Magic Thursday winner

Thanks to everyone who commented. I went over to Random.org (one of fave websites), and the winner is - Jason Fischer!

Hope to see the rest of you at a Conflux, sooner or later.

Nicole

Good News Day!

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

BOOK BLURB

Shona Husk
Here is the blurb for Dark Vow (which will be released by Carina Press on November 14).

Jaines Cord plans to kill the man who murdered her husband, even though killing a Bounty Hunter is said to be impossible. One bullet took away her livelihood, her home and her love. One bullet made by her. Fired from the gun she completed for the Arcane Bounty Hunter.

Obsidian wears the scars of disobeying the powerful Arcane Union. He barely escaped with his life and now lives quietly, in a town the lawmen forgot. When Jaines arrives asking too many questions, he's faced with a decision. Help her or run…again. Obsidian knows that if he flees he'll always be looking over his shoulder. His name is one of the first on the Bounty Hunter's death list.

Yet when Obsidian is offered an opportunity to stop the stone taking over his body in exchange for retrieving the gun, he asks Jaines for her help. Now Jaines must choose: a dead man's vengeance or a living man's hope?

RELEASES 

Shona Husk
Dark Vow is also slated to be released as an audio book.

COVERS

Jenny Schwartz
Here is the cover for Wanted: One Scoundrel, which will be part of the A Clockwork Christmas steampunk anthology, to be released by Carina Press.

Indeed, stunning covers.

Congratulations ladies!

More good news next week.

Weekly Overview

Coming up this week...

Tues 30 Aug
Good News Day 

Wed 31 

Winner announced for Nicole Murphy's Conflux Magic Thursday post.

Thur 1 Sep

Magic Thursday - Mel Teshco with giveaway Galactic Burn

Sat 3

Darklight On…Cassandra Shaw 

DarkSider Trekking...

• Christina with a LOLCat and a certificate for the Captive win.

• Eleni with Super Sunday, Claytons Wrap Up, Writing Buddy Wednesday - Keri Arthur, and Stunning Saturday.

• Kylie has  a tribute to two RWNZ authors who recently passed away, Who's that girl interview with Chris Weston, and Writing Terms part 3,.

• Rowena has guest Richard Harland, and a gushing fan-girl moment, meets Lara Morgan, and talks of an opportunity for unpublished writers.

• Imogene on Gah, chickens, guinea pigs and kids. 

• Jenny with Jamie's Italy, a writing update, Writer Wednesday, Romance Industry News, Suburban backyards, Birds of Australia. 

• Kitty says celebrating makes it real, and has a review on How to Make and sell Ebooks by Jason Matthews, and on How to Publish and ebook on a budget. She also talks how the publishing industry is growing, write faster and more, and winter beaches.

• Jess has the best quotes of Supernatural season 4, and talks of the journey, not the destination. 

• Keri is over the Deadline Dames with a teaser from Darkness Unbound. 

• Maree says goodbye to a dear friend, has Nic Harrison's Sword fighting workshop, and sword fighting videos. She is also hosting a giveaway over at the Fresh Fiction site.

• Mel is a book glut.

• Nicole has a novella dilemna. 

What's Up!

• S.E. now has a website, and has moved her blog there as well. Great job S.E! Check it out!

• Nicola is now on Twitter. Why don't you follow her...

Have a great week!

Darklight On...S E Gilchrist Q&A

Today's Darklight On... is with S.E. Gilchrist. Welcome, S.E.! 

How did you come to write speculative fiction? What attracted you to the genre? 

I love the idea of combining adventure/action with romance and danger. Plus, the lure of dreaming up my own worlds, rules, traditions and cultures is too strong to resist.

Are you a plotter? Pantser? Or somewhere in-between?

A bit of both I think. My stories start with an idea or a situation, then suddenly the heroine springs to mind. I work on her story (both back and future) and from that comes a lot more ideas. I do a pile of research about now and sometimes, I have to do more as the story progresses. Usually I start off with these scratchy outlines and by about the third or fifth chapter I have to sit down and do some serious plotting plus working on more in-depth character outlines. Sometimes, I’ve got to go back and change a few things in the first draft of what I’ve already written before I push on with the remainder of the story.

