Posts Tagged ‘urban fantasy’

Video: THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY by Mur Lafferty

You meet a lot of interesting characters in New York City as Zoe will tell you. Watch the trailer below for Mur Lafferty’s upcoming novel THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY (US | UK | AUS) .

Ready for more? Head on over to Mur’s website to listen to the first and second chapters of THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY in an ongoing audio serialization of the novel. Don’t feel like waiting? Pre-order the entire audio book today from your favorite retailer. This book releases on May 21st!

Chat with Mur Lafferty on Wednesday, May 22nd at 6:30 PM EST! – Online Event

The audio serialization of THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY begins!

Lafferty_ShamblingGuidetoNYC-TPOn May 28th Mur Lafferty’s debut novel THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY (US | UK | AUS) will be hitting shelves everywhere; however, I’m here to tell you how you can listen to a portion of it – early. Yeah!

Some of you are already familiar with Mur and her fabulous I Should Be Writing Podcast, and if you aren’t, you should really give it a listen. There is a ton of great information there for aspiring new writers.  And right now, Mur is serializing the audio edition of THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY on her podcast. Visit The Murverse Annex to subscribe for new episodes every week.

The print, ebook, and downloadable audio editions will be available on the 28th of May.

 

Wallpapers: THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY by Mur Lafferty

shamble-1920x1200New York City. It’s a city that those of us in the US offices are really quite fond of as you might imagine, and it’s a city that has a personality like no other.

This May, we’re really excited to be publishing Mur Lafferty’s THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY (US | UK | AUS). The terrific cover by Jamie McKelvie has personality in spades—not unlike Zoe, the intrepid, young journalist and recent New York transplant who stars in THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY. Here is a set of wallpapers for your computer and electronic devices to tide you over until the big release day. Enjoy!

1024 x 768  | 1280 x 800  | 1440 x 900 |  1680 x 1050 | 1920 x 1200 | iPhone | iPad | Facebook

Praise for THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY:

“The hip, knowing and sometimes hysterically funny narrative, interspersed with excerpts from the guide of the title, lurches along in splendid fashion. Combine wit, style and acute observation: The result is irresistible.” – Kirkus (starred review)

“Lafferty, a 2012 nominee for the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer, introduces a spirited, indomitable heroine who is bound to be a favorite of urban fantasy devotees.” – Library Journal

Chat with Mur Lafferty on Wednesday, May 22nd at 6:30 PM EST! – Online Event

Incorporating Real Facts into Fantasy

The cover for FULL BLOODED by Amanda Carlson - the start of a new urban fantasy shifter series perfect for fans of Rachel Vincent, Kelley Armstrong, Cassandra Clare and Patricia BriggsWhen I first started writing urban fantasy I knew I wanted to bring in as many facts as I could into my series. As a reader, I loved it when I authors wove “fact” into fiction. I say “fact” loosely, as some of our facts are myths and can be disputed, but nonetheless the information I’ve gathered for my series is documented in our culture, whether it’s fact, folklore or legend.

In FULL BLOODED, the first book in the Jessica McClain series, I crafted two characters based on research. The first one was the goddess who shows up and quickly becomes Jessica’s archrival. Selene, the Lunar Goddess, was a perfect fit for the part. Greek Mythology states that Selene is the Goddess of the Moon and known for her countless love affairs. What better deity to go up against a werewolf than a Lunar Goddess? Plus I loved her name. It fit the character I had in my mind perfectly and after compiling a list of good characteristics, Selene the Lunar Goddess was born.

“I’m not a witch, you filthy bloodsucker, I’m a Goddess.” She glared, her irises a pure, fiery red now. “Goddess of the Moon, to be exact. Or if you prefer, a powerful Sorceress of Enchantment. Take your pick. But I am most certainly not a witch.”

The next is the Vampire Queen, Eudoxia. I really wanted my vampires to have Russian lineage, and preferably for her father to be Ivan the Terrible. The timing was perfect for that reign, roughly 450 years ago, and by doing research I found that Ivan had a daughter by the name of Eudoxia. He had several, but Eudoxia fit perfectly.

