Black Ice is the book that made me an Anne Stuart fan. As a classic author in the genre, I had heard many good things about Ms. Stuart's work from my fellow readers. Now I understand why.


I wouldn't recommend Black Ice, first entry in the Ice series, just to romantic suspense fans. There are lots of thrills, chilling suspense and some really complex characters that don't fit within the romance genre. I loved that aspect of it. The "hero" or perhaps the anti-hero, Bastien is a cold somewhat manipulative man who would do anything (and practically anyone) to get his mission finished. I'm not even sure I'd call him tortured because he knows exactly what he wants and how to get and he has no bones about telling anyone what he wants them to hear straight in their face. The heroine, Chloe, is somewhat innocent but not a pushover by any means. She acts as any sane person would when in the company of lunatics, killers and thieves and often feels like the connection to the reader who is just an ordinary person in an extraordinary circumstance. Sometimes she acted stupidly because of her interest in Bastien which put her life on the line but thankfully such moments as these didn't show up often.

Suspense fans will get a kick out of the story unraveling but romance fans may find the story a bit cold. Stuart pushes the boundaries of the romance genre in the amount of danger, violence and darkness that covers each page. You almost think there won't be an HEA but as the story goes on, shades of Bastien's humanity and interest in Chloe begins to shine through his coldness. I loved how the characters felt real. Bastien didn't feel like a cookie cutter hero but someone who's completely lost his way in life because of the losses he's felt and the darkness he's seen. Even when he starts to get romantically interested in Chloe, he's still a highly unpredictible and lethal man. I love that he didn't change on impact but you could see the little changes and the potential for their future.

Black Ice is an amazing suspense entry that I highly recommend for suspense lovers and romantic suspense readers who want a little something more gritty and real in the genre.

Recently I had the blessing of meeting author Wendy Raven McNair. A fellow author, artist and speculative enthusiast, I was delighted to learn more about Wendy's premiere superhero teen novel, Asleep. Described as a fantasy love story about an African American teen who discovers a world of super beings, I knew this would be right up my alley since I love superheroes (as you can tell from a few posts back). Wendy has a trilogy planned with Asleep being the first of series and I'm excited to see what else she has planned for the future.

Q: When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

I decided I wanted to be a writer after I had my daughter. Having her was a life altering experience that caused me to do some serious soul searching. I wanted to raise her to be unafraid to pursue her dreams and I wondered how best to achieve that goal. The answer was simple, I had to model it. All my life I’ve loved telling stories; nighttime stories to my younger sister when we were kids sharing a room, short stories written for my friends at school, and mini-stories to entertain my daughter when she was little. Becoming a writer was a natural choice for me once I really thought about it.

Q: How would you describe the genre in which you do most of your writing?

I write in the fantasy genre right now and again it’s due to my daughter. She’s a teen now and loves fantasy stories like Twilight and Harry Potter. But it’s challenging to find fantasy stories that have main characters who reflect her, an African American natural girl. I’m working on a fantasy series now that stars such a girl titled ASLEEP. It’s a YA novel and both adults and teens have given great feedback on it. It’s a story about a young African American couple, Adisa and Micah, and the plot revolves around Adisa’s introduction to a secret world (that exists right alongside of the normal world) in which the inhabitants have super powers.

Q: What would you say are the biggest challenges that you face?

My biggest challenge is finding the time to write. As a self published author, I do it all myself, the marketing, advertising, getting my title in stores, and many other things associated with writing and publishing a story. Additionally, I take care of my family which is a full time job all on its own. It’s a serious juggling act that sometimes causes me to fumble my writing and occasionally drop it all together.

Q: How do you deal with these challenges?

I handle the challenge of finding time to write by scheduling time for it. I don’t write everyday but I do write every week. When I select a day to write, I usually write all day and do little of anything else. I really lose myself in the story and just let it all spill out, flaws included. The next time I write, I begin by editing the previous part that I’ve written then I pick up the story where I left off. But even on the days I’m not actually writing, I’m thinking about my story and mentally working out the storyline and coming up with ideas to best convey scenes to move the story forward in a fascinating way.

Q: What will your next book be about?

