worth. I also liked Larissa Ione’s Pleasure Unbound, where it’s admitted the heroine could probably kick the hero’s ass. But I hesitate to recommend it strongly because OMG it is soooo amazingly cheesy. The hero’s brothers, who both have books I have not read, are named Shade and Wraith, for example, and some of the world-building and character motivation don’t quite work for me.

Oh, and for another take on erotic romance, this one published by Kensington and probably also available from Amazon, I’d recommend Cassie Ryan’s Ceremony of Seduction. Not because the heroine is particularly kick-ass, but because the author doesn’t take herself all that seriously and I think she’s aware of the campiness of her premise. (Case in point: Our heroine comes from a tribe of people known as the klatch, who are all curvy and dark-haired. The opposing forces? Are called the Cunts, and they’re skinny, blonde and shallow.) What I also like about this book in particular is that there are a couple of F/F scenes that not only don’t feel exploitive, but come from a genuine place of attraction between the characters. I have a weakness for F/F subplots, because there just aren’t many out there, and the ones I do find tend to be of the “OMG look at those dirty girls and what they’re up to! It makes me hot and yet, not hot enough to experiment except with the one true man of my heart!” variety, which makes them fairly pointless, IMO.

I’ve also heard great things about but have not read Carolyn Jewel and Claudia Dane, who each write historical romances.

LOL that should keep you busy. And yes, I know some of the titles I’ve mentioned are also beyond cheesy. But given that Harlequin’s shorter category romances–which are the ones most people usually think of–often have titles like The Greek Tycoon’s Pregnant Mistress–well, a little Pleasure Unbound is acceptable. (Incidentally, I’m not much of a fan of Harlequin Presents, myself, because not only are the titles cheesy, but they really do have a high ratio of alpha men to doormat women, and the few I’ve read had the kind of conflict that could easily have been solved with a five minute adult conversation.

I hope that helps, and if you do actually read any of my recommendations, I would love to know what you thought.

Shannon

Adendum: The twitterverse also asked for recs of westerns. I haven’t read any that would qualify in my book as featuring kick-ass heroines, but I would absolutely recommend His Secondhand Bride by Cheryl St. John, because the story, while quite simple, features an actual conflict that couldn’t be solved if the characters sat down and had a chat.

I also didn’t recommend Joey W. Hill, who is the default when most romance readers think of dominant heroines, in my experience. The simple reason is that I haven’t actually read any of her books. And I’d have recommended JD Robb’s In Death books except while I love Eve, I do not love Roarke, which I realize means there is a special place in romancelandia hell for me.

Well, it’s Sunday, and even though this is so far off the mark from what I usually talk about over here, I figured that at least one of you might decide this book was interesting enough to check out.

Title: Rapture Ready: Adventures in the Paralel Universe of Christian Pop Culture
Author: Daniel Radosh
Genre: Nonfiction
Reason for Reading: One of my favorite blogs out there on the wild and wooly interwebs is Slacktivist. It’s a blog written by a liberal Evangelical with lots of interesting things to say himself about Christian culture, and when this book came up over there, I bought it, and, er, learned to strip DRM so I could read it.
Synopsis:

What does it mean when a band is judged by how hard they pray rather than how hard they rock? Would Jesus buy “Jesus junk” or wear “witness wear”? What do Christian skate parks, raves, and romance novels say about evangelicalism–and America? Daniel Radosh went searching for the answers and reached some surprising conclusions.Written with the perfect blend of amusement and respect, Rapture Ready! is an insightful, entertaining, and deeply weird journey through the often hidden world of Christian pop culture. This vast and influential subculture–a $7 billion industry and growing–can no longer be ignored by those who want to understand the social, spiritual, and political aspirations of evangelical Christians.In eighteen cities and towns throughout thirteen states–from the Bible Belt to the outskirts of Hollywood–Radosh encounters a fascinating cast of characters, including Bibleman, the Caped Christian; Rob Adonis, the founder and star of Ultimate Christian Wrestling; Ken Ham, the nation’s leading prophet of creationism; and Jay Bakker, the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and pastor of his own liberal, punk rock church. From Christian music festivals and theme parks to Passion plays and comedy nights, Radosh combines gonzo reporting with a keen eye for detail and just the right touch of wit. Rapture Ready! is a revealing survey of a parallel universe and a unique perspective on one of America’s most important social movements.