“You are not nearly as impressive as I had presumed you to be, little wolf girl.” The voice was attached to a vision of flawlessly etched skin. A face so perfectly defined it cast its own shadows. She boasted high, prominent cheekbones and a pair of wide hazel eyes, rimmed in heavy kohl. Her pallor was a true white, making her red lips look garish.

One of the fun parts of doing research is crafting characters and creating details with the information, some of which may never be used in the books. My werewolves are Scottish and when coming up with their full names, I incorporated Scottish Gaelic names into the mix. Jessica’s father, Callum Sèitheach (SHAY-uch, wolf) McClain, and her twin brother, Tyler Faoláin (FWAY-lun, little wolf) McClain. It’s one of those nuances that make the characters come alive, which I love so much. Creating real histories mixed with facts make the characters a little more real to me.

The urban fantasy/ shifter novel Hot Blooded by the debut author Amanda Carlson, endorsed by Faith HunterIn HOT BLOODED, which just released this week, there are a number of researched elements in the book—but, unfortunately, telling you which ones
right now would be a bit too spoliery! (Hint: when you see the beasties, think mythical origins.) I will continue to weave fact and myth into my series, because I love it when the two worlds come together so perfectly.

To all my current and future readers, hope you enjoy the series!

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Amanda Carlson’s latest novel HOT BLOODED (US | UK | AUS)  is available online and in stores now. To read the first three chapters, become a fan of Amanda on Facebook or start from the beginning of the series with FULL BLOODED (US | UK | AUS).  

New and current fans of Amanda’s novels can sign-up for the Jessica McClain book club to discuss the series with fellow fans and participate in exclusive chats with the author. 

An interview with Marlene Perez on STRANGE FATES

STRANGE FATES by Marlene PerezGreek myth and forbidden romance meet in this exciting new urban fantasy by Marlene Perez. STRANGE FATES is a hot, new series for adult readers which follows the perilous journey of Nyx Fortuna – an immortal with a serious bone to pick with fate. Read the first chapter here or check out this interview with the author to find out more about the mythology and how Marlene transitioned from writing YA to adult fiction.

Strange Fates is a departure from your YA works. Even though he looks like he’s twenty, Nyx is already several centuries years old. What made you decide to write from the POV of an older protagonist?

I was interested in a different take on an immortal. They’re often written as wiser and all-knowing, but in my experience, more years on the planet doesn’t necessarily make you any wiser/better, especially if you haven’t dealt with your issues. Nyx has definite issues he hasn’t dealt with. He also has a bit of a drinking problem and addiction slows or stops emotional growth. He’ll grow throughout the novels, but it will be slow and painful.

What has the transition been like switching from YA to adult urban fantasy? Did you change your writing process at all?

My writing process usually starts with me finding some little gem of information somewhere and then huddling over it like Gollum did with the ring, muttering “my precious” and hoarding it, waiting for the right time/right book to use it in. I wasn’t trying to write from a male point of view, but Nyx just started talking to me. He was a little drunk at the time and I knew I had to start Strange Fates in a bar.

Read the rest of this interview.

Urban Fantasy with a Twist of Fate

PrintI am extremely excited to announce the publication of STRANGE FATES by Marlene Perez, out today as an Orbit e-only original!  This is Marlene’s first foray into the adult urban fantasy realm, and with its fast pace, forbidden romance, and unique mix of Greek mythology and Fates, you will not be able to put it down.

About STRANGE FATES: Brooding, leather jacket-wearing Nyx Fortuna looks like a 20-something, and has for centuries now. As the son of the forgotten fourth Fate, Lady Fortuna, he has been hunted his entire life by the three Sisters of Fate that murdered his mother. Fed up and out for revenge, Nyx comes to Minneapolis following a tip that his aunts have set up a business there. His goal– ­to bring down his mother’s killers and retrieve the thread of fate that has trapped him in the body of a twenty year old unable to age or die. But when a chance meeting with the mysterious, dangerous and very mortal Elizabeth Abernathy throws off his plans, he must reconcile his humanity and his immortality.

Also, check out the book trailer on USAToday’s Happy Ever After blog. Screen Shot 2013-03-05 at 2.25.06 PM

Your playlist for a Victorian-punk Fantasy novel

Artwork for Emilie Autumn album Opheliac - the perfect soundtrack for the Immortal Empire series by Kate Locke, which starts with GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
Album artwork for Opheliac by Emilie Autumn. Image from emilieautumn.com

I don’t know about other authors, but for me the process of writing a book has always included music. Music provides so much inspiration for me, can really help in capturing the tone or feel of a scene – or an entire book! There are songs that have come to be so associated with one of my stories that I can’t listen to them without thinking of the characters the lyrics have come to represent.

