2024 COVERS

2024 covers

Welcome to the Dark Side!

We are writers mainly from Australia and New Zealand who write speculative fiction with romantic elements. Be it fantasy, paranormal, dark urban fantasy, futuristic and everything in between.

Thursday 30 June 2011

Magic Thursday - All creatures great and small

What is it about paranormal, supernatural, and/or mythical creatures we love?

The danger, the unknown, the power, the sense of mystery, the fear - all play a part.

And it's not just confined to one country. Cultures around the world and over time, are filled with stories about different creatures.  Some have similar characteristics, others are more confined to an area. Whatever the case, these mythical beings have people thinking 'what if?'.

Here at the DarkSide, we are no different. And we love using them in our work.

Vampires, shape-shifters, werewolves, dragons, angels, demons, fae, djinns, mermaids, unicorns - they are just some of the most common that are featured. Of course there are others.

I'm planning on doing a series of posts about a supernatural/mythical beings on Magic Thursdays, on those weeks we haven't got giveaways or another DarkSider posting. :)

So to get the ball rolling, please let me know, which mythical creatures or beasties, do you want to see featured?



Even the UK Royal Mail has mythical creatures on their stamps

*no giveaway this week*


~Eleni :)

Wednesday 29 June 2011

Magic Thursday Giveaway winner - Pia Moonglow: Don't Press Enter

The winner for Pia's  Don't Press Enter  giveaway from last week are:


Marybelle


Congratulations, Marybelle! Pia has your email and will contact you shortly.

Thank you to those who commented.



Tuesday 28 June 2011

Good News Day!


Welcome to this week's Good News....


Reviews

Shona Husk
How To Breathe Fire received a 3.5 star review from Jo-Anne at Strange Candy Reviews

"How to Breathe Fire is a wonderful short read. I really liked the fantasy element, with our heroine being sacrificed to the Fire God who watches over her home. Camea is not like most other young women, she has big dreams and tries to concoct a plan to escape. She's a strong character, willing to fight for what she believes in and is willing to use her assets to get her freedom. She doesn't count on her feelings getting in the way of her plans. Matai has lived for hundreds of years and is tired of his existence. He's shocked when he takes Camea as his bride. She isn't like any of the others. Matai is literally smokin' hot and together they light up the pages. I find with novellas that I'm really getting into the story and characters then its over. It's hard to get too invested in them. Although How to Breathe Fire is one I recommend getting your hands on. I am looking forward to Shona's first full length novel later this year."




H.C. Brown
Betrothed to the Enemy received a 9.5 rating at Seriously Reviewed.

Ms. Brown does an amazing job of capturing the reader and drawing her into the story. The characters are well-developed as is the plot. Little details enrich the story and lend authenticity to the setting. The love scenes are nicely done. Who knew knights and maidens could be so creative and naughty?
My favorite aspect of the story were the conflicts. First, Lady Angela was forced to deal with a new king who was not only responsible for the death of her father, but was also threatening to take her lands. Then there’s the conflict that arises when she finds herself attracted to a Norman. And, or course, there’s the jealousy and insecurity that go hand-in-hand with new love. Throw in the huge obstacle of a forced betrothal to a depraved old man, and you’ve got a winner! 
So, why not a 10? Well, I wanted more, a little more description and a little more conflict in certain places. 
Can’t wait to read more offerings from Ms. Brown!



Sales

Jenny Schwartz 


Carina Press has accepted the Steampunk novella, Support Your Local Suffragette, which will be published in December 2011.






Competitions


Romance Writers of Australia's Valerie Parv Award
Both Michelle de Rooy and Bec Skrabl are finalists in this competition. These two are running, hot, hot, hot.