My Thoughts: First, a bit of background. I was raised by slacker Christians myself, the kind who professed to believe in God, Jesus, and everything else but who never actually went to church much beyond the occasional Christmas and Easter service, and the churches I do remember going to growing up were pretty liberal, as those things go. When I was a teenager, I went through a dramatic conversion to Paganism, and as an adult I’ve become a lot more skeptical, and now think the best thing to call myself is a Unitarian, although even there, I’m a slacker, since I don’t attend the local UU church, despite occasional feelings of guilt for not doing so. That all being said, I find religion fascinating, from a sociological perspective. I guess what I really want to know is how people relate to God, especially if it’s different from the way I do.

This book, then, was fascinating in that same way. Radosh is Jewish, and he came to this book feeling genuinely curious about what he’d find. What really impressed me was that he finds things to relate to about the people he meets. If he hadn’t, if this had been a “Oh, look at the nutty Christians!” type of book, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it quite so much, and I definitely wouldn’t have reviewed it here.

The heart and soul of this book, actually, is Radosh himself. His style is chatty and confiding, and yet incredibly honest. There were times I was laughing with him, and times I wanted to cry for him. When he gets angry, as he sometimes does, he explains why, and I never felt that he was actually attacking anyone.

The places he visits in this book are varied. From Christian bookstores to Christian music festivals, he seems to have been to everything, and getting a glimpse into this subculture that I wasn’t aware of was fascinating. I finished this book with a whole list of interesting things to read and listen to. I even went looking for youtube clips of Bibleman, because I could not believe, even after reading the chapter about him, that such a character exists. (Yes, he does. More seriously, though, while I don’t think Christian pop culture is exactly something I’m willing to immerse myself in, it’s nice to have had Radosh as a tour guide.

Final Thoughts: If you’re a fan of This American Life style journalism, which is very personal as well as very thoughtful, and you have an interest in this sort of thing, I highly recommend this book.

Final Grade: A.

I never heard back from our final author on Ebook week. So, sadly, for the last day of celebrations, you have to settle for a non-author interview post.

I couldn’t think of anything to say about ebooks that hadn’t already been said by wiser heads than I, so I decided to seek a higher source. I first went to Urban Dictionary, which had this to say about my favorite means of reading.

Ebooks: Keyword for pornagraphy. [Sic] Only the cool people use it.
Hey I was looking through my files last night and I found 4 Gigs of Ebooks!

OK, well, thanks, Urban Dictionary. I’m pretty sure the people I’ve been interviewing this week wouldn’t necessarily call their books pornagraphy, but whatever.

The next thing I did was plug “ebooks” into googlism. Here’s what that site had to say.

ebooks is all about making money on the net
ebooks is a division of double dragon publishing
ebooks is redundancy
ebooks is an important selling feature
ebooks is not your forte
ebooks is dedicated to bringing conventional publishing values to the new medium
ebooks is restricted to york university users
ebooks is analogous to a collection of paper books
ebooks is a complete system that will allow you to publish your first ebook and sell it over the internet
ebooks is now easier and cheaper than ever with paypal
ebooks is adobe pdf
ebooks is not everything that we say it is and you are not completely satisfied with it
ebooks is the same
ebooks is a browser
ebooks is as easy as reading them
ebooks is about giving consumers in content
ebooks is the same 12 hours as for ebooks you read online
ebooks is provided by webengineer solutions
ebooks is minimal
ebooks is that you don’t have to spend hours searching through book stores to find the book you want
ebooks is easy
ebooks is enormous and the best way to expand the market is to work together
ebooks is always available on our new this week page
ebooks is the hottest business on the internet
ebooks is a very exciting project for sealedmedia
ebooks is that there is no overhead costs
ebooks is fully inclusive and accessible to all readers
ebooks is often enriched with photos
ebooks is the fact they can be updated with the click of a button
ebooks is immediately sent to your email box
ebooks is the use by people who are visually impaired
ebooks is the subjects and the prices
ebooks is seeking original novella to book length manuscripts from authors who are interested in pursuing electronic publication
ebooks is 3 days
ebooks is much higher than for other products
ebooks is a netlibrary account and internet access
ebooks is provided by some of the top 10% of the business and marketing professionals on the internet today
ebooks is where the money’s at
ebooks is one way
ebooks is proven to be the quickest and easiest way to make money using the internet
ebooks is not price
ebooks is anyone can write them.