My next book is AWAKE, the sequel to ASLEEP. It continues the exciting story of Adisa and Micah. Adisa was introduced to the secret super world in ASLEEP. Now, she learns more about its inner workings, the variety of super powers, and her own familial connection to the super world. AWAKE is scheduled for release in November 2009. For updates, visit my web site at wendyravenmcnair.com

Asleep is already garnering some awesome reviews around the web. Check them out at these links!

Girls Can't WHAT?

Color Online

Learn more about Wendy's current and upcoming works on the web!

Website: http://www.wendyravenmcnair.com/

Purchase Asleep at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Asleep-Wendy-Raven-McNair/dp/0982501307/ref=ed_oe_p
Purchase Asleep for the Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Asleep-ebook/dp/B002FB6AZQ/ref=ed_oe_k

You guys know I'm an ebook fan both as an author and a reader. I'm jazzed about all the ebook readers coming out and am excited because these are just the beginning.

Since ebooks are always touted as going green whether in the submission and editing process (thank you guys for this, you're life savers!) but also in book releases, publishers and the big companies have to keep this in mind also.

Agent Richard Curtis blogged a month ago at E-Reads under the title Getting Rid of E-Trash? Dump it on Asia's Poor. It's a wonderful write-up (make sure you check it out) where he brings up a good question: when the next generation of e-readers arrives, what's going to happen to the Kindle or Sony E-Reader you replace?

The answer?

If what's happening in Europe is any guideline, it will end up in a toxic e-waste landfill in Asia and Africa where the destitute, many of them children, will scavenge it for scrap. These scavengers incur horrifying and often fatal skin, lung, intestinal and reproductive organ ailments from the plastics, metals and gases that go into discarded cell phones, televisions, computers, keyboards, monitors,cables and similar e-scrap.

Very cool change going on over at Ecata! Ecataromance and SingleTitles.com are merging into one location for all single title romances. The new and spiffy SingleTitles.com will feature articles on techie topics (like the latest ebook readers) as well as reviews of romance ebooks. I'm really excited about this because I've enjoyed checking the sites for releases and advertisement. I'm going to tune in more for their ebook reader news.

New reviews have already been posted on the new site. They'll also be having weekly guest bloggers and a big contest for authors in the next month.

It's not just for romance readers and authors anymore also! Fans of mystery and suspense books be sure to check the site for some cool new reads!

Click the pic to check out the new and improved website!

There's an interesting discussion going on over at Dear Author about cultural appropriation in the romance genre. On the heels of Racefail 09 which happened over in the SF genre, it's quite refreshing to read another call to action for more diverse characters.

The comments didn't take long to be derailed but some of it got back on track to talk about the issue at hand. Most particularly depressing was author Jade Lee's experience at Harlequin which ended up in having to use the pen name of Kathy Lyons because Jade Lee was "tainted as too Asian".

I've heard of many authors who have had a hard time selling diverse stories and characters to New York. Many mainstream agents and authors say they "can't connect to" or "sell" stories that feature characters of color and it's a shame because that's shutting down not only a demographic but also a new voice.

Science fiction had their own situation earlier this year. For a rundown check out Fan History's thread on the subject with a compilation of many links. http://www.fanhistory.com/wiki/Race_Fail_2009

After reading the sad display of ignorance from many of the authors who seem perfectly clueless, I had to yank a lot of titles and authors from my list. It was sad to read such disparaging remarks to people aimed at me as if I was subhuman and just plain stupid. Not only have I removed authors, I've also removed a major sci-fi publishing company from my submission list due to the crazy postings of the editors in charge there.

Science fiction has always been my greatest love along with fantasy because of how open to discussions of diversity and humanity can be acknowledged there. I've been on an X-Men kick for the past few days, even watching the old 90s show, and it was awesome to see again because these discussions need to be out in the open. The speculative genre is ripe for this because SF has always had a history of being able to discuss matters in a context that mirrored our own via an allegory. I'm glad RaceFail 09 happened because the after effects are still being talked about in the open and many authors and readers are forced to look at the situation.

Now it's romance's turn.

