Spring is almost here but we’re already looking forward to summer and autumn 2013! That’s because we’ve got some amazing books coming up for the rest of this year with freshly designed covers to share with you. This isn’t our whole list of published titles for the year – just the covers we think you might not have seen before.
Click on the individual cover images below to see the larger version and let us know your favourites!
As Halloween approaches, so does the need for many of us to stock up on candy and other assorted treats in order to successfully bribe the neighborhood children into not TP-ing our houses or soaping our cars.
Paradise City is no different. Okay, maybe it’s a little different considering many of the inhabitants are creatures most likely to become Halloween costumes. Doesn’t mean they’re not in the Halloween spirit, though! Should you go trick-or-treating in Paradise City, here’s what my characters will be filling your goody bag with:
1. Malkolm, vampire – Let’s be honest. You can knock all you want. Mal’s not opening the door. If he does? Run.
2. Chrysabelle, comarré – If you can actually make it onto the private island where she lives, then past her estate’s security gates, you deserve a treat. Chrysabelle’s treats are the uber expensive Amedei Porcelana dark chocolate bars. She’ll then send someone along with you to make sure you don’t run into trouble the rest of the night.
3. Doc, varcolai (leopard-shifter) – Since juicy steaks are liable to ruin your other treats, Doc’s handing out packages of locally made gator jerky. Try it. You’ll like it. It bites back.
4. Fi, sometimes ghost – With Fi’s sense of humor, she’ll be stuffing your goody bag full of gummy spiders, severed finger cookies and skeleton bone lollipops. If you think that’s gross, you should see her ghost form. Mal’s the one who killed her, you know…
5. Dominic, vampire – Ever the entrepreneur, Dominic will be handing out coins good for one free entrance to Seven, his night club. Note I said entrance. Getting out of Seven is up to you.
6. Creek, Kubai Mata agent – Halloween isn’t really Creek’s thing, but his grandmother, Rosa Mae Jumper, has stepped in to help, providing him with enough raven feather charms for everyone. Put yours on immediately. You never know who might be trying to steal your soul.
7. Tatiana, evil vampiress – If you happen to be in the hidden city of Corvinestri, Romania and you’re unfortunate enough to knock on Tatiana’s door, that will probably be your last stop of the night. See, Tatiana isn’t known for her hospitality, but she loves humans. Mostly as a snack. On the off chance she does put something in your bag…trust me, the apple’s poison.
As you can see, the House of Comarré characters are an interesting bunch with different takes on the meaning of treat. If you want to see them in action, check out the next book in the series, OUT FOR BLOOD (UK | US | AUS), which is available now!
After the first three explosive books in the House of Comarré series were released three months in a row, waiting a whole ten months for the next installment was pure TORTURE. But the time has finally come! Orbit is very excited to be releasing OUT FOR BLOOD (UK | US | AUS) this fall, book four in the House of Comarré series by Kristen Painter.
After nearly dying at the hands of the Aurelian, Chrysabelle finds new determination to move beyond life as a comarré. That is until the Kubai Mata bring a new task to her doorstep: rescue the child Tatiana has kidnapped, or Mal becomes enemy number one.
Magic, trouble, loss, and love (and of course the verydelectable Mal) await you in this fabulous next installment from Kristen Painter. Enjoy and then join me in the count down (eight months until book five, eight months until book five, eight months until book five!)
Praise for the House of Comarré:
“Prophecy, curses, and devilish machination combine for a spellbinding debut of dark romance and pulse-pounding adventure.” — Library Journal (Starred Review)
“Painter scores with this one. Passion and murder, vampires and courtesans — original and un-put-downable. Do yourself a favor and read this one.” — Patricia Briggs, New York Times bestselling author
“Kristen Painter brings a sultry new voice to the vampire genre, one that beckons with quiet passion and intrigue.” — L.A. Banks, New York Times bestselling author of The Vampire Huntress Legends series
Check out the rest of the series!
We’re back with Part II of the Urban Fantasy Interview session with authors Amanda Carlson and Kristen Painter.
To recap, last week, Amanda debunked any rumors of sparkling werewolves, and told us about her new novel FULL BLOODED (UK| US | AUS). You can read the full interview here. Now it’s Kristen’s turn to dish about her writing life. Look for Kristen’s fourth House of Comarré novel, OUT FOR BLOOD (UK| US | AUS) this October.
Amanda Carlson: I want to know about your “before I was a writer” life. I’ve read your bio and it sounds like you’ve done some fun things. Pick two (and I hope I laugh).
Kristen Painter: I’ve never been a stand up comedian, so I can’t promise laughs. I’ve held all sorts of jobs, from working in a candy store (the summer of my expansion) to walking a runway in a NYC fashion show. My favorite job has to be writer, though. It’s also the toughest I’ve ever had.
