Book News: Michelle Moran's New Book

I was very excited to receive the following video in my inbox from Michelle Moran this week. As you know I LOVED Nefertiti: A Novel when I read it earlier this year (read review here) and have The Heretic Queen: A Novel in my short TBR pile.

The link is a commerical for her new book Cleopatra's Daughter: A Novel. Let me just say if all books were advertised like this, people might go back to reading for entertainment.

Take a peek and let me know what you think. I know what I think...I'll be in line on September 19, 2009 to buy this book!

Sneak Peek..Cleopatra's Daughter

Giveaway: Darling Jim

We have 5 copies of Darling Jim: A Novel to giveaway!! Please leave a comment here by midnight EST time May 3rd, 2009 to be automatically entered. See my review of it here.

For an even better chance to win, post about this contest on your own blog (linking back to this post) and your name will be entered twice! The winner will be announced on May 4th, 2009.

Good Luck!

Special Thanks to Jason at Henry Holt for providing us with the 5 copies!!

Julie's Review: Darling Jim

Summary: Like the itinerant Irish storyteller at the crux of this riveting novel, Danish-born author Moerk mixes mythology, Arthurian legend, fairy tales, noir and horror in his American debut. When reclusive Moira Hegarty and her two nieces, Fiona and Róisín Walsh, are found dead in Moira's secluded home in a Dublin suburb, evidence suggests the sisters were imprisoned for months by their aunt, along with a third person, perhaps Róisín's twin sister. The young women left behind two diaries, one of which a postal clerk finds. Three years before, they fell under the spell of Jim Quick, a séanachai (or bard), whose tales of wolves and kings gave him rock star status in the sleepy town of Castletownbere. Only the Walsh sisters appear to have seen beyond the charm of darling Jim, whose presence coincides with several women's murders. Moerk tightly meshes each separate plot strand—the murders, the diaries and Quick's tales—into an enthralling story that never falters. ~amazon.com

I don't normally read horror or goth books but Jason at Henry Holt was lovely enough to pass Darling Jim onto me and I'm glad he did. The book might be labeled as the aforementioned but it's really about family, love and survival. This book was riveting from the first page and it definitely didn't slow down. Mr. Moerk weaves quite an excellent story from beginning to end. He even wraps it up with a somewhat neat bow, but leaves you wondering just enough.

Since it's a mystery/thriller I can't tell you too much without ruining the story. You can't help but be entranced by the Walsh sisters even if we only get to know them from their own point of view via their diaries. I did feel that they were honest enough to tell you their faults along with the good. We are first introduced to Fiona and we get her perspective on how Jim walked into their lives and messed it up for good. That's the thing about bad boys... they look harmless enough but they really do a number on you. Jim is quite the charmer and manages to infiltrate himself into the Walsh family, by first getting to Fiona. It's quite sick how a man can tear a family apart. Even if Aunt Moira is off kilter even to begin with.

Niall picks up the 2nd part of the story and his adventure into the story is just as interesting as the story itself. He is our bridge from the past to the present. He follows Fiona's story and ends up with more than he bargains for in doing so. He's a perfect catalyst for finding out the story within the story because he's a storyteller himself, albeit via graphic novels.

The climax of the story is wonderful and satisfying. I will say that I did figure out one of the twists but it wasn't the major twist so it didn't take away from the story.

Mr. Moerk is quite the séanachai himself. His ability to weave many different complex stories and to tie them up together was amazing. Most authors will leave you hanging on the little details but not in Darling Jim.

I will definitely be reading more of his work as they are released in the US.

For more on Christian and for an additional glimpse into one of the characters from Darling Jim click here.


Final Take: 4.75/5

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to Six for winning a copy of The Lost Hours!

Thank you all for participating in our giveaway! Surely there'll be more books to giveaway, so please keep your eyes peeled to this blog. Keep your eyes peeled for a giveaway of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane in early June!

Six, please email Lisa your mailing address.

Jenn's Review: The Agency

Summary: Meet Tess Drake. She’s earned everything she has. Now it’s time to get what she deserves…Sexy super-agent Tess Drake has worked hard to make a name for herself in the glamorous yet cut-throat entertainment industry. Tess works at an international agency, where she skillfully manages some of the world's biggest egos—her company, Bardwell International operates in the thrilling, fast-paced worlds of Rights, wrongs and revenge. Tess has been an agent there for longer than she cares to remember and now she's in trouble. Real trouble. After the mysterious death of the agency's senior partner, Lowell Bardwright, Tess's sworn enemy, Cosima Tate, has taken over and would do anything to send Tess's career down in flames. And Cosima is only one of the rogue’s gallery of agents in London and New York who want Tess to take a fall. Tess has another little complication, too. She’s sleeping with men on both sides of the Atlantic who are in bed with the women who are trying to sink her.

