13 New Covers

[GUEST BLOG] Merrie Destefano on Scary Monsters

Last year I read Merrie Destefano’s Afterlife, and rather enjoyed it. Just two days ago, her second novel, Feast was released. Mez joins us now with a guest blog. Book information is at the end.

SCARY MONSTERS

Sometimes books can give you nightmares. Filled with scary stories and spooky creatures, some books can lead to sleepless nights where you stare at the ceiling and just wish the monsters would go away. And if you think it’s scary when you read a book like that, imagine what it’s like when you’re writing one.

Trust me. It’s not pretty.

I was in the midst of writing just such a book – one where the monsters were scarier than anything I’d ever written about before, mainly because these monsters were real – and I was on edge. I’d write until about 11PM, then go to bed. Have you ever noticed how many scary noises your house makes in the middle of the night? Or how suspicious those bushes outside your window look when the wind blows? And then there’s the clock, taunting you with red glowing numbers, proving that you will never, ever be able to go to sleep again.

Right about then – after a string of sleep-deprived nights – I began to wonder what I was doing. Was I really cut out to be a writer? Why did I always write stuff that scared the crap out of me? Anyway, on one evening like this, when the rest of the known universe was cuddled up in soft blankets and dreaming about buttercups and rainbows, I decided to use my powers for good, not evil. I decided to imagine my way out of this predicament.

So, I came up with a creature, like me, who never slept. The more I thought about the creature, the more I enchanted I became. And the less I worried about the monsters lurking in my closet.

Within a day or so, I came up with a race of sweet-natured creatures – from another world, naturally – who came to earth to harvest human dreams. I even allowed myself to write a short ten-page story about them. At the time, I call them Imaginary. But before long, they evolved into Darklings. I didn’t get to write about them immediately. First, I quit working on that heebie-jeebie monster book (still haven’t had the courage to work on that one, despite the fact that several editors have read the synopsis and wanted it!) Then, I wrote another book, Afterlife: The Resurrection Chronicles.

At that point, while I was trying to find an agent and get Afterlife sold to a publisher, I started writing the book that would become Feast: Harvest of Dreams. I must confess, Feast wasn’t an easy book to write. I sometimes say that I think the Darklings didn’t want me to tell their story. They had hidden successfully for thousands of years, disguising themselves as other legendary creatures, mythical beasts like vampires, werewolves, fairies, doppelgangers, shape shifters and Muses.

In the beginning, they teased me with inspiration. They then taunted me with writer’s block the rest of the way. As a result, I ended up throwing away the first half of the book – a whole 150 pages. I switched from first person POV to third and then back again. I changed the plot; I moved the locale from Pasadena to Ticonderoga Falls; I gave the main character (Maddie) car trouble and got her stranded in the mountains, then I changed her trip to Ticonderoga Fall into a purposeful retreat.

Throughout it all, the main Darkling character, Ash, remained enigmatic, charismatic and enchanting. He dared me to tell his story. He was nothing like Chaz, the main character in Afterlife, who gladly told me all of his deep, dark secrets, as if they were a burden and he was glad to be rid of them. In contrast, Ash was a fleeting shadow, disappearing and then reappearing, always hiding his true character and motives, as if the last thing he wanted was for me to reveal him or his people to the rest of the world.

Almost like he was real. Just like those creepy monsters in my first book.

Fortunately for me, I was finally able to finish writing Feast. It took longer than I anticipated and required making more changes than I expected. But despite all this, I’m really happy with the way the book turned out. I thoroughly enjoyed creating the Darklings and their world and their magic.

I’m looking forward to writing more stories about them – in fact, I have a prequel e-book novella coming out soon called Cursed that tells some of Ash’s back-story. In time, I hope to write a sequel as well. Those Darklings have a lot more secrets that they haven’t told me yet. And I plan to pry it out of them, word by word, if I have to.

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Support Canadian Authors on Canada Day

July 1st is approaching, and you know what that means: Canada Day! No matter where you live, celebrate the occasion by supporting Canadian authors. Here are some books by Canadian authors on my wishlist:

R. J. Anderson: Ultraviolet Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Joëlle Anthony: Restoring Harmony Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Kelley Armstrong: Spell Bound Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Kelley Armstrong: Hidden Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Kelley Armstrong: The Calling Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Jes Battis: A Flash of Hex Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Jes Battis: Inhuman Resources Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Jes Battis: Infernal Affairs Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Sean Cummings: Unseen World Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Kathleen Peacock: Deadly Hemlock Buy (UK) Buy (Worldwide)
Michelle Rowen: Nightshade Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Michelle Rowen: Bloodlust Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

July 2011 Releases

Done with June 2011 Releases? Here are July 2011 Releases. To check future dates, see Reading Wishlist.

[REVIEW] Darkness Becomes Her – Kelly Keaton

Kelly Keaton
Darkness Becomes Her (Gods & Monsters, Book 1)
Simon & Schuster (US & CA: 22nd February 2011; AU: 31st May 2011; UK: 9th June 2011)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Circa 2012, a massive storm turned New Orleans into a “natural” disaster zone, and the US government ordered an evacuation. Nine wealthy families banded together to form the Novem, and bought the land. People live in New 2 at their own risk, and the area is said to host supernatural beings.

Ari Selkirk is a foster teen in 2027, with naturally teal eyes and waist-length white hair that cannot be changed. (In other words, she’s a “special snowflake”.) The women in her family are cursed to give birth and commit suicide all before aged twenty-one, and Ari is close to eighteen. She’s in New 2 to investigate the origins of the curse and how to remove it. She joins a band of misfit kids, gets involved with the Novem, and battles a Greek god.