Amanda Carlson: Your House of Comarré series is awesome. I love the mythos behind it all. How did it come to you? Was it a dream? Were you eating pizza? Or, perhaps, playing bingo?
Kristen Painter: There was no bingo involved, I swear. Mostly my overactive imagination and the inability to legally kill people in real life. Wait, did I just type that out loud?
Amanda Carlson: You have quite a shoe obsession. I’ve seen them with my own eyes. Who’s your favorite designer? Describe your favorite pair of kickass shoes (for the ladies who love UF in the house).
Kristen Painter: My favorite shoe designer right now is probably Christian Louboutin. The craziness/sparkliness/wear-me-if-you-dare kind of attitude those shoes put off is like crack to me. Unfortunately, the prices of those shoes means I don’t actually own any of the truly stellar examples. I recently picked up some Vince Camutos leopard print and gold studs that are kind of amazing.
Amanda Carlson: You started Romance Divas, correct? How did that come about?
Kristen Painter: Jax Cassidy (fellow author) and I needed a place to hang out online and talk about writing and life after we (sort of) got kicked out of the writing forum where we met. What can I say? We bonded and it upset people. Romance Divas was our mutual dream that became a reality a lot of writers now enjoy.
Amanda Carlson: You tower over me, yet you’re cute like a snuggle bear. (For the audience, Kristen has the heart of an angel, when continually fed and nurtured.) Give us a deep, dark secret of Chrysabelle & Mal’s. Something juicy.
Kristen Painter: A snuggle bear? You really want to be killed off in a book, don’t you? Let me see, a deep dark secret of Chrysabelle and Mal’s…I guess you’ll just have to read OUT FOR BLOOD this October and see for yourself.
Amanda Carlson: Okay, some quick bullet questions to end. They give us a sense of who you are, like a picture. Ready?
Pepsi or Coke: Pepsi. Preferably Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi. Yep, that’s how I roll.
Hellboy or The English Patient: Hellboy, movie or graphic novel
Tolkien or Rowling: Old school. Tolkien
Tom Hardy or Johnny Depp? (Tom’s mine, but you can pretend) I’m going to go left of center and say Benedict Cumberbatch.
Elvis or The Beatles: Young Elvis.
Jimmy Choo’s or Manolo Blahnik’s: Jimmy Choo’s, but if you see above you’ll know I swing toward Christian Louboutin.
Disco or Salsa? When it comes to dancing, I’m down for anything! I love to dance. It’s a great workout that doesn’t feel like a workout.
Amanda Carlson: Thanks for playing along, Kristen! I had a blast and you are awesome.
Fall is right around the corner, and with it comes crisp weather, pumpkins, goblins, and ghouls. It’s the best time to be a supernatural, and also a great season to be an Urban Fantasy reader.
This fall we’ve got two great urban fantasy novels to look out for by a pair of fantastic authors. Amanda Carlson’s FULL BLOODED (UK | US | AUS) officially releases tomorrow. It’s a new urban fantasy debut featuring a tough as nails female lead, and did I mention she’s a werewolf too?
Then in October, the fourth House of Comarré novel, OUT FOR BLOOD (UK| US | AUS) by Kristen Painter will be published. Find out more about this dark and seductive series from the House of Comarré website.
But enough about the future (exciting as it may be). Today we thought we’d bring both authors here and let the fur and fangs fly . Come back next week for the second half of this series where Amanda will be interviewing Kristen about her life and books.
Kristen: Amanda, I hear you have a book coming out. Can you tell us more about Full Blooded and what interested you in writing about werewolves that sparkle?
Amanda: Well, sparkling werewolves hadn’t been done yet, so I thought I’d jump in and give it a try and…no…wait. There are no sparkling werewolves in my book. Wrong series, KP. My book is about the only female werewolf ever born. The book starts out with the worst wake-up call ever and takes off from there, like a fun romp through the woods. It’s full of action, adventure and the right amount of snark. Just the way you like it.
Kristen: So there’s no sparkling? Not even a tiny bit, like they wear fancy jeweled collars?
Amanda: Nope, no sparkling, except if you count the “pow” moments where Jessica gives someone a shot to the face. The bad guys may see a sparkle or two in their mind’s eye, but that’s about it. She doesn’t even wear a ring. Bling is not her thing. But it does have sparkling prose.
Kristen: Werewolves that don’t sparkle. Okay, got it. Besides writing, what do you do in Minnesota? Doesn’t it snow there like every day? Are there a lot of werewolves in Minnesota?