You recently came 3rd in the Emerald (ST category). Congratulations. What was your finalist entry about? 

Legend Beyond the Stars is a sci fi romance where a female soldier from Earth is kidnapped and sold to an alien race for research purposes. The hero has to make the hard choice of adhering to his orders or giving into his desire to keep her safe. Recently, I actually ended up changing the story slightly by placing the story in the future where Earth is now ruled by the United Earth Corporation and is a planet beset by global crisis both financial and climatic. My heroine, still a soldier, volunteers for duty with colonists in search of a new earth when they are hijacked and consequently comes into contact with the hero and his people (the rest remained the same). This gave me additional conflict for the heroine ie the need to return with info on an alternative earth like planet for her own people plus it gave me ideas for a future series.



Do have a favourite of your characters? 

I like the alien I invented, ‘Norman’ – he turned out to be an amusing and charming sidekick. Apart from him, I was quite taken with the hero, who pressed all my buttons, strong, driven, protective and in the end, prepared to sacrifice all for his love for the heroine.

What are you currently working on? 

Initially, I intended to write at least three books set in the Darkon world and I’ve done plotting outlines and character sketches for the other two. However, I’ve set them aside for the time being and am working on the first book in the Return to Earth series whereby some of the former colonists and some of the Darkon and their ally soldiers form a mission to offer a treaty to the United Earth Corporation. But, the space voyager is damaged in the final vortex and is knocked off its course. When they emerge into the Milky Way, it is to find an Earth 3,000 years in the future. So, it’s a futuristic, post apocalyptic dystopian story – is there such a thing?

What is your favourite part of the process of writing? 

I enjoy doing research which I can get quite carried away with, but most of all, I enjoy the actual writing process. I love sitting down knowing that I’ve got all the information I need at my fingertips, my characters’ back-stories done and I can just write the dam story. Then, passing the finish line is fantastic, until I remember – now I have to edit and re-write. Ugh.

What can we expect from S.E. Gilchrist in the future? 

My aim is to write all three books in both series and finish the series of erotic novellas I’ve commenced. These are set in Dark Ages Britain and contain fantasy elements. After that, there is an urban fantasy / paranormal about demons I’ve commenced plus a time travel set in Arthurian times with an alternative history bent.

Who are your favourite authors? 

Way too many to list, as I will read anything apart from horror. But, in no particular order, Elizabeth Peters, Agatha Christie, Tolkien, Anne Gracie, Annie West, Karen Marie Moning, JD Robb, Tess Gerritsen, Susan Grant, Linnea Sinclair, Georgette Heyer, Dorothy Cannell, Matthew Reilly, Frank Herbert, John Birmingham, Karen Hawkins, Johanna Lindsey, Betty Neels, Theresa Scott, Erica Hayes, Susan Napier, David A Rollins, Patrick Robinson, Marion Lennox are the first to spring to mind.

What are you currently reading? 

As I’m just back from the conference, I’ve about fifteen novels to read. They range from Deborah Challinor to Marion Lennox, ie just about all genres, so I’m going to be very busy.

Do you have a favourite spec fiction movie or TV series? 

Movies – The Lord of the Rings trilogy & the first 3 Star Wars movies. TV Series -- Dr Who and Firefly.

Do you have advice for emerging writers?