Free Read

Shona Husk
The short story Throw Your Arms Around Me is available for reading on Truly Madly Deeply Romance Authors.




~~~
Congratulations all.
Join us next week for some more good news...


Sunday 26 June 2011

Weekly Overview

Coming up this week...


Tues 21st June
Good News Day


Wed 23rd
Winner announced for Pia Moonglows's Don't Press Enter

Thur 24th
Magic Thursday -  Eleni Konstantine talks paranormal creatures


Sat 26th
Darklight On… we take a break from featuring individual authors, and have a look at the DarkSiders as a whole.


DarkSider Trekking...


  • Welcome to our newest DarkSider, Imogene Nix. Imogene is currently writing her second book. Wish her luck.


    • Kylie had the following on her blog:
    Sat 25th - A few good books.















    What's Up...

    Don't forget you can follow us clicking the Following button under DarkSider Buddies, on the sidebar, or by subscribing via email or by our feed.

    The Bios page has been updated.



    ~~~
    Enjoy your week.


    Saturday 25 June 2011

    Darklight On...C.T. Green Q&A


    Today's Darklight On... is with C.T. Green. Welcome, C.T.!



    How did you come to write speculative fiction? What attracted you to the genre? I love the freedom that speculative fiction allows. World building, characters and story are only limited by your imagination. Much more fun - if I want someone to back flip off a wall while firing a crossbow and looking hot and sexy at the same time, I darn well can!


    Are you a plotter? Pantser? Or somewhere in-between? 
    I plotted my last ms up the wazoo (a place you don’t want to go) and it didn’t work as well as I’d hoped – the pace was very slow. The ms I’m currently working on I’ve pantsered (without a parachute – gosh I hate heights). I guess that means I’m in-between. But, as everyone knows I do like to do a bit of ‘research’ every now and then.


    Do have a favourite of your characters? 
    Hmmm, I have to be rather unexciting and say ‘no’. I love all my characters, particularly the heroes, whom I thoroughly enjoy tormenting with strong, sassy heroines who don’t take any rot. Poor guys. *vbg*



    What are you currently working on? 
    The ms I’m currently wrestling with (working on) is about angels who are not at all angelic. They drink, swear and have tattoos and piercings in lots of, ah, interesting places. They’re very naughty, but big softies underneath it all and are trying to stop a demonic incursion from hell (literally).




    What is your favourite part of the process of writing? 
    Telling the story and bringing the characters I see in my head to life. I’ve always loved storytelling as a reader/listener and it seemed a natural progression to want to tell stories of my own. And ah I do enjoy the research side too. Seriously though, I hated it at university but now I love discovering new things that spark my imagination. When it’s interspersed with ‘character research’ *wink* then it’s particularly enjoyable.



    What can we expect from C.T. Green in the future? 
    That I get my work published? (Hopeful look). I’d really love to continue a series with the two ms’ I have at the moment. But I’ve got to agent hunt/get the first books published before that happens.



    Who are your favourite authors? 
    JR Ward, Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter, Terry Pratchett. As for the extremely talented authors on our paranormal loop – I haven’t got round to reading everyone, but I love Mel Teshco and Denise Rosetti and I’m hanging out to read Christina Phillips.

    I’ve only named three, but I think we’re very lucky to have so many brilliant writers on the loop who are willing to give of their time and advice. It also means I’m actually getting a TBR pile!



    What are you currently reading? 
    I just finished Denise Rosetti’s ‘Phoenix’ series. Through my CPing I also get to read some fantastic work by published and unpublished authors. Like I said – major talent on our loop!


    Do you have a favourite spec fiction movie or tv series?
    I loved Moonlight (the TV series). My favourite movie would be a close run thing between V for Vendetta and Star Wars (which is my sentimental favourite).



    Do you have advice for emerging writers? 
    Everyone has to start somewhere – even the great writers.  Don’t give up.  If you have a good CP, listen to their advice.  Better the hard word from them and a sympathetic cyber hug, than a standard rejection from an agent and no idea what you did wrong.


    ~~~
    Thanks, C.T.
    You can visit C.T at her website and blog.


    Thursday 23 June 2011

    Magic Thursday - Pia Moonglow: Living with Fairies


    As an author, I believe I see things a little different to most people. On the beach, most would see blue sky, sand, and waves. I see the retreating waves leaving a wash of gold in their wake, the rainbows in the bubbles of wash and the seagull hovering on an updraft of air. I believe authors collect and store such images deep inside their subconscious.