I came into my teens in the 80s – I do not feel that old! – the decade of the music video. I remember seeing ‘Thriller’ for the first time, and staring slack-jawed at the TV as this amazing story played out in front of me. Aha’s ‘Take On Me’ is still one of my all-time favorite videos. The merging of music and story took hold of me and refused to let go.

The first book I ever wrote (I was 12 so be kind!) was about a rock band. OK, it was about Duran Duran, but I changed the names. Over 300 pages of angst and music – I even wrote lyrics, which were awful. To this day, if a song grabs my attention I’m going to think of a story to go along with it – my own little music video playing inside my head. It doesn’t matter if it’s Nine Inch Nails, Bon Jovi or Alice Cooper, if it catches my attention, I’m going to find the plot and play it out in my head.

God Save the Queen - a vctorian punk urban fantasy novel by Kate Locke - and perfect to go with Emile Autumn's album OpheliacSo, it shouldn’t surprise you that the Immortal Empire has a soundtrack behind it. As I plotted and planned, and then began to write, I actually embarked upon a quest to find the the perfect music. I wanted something that was modern, but would make me think of the Victorian Era as well. Then, I discovered Emilie Autumn and I knew I’d found my soundtrack. Not just my soundtrack, but a target audience. At this point I wasn’t certain my weird little book would be of interest to anyone, but then I visited Emilie’s fan boards and realized that there were people out there who would like this sort of book.

I could ramble on and on about music and how it inspires me, and how I’m making a jacket to wear to Emilie’s next concert in New York with all the glee of a 14 year-old dying her bangs to match John Taylor’s, but I think I’ll share some of my playlists with you instead. Here are just a few songs (in no particular order) that I listened to while writing these books. Will they make you think of various scenes or characters in the Immortal Empire? Oh, I’m not going to list songs from LONG LIVE THE QUEEN – I don’t want to give anything away! (more…)

Interview: Francis Knight on FADE TO BLACK

Fade to BlackRojan Dizon doesn’t mind staying in the shadows, because he’s got things to hide. Things like being a pain-mage, with the forbidden power to draw magic from pain. But he can’t hide for ever.

Because when Rojan stumbles upon the secrets lurking in the depths of the Pit, the fate of Mahala will depend on him using his magic. And unlucky for Rojan – this is going to hurt.

Only two more weeks until FADE TO BLACK (US | UK | AUS) releases online and in stores. Here’s an interview with Francis Knight. Find out how the city of Mahla came to be and more about the magic system employed by Knight’s pain mages.

Have you always known that you wanted to be a writer?

No, I can’t say that I have, probably because it never occurred to me to write down all the stories in my head. I’ve always read, and always made up little stories but it was only when I was struck down with ME that I started to write—I was housebound, and it was almost a defence against day- time TV. So I wrote one of my little stories and found I was addicted to writing.

Did the idea for the Rojan Dizon books come to you fully realised or did you have one particular starting point from which it grew?

As with most of my ideas, it came a piece at a time, each piece from a different direction. The idea really takes hold when they gang up on me. The theme came from one direction, Jake from another, whereas Rojan came as I was writing. He was kind of an experiment—I’d never writ- ten in first before, and he is polar opposite to me in many areas (though we do share a trait or two), so he was almost a challenge I set myself, to see if I could do it. I splurged out fifty thousand words in a month—at this stage it was a future dystopia world, but then my writers’ group pointed out, quite fairly, that I am horrible at making up future tech. One member suggested, “Why not make it a dark fantasy?” which kind of fed into a separate idea I’d had for a world where magic lived with technology. I dabbled a bit then left it on my hard drive for a few years, tinkering with it every now and again in between other projects. It was only when I decided to actually knuckle down and do something with it, when I started with the idea of pain magic in fact, that it really came to life. It was waiting for me to have the right idea to make it work, I think.

Read the full interview here.