Amanda: It snows quite a bit in Minnesota and I have a huge hockey rink in my backyard every winter to prove it. Thankfully it doesn’t snow every day. Just every other. There are actually a lot of wolves in Minnesota, including the Timberwolves—Go, Wolves! (There’s some good basketball if you’re a fan.) I’ve yet to see an actual werewolf here, since they’re make believe, but I always have my fingers crossed when I’m hiking in the backwoods.
Sunday, August 5
T.C. McCarthy and Michael J. Sullivan at Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC, 2 PM
August 8 – 12
Nicole Peeler, Kristen Painter, Jaye Wells, and Amanda Carlson at Authors After Dark, New Orleans, LA
August 17
The Orbit team will be attending Blackwells’ High Fantasy Night, and, because he’s in London on a rare visit from Australia, Ian Irvine will be signing books at the event!
August 24 – 27
Simon Morden at the Greenbelt Festival, Gloucestershire, UK
August 31 – September 2
A number of Orbit authors will be attending either Chicon and DragonCon over Labor Day weekend!
Blood. Passion. Service…
FORBIDDEN BLOOD by Kristen Painter is available now from the Orbit Short Fiction program!
The comarré were created for only one reason – to give blood – and whatever else their vampire patron requires. But one comarré will risk all – including her life – to win her freedom.
Meet Maris – in the prequel to Kristen Painter’s gothic vampire series, which began with BLOOD RIGHTS (US | UK | AUS).
Going to the RT Booklovers Convention? If so, you’ll run into some Orbit authors: Nicole Peeler, Kristen Painter, and Jaye Wells will be there, as well as new Orbit authors Amanda Carlson (whose Full Blooded [US | UK ] will be out in September) and Kate Locke (whose God Save the Queen [US | UK | ANZ] hits stores in August)! It runs April 11-15th in Rosemont, IL.
Speaking of conventions, you’ll find Nicole Peeler at Malice Domestic, and Jaye Wells at the North Texas Writers Conference. Both run April 27-29th.
Also, Gail Carriger will be touring across Europe this month! Her UK tour runs from April 8-14th, and then she’ll hit Stockholm, Budapest, and Barcelona. More details available at Gail’s website.
Sunday 8th April: EasterCon, Heathrow ~ panels: Meet the new king (same as the old king) ~ 11am, Room 12 | You got your robot elf sex in my SF ~ 3pm, Commonwealth | Multicultural steampunk ~ 9pm, Room 38
Monday 9th April: Foyles, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, 6.30pm ~ In association with Pornokitsch, a steampunk soirée with special guests at Foyles bookshop in Central London.
Friday 13th April: Steampunk Night at Waterstones, Nottingham ~ To commence at 6.30pm with Pimm’s & cake for a 7pm start. Special guest Jema Hewitt (author of Steampunk Emporium) and friends will be frequenting the event in full costume.
And finally, in the UK, EasterCon is this weekend, 6th to 9th April, at Heathrow, with Guest of Honour Tricia Sullivan; and Alt.Fiction is the following weekend, 14th and 15th April, in Leicester, with special guest Ken MacLeod.
On either side of the pond, there are plenty of places to run into Orbit authors in March.
Thursday, March 1
Gail Carriger at Mysterious Galaxy, San Diego, CA, 7 PM
March 2-4
Kristen Painter at Fantasy on the Bayou, New Orleans, LA
Mira Grant at Consonance, San Francisco, CA
Friday, March 2
Gail Carriger at Murder by the Book, Houston, TX, 6:30 PM
Saturday, March 3
Gail Carriger at Book People, Austin, TX, 7 PM
Thursday, March 8
Jon Courtenay Grimwood at A Gothic Evening at Blackwell’s, Blackwell’s Charing Cross, London
Saturday, March 10
A. Lee Martinez at B&N at North East Mall, Hurst, TX, 2 PM
Wednesday, March 14
Amanda Downum at Dragon’s Lair Comics, Austin, TX, 6 PM
Saturday, March 17
Robert Jackson Bennett at Murder by the Book, Houston, TX, 1 PM
Wednesday, March 21
Ken MacLeod at Pulp Fiction Books, Edinburgh
Thursday, March 22
Amanda Downum at Pandemonium Books, Cambridge, MA, 7 PM
March 23-25
Mira Grant at AggieCon, Austin, TX
March 30
Gail Z. Martin at Books-a-Million Carolina Mall, Concord, NC
March 30-April 1
Mira Grant at Emerald City Comic Con, Seattle, WA
This gorgeous art by Nekro was just screaming to be made into wallpapers, so here you are, for all your screens and devices: wallpapers for Blood Rights by Kristen Painter, out now!
Here’s all the wallpaper download links…if anyone needs a specific dimension made, let us know!
1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050 |1920 x 1200 | iPhone | iPad