    I have no doubt an active imagination begins in childhood. I find myself delving into my childhood memories many times during the creation of a story. Those images never leave us, or those wonderful times when we truly believed anything was possible. I'm sure if you asked one hundred people if they believed in faeries, you would be surprised at the result.  I sure do . . .  come on now ' fess up . . . do you believe in faeries? 

    I had the fortune to have a mother who told me wonderful bedtime stories. If ever I fell ill, she would send me little handmade cards signed 'Faerie Blue Eyes.' My fondest memory is pushing a doll's pram around the garden at three years old. The grounds of the Victorian three-story house had many pathways that weaved around rose gardens. Toward the back fence, blackberry bushes sat in clumps with spiky tendrils waiting to snag the clothes or pull the hair of each passerby. Beneath the ancient oak trees, acorns littered the ground and pointed brown toadstools rose from patches of bright, green moss.

    "Don't disturb the faeries." Mother pointed at the toadstools. "That is a faerie circle. At night the faeries come out and dance in the moonlight."

    I would walk by, then pause and look over my shoulder, in the hope of glimpsing an ethereal being. At night, I would often press my nose to the window and peer at the garden. How different the night is to a child. The moonlight diffuses colours to every shade of grey; long shadows change the familiar rose bushes to gargoyles ready to pounce with each passing breeze. Trees blackened by night, reach up to the sky waving in silent devotion. The sounds of insects echo through the night, or could that be the sweet voices of faerie song? An owl hoots, and then appears, wings spread wide against the full moon. Across the lawn, moonbeams bathe the grass transforming each drop of dew into a myriad of diamonds. Is it any wonder the faeries dance at night?

    I have enjoyed living with the faeries, and now I can share my stories with you, I love it even more.

    I have one copy of my YA Fantasy Romance, Don't Press Enter, to give away today for a random comment.




    Blurb:
    He comes with icy breath each night, to seduce and to confuse. The demon wants Julia, and his sensual pull entices yet terrifies. Alone in the world, Julia is beginning to doubt her sanity. Who should she tell? Who can she trust?


    ~Pia Moonglow
    ~~~

     You can buy your copy of Don't Press Enter at:




    Wednesday 22 June 2011

    Winner-Tasting Thanatos



    Using the highly scientific method of drawing names from a hat, the winner of an e-copy of Tasting Thanatos is AJ Nuest!

    Email me at shona @ shonhusk . com (no spaces) with your preferred file format.

    Tuesday 21 June 2011

    Good News Day extra!

    Welcome to some more good news. 
    I couldn't wait until next week to share the news!


    Cover & release date

    Kylie Griffin
    Vengeance Born, book one of the Light Blade series has a cover AND a release date of 7th February 2012! This is Kylie's debut book and it just has the most absolutely stunning cover, and a fantastic premise. Check out it out on her blog.





    Other News

    Bec Skrabl
    Bec has signed up with Jessica Faust of BookEnds, LLC. Well done, Bec!


    Fantastic news, ladies.

    Until next week.....

    Good News Day!

    Welcome to this week's DarkSider good news....



    Releases


    Amanda Ashby
    You Had Me At Halo has now been released on Kindle





    Cathleen Ross
    Take Me, an erotic 7K short story, has been released on Smashwords.




    Sales

    Denise Rossetti
    Guilty as Sin, the fourth book in the Phoenix Rising series, has been sold to Ellora's Cave.

    Here's the blurb:
    Michael’s bad, bad, bad - all the way to the bone. A single heated encounter with the master thief and level-headed Liseriel the Gray has never been so furious - so intrigued - in her life.
    Neither has Michael. Danger’s always been his drug of choice.
    With his huge bronze wings and sweet serious smile, Daxariel the Burnished is everything the thief is not—a shining spirit and an honest soul.
    Lise and Dax are both so godsbedamned good, Michael can’t wait to debauch and defile, to make his Aetherii beg. It’s the only way he knows to win—and win he must, because there’s something about wings and tails and trust freely given that has him reeling.
    Exquisitely trapped between wicked temptation and steadfast love, everything Lise believed about duty is dust on the wind. How can she crave two men, different as night and day?
    When the three are thrown together to rescue a group of slum kids from Hssrda slavers, someone’s going to get caught. Who will it be?

    For an excerpt, please go to Denise's blog.



    Covers


    Mel Teshco
    Galactic Burn gets its cover. Talk about hot, hot, hot.






    Nicola E. Sheridan
    Check out the cover for Mimosa Black. She looks like she's going to have some fun, doesn't she?

    Sunday 19 June 2011

    Weekly Overview

    Coming up this week...






    Tues 21st June

    Good News Day



    Wed 23rd
    Winner announced for Shona Husk's Tasting Thanatos giveaway