Well, there you have it. Pornagraphy and an easy way to make money on the Internet.

Since the grand prize is still up for grabs, feel free to discuss what else ebooks are in the comments!

When I first encountered Kirsten Saell online, I think it was in one of the discussions that sometimes crops up in the romance community, namely: why isn’t there more lesbian romance? When I found out that Kirsten writes romances with F/F content, *and* set in fantasy worlds, I knew I had to read her books. And I love them.

Today, as part of our continuing ebook week celebrations, Kirsten is giving away to one lucky commenter a copy of Crossing Swords, the first book in her Emmissaries of Belthalis series. This book contains one of my all-time favorite heroines! Here’s the blurb:

One duel. Easy money. Then Gil fell for his opponent.

A straight duel to the death. A professional opponent who’s paying him to win. This was going to be the easiest money Gil had ever earned. Except he never counted on his opponent being a woman. And he never counted on falling for her.

After avenging the brutal murder of her lover, all Lianon wants is to die a clean death. Too bad the man she hired doesn’t do women, and he’s furious over her deception. Not only does he renege on their contract, he has the gall to lock her up in his apartment—naked, no less!—to punish her for her ruse.

If she could just get her mind out of the gutter, she’d cut him a new smile. But ever since he saw through her boy’s clothes, all she can think about is getting him naked, too.

But just when she’s found something to live for, the father of her lover’s murderer surfaces. He wants Lianon to die screaming—and he’s all too happy to take Gil down with her.

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, including f/f; bad language; violence; bland, rubbery veal; a little sexual healing; and one killer blowjob.

You can read an excerpt Here..

Please welcome Kirsten Saell!

*******

How long have you been epublished?

I’ve been epublished with Samhain since March of 2008, and have three books out. I had the contract for my first book, Crossing Swords, in hand in September of 2007.

What made you decide to go the route of epublishing?

I was about 250 000 words into an enormous doorstopper of an epic fantasy project, and was just starting to seriously research potential agents/publishers for it. I sent out a handful of queries, got a handful of rejections (a couple of them quite encouraging), but in the interim, I’d met a few people online, and one of them–December Quinn–had a few books out with epublishers like Whiskey Creek Press and Ellora’s Cave. I hung out on her blog for a while and learned a bit about epublishing (I’d had no idea there was such a thing), and a genre I’d never heard of before called erotic romance. I’d read my share of straight-up porn, and it was good for *coughcough* one-handed reading, but the emotional element was always missing for me. Maybe this erotic romance was just the ticket.

I purchased December’s WCP book, Prince of Death and loved it. Next, I stumbled across Kate Pearce’s Antonia’s Bargain, and again, I was amazed. I mean their stuff made Bertrice Small look like a prude, yet the stories were well-written and emotionally engaging, as well as damn hot. As I gobbled up more books in the genre–some wonderful, others not so much–I began to realize this was what I wanted to write. Even in my BFF (big fat fantasy), my characters had a tendency to fall for each other and then into bed, and although I usually closed the door on that part of their stories, the sex scenes would continue to play in my head long after they’d faded to black on the page. In fact, I’d deleted a ton of sex from that project because I thought it wouldn’t be well-received by editors. Imagine my delight at the notion that I could put it all in one nice package–a well-developed fantasy world, interesting stories, well-rounded characters, and smokin’ hot smexing.