 I’m still very much a beginner writer but I really believe in the following : make time for your writing if you are serious, set realistic goals and do your best to achieve them, educate yourself (learn, learn and learn) and become involved either on line or in a f2f group which is fantastic for motivation and help, just when you need it. (Making a plug here for own f2f group – NewMait Writers – yay!)

~~~

Thanks for joining us, S.E.

You can visit S.E. at her new website.

Magic Thursday - Come to Conflux - this year or next :)

Still buzzing from RWA in Melbourne or Claytons? Want more time with writers, talking all things fabulously writerly?

Then come to Conflux!

It might be too late to fit it in your schedule for this year - the Conflux science fiction* convention is taking place Sep 30 to Oct 3 in Canberra, so not much time to get a budget together (although read to the bottom for a helping hand...). But for those of us on the Darkside, going to science fiction conventions as well as romance writing conventions is something to seriously consider.

Here's why:

a) it introduces you to a potential whole new

reading audience. Now, admittedly urban fantasy and paranormal romance aren't as accepted in the sci fi industry as they are in the romance one, but that is slowly changing and it's remarkable when you start talking how many science fiction and fantasy fans read romance as well.

b) networking with a new bunch of writers. While the readers may still be divided on the place of UF and PR in the world, the writers most assuredly are not - you're a writer, they don't particularly care what you write (although be prepared for a bit of 'oh, really, you write romance, I've always wanted to write romance...' from some BIG names). The sci fi crowd have the same point of view I've found in the romance crowd - that is that we're not in competition, but that by encouraging new writers we ALL win. The experience of writers in other genres than yours is different and definitely something we can all learn from. And who doesn't like to talk writing with ANYONE who will listen?

c) geeky fun. Let's face it folks - we're darksiders. We've got more geek in us than the average person. And there's certain conversations that we like to have eg enthusiastic arguments over which Dr Who is the best and whether Joss Whedon is the greatest storyteller OF ALL TIME that don't tend to happen much in the romance pond. But at a sci fi convention - ah, you can geek away. Want to discuss the airspeed and flight generics of a zeppelin? Can do. Desperately need to argue the merits of the various vampire mytholgies? You're sure to find someone just as desperate. And discover new things as well. Anime and manga. Daikaiju eiga (aka Japanese giant monster movies). Those classic sci fi movies that you never knew you needed to see - until now.

d) Social opportunities. The sci fi crowd are pretty big on partying. Whether in the bar, at

organised events or in people's hotel rooms, the chatter and drinking and arguing and laughing will go on until the wee hours...

When planning your events in 2012, here's a few things to consider:

a) RWA Nationals in America are in Anaheim, just a couple of weeks after Comic-Con (the biggest geek fest in the world) in San Diego. It's very doable to attend both.

b) There's three Australian sci fi cons you can look at. Over Easter is Swancon in Perth. The June long weekend is Continuum in Melbourne (which is also this year's National Science Fiction convention, the biggest of the year). The October long weekend is a small Conflux convention in Canberra.

c) There's also Supernova. More a large dealers room with some panels attached than a convention the way we'd recognise, but certainly something to consider. Moves around Australia at various times of the year.

Hopefully I'll see some of you darksiders at a science fiction convention in the not too distant future.

* Note that for these conventions, science fiction is a general term and the cons also cover fantasy and horror.

*** You can win a membership to attend Conflux this year - state below whether you want to win and you'll be entered in the draw to be drawn next Wednesday ***

All photos taken at Conflux conventions by Cat Sparks. Pic one - Conflux 2011 guests Lewis Morley and Marilyn Pride. Pic two - Donna Maree Hanson, HarperCollins editor Stephanie Smith and yours truly. Pic three - Emily Rodda and Marc McBride, guests two years ago. Pic four - Donna Maree Hanson, Cat Sparks, Alisa Krasnostein

Erica's Magic Thursday winner!

A big wave to everyone who dropped by my Magic Thursday post last week. The winner (randomly selected) of the book giveaway is...

elaing8!!

Congrats! I'll drop you an email to collect your details. Thanks to all who visited, and hope to see you again on the dark side!

xx Erica

Good News Day!

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

REVIEWS

Maree Anderson
Christina Phillips reviews Scent of a Man. - Nice....

Jess Anastasi
Severance has a fantastic review (4.5 lips) over at Two Lips Reviews.  Here is part of the review:

"The unique Sci-Fi perspective Jess Anastasi lends to the age-old demons vs. angels conflict in Sanctuary and Severance is fresh and unique. She brings it out of the Divine Realm into the post-apocalyptic reality of the humans who survive End Time on a destroyed Earth. Although Severance doesn't quite rise to the overall excellence of Sanctuary, moments in this sequel echo the same emotional impact that made Sanctuary such a powerful read. Ms. Anastasi has that rare ability to draw a reader to the heart of a character's emotions and insecurities that so many authors wish they possessed. Her main characters are real, likeable, and easy to care about, and her sex scenes – better described as love scenes – are near poetry, they're so beautifully and eloquently written."

