Book Bits: Richelle Mead, Allison Pang, JR Ward, more and Contest Roundup

I’m working on a fun post about vampire cowboys. (You read that right. Trust me here.) If you’ve actually read a good book with vampire cowboys, shoot me an email. I want your suggestions.

First four chapters of Bloodlines
The team over at EW’s Shelf Life have exclusively posted the first four chapters of Bloodlines. If you’re unaware, Bloodlines is the first in Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy spinoff series featuring Syndey, Adrian and Jill from the VA world. It also comes out next Tuesday, Aug. 23. I suggest ordering a copy now.

Sneak peek at ‘Brush of Darkness 3‘
Allison Pang is hard at work on the third Abby Sinclair novel. (Remember how much I loved A Brush of Darkness?) And, because she is good at sharing, she’s posted an in-progress excerpt from at what’s we’re currently calling ‘Brush of Darkness 3.’

News from the WARDen
J.R. Ward did a book signing recently in upstate New York. The Obscured Vixen was lucky enough to attend and share all the spoiler-y goodness attendees were able to squeeze out of the Warden. Key points include:

• Lover Reborn — Tohr’s book — will take place over a year time span, because it’s going to take him longer to fall in love.
• There will be threesomes in both Envy (from the Fallen Angels series) and Lover Reborn.
• Lassiter is getting his own book in the BDB series.
• Ward is working on a Rhage/Mary novella.

Kissing solves everything
Kiersten White, author of Paranormalcy and the just-released Supernaturally, wrote a fun, tongue-in-cheek post about key plot points and devices in YA fiction. My favorite is “The World Is Ending and I Will Probably Die, BUT WE MUST MAKE OUT,” because I actually think it makes sense for making out when the world is ending. Provided you’re not actually in the middle of the war zone at the moment, savoring the smooches while you can is a good idea to me.

James Marsters narrates Vampire Empire series
It’s true. Known best as Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, James Marsters has signed on to do the audio book narration for Clay and Susan Griffith’s Vampire Empire trilogy. For those who have ever listened to The Dresden Files books on audio, that’s Marsters’ work, too.

Cover alerts: Anya Bast, Adrian Phoenix
Anya Bast just revealed the cover for her fourth Dark Magick novel Midnight Enchantment (in stores on Feb. 7, 2012.)

A QUEST FOR FREEDOM MAY BE DERAILED BY THEIR INTENSE ATTRACTION…

Niall Quinn, mage and the finest thief in the Black Tower, is the fae’s best hope for freedom. Only he stands a chance of tracking down and retrieving the missing bosca fadbh pieces from the Summer Queen. But he meets his match in Elizabeth Cely Saintjohn, who has taken control of the pieces on the Summer Queen’s behalf—and has refused to give them up.

Elizabeth is an asrai, a rare English water fae, and she may be the only one in Piefferburg stealthier than Niall. She has her own reasons for guarding the two pieces and wanting the walls of Piefferburg to remain intact—even if it means denying her fae sisters and brothers their freedom. Her mother’s life depends on it.

Torn between his duty to obtain the pieces at any cost—and the shocking lust Elizabeth has stirred in him—Niall must convince Elizabeth to surrender the pieces, or else he may have no choice but to destroy her and all she holds dear…

I may be in love with the cover for Adrian Phoenix’s fifth Maker’s Song book On Midnight Wings, which hits shelves Mar. 27, 2012.

A DESPERATE SEARCH. A DARK AND DANGEROUS JOURNEY. AND EVERY STEP COULD DESTROY EVERYONE DANTE LOVES.

ONLY ONE MORTAL WOMAN CAN SAVE HIM . . .

As Dante Baptiste’s true identity as both True Blood and Fallen ripples throughout New Orleans, he and Heather struggle for their lives against different foes, fighting their way back to each other. To free herself from her father’s treachery, Heather accepts help from an ally–and steps into even greater danger. Dante, lost to his brutal past, wavers between his own sense of self and the Bad Seed-programmed S that lurks within, between the never-ending Road and the Great Destroyer. And the danger of becoming both.

. . . UNLESS THE FALLEN REACH HIM FIRST.

Lucien searches frantically for the lovers, all too aware that time is running out. Dark forces continue to gather, eager to possess and manipulate the young vampire for their own ends. The fate of mortals, nightkind, and the Fallen pivots around Dante as he struggles to piece together his shattered psyche and gain control of his power before he rips all three worlds asunder.

Excerpts from Neal Stephenson’s Reamde
Harper Voyager just put the word out that they’ll be posting excerpts of Neal Stephenson’s Reamde on Facebook. The novel doesn’t release until Sept. 20, but they’ll keep adding excerpts as the number of fans who like his Facebook page grows, up to the first two chapters.

Workin’ for The Man, er, Monster
i09 put together a great list of the top 10 monsters you’d like to work for, and I can’t really argue with wanting to work for Mayor Wilkins from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He won’t even make you watch when he eats a box of giant spiders.

CONTEST ROUNDUP

• VBC is giving away the sexy and surreal deliciousness that is Eve Silver’s Body of Sin. Open to U.S. and Canadian addresses. Enter by Aug. 22.

• My Bookish Ways is giving away one copy of Alex Bledsoe’s The Girls With Games of Blood. Open to U.S. and Canada. Ends Aug. 19.

• Meljean Brook is giving away two ARCs of the Angels of Darkness anthology and a copy of Demon Marked. Enter before Aug. 19. Open internationally.

• Smexy Books is cleaning house and has four sets of books to giveaway. Enter by Aug. 19.

• Parajunkee is giving away a copy of Dark Souls by Paula Morris. Open to U.S. only. Winners selected Aug. 20.

• Black Nailed Reviews has The Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices prize packs to giveaway. Contest is open to U.S. addresses only. Ends Aug. 19

• Dark Faerie Tales is giving away five copies of Fury by Elizabeth Miles. U.S. only. Ends Sept. 7.

• The Qwillery is giving away one copy of The Edinburgh Dead by Brian Ruckley. Open internationally. Ends Aug. 24.

Have some book-related news (unless it is an established series, release dates aren’t considered news) or a contest you’d like to see included in Book Bits? Email VBC the details.