    Thur 24th
    Magic Thursday -  Pia Moonglow with giveaway, Don't Press Enter


    Sat 26th
    Darklight On…C.T. Green


    What's Up...



      • Kylie had the following on her blog:
      Mon 13th June - Guest Author: Jane Beckenham
      Thurs 16th June - Who's That Girl? Interview with Cody Young (RWNZ)
      Sat 18th June - Who's That Girl with Linda Lovely (RWA)















      ~~~
      What a busy week for the Darksiders.
      See you next time.

      Saturday 18 June 2011

      Darklight On...Amanda Ashby Q&A

      *apologies in the delay in posting* ~ Eleni

      Today's Darklight On... is with Amanda Ashby. Welcome, Amanda!



      How did you come to write speculative fiction? What attracted you to the genre? And why YA?
      Do you know that speculative fiction is one of those titles that I always see and I don't even really know what it is so I definitely didn't set it out to write it! However, when I first started writing romance novels, for some reason ghosts, witches and aliens kept appearing in these parallel side stories and while I loved them, I got the feeling that all of this extra 'weird' stuff wasn't quite was Hm&B were looking for, so I kept cutting them out.

      Then when my dad died in 1995 I got the idea of writing a story about a dead girl who got kicked out of heaven and I realized that there was no way I could cut it out since this time it wasn't just a parallel story, it 'was' the story. And, since that was the one that sold, it encouraged me to embrace the weird stuff!!!! As for why I write YA it's because I've just never grown up. YA books have always been what I've read, I still read Dolly magazine and I still watch every teen TV show there is, not because it's research, but because that's what I love the best!!!


      Please tell us a little about your road to publication.
      Bumpy! It took about six years and twelve completed manuscripts (not to mention a gazillion partials) before I finally wrote You Had Me at Halo. Straight away the agent interest on that was a lot more intense than what I'd experienced before and once I signed with my agent (Jenny Bent) she sold it within three weeks of submission. It took a long time to realize that my dream had come true!!!


      Your latest release is Fairy Bad Day. Congratulations. Can you tell us about how it came about? BTW – Love the cover. You definitely have been blessed by the fairies.
      The title definitely came first on that book. I thought it was very cute so I wrote a chapter and sent it to my agent. She agreed the title was adorable but the story was 'meh' so we then brainstormed via email and she finally suggested that perhaps it could be about a fairy slayer who was the laughing stock of her school! Then I suddenly remembered one of the many weird parallel stories that I had previous written and deleted actually involved a bunch of evil killer fairies and so I sort of stuck the two ideas together, tortured myself for the next six months and it finally existed! And thank you, I love my cover as well. I have been very lucky!!!!


      Are you a plotter? Pantser? Or somewhere in-between?
      I'm a panster who longs to be a plotter. I try so hard to plot but then I get lost in the story and suddenly go and change EVERYTHING. I'm a total nightmare to critique for because I have so many different versions of the one idea all in my head!!!!



      Do have a favourite of your characters?
      I really loved Candice from Zombie Queen of Newbury High. She was a hypochondriac and made me laugh every time she came onto the page. I also have another character called Malik who is a dead djinn and he is so ridiculous and over the top that I quite literally had to muzzle him in the end (he's still pissed about it). However, he won't be seen until next year when the book comes out!!!!



      What are you currently working on?
      I'm working on a new YA proposal for my agent (I should be working on a middle grade book, but this one is calling me BIG time). I've also got four books that are in various stages of edits with my publisher so I think I'll be busy with them over the next six months!


      What is your favourite part of the process of writing?
      Ideas. I love coming up with concepts and fleshing them out into proposals. I've sold my series and my latest YA this way and it's loads of fun. Of course not so much fun when I suddenly have to write them (see above comments on plotting vs pantsing!!!)


      You are also a librarian. How much does that help in your writing?
      It's been wonderful! I was published before I started working in the library but being able to see firsthand what kids are reading (and why) has been enlightening, since what we're told is 'hot' and what I see is 'hot' are sometimes two different things. I mean I never would've believed that Enid Blyton was still so popular but she is. Plus, being such an avid reader myself I find it constantly thrilling to see kids love books the way I do and I spend most of my time helping them and their parents to find new authors for them to read (sometimes I feel like a book cupid). So, while a lot of it might not help my writing career as such, it's hugely rewarding.