I had an opening scene I’d written years before (18, to be precise), but I’d had no idea where to take the characters, despite the fact that I’d thought about them a lot in the intervening years. After my first taste of erotic romance, all of a sudden, I knew what their story would be. Not epic, no fate-of-the-world stuff, just a love story with lots of swordplay, a little revenging and a boatload of heat. And I knew it would be aimed at an epublisher, because it wasn’t destined to be a three-book doorstopper, and I honestly had no idea what NY imprint it would fit into. It practically wrote itself over the next three months. I spent some time researching epublishers’ guidelines and purchasing their books to get a feel for the quality of the editing, and Samhain topped my list. Their submissions were closed for months, but I was patient, submitted, and got lucky on the first try.

What do you use to read your ebooks?

I used to use my laptop. I’ve never really had an issue with reading off a screen. But it’s heavy and clunky and it overheats if you don’t use a chill-mat or prop it up, so reading in bed or the tub or in the car was not an option. I’d been looking at the Sony PRS readers for a while, and I loved the idea of e-ink. Read in full sun? Oh yeah! Carry a hundred books in your purse? I’m so there. When my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas, there was no humming or hawing from me like in previous years. She got me a 505 and I love love love it. I can’t even begin to say how much. Don’t know how I managed before I had it.

Where do you see the epublishing industry headed in the future?

I’m hoping the growth it’s experienced in the last year is just the tip of the iceberg for epublishing. More and more mainstream NY books are now offered in digital format, though their sales aren’t skyrocketing as they should, in my opinion, because of DRM and list prices that are simply unrealistic. If those issues get ironed out, the sky’s pretty much the limit for digital publishing. Dedicated epublishers have a good handle on the market as far as price and user-friendliness, and I think if mainstream publishers follow their lead, they’ll enjoy huge success with the format. And with Oprah’s endorsement of Amazon’s Kindle, and Sony’s success with their ereaders, people are starting to realize ebooks won’t keep you chained to your computer anymore. As more readers become aware of the benefits of ebooks, I think we’ll see successes all over the genre map, not just erotica and erotic romance.

And I think it can be wonderful for authors as well. Most epublishers don’t offer advances, but they can and do offer things print publishers don’t–higher royalties that can be paid almost immediately due to the non-existence of returns, and a long tail. In print publishing, shelf space is at a premium. A book has a few months to prove itself (sometimes not even that much), then it’s either remaindered (for no royalty), or stripped and returned (again, no benefit to the author, and no recompense for the publisher, either). It’s my hope that in the future, between ebooks and print-on-demand technology, the only reason for a book to ever go “out of print” is if the author and/or publisher want it to.

Who are some of your favorite epublished writers?

I adore Bonnie Dee. She writes for a few different epublishers, in a variety of subgenres, and I’ve been impressed by everything of hers I’ve tried. Ciar Cullen writes wonderful fantasy romance, though not erotic. Emily Veinglory, who writes m/m romance, has one of the most engaging writing voices I’ve read in a long time. Michele deLully writes some edgy romantic erotica and again, has a great voice. Gia Dawn, Bettie Sharpe, Evie Byrne, all great (and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few). I’ve recently been reading a totally blammo epic fantasy series by Brent Weeks, that’s published by Orbit in both print and digital. And of course, my intros to the format–December Quinn and Kate Pearce, who have both moved on to NY publishers, and without whose books I might never have given epublishing a second look. Thanks, guys.

*****

I love your list of recommendations! Several of the things you’ve said have me thinking I need to be checking out a few new to me authors, too!

Thanks for playing, Kirsten!

When I started blogging over here, one of the people whose blogs I read religiously was Lisabea. I got in touch with her via email because I totally wanted her to exchange links with me. She’s an absolute sweetheart, and so when her first book came out, under the name LB Gregg, I had to buy it. Sadly, and to my intense shame, I have not yet read it. But you can! LB is giving away a copy of her February M/M romance release, Gobsmacked!. Here is the blurb:

No more Mr. Nice Guy. Mild mannered Mark Meehan’s good judgment flies out the window when he finds his lover banging another man. Things go from bad to worse as Mark’s crazy revenge scheme uncovers shocking secrets–sending him straight into the arms of hunky lawman and old friend, Tony Gervase, a man of limited patience and secrets of his own.