COVERS

Christina Phillips
In Romance Writers of Australia's 20 Years of Romance Covers, Captive tied for first in the Historical section.

RELEASE DATE & BLURB

Keri Arthur

Darkness Devours, the third of the Dark Angels series, is slated for release June 5th 2012! Here is the cover blurb (or copy as its known):

Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones can enter the realm between life and death, and she can see the Reapers who collect the souls of the dead. Now, she is using her gifts—and the investigative know-how of a man who broke her heart—to find a cabal searching for the power to control time, reality, and fate. And this is besides her work for the Vampire Council, half of whom want her dead.

But for now the Council needs her alive. Someone is killing blood-whore addicted vampires, and Risa must find the guilty party. If she succeeds, she may finally convince the council to lift the execution order on her life. But before she succeeds, she must first survive…

Jess Anastasi
Savior has a release date of 3rd October 2011! This is the Sanctuary tie-in novella that will be part of the Noble blog tour in November.

COMPETITIONS

Romance Writers of New Zealand Clendon Award
Do you know who I'm going to mention? Are you trying to decide between Bec and Michelle? Well again, you don't have to.

Bec Skrabl came 1st in this award, and Michelle de Rooy came 3rd (which was also the reader's choice for the second year in a row!) AND 5th!

These ladies are just underachievers *wink*

Fabulous news everyone!

Join us next week for more good news....

Weekly Overview

Coming up this week...

Tues 23 Aug
Good News Day

Wed 24    

Magic Thursday giveaway winner announced of Erica Hayes' Blood Cursed

Thur 25

Magic Thursday - Nicole Murphy talks about Conflux

Sat 27

Darklight On… S.E. Gilchrist

DarkSider Trekking...

• Emmeline with some inspiration, 

• Kylie had the following on her blog:

Mon 15 -  Life on the Flip side

Thurs 18 -  Who's That Girl Interview with Charlie Kramer

Sat 20 - Writing Terms (part 2)

• CT with Hot Men & Giant Caterpillars  

• Christina with a Comic relief sketch on Doctor Who, LOL Cats Friday,  

• Jenny with Secession - Western Australia, visiting the Oracle, The Guardian Weekly, a writing update, writer wednesday, romance industry news, the overland telegraph, and gold.

• Jess with the posts on the Romance Writers of Australia Conference - Day 1, Day 2, conference wrap up,  

• Kitty with some random thoughts,  City2Surf 2011, authors and bookstores, broken routines, a review of Smart Self Publishing by Zoe Winters, and talks about going faster by going slower.

• Nicole with the August Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival - Part One,  Part Two, and WorldCon 2012. As well as what is going on?

• Rowena with guest author Trent Jamieson, and Rhonda Roberts. She warns aspiring writers to watch out over on ROR. She also asks what you are doing on Saturday 27th August?

• Nicola with guest author Penny Ehrenkranz,  

• Eleni with Writer Buddy Wednesday - Barbara Hannay,  and Stunning Saturday.

• Denise guests over at Divas DownUnder. 

• Annie with a weekend of fine romance, and now time to get to work.

• Mel talks the Claytons Experience over on the LoveCats, and has a brief update. 

• Shona on the RWAustralia Conference over on Musings By Wink.

• S.E. is looking ahead.

• Maree with this week in review.

• Shona and Janni were in a photo with editor Angela James and was featured on the Carina Press blog.

What's Up!

• Linda Jones and S.E. Gilchrist now have bios on our DarkSider bios page. Check them out!

• Looking for something to read? Check out our latest releases page. 

Have a great week!

Darklight On...Linda Jones Q&A

Today's Darklight On... is with Linda Jones. Welcome, Linda! 

How did you come to write speculative fiction?
Always written romance, suspense and science fiction plots since first years of high school. Daphne Du Maurier, Victoria Holt, John Wyndham and Alfred Hitchcock all inspired me. It’s only over the last two years I’ve been plotting darker paranormal stories and recently completed a story for Nocturne Bites. However since the guidelines have changed I have to find another home for it, as the novella won’t work under the new guidelines.

What attracted you to the genre?
I’m attracted to the genre because I’m so inspired by the many wonderful romantic suspense and paranormal stories around at the moment.

Are you a plotter? Pantster? Or somewhere in-between?
I’m a pantster but love to hear how other writers plot. Plotting techniques would help me with the sagging middle but I haven’t been able to apply any suitable method so far.

Do have a favorite of your characters?
My favorite character at the moment is my heroine Catherine a witch who is trying hard not to fall in love with the changeling hero.

What are you currently working on?
A futuristic novel set in Melbourne in 2020 when the Internet as we know it doesn’t exist.

What is your favourite part of the process of writing?
Love the first draft when the story is fresh and new and unfolding like a movie on paper.

What can we expect from Linda Jones in the future?
Hopefully I’ll soon find a home for my novella, the witch and the changeling.

Who are your favorite authors?
Too many to mention as I read across genres from dark paranormal to science fiction and historical.

What are you currently reading?
The Time Traveler’s Wife

Do you have a favorite spec fiction movie or TV series?
Twilight and still enjoy Buffy when it’s on.

Do you have advice for emerging writers?
Never give up because one day it will be your turn to be published.