With mental illness, genuinely spooky kids, and Mardi Gras, Darkness Becomes Her should easily find a place on any reader’s wish-list. The particular kinds of creatures in the prison cells are genuinely surprising. Less so are the vampires, shape-shifters, and witches elsewhere in the novel. Young girl Violet is rather uniquely creepy, while Athena is the designated big baddie with no shades of grey. And Ari is more powerful than anyone expects, adding to the “special snowflake” vibe. New 2 seems somewhat cliché or stereotypical, so doesn’t feel fresh or exciting.

I rather like this novel, yet I feel disappointed. And I’m not even PMSing.

[REVIEW] Helper12 – Jack Blaine

Jack Blaine
Helper12
(US & UK: 1st June 2011) [eBook only]
Buy (US) Buy (UK)

Eighteen-year-old Helper12 works as a Baby Helper, taking care of babies until they reach six months of age, and move elsewhere. After witnessing an illegal adoption, the new parents purchase Helper12 to work as a Nanny, even though she’s not qualified.

The wealthy Sloanes aren’t as interested in their new child as they should be. The couple ships off on vacation, leaving Helper12 with the baby, a domestic Helper, and Driver. Thomas Sloane, the couple’s biological son, also stays at the mansion.

This is a YA dystopian, so you know what happens: Helper12 and Thomas fall in love and rebel against Society by planning an escape. More intriguing, however, is the mystery of a boy named Gregory, but otherwise it’s nothing new. That doesn’t make it less enjoyable, but rather less shocking. I linked the clues long before Helper12 did, and I wasn’t even trying. Still, fans of Ally Condie and Julia Karr should give Helper12 a whirl if looking for more of the same.

[REVIEW] Close Encounters – Katherine Allred

Katherine Allred
Close Encounters (Alien Affairs, Book 1)
HarperCollins Eos (CA: 16th March 2009; US: 31st March 2009; AU: 1st June 2010 [eBook only])
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

Aliens? They may not be on “Old Earth”, but the Buri are more like another tribe than another species. They speak a different language and are more spiritual, but they’re still human in my opinion. The flora and fauna on Orpheus Two are different, though.

The summary sounds a lot like Avatar (which in turn sounds a lot like other stuff): a big corporation wants to plunder a planet, mining all its resources and colonising it, but the natives stand in their way. Enter an agent who earns the trust of the natives, mate-bonds with their leader, becomes their closest thing to the Goddess, and together with the community defeats the corporation.

For the first half, I alternated between reading this (I own it) and a library book (which I loved). But once I switched full-time to Close Encounters, I enjoyed it more than the earlier part. I’m easily distracted by shiny, colourful things, so the geodes attracted me. They get a bit weird, though, the more we learn about them. Really weird. I don’t like paranormal in my science fiction, damn it!

But keep an eye out for the massiveness the mountain is hiding – oddly appealing weird shiz, more SF than para.

The human/alien characters don’t work for me, but I like AI Max and love Crigo the rock cat. The romance and spirituality elements don’t work for me at all, and the too-familiar storyline seems cliché. There is good stuff here, but it’s buried amongst some faff – you’ll have to mine deep for it, but stick around.

[REVIEW] Wither – Lauren DeStefano

Lauren DeStefano
Wither (Chemical Garden, Book 1)
Simon & Schuster (US & CA: 22nd March 2011); HarperCollins Voyager (AU: 2nd May 2011; UK: 4th August 2011)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

A virus kills females at age twenty and males at age twenty-five. Grabbed from their homes and off the streets, teenage girls are gathered into vans. Some are sold to wealthy gentlemen, others into prostitution.

The rest are shot dead.

Still, sixteen-year-old orphan Rhine Ellery doesn’t feel lucky when she’s brought to a mansion where preparations are being made for her wedding. But she’s not alone.

Linden Ashby’s first wife, Rose, is on her deathbed, serving as a symbol for what’s ahead for the new wives. Rhine befriends her, but only much later learns the truth of a devastating event in Rose’s life.

It would’ve been easy to cast Linden as the villain, but instead he’s more of an innocent – despite that he consensually impregnates his youngest wife. Linden’s a broken-hearted pawn trying to find reasons to live, and with help he rediscovers his passion for architecture.

Eighteen-year-old Jenna has resigned herself to life in the mansion, in this marriage. At first she may not seem to leave much of an impression, but that soon changes. The strong bond she forms with her sister wives reinforces my theory that fiction’s most fascinating relationships are not those between lovers.

Thirteen-year-old Cecily is genuinely excited when it comes to her marriage, though she’s not keen sharing Linden with her sister wives. Though she’s always one for drama, she’s forced to grow up when she becomes pregnant, and it’s so sad when Cecily tries, and fails, to bond with her child. That she’s only a child herself makes it even harder to read.

Rhine only meant to earn the trust of her husband to aide an escape. She didn’t plan on loving him or forming a tight bond with her sister wives. She also didn’t expect the massive betrayal.

This future-Gothic novel has it all: polygamy, a wedding, deaths, a birth, a natural disaster, family secrets, betrayal, friendship, diabolical science, a spooky basement, and beautiful illusions. Interpersonal conflicts ensure the tension stays taut and the drama high. Horrors are inferred rather than described, and being Book 1 in a trilogy there’s a lot left unexplained – particularly the science. Though it seems it won’t be set at the mansion, hopefully Fever will be as hazardous and devastating in its own right. Clear your calendar for Lauren DeStefano’s first book – no need for TV when Wither‘s drama is this riveting!

[TEZ VLOGS] Wither – Lauren DeStefano

3 New Covers (Arthur, Kittredge & Mead)