      What can we expect from Amanda Ashby in the future?
      Next year my middle grade series, Sophie's Mixed-Up Magic begins and hopefully all three books will be published quite quickly. I also have a new YA called Demonosity, which is a lot darker than anything I've done before (which doesn't really say much since Zombie and Fairy are very light, summer reads). Also, the new proposal I'm working on is a lot darker again and explores a lot more science and ethics than what I've done before!


      Who are your favourite authors?
      So many! Raymond E Feist, Ursula Le Guin, Anne McCaffrey, Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen, Jill Mansell, Suzanne Collins, George Orwell and a zillion more.


      What are you currently reading?
      Hex Hall 2 Rachel Hawkins and To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell


      Do you have a favourite spec fiction movie or tv series?
      Buffy, Angel, Firefly


      Do you have advice for emerging writers?
      Don't waste six years cutting out the weird stuff just so that you can try and fit into a market! It's good to be aware f the markets but at the same time you've got to find your own voice and use it to tell your own stories!!!!



      ~~~
      Fairy Bad Day is out now!
      Book 1 of the Sophie's Mixed Up Magic, Wishful Thinking
      will be released Summer 2012
      You can visit Amanda at her website.


      Friday 17 June 2011

      What We Are Reading

      Welcome to June's What We Are Reading column. Today, we have Jenny Schwartz, C.T Green, Bec Skrabl, Gemma Kettley and Eleni Konstantine.

      Jenny Schwartz

      I'm reading Phoenix Rising. A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris Amazon

      It's steampunk and riotous action, full of fun and pop culture references appropriate to the late Victorian age. I adore secret societies and impossible science, not to mention kick ass heroines and a very interesting hero. Great reading.





      C.T. Green
      ~ Skulduggery Pleasant ~ Derek Landy

      I’m not normally a fan of Young Adult fiction, but I recently picked up Skulduggery Pleasant. My son was attempting to read it (he’s only ten and it was a bit beyond him).

      Feeling I should make a vague attempt at parenting, I read a chapter to see whether it really was beyond him or he whether he had been lured away by Zac Power (which is definitely his age group).

      Of course I started at the beginning of the book and hours later found I was still reading. Skulduggery Pleasant is a detective. He’s also a skeleton. He and Stephanie, the heroine, embark on a wild adventure involving magic and ahem, skulduggery. Landy weaves a good tale with plenty of action and all sorts of fascinating world building without it becoming complicated or confusing or oversimplified.

      Pleasant reminds me at times of V from V for Vendetta (one of my favourite movies) and Landy has a dry irony that, while not laugh out loud funny, is definitely worth a grin.

      The other characters are rather fascinating and have equally wonderful names – like China Sorrows and Ghastly Bespoke, (Skulduggery’s nemesis and friend in that order).

      The blurb on the book compares it to Harry Potter – having never read that series, I can’t say. What I can state is that for both mid-teens and adults, this is a thoroughly entertaining read, as good overcomes evil and Stephanie finds her true name. (Which is a damn good one!).

      The only problem I face now is convincing my son he needs the next book in the series. : P

      Bec Skrabl
      ~ MAGIC SLAYS ~ Ilona Andrews

      I’ve just finished Magic Slays, book five of the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. Whilst the first four books dealt with Kate’s attraction to Curran, the Beast Lord of Atlanta, and the explosive courtship they shared, Slays deals with the aftermath of agreeing to be a couple. I loved how Andrews keeps the tension between the pair high, even though they’re together now. There’s also a plot involving a magical doomsday device that must be found and destroyed, but the real enjoyment for me is all the characters that I get to hang out with again; smart-ass Andrea, handsome but scarred Derek and Julie, Kate’s ward, who’s run away from school again.

      Magic Slays is great fun, with the familiar snark from Kate, but also a heart-wrenching discovery about her parents. And the cliff-hanger, oh boy, what a set up for a confrontation that’s been building from book one! Ilona Andrews is my all-time favourite author and she doesn’t disappoint in her latest.

      Gemma Kettley
      ~ Master of None ~ by Sonya Bateman