You can read an excerpt here.

Please welcome LB Gregg!

**********

How long have you been epublished?

Since Feb 6th. So six weeks, sister. I’m brand spanking new. Aspen Mountain Press has picked up the series, as well as ManLoveRomance Press for the print release.

What made you decide to go the route of epublishing?

M/M isn’t exactly what Harlequin is looking to publish. Pity, really… I love shopping on line, paper or ebooks, and the instant gratification to be found with ebooks cannot be undervalued. I want my book, and I want it right now! ::click::

What do you use to read your ebooks?

I’m SO embarrassed. I can’t remember how to put ebooks on my ebookwise (unless they’re from fictionwise) and then I lost my power supply (although I recently found it) and..ok my laptop. ::cringe:: I do like my e reader though and, honestly, I bought a purse big enough to hold it.

Where do you see the epublishing industry headed in the future?

It’s a wide, wild open world. I think the price of ereaders and kindles needs to come down so the common man (or regular gal like myself) can afford one. I think as the technology gets easier to use and the price becomes right, ebooks are the way to go. I only buy paperbacks of the books I truly want forever. Like my own book: Smart Ass:Close Quarters. (Yes. That’s what we call a shameless plug.)

Who are some of your favorite epublished writers?

Josh Lanyon, JL Langley, Samantha Kane. Josh is more literary m/m mystery, JL is about as fun, romantic and smexy smexy as it gets, and Samantha writes m/f/m, which isn’t actually my fav, but she’s terrific! May I recommend At Loves Command? Oh. I did already.

***

I really need to read some Josh Lanyon. It is sad that I still have not.

Thanks for stopping by, LB!

I stole this meme from the girls over at The Book Binge. I should really be doing other things besides this meme, but oh well.

1. One romance book you’ve read more than once. Man, I so rarely reread anything ever. There are just too many books. But if I were to reread a romance novel, I think it would be Patricia Gaffney’s Wild at Heart.

2. One romance book you want on a desert island. That would be hard. Only one? I’ll go with It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

3. One romance book that made you laugh. Most recently it was Biting Nixie by Mary Hughes. It’s an ebook, but dammit, it still counts.

4. One romance book that made you cry. Perfect by Judith McNaught.

5. One romance book you wish you had written. Gonna have to go with another ebook. Crossing Swords by Kirsten Saell. (She’s coming over on Friday for Ebook Week, and since it’s my favorite of her books, you should totally remember to come by and give her some love.)

6. One romance book you wish you could alter the ending of. Dark Hunger by Sara Reinke.

7. One romance book you are currently reading. Gobsmacked by LB Gregg. Who is coming over tomorrow.

8. One romance book you have meant to read. Just one? The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt has been on my TBR forever.

9. One romance book that changed you or your views in some way. Sarah McCarty’s “Promises Linger” was probably what made me realize what potential there was in westerns and erotic romance.

10. One romance book made into a movie that you liked both the book & the movie. Erm… I don’t think I can answer this one because I can’t think of any romance books I’ve even read that have been made into movies.

Several months ago, on a fan community online, I met the Bree half of the writing team known as Moira Rogers. We realized we had lots in common, and became fast friends. Bree and her writing partner, Donna, are two of the coolest, sweetest people on the Internets, and they write some damn fine books. Their books are most often paranormals, and they love shapeshifters. Their heat level ranges from smoking hot to very sweet.

Bree and Donna have graciously agreed to give away to one lucky commenter their first Samhain release, Cry Sanctuary. I highly recommend this book, and here is the blurb, for those of you who need some convincing.

He is tired of fighting. She has nowhere to run.

Red Rock Pass, Book 1

Keith Winston is tired of fighting. The war between werewolves and wizards rages on in Europe, but he’s come home to Red Rock, Montana in hopes of finding a bit of peace. Instead he finds more strife as he struggles against the pack’s dictates that he resume his place as the alpha’s right-hand man.