Can Tess jump ship without losing her clients and breaking her heart? Or will she lose everything before finding out if she really has what it takes to do what she’s always wanted? There’s risk and reward in this wickedly funny novel that turns the world of agenting inside out and lays bare all the ambition, sex, adrenaline, bad luck, and good luck at the center of one young woman’s success. ~StMartinspress.com

Review: I've been starting most of my reviews with disclaimers lately, and this one is no different. I don't read a lot of Chick-Lit but this one captured my attention. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into this story because I just couldn't stand Tess. I know she's not written to be likeable, but I disliked her to the point of having to set the book down several times and walk away. I don't have a high tolerance for lying and even less for infidelity, so I kinda felt like Tess was the recipient of 'American Karma' (American because, like everything else in our culture, it comes around faster ~ you don't have to wait for it to catch up with you next lifetime, it'll bite you this time around), although in this case, I guess it's British Karma.

As the plot became more complicated I was drawn in more, or at least to the point where I was no longer routing for Tess's demise. There were also some nice twists and turns to the plot. Although I was a little flummoxed by what I perceived as a lack of resolution to the mysterious death of Tess's boss. It was just a little too open ended for me. I realize that it's not the main plot line but I'm a crime girl, I need resolution!

All in all, it was a very consistent read from start to finish, especially considering that Ally O'Brien is the pen name for the writing team of author Brian Freeman and London-based entertainment agent Ali Gunn. I didn't, however, find it "wickedly funny" as St Martin's suggests ...maybe just wicked.


Julie's Review

Final take: 3/5

Author Interview: Robin Maderich

Yesterday I posted a review of Faith and Honor by Robin Maderich. Ms. Maderich was lovely enough to answer some questions about the book and her writing for me.

Julie: Is the American Revolution something that has always interested you? What about the time period do you find fascinating?

RM: The American Revolution has, indeed, always interested me. I can’t remember a time when it didn’t, although I think my fascination came about in the second or third grade. The reason for my fascination isn’t so easy to explain. I mentioned this in an interview elsewhere, but I’ll stick my neck out and say again that the affinity I feel for that time period is such that I sometimes think I lived it. I don’t know if such a thing is possible. Certain cultures and religions say it is. My heart says it is, but my head is occasionally skeptical. At any rate, the sense of pride, of awe, of heartache and hope, whenever I immerse myself in research or reading or even thoughts of that time in our history is very real to me.

Julie: What is it about Faith that you found intriguing? Was she based on any particular woman during that time period or just an accumulation of women you researched?

RM: As Faith and Honor was my first romance, I wasn’t certain how to go about writing one, or even what was expected of the lead characters. I’d never really read much in the way of romance at that point in time. She was based on the best and the worst in me, I discovered upon much later review of her character, and on what I determined I might have done at such a time and for such a cause, as well as being a conglomeration of women in history. I was especially intrigued by Lucy Gage---wife of the British General Gage---who, despite her husband, openly sympathized with the rebel cause.

Julie: I’m not a believer in "Love at first sight" but I definitely believe in Lust at First Sight, so do you think Faith said that she was in love with Fletcher because she was lonely and casual sex wasn’t "allowed? I also wonder if part of the attraction came because he was the enemy. What are your thoughts?

RM: I like the way you phrased this question, as if Faith was a character standing on her own, somehow beyond my control. And in ways, that’s true. However, if I could ask her these questions and get a response, she’d say she was lonely, but she also did fall in love, albeit very quickly. She knew a good man when she found him, despite the color of the uniform he wore. It just took her a bit of time to come to terms with that. During the time period in which Faith and Honor is set, casual sex wasn’t all that frowned upon. A woman of loose morals engaged in sex with many men, but a woman having sex with a man she cared about before marriage was commonplace. Many babies were born less than nine months after a couple married. The fact that natural urges were understood resulted in the act of “bundling”, in essence, allowing a couple to get to know each other by ritually sewing the male into cloth to keep the two would-be lovers apart during the course of any night they might spend together. I don’t think it occurred to me during the writing of the novel that Faith might be attracted to Fletcher because he was the enemy. But I can see your point. There’s always the ‘bad boy’ or ‘forbidden love’ fascination.

Julie: Did you decide to write Faith and Honor under your given name because they were so different in content than your Celia Ashley books?