~~~

Thank you, Linda.

What We Are Reading

Welcome to the August What We Are Reading column. Today, we have Nicole Murphy, C.T. Green, Nicky Strickland and Imogene Nix.

Nicole Murphy
~ Graveminder ~ Melissa Marr

Marr has left behind her YA sensibilities with this book, but brought along the things that make her a great author – fabulous worldbuilding, intriguing ideas and a style that’s accessible and entertaining.

Graveminder is the story of Rebekkah and Byron, who find themselves the custodians of a deal made between the forefathers of the town of Claysville and the devil. The deal seems to be breaking down and it’s up to Rebekkah and Byron to return things to the usual status quo.

Rebekkah’s attitude toward Byron and the relationship between them is at times very annoying, but the richness of the world and the tension of the storyline make up for it.

I don’t know if there’s more intended in this series, but I can see why there’s already movie talk surrounding this book.

~ Night Betrayed ~ Joss Ware

This is a post-apocalyptic, and I loved the detail and depth of Ware’s descriptions of the world that now existed. It’s also a zombie book, and the story behind the zombies and what is going on is very interesting.

But at heart, this is a romance between Theo and Selena, who are both almost super-heroes in terms of the magical powers they have.

What I LOOVED about this book is that Selena is an older woman – fifty – with a teenage son and yet she’s allowed to have some fabulously hot sex. Without giving things away, the character of Theo could have been intensely interesting but he wasn’t – he didn’t strike me as the old computer genius he was supposed to be. But he was a terrifically nice guy, and yeah I was soon cheering Selena on to take him.

It’s part of a series, but easily read as a stand-alone.

~ Hunger Untamed (Feral Warriors Book Five) ~ Pamela Palmer

I got to the end of this book and immediately thought to myself – where have the Feral Warriors been all my life?

Hunger Untamed is the story of Kougar and Ariana – husband and wife but separated for hundreds of years. Kougar thought Ariana was dead, but when he discovers that she simply abandoned him, his life becomes one of bitterness and betrayal. Except some of his Feral Warrior brothers are in danger, and Ariana is the only one who can save them.

I loved the passionate intensity between the two of them, and how their past was both a hindrance and an enticement. I didn’t buy that Ariana was a warrior queen – I never saw her in action and others fought for her. This story didn’t seem to deal too directly with what I imagine has been the ongoing storyline (this is the only book I’ve read in the series) and that made it actually reasonably easy to pick up and read, although there were times I skipped over conversations or ignored information being given to me because it didn’t make sense.

But on the strength of this book – I’ll definitely be going back to get the others.

~ Hearts Aflame ~ Johanna Lindsey

I just have to say this – Avon have recently released a lot of the Johanna Lindsey backtitles electronically (not all unfortunately – my favourite Warrior’s Woman still isn’t available).

To celebrate they’ve got a special on this book, so I got it, read it and loved it. Kirsten Haadrad is a Viking and when she sneaks aboard her brother’s boat to go travelling and hopefully find a man she can love, she thinks it’s a trading trip.

It’s not and Kirsten is captured by Royce of Wyndhurst, a friend of King Alfred. However, when it turns out that Royce is the man she’s been looking for, Kirsten decides to see if she can’t turn things around.