      Gavyn Donatti is the world unluckiest thief. Just ask all the partners he has lost over the years. When he misplaces and irreplaceable item he was hired to steal things with his employer go from bad to worse. That is when a djinn (otherwise known as a genie) by the name of Ian appears to save him. But what can go wrong when you have a djinn who seem to hate you at first sight but is bound to help you to fulfil your life purpose (not that anyone knows what that is). This novel has a great sense of humour - it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The story is well paced and the plot doesn’t try to cram too much into itself. The characters are well written – the good guys have you barracking for them and the bad booing. All in all a good start to what looks like developing into a nice series.

      ~ Bitten in two ~ by Jennifer Rardin

      This is the seventh book in the Jaz parks series. Go to Morocco and secure an ancient artifact, doesn’t sound that had to do. But when you partner (a vampire) wakes up and starts calling you by another woman’s name things go from bad to worse. This novel has a well paced story line. The characters have a nice development, with some nice interactions. My one complaint – a plot line from the previous book was alluded to but not expanded upon enough for me to know what happened and its relationship with the current happenings. Having said that – Bitten in two was well written enough that I could work my way round that short fall. Whilst I have only dipped in and out of this series, it is developing nicely and I am enjoying where the journey is currently going.

      Eleni Konstantine
      As usual, I have a mishmash of different books when I’m reading. The three I’ve just finished are:

      Sean Williams’ The Stone Mage and The Sea (Book One of The Change)
      http://www.seanwilliams.com/

      A fantasy story. When I started this originally, while I enjoyed it, I couldn't get into it. A few months later, and reborrowing it from the library, and I was immersed of the world of The Strand, where the Sky Wardens rule. Sal and his father are on the run, and avoid these Sky Wardens, but Sal has no idea why. Until they come to a town, where an old man resides, and he finds out more about himself than he bargained for.

      Same book, same person, different time = able to really get into it. Looking forward to Book Two of The Change: The Sky Warden & The Sun.

      Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich

      A between the numbers novella, where Diesel makes a reappearance. Grandma has found some lucky money, and as you do in Jersey, she heads for Atlantic City. So the gang - Stephanie, Lula, and Connie - go to find grandma. I laughed out loud in so many scenes. I needed a pick me up, and this was definitely the right book for it. I think I also liked it because there wasn't too much angst over the Morelli / Ranger triangle, which after 13 books is getting a little stale.





      M if for Magic by Neil Gaiman

      Gaiman is a real storyteller. In this collection of short stories aimed for children, he mixes genres and styles, but always there is a fascinating story there. Whether it be funny, more creepy, or just weird. I loved the NurseRhymeLand story in the detective noir style, the old lady who found the Holy Grail in her local Oxfam shop, and the story of the stray cat who has more power than it seems.






      Currently reading

      George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)
      http://www.georgerrmartin.com/

      I am slowly reading this, devouring each page, but relishing it at the same time. I read a few chapters, then leave it, and let the story live in the back of my mind. I love the complexity of the world and characters, and I’m just halfway through book one. I know there is so much more ahead of me and I’m approaching it with glee. I should get a little move on before TV show hits Australian screens. Sean Bean as Ned Star = brilliant casting.

      Cover is the original one available in Australia. 1996. Yes, it has been on my shelves for THAT long.


      Happy reading, all!


      ~~~
      Thank you for the reviews.

      There’s lots of great books to check out and add to the TBR pile.

      Thursday 16 June 2011

      Magic Thursday Giveaway-Tasting Thanatos

      When I started writing as an adult, and decided to try my hand at romance, the only romances I knew were historicals or time travels (which I loved). I didn’t get very far into my first historical because it was more fun to make stuff up than do scads of research, so it became a fantasy novel which now resides at the back of a cupboard.

      I did dip my toes back into writing a historical with Mutiny on the Scarborough in the Dead Red Heart anthology. It took me longer to do the research than write the story. Yet, for every paranormal or fantasy I write I do research. Sometimes it’s on a particular culture or time period that I’m using for inspiration, or a particular technology.

      What has research got to with Vampires?

      While a young Vampire might not have any extra baggage than you or I, a 300 year old Vampire has lived history. They have effected it or been effected by it. So to write about the character I need to know something of their past—not everything—but the bit that screwed them up is especially important. In Kissing Phoenix I read about World War One and available cancer treatments. For Tasting Thanatos I had to brush up my rusty French and dig into the French Revolution.

