Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
It’s been a busy week at VBC HQ, so we’ll jump right into the news after reminding you to enter our giveaways for a signed copy of Lothaire and a copy of Cinder.
First taste of Iced
Karen Marie Moning has officially started teasing her Fever series spinoff Iced. The short teaser posted this week is good. I have been fretting over this novel, because the protagonist is Dani O’Malley — the irritating young sidhe seer from the Fever series. I didn’t like Dani narrating portions of the latter Fever novels, but this excerpt is, well, enticing. Be warned, it does have a spoiler for Shadowfever.
George R.R. Martin and Bernard Cornwell talk fantasy
Look, we’re not going to be sitting down with George R.R. Martin anytime soon, but we can glimpse into his world by reading this great discussion between him and another creative kingpin Bernard Cornwell. The two talk fantasy and historical fiction, and it’s excellent.
Jess Haines finally gets a badass cover
I was thrilled to see the cover art for Jess Haines’ next H&W Investigations novel, Stalking the Others. None of the prior artwork properly conveyed the urban fantasy goodness inside, or Shiarra’s overt awesomeness. That has changed.
The Wood Queen teasers
Need a taste of Karen Mahoney’s The Wood Queen? She’s posted three teasers — one from Xan, one from Navin and one from Donna — on her blog. Also there are pictures for the characters. Xan looks like he needs a hug.
Novel playlists
Ever wonder what authors listen to while writing your favorite books? Want to find those songs referenced in the pages? Many authors post their playlists to iTunes so readers can enjoy the atmosphere. This week Jaye Wells posted the playlist for Silver-Tongued Devil (Sabina Kane #4) and J.A. Saare added the playlist for the not-yet-released The Ripple Effect (Rhiannon’s Law #3).
New Nicole Peeler novella
Orbit just released a digital-only short set in the Jane Trueniverse. Nicole Peeler’s Something Wikkid This Way Comes
YA authors on the road
Andrea Cremer, Beth Revis, Marie Lu and Jessica Sportswood will be touring the U.S. in February on the Breathless Reads tour. This means Q&A and signing fun with great authors. You can see the tentative dates and locations on Andrea’s blog.
The Demon Lover excerpt
Paranormal romance fans may want check out this excerpt from Juliet Dark’s The Demon Lover. Several blogger friends have told me this book is fantastic. Get an early taste and let me know if you’re going to read it.