When he rescues a new wolf on the run, he knows his instant attraction to her could cause trouble. What he doesn’t expect is to find himself embroiled in another battle that goes against all his instincts—and his heart.

Abigail Adler learned about the existence of werewolves only when she became one. With her life threatened by a corrupt alpha, she flees to the only sanctuary she knows: Red Rock. While she’s grateful for the pack’s protection, she chafes under its unbreakable rules of conduct—except when it comes to submitting to the passion Keith stirs in her.

Then her tormentor kidnaps her sister in an attempt to lure her out of hiding. To save her, Abby and Keith must be willing to do the very thing that could get them all killed—break all of the rules.

Warning: Hot werewolf sex, violence, explosions, and a heroine wielding a makeshift implement of destruction.

You can read an excerpt here.

Please welcome Bree and Donna!

*****

How long have you been epublished?

Donna says:

Bree and I signed our first contract in January of 2008, and had our first
release in June of last year.

What made you decide to go the route of epublishing?

Donna says:

We had started a book in September or so of 2007. We’d joined the RWA, and
one of the things we noticed was that so many of what they called their
“prepublished” members had been writing for years without selling. And it
seemed like a strange thing to do, to write so long with only minimal
feedback from critique partners and contest judges. So we decided to write
a few shorter pieces for the epublishing market, because we figured, if
nothing else, we might get some quick feedback from editors.

Now we have over a dozen short stories, novellas, and books out, and several
more on the way later this year, and we love it. We’ve been lucky enough to
work with some terrific editors, and to be able to really write what we
love. Our first urban fantasy, that first book we ever wrote, was just
released from Samhain, and we’re very excited.

Bree says:

I wanted to learn about the business of writing and the publishing
industry, and it seemed like a great way to do that would be to get
into a market that allows for quick turn-around, detailed revision
notes and variable lengths and genres. Instead of waiting the six to
eight months that can be common in traditional publishing, I got to
submit stories and get feedback from publishers and editors quickly.
You really can’t beat that for learning!

And I love ebooks. I really do.

What do you use to read your ebooks?
Bree says:

I have a Kindle, which I was enamored of until I got enough books that
the lack of file management started to grate on me. I also read
ebooks on my laptop and my iPod Touch.

Donna says:

I have a Palm PDA and an iPod Touch, though I do most of my reading at my
desktop.

Where do you see the epublishing industry headed in the future?
Donna says:

I think the past several years have really seen epublishing being used as a
springboard of sorts into print publication, or as an alternate marketing
route for authors looking to fill a specific erotic niche. I hope that will
change in the future, as more mainstream works become more popular in
electronic format, and as more authors realize that careful planning and
branding, along with some hard work, can make epublishing a very rewarding
career path.

Bree says:

I think it’s just going to get bigger. While the Kindle certainly has
caused controversy, its visibility has made huge inroads to teaching
people about alternative ways of reading books. And now Barnes &
Noble has jumped on board by purchasing FictionWise…well, I think
that makes it clear that everyone’s taking notice.

Who are some of your favorite epublished writers?

Bree says:

I’m a huge fan of Linda Winfree, and I’ve recently rediscovered an
appreciation for vampires through the works of Keith Melton and
Barbara J. Hancock.

Donna says:

I love Linda Winfree. I am a HUGE fangirl, and I want to tell everyone
about her writing. Her settings and characters are wonderful, all
three-dimensional and beautifully rendered.

*****

Thanks for stopping by, ladies! I have all three of the authors you mentioned TBR. Clearly, I need to read faster!

Before I read Samantha Kane, I hadn’t thought it possible to actually like erotic historicals, let alone erotic historicals featuring menage a trois. Then I read Sam’s Brothers in Arms series, and fell in love with her characters and their romances, as well as with the whole M/M/F subgenre of erotic romance.