Ah, Johanna Lindsey – you rock.

C.T. Green
~ The Vampire Voss ~ Colleen Gleason

While scouring the aisles, okay – there’s only one, at my local Target for paranormal books not aimed at someone barely out of puberty, I pounced* on this book. Not least because the title lead me to believe it was about vampires, but also because the clothing indicated it might have a bit of a historical element.
Oddly enough, I was right.

This is the first book in a series of three (so far) about a group of vampires, the Draculia, who exist in Regency England.

We start with Viscount Dewhurst’s (Voss to his friend’s and the erstwhile heroine) story about his battle with the blood and subsequent redemption.

It’s not quite what the blurb would lead you to believe, but a good read nonetheless. The characters are interesting and Gleason does some fascinating twists on the usual vampire stuff, while sticking with tradition (you’re picking up the Dracula element I’m guessing).

Reading it is rather like slipping on a new pair of slippers – almost exactly like your old ones, just a different tartan pattern**.

I’d recommend it for those looking for an interesting if unchallenging read. JR Ward offers a quote on the front (which is partly why I bought the book), but I noted another of Gleason’s books has exactly the same quote – so don’t get too excited. Ward wasn’t far off the mark, if you can get past the obvious set ups for the following stories.

I wish I could be more enthusiastic about this book but it just missed hitting the right buttons for me. I’m hoping a re-read will help and I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next two in the series.

* Not exactly, but I did snatch it up in a rather aggressive fashion.
**This is a metaphor – I have never worn tartan slippers.

Nicky Strickland
Since the last time I posted here, I’ve been reading sporadically. Below is a snapshot…

~ Kindred in Death ~ J.D. Robb
I’ve been continuing my J.D. Robb glom and am currently reading Kindred in Death. I can’t believe I’ve only about half a dozen left until I have to wait like everyone else for the next one. I’ve enjoyed the development of Eve and Roarke’s relationship as well as the development of the secondary characters (Peabody, Mavis and Morris being some of my more favourites). The deaths have been varied and I enjoy that Robb doesn’t always do the same pov – some books we get inside the killer’s head, sometimes we have no idea who the killer is.

~ Jennifer Rardin ~
As well I’ve been reading the Jaz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin. Nearly finished this series too and it’s sad to know I won’t be seeing more of Rardin’s work. I’ve really enjoyed the scrapes Jaz has found herself in. It’s light (or should I say I find it light) vampire, covert ops fun.

~ Hit List ~ Laurell K. Hamilton

Recently finished Laurell K. Hamilton’s Hit List. It was good to see the Anita Blake series returning to its roots of catching a killer – though it felt a little like a rollercoaster – where you take a while to get up to the top and then come speeding down so fast you wonder where the ride was. I’ve persisted with this series in part to see how Hamilton can develop or use Anita given the number of books in a series that hinges on one lead character (the men all move around Anita).

Also in the Anita Blake world, I’ve read The Laughing Corpse graphic novel adaptation. I read the novel years ago and was curious to see how it transferred across. The world and the stories moved well into the different format and it was a quick, easy read (important when working on own stories).

Next on my graphic novel adaptations will be Pride and Prejudice and Zombies…..

Imogene Nix

~ Blood Hunt ~ Shannon K Butcher

Book 5 in the Sentinels series, is about Hope and Logan. Logan is a Sanguinar (think vampire with a twist) who uses blood to create vaccines to heal the Sentinels. Hope is a woman with magic in her blood. Something about Hope calls to Logan in a way he cannot and will not investigate. But with a demon hunting Hope, Logan must stay to ensure she is safe, even if it means giving everything, his heart and his life to protect her. But Hope won’t be satisfied with that. She wants him too. This was a left fielder – honestly! I had read the previous Sentinels books and enjoyed them but the twist in this book came from a Sanguinar finding his HEA – up until now they have been supporting characters and treated with a fair amount of distaste, but Logan is fighter an inner battle – does he settle for his HEA or work for the betterment of race? The build-up was great and I particularly liked the sensual tension that Butcher raised between our hero and heroine....but note to future heroes...fighting makes it worse in the end (but also better!)
~~~
Happy Reading
Shona