This Day In Alternate History

Locke_TheQueenIsDead-HCTHE QUEEN IS DEAD (US | UK | AUS) releases officially today and if you thought GOD SAVE THE QUEEN (US | UK | AUS) was good, wait until you read this next installment of The Immortal Empire series. If you’re new to these, get ready for a modern day London unlike our own in so many fun  and mysterious ways. But you might be wondering how it got that way. To fill in the gaps, Kate Locke has written up an alternate timeline of notable events in the world of the Immortal Empire. So get ready. Get set. This is not your average history lesson, boys and girls. 

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February 5 2010 – Vex MacLaughlin spies a grown Xandra Vardan for the first time at a society function. Sources claim to have overheard Churchill telling the Scottish wolf to stay away from his ‘dear girl.’

March 27 1937 – The corpse of Human League activist and German painter Adolf Hitler was found in his home almost completely drained of blood. The killer was never found.

April 4 1968 – Popular British TV show ‘Coronation Street’ introduces it’s first Half-blood character, Nancy. The daughter of a working class couple who had no idea that both of them carried the plague from long-dead ancestors. Nancy’s look was based on model Jean Shrimpton, and her iconic violet hair was said to be inspired by an Andy Warhol painting of Marilyn Monroe.

April 16 2012 – Sid Vicious released his Frank Sinatra tribute album and dedicated it to his wife Nancy.

May 24 1819 – Her Ensanguined Majesty Queen Victoria was born. Her parents knew she was a vampire the moment she bit her nurse.

June 3 2001 – Bertie, Prince of Wales is named one of the world’s ‘sexiest men’ by People Magazine. His mother, Queen Victoria is not amused. Werewolf Alpha Vex MacLaughlin is also mentioned. He was decidedly amused.

June 3 1990 – Courtesan Juliet Claire is attacked and bitten by a were while pregnant with the Duke of Vardan’s eldest daughter.

July 13 1971 – A pink-haired half-blood named Locke was mistakenly admitted to Bedlam Asylum for the Insane when she began to rant about the voices in her head. The poor soul wasn’t mad, she was just an author. Though, some would say the two are synonymous.

August 21, 1765 – The Duke of Clarence born the first goblin of the Royal Family. His mother, a strong woman by all accounts, fainted at the sight of him.

September 17 1982 – Miranda Windsor crowned the first aristocrat Miss America. She was also Miss Congeniality.

September 30st 1972  – American toy company Mattel introduces it’s ‘Vampire Barbie’. A half-blood Skipper and Werewolf Ken follow.

October 12 1905 – Exotic dancer Mata Hari becomes mistress to Bertie, the Prince of Wales.

November 8 1847 – Birthday of Bram Stoker, who would be exiled from the UK because of his scandalous depiction of vampires in his novel Dracula.

December 18 1990 — Alexandra Vardan born. Long may she reign.

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Want to know more? Kate Locke elaborates in this article on RT Book Reviews.

Read a sample from THE QUEEN IS DEAD by Kate Locke

Locke_TheQueenIsDead-HCXandra is back next month in the next installment of the Immortal Empire series!  THE QUEEN IS DEAD (US | UK | AUS) will knock your spats off when a new threat to kingdom and crown rises up and Xandra and her family find themselves again at the heart of the matter.

The first chapter can be found here, but if you haven’t read GOD SAVE THE QUEEN (US | UK | AUS) yet, HOLD UP!  There are some major spoilers ahead. So do yourself a favor and start with GOD SAVE THE QUEEN – a unique blend of urban fantasy and Victorian flare. Check out some of the great praise these novels have received.

Praise for the Immortal Empire series:

“Locke has developed an intricate and darkly political world that has various races on edge and on the verge of confrontation. Packed with knife-edged danger, treachery and murder, nothing is simple, as Xandra quickly learns. Although it certainly helps to have read the first book in Locke’s Immortal Empire series, readers can pick up the story from here. If you like your steampunk gritty and challenging, this is the series for you!” – RT Reviews on THE QUEEN IS DEAD

“Readers will be intrigued by the author’s original take on the origins of vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures and their interactions with “normal” humans. Rapid-paced action and an original interpretation of goblins (they are not J.K. Rowling’s cranky, clever, gold-centric goblins) add much to differentiate Locke’s fantasy from the rest of the pack.” – Library Journal on GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

“This is truly a book to sink your teeth into.” – SF REVU on GOD SAVE THE QUEEN