Sam’s latest book, Islands is available from Ellora’s Cave. It’s another historical, but this time M/M. Here’s the blurb:

Lieutenant Commander Gabriel Conlan, United States Navy Seabees, knows he’s not in Kansas anymore when he steps off the launch at the small island of Ile Dorée and sees gorgeous Frenchman René Dubois waiting for him on the dock. The year is 1943, the place is the Pacific and the world is at war. Free from the censure of the military, Gabe has an explosive affair with René. But when the world intrudes, Gabe denies René and tries to forget the best sex of his life.

The only westerner on his small Pacific island, René is desperately lonely. When the tall, lanky American steps onto his dock, René knows his life will never be the same. He teaches Gabe how to make love to a man and, unexpectedly, falls in love. René will brave prejudice, Japanese Zeros and Gabe’s reluctance to find love at last.

Publisher Note: This story was published elsewhere in a print anthology titled Esprit de Corps.

You can read an excerpt here.

Please welcome Samantha Kane!

********

How long have you been epublished?

My first book was published by Ellora’s Cave in April 2006. My eighth just came out.

What made you decide to go the route of epublishing?

It wasn’t e-publishing so much as it was Ellora’s Cave. I had a series in mind, my Brothers In Arms series, and I thought at the time that EC was the best publisher for it. Other publishers are doing m/m/f menage now, but I still believe EC was the perfect home for BIA.

What do you use to read your ebooks?

I used to use my computer. Then an eBookman. And now an iTouch. I love my iTouch.

Where do you see the epublishing industry headed in the future?

Wherever it wants to go, lol. I really do believe the future is in e-publishing. We are becoming more and more technology reliant. With each successive generation we are raising increasingly tech-savvy kids. As people get used to other areas of their lives being computerized and digitized it will only make sense for them to want their books the same way. Kids who walk around with all their music and video games on hand-held devices will quite naturally want to put their books on there as well. It’s a natural progression of the technology revolution. All your entertainment needs met by something that fits in the palm of your hand, or your pocket.

Who are some of your favorite epublished writers?

You’re going to make me name names, huh? LOL All right, let’s see. My cp and blogging partner Mari Freeman, who is equally stellar in both contemporary romantic comedy and paranormal, Shelley Munro, Shelby Reed, Josh Lanyon, JL Langley, Delilah Devlin, Denise Rossetti, Madeleine Urban, Jet Mykles, Allyson James, ZA Maxfield, LB Gregg, just to name a few. I could keep going. I’ve been on an ebook binge lately. I have a whole host of print books waiting to be read, gathering dust on the shelves. And the sad thing is I really do want to read some of them. But I love my little iTouch. I just recently told someone that I’m going to be buying everyone in ebook now, and not bothering with print. Sacreligious, I know.

****

Thanks for stopping by, Sam! Buying the world an ebook seems like an especially cool goal during Ebook Week!

Don’t forget to leave a comment so you can win a copy of Islands, Sam’s most recent book!

I promised detes about our ebook week celebrations. Here they are.

I’ll be interviewing several of my favorite epublished authors about their thoughts on epublishing as a whole. Each of the authors I’ve spoken with has generously agreed to give away one of their books to people who comment on their interviews. I’m also giving away a $25 gift certificate to Fictionwise. at the end of this week, so there will be lots of opportunities for fabulous prizes.

Here is our lineup of guests.

• Samantha Kane

• Moira Rogers
• LB Gregg
• Kirsten Saell
• Lynne Connolly

These ladies write everything from historicals to paranormals to fantasies, with a variety of heat levels from the very sweet to the smokin’ hot. Some of them write M/F romances, some write M/M, and some write M/M/F or M/F/F. They also share the distinction of being some of my favorite writers, so you’re guaranteed a good story.

In order to be eligible to win, comment on any of the Ebook Week posts this week. The grand prize winner will be pulled from all the commenters. Winners will be announced next Monday!

Check back tomorrow for our first interview with the lovely Samantha Kane!.

Sarah of the Smart Bitches tweeted about this, and I think it’s very cool.