RM: At the time Faith and Honor was released, I was writing under my own name. However, at the suggestion of my agent (for a reason I can’t recall right now, considering I was writing another historical afterward) I chose a different pen name, which I used for my next release, Once and Always, published by Kensington’s Zebra Historical imprint in 2000. The sale was made without an agent, but by that time I already had submitted using the pen name Alyssa Deane and stuck with it. I switched to Celia Ashley for my contemporary paranormal romances (and the futuristic romance, Emerald Twilight, as well) due to the vast difference between the historicals and contemporaries in content and style. Funny thing is, Emerald Twilight was first conceived shortly after I received the contract from Warner for Faith and Honor. I held onto the idea and the first five or six chapters for a good, long time before deciding it was time to complete the book.

Julie: I saw that the original copyright date on Faith and Honor was 1989, what made you decide to do another publicity run 20 years later?

RM: There are several reasons for that. Honestly, the story is near and dear to my heart, and as I have other works available I thought I could get my name back out there by reprinting, as I’d like to publish in the future in general women’s fiction under the name Robin Maderich. If you’ve visited my website, you’ll note that whether you go to www.robinmaderich.com or www.celiaashley.com or www.alyssadeane.com you end up in the same place. I figured this cross-reference would be a good way to get readers to know what they could expect from me under any of these names. Additionally, I had more of the story I wanted to tell and after such a long time, it wasn’t likely a publisher would be looking for a second and third book. The rights had reverted to me and I felt it was worth a shot.

Julie: Faith and Honor is book I, Promises in Honor is book II, is there still a planned third book in the series? If so, what is the title and when can readers expect it?

RM: The third book is still planned, and I am in the process of writing it in between other projects. The title is To Love The Name Of Honor, and should be available around Christmas this year (late, yes, as it was promised sooner). It will be available through my website, as I have closed the doors of Blue Shutter Books.

Julie: Blue Shutter Books is your publishing company; do you find that you need to publish your own books if you wanted others to read them? Do you try to find other authors to publish?

RM: I answered this question already, but I’ll also add that I certainly didn’t feel a need to publish my own books to get someone to read them. Besides the aforementioned desire to get my name out there again and to continue the story, you might say I chose to publish Promises of Honor to give those readers who really wanted to know what happened to the characters an opportunity to find out. I will add that at the time I opened Blue Shutter Books it was my plan to continue in the publishing business, looking for and publishing new authors, but health issues and financial issues squashed that idea.

Julie: How long have you been writing for? What is your writing style; do you write an outline or do you just write as the story comes to you?

RM: I have been published since 1989, although I have been writing since the second grade with the hopes of one day being published. Outlines are a problem for me. Sometimes they are a requirement of certain publishers, and I find myself going through all sorts of gyrations trying to get one done. In school I used to cheat and write the story in its entirety first, then go back and do the outline based on the completed story I’d written. Unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury if I’m preparing a proposal, so I just pull my hair out instead and wing it. Normally, though, I have an idea in my head where the story is going, including a basic beginning, a concept of the middle and a definite end, and write as it comes to me.

Julie: How do you come up with an idea for a novel?

RM: For historical novels, the idea sprouts from the research. For contemporary novels, although research is also involved, the story idea comes first. I usually find ideas in random occurrences throughout the normal course of a day, maybe after hearing a couple of sentences spoken by strangers in the street, seeing something unusual, hearing a news story, getting into a conversation that leads me to an ‘aha’ moment. The paranormal aspect of some of my most recent works is based in part on personal experience (with a great deal of expansion, of course).

Julie: What authors and genres do you enjoy reading?

RM: I love Luanne Rice, Anne Rivers Siddons, Diana Gabaldon, Mary Stewart, Daphne DuMaurier, most recently Stephenie Meyer. I read a novel by someone previously unknown to me named Christine Blevins. The book (perhaps her first novel) is called Midwife of the Blue Ridge. Thoroughly enjoyed it, even if it was a bit graphic in terms of the horrors of the times. She has another coming out this month, I think. The late Kathleen Woodiwiss is a romance author whose work I always enjoyed. There are many others. I like historical romance, urban fantasy-type stories, fantasy of the type written by Ursula K. LeGuin and CJ Cherryh (forgive me if I’ve misspelled her name), as well as time-travel (Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series most notably), Arthurian romance, historical fiction and works of fact. Let’s see, what else? Oh. Recently I finished a book by Bill Bryson called A Walk in the Woods and highly recommend it. He writes about travel and this was about his often hilarious, often moving, adventures in hiking the Appalachian Trail. I think it came out about ten years ago, but I just found it. I am now getting ready to read Beyond Heaving Bosoms by Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan. I met Sarah at her book signing in Doylestown, and she’s a hoot!

Well, thank you very much for interviewing me. I hope I’ve answered all your questions to your satisfaction and look forward to hearing from you again!

I'd like to thank Robin for taking the time out of her schedule to answer my questions! You can find any of her books at Robin Maderich.