      Etienne, sometimes known as Thanatos, wants to feel again. Anything—pain, pleasure, hunger, thirst. He lost all sensation after being tortured during the French Revolution. His quest has led to a love of body piercing and delivers him into the hands of lovely but aloof fellow Vampire Maria.

      Maria avoids her kind, and represses the urge to drink the blood of her lovers. The first time she bit, she killed, and she’s terrified of making the same mistake again. Instead she finds satisfaction through piercing. Until Etienne lays down a challenge—make me feel.

      He wants her to take him in every way, to mark his soul. And to do that, Maria must embrace every part of her vampire nature.
      Excerpt (18+): http://www.jasminejade.com/productspecs/9781419934049.htm

      To win an e-copy of Tasting Thanatos (you have to be over 18) just tell me which period in history you would have liked to experience.

      Wednesday 15 June 2011

      Winners - Allegra Fairweather

      The winners of last week's Magic Thursday giveaway are: Emmeline Lock and Skye. Contact Janni at janninell@janninell.com to claim your choice of either Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator or South of Salem (PDF or epub format) Thanks to everyone for your comments.

      Tuesday 14 June 2011

      Good News Day!

      Welcome to this week's good news



      Sales

      Nicola E. Sheridan
      The novella, Mimosa Black, has been sold to Eternal Press. The release date is slated for 7th December 2011.

      Here's the blub:

      In a world where magical creatures are as rare as a spotty teen at a supermarket checkout, being one quarter Harpy shouldn’t be a problem.
      Unfortunately for Mimosa Black – this is not the case. Combining her failed marriage, inability to fly, and unrequited crush on her childhood friend, Bo Elliot – Mimosa’s existence is less than idyllic.
      Things however, are rarely as they seem. Bo has a secret and when Mimosa becomes involved with another man, his secret is revealed. Yet in their darkest moments, where bad magic lurks, love is never far away and Mimosa and Bo do have a chance at happiness, if they're selfless enough to find it...


      Reviews

      Amanda Ashby
      Fairy Bad Day received an excellent review from Amelia at Imagination in Focus.

      Here's a little teaser from it:
      "Okay, right away when I read this book back in April, I knew it was going to be something special. In fact, my first Goodreads status update said: "I'm already on page ten and already this book's fantasy world is way, WAY more creative and exciting than most other books I've read recently."
      Seriously. The storyworld here is very dynamic, very detailed, and beautifully simple."
      ...
      "This is one of the few books of 2011 that really, truly, has made me want MORE. And isn't the cover a win?!
      Seriously, I can't think of a book that's more deserving of your attention this summer!"

      What a snippet! Check out the full review at the link above.



      Releases

      Amanda Ashby
      Fairy Bad Day was released in the US on the 9th June!




      Podcast


      Eleni Konstantine
      Dragon's Quest is now on the Antipodean SF issue 156 Beta, and is read by Eleni.



      ~~~

      Congratulations, all.

      Please join us again next week for some more good news.





      Sunday 12 June 2011

      Weekly Overview

      Coming up this week...

      Tues 14th June

      Good News Day



      Wed 15th
      Winner announced for Janni Nell's Allegra Fairweather giveaway


      Thur 16th
      Magic Thursday -  Shona Husk with giveaway, Tasting Thanatos


      Fri 17th
      What We Are Reading post, now brought to you by Shona Husk


      Sat 18th
      Darklight On… Amanda Ashby


      What's Up...


      • Welcome to our latest DarkSiders to join the ranks, Dy Loveday and Cathleen Ross!





      • Jenny posted her review on Ilona Andrew's Magic Slays, and has flash posts of interesting things on her blog during the week. 


        • Kylie had the following on her blog
        Mon 6th June - Guest Author: Anne Whitfield (RWA contemporary romance, short stories, historical women's fiction author)

        Thurs 9th - Who's that Girl? interview with Nicola Sheridan (RWA Australia)

        Sat 11th - "To regret or not to regret - that is the question!" - if you would change something on your publishing journey to being a published author, what will it be?


        • H.C. has an update on her blog, and is in the process of redesigning her website.







        • Nicola was a guest at Kylie's blog this week. And yes, I did mention it above, but you know, for efficiency's sake and all that (wink).  She also placed links to issues of Metior (Nicola writes a column). 


        • Jess has an update on her writing.




        ~~~
        What a busy week for the Darksiders.
        See you next time.

        check out all our books on our dsdu-books shelf:
        DarkSide DownUnder's book lists (dsdu-books shelf)