?This week, March 8-14, is Read an Ebook Week. I won’t prosseletize the benefits of ebooks over here–anybody who has talked with me for longer than about 30 seconds about books or, hell, read this blog, knows that I’m a huge fan of all things ebooktastic. But you can go over here to read all the details in case you’re not quite convinced that ebooks are the way to go.

That being said, I plan on celebrating Read an Ebook week. Feel free to check back here for surprise events. Possibly involving prizes. Be there or be a parallelogram!

Someone showed me a picture and I just laughed
Dignity never been photographed
I went into the red, I went into the black
Into the valley of dry bone dreams

So many roads, so much at stake
So many dead ends, I’m at the edge of the lake
Sometimes I wonder what it’s gonna take
To find dignity.

--"Dignity" as sung by Solas

I’ve been thinking a lot about dignity lately, especially as it relates to my disability. More specifically, I find myself depressed at how quickly people can just casually shred a person’s dignity without realizing they’re doing it.

I can’t tell you how many times people have come up to me, in the course of my life, and told me that I was brave for simply doing what they do on a normal basis, whether it’s taking a bus to my college, walking to class by myself, or even standing in line at a coffee shop. I know that my reaction to such people ought to be a charitable one. I should consider that I have been blind all my life, and maybe if I woke up with the loss of one of my other senses leaving the house, dressing myself in the morning, or otherwise interacting with the world would be difficult. I tell myself that, and yet I still resent it when people give me the, “You’re so brave!” speech, because statements like that reduce my actual accomplishments. I am never told I am brave for getting an A on a test or blogging regularly or doing volunteer work, which I think are by far better accomplishments than merely showing up wherever I happen to be going every day. I know that statements like, “You’re so brave!” or, even better, “You’re such an inspiration!” say more about the people making them than they do about me, but it still reduces me from a person to the object of a life lesson, and I’m not that, either.

Then there are the people that offer me help. Sometimes, I’ll grant you, I need help. I’m not comfortable setting out on my own down the isles of Wal-Mart with a specific shopping list in mind, for example. But I’m fairly certain that, after two years of walking through the same doors to the building the bus drops me off in front of at the school, I will not suddenly forget how to do that. And invariably, someone always ostentatiously offers to help, usually by trying to grab my arm and tug me in the right direction or by loudly exclaiming, “I’ve got the door!” as if by opening the door, they have accomplished something wonderful and deserve my grattitude, because certainly opening the door is something I, with two working arms, couldn’t possibly do all by myself. Often, I just want to snap at these people and actually say, “Y’know, I was *fine*. I don’t need the help. STFU and go away.” But I’m a polite Midwestern girl, and after having been told one too many times about how my behavior will paint every blind person with the same brush for those good samaritans I meet in public, I generally just grit my teeth and mutter a “Thank you” and try to move on, ignoring as best I can that I have managed to make someone’s day that little bit brighter at the expense of my own self-worth. After all, the person who ostentatiously held the door open for me can now go home and tell her family, “I had to help a poor blind girl today.”

This is not to mention all of the ways in which, just working within the system, my dignity is stripped away. For example, in order to avail myself of the paratransit service I have to use because I live in a town that does not have excellent bus service, I am encouraged to sell myself short and paint my disability in the worst light possible. I don’t own a scanner, and so someone has to read my mail to me, thus robbing me of my right to privacy. I know a girl who lives alone and needed a bit of help with cleaning and running errands and the like. She practically had to admit to not being able to dress herself just so she could get someone to come perform those services for her. I have come to the conclusion that I am not desperate enough for that kind of service to ask for it, but if I didn’t have the support system that I do, that would be my situation, too, and there’s nothing worse for a person raised with good old, can-do Midwestern values, than feeling like she has to grovel in order to ensure that she has a decent quality of life.

I don’t write all of this to make anyone feel sorry for me or put anyone on the defensive. I don’t require pity–at least, not about this. I just think able-bodied people need to think about this sort of thing more often than they do. For the record, the proper response, at least for me, to a disabled person wandering around that you think might need help is to simply ask if help is required. If the answer is no, move on. That leaves the disabled person with dignity intact and you can still feel good that you made the offer.