I haven't been reading romance as long as some of my romance fan friends but I have enjoyed the genre recently because I've found some great stories there. A romance blog named Dear Author recently had a guest blogger by pen name of "Handy Hunter" wrote an awesome post ab0ut the lack of diversity in romance today. Naturally in these discussions I expect tons of derailment and posters being on the defense to prove that the poster is wrong wrong wrong! but there are a good amount of posts that stay on topic and actually have a discussion about the problematic things brought up. Check out the full post here: http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2009/10/27/a-special-guest-post-on-cultural-appropriation-by-handyhunter

Many of the authors in the posts who have tried to sell diverse stories to NY are not surprising but still disheartening. Mainstream publishing is a big giant lead by corporations and the media who have a certain point of view and believe they are right in that point of view no matter what.

That's why I love the smaller press and e presses. I've had much fortune being able to place my books and stories with some great editors who are open to stories with voices and characters of color that aren't shown in the typical fashion. For instance, I love interracial romance and stories that feature IR couples in suspense, futuristic and other settings and genres. I write about that and I've been fortunate enough to have a diverse readership who enjoy my stories. I try to buy the same to support the authors who are also writing such stories. It does get disheartening when I can't find such stories or authors but the more I dig, the more I find some great recs.

Eirelander Publishing, the new publisher I just signed with recently, is blowing me out of the water. Some of my fellow author friends have books coming out within the sci-fi romance genre with interracial couples, characters of color and such diversity that it makes me want to sing. Plus these are amazing stories! Our editor, Lee, is all about story and world building with strong, complex characters so I know there are going to be some strong stuff coming out.

Already on the list are Annie Nicholas' Red Dawn and Sandra Sookoo's Blink, both sci-fi romances with diverse characters/main characters of color and/or IR couples at the forefront; A Feast of Shadows, my dystopia sci-fi with romantic elements featuring a Native American/Egyptian heroine and a Chinese hero; there's also a paranormal erotic romance by Charisma Knight called Soul Seduction featuring an IR couple. Author Aasiyah Qamar's recent release Light My World takes place on the western coast of Mauritius, a multicultural island with a really rich history. Check out the making of the story: http://aasiyah-nolwynn.webs.com/makingoflightmyworld.htm

The good news is that the publishing industry is changing in so many ways that we can't imagine. With the advent and rise of digital publishing, self-publishing and publishing in the new media, many more authors are having their stories told. Just this week two more small presses geared toward speculative fiction popped up. I was so excited because many of the small presses are geared toward romance, erotica or horror. It's great to see more publishers focusing on science fiction and fantasy. The obstacles and walls that keep just a few voices and authors past its gates are shutting down as we speak. It may be a scary time for readers who want some kind of screening system for their work but if Philip Roth is correct about the novel being only for a core niche group (which is a bit scary in itself), there won't be much to worry about.

In my blog hopping I'm finding a lot of wonderful reads based on recommendations alone. Even though romance and science fiction haven't been quite diverse as it could be, the Young Adult genre has been much more open thanks to blogs like Color Online, Reading in Color and YA author Justine Larbalestier's blog where they all chat about books that feature characters of color at the forefront.

Things may seem quite hopeless at times and I can see how young authors who want to write diverse characters or characters of color that reflect themselves may want to give up. But don't. Even if you can't get into NY, there's a ton of smaller presses who are open to taking a risk in releases the stories. The only other obstacles are getting readers who aren't used to or seek out such books because they are comfortable reading about their experiences and culture. Discussions like this help ease those folks on in and open their eyes to other stories in the world. We may have to work extra hard at getting books in those people's hands but at least a dialogue is going on to show that more diversity and representation for people of color are necessary, especially in this day and age with more multicultural families and couples rising.

If you're new to my blog, feel free to hang around a bit. I interview a host of authors with some great books and I currently have a bunch of great books in my reading pile that feature tons of characters from different cultures and backgrounds that I'm happy to post about. I'm also at work on an essay for a current academic romance journal on IR and its reflections on contemporary society.

His music inspired her to live again. His heart inspired her to love again.

After losing her husband to a fatal heart condition, Her Serene Highness Julianna DeWinters falls into a depression. She lives her life on auto pilot, making preparations and setting things in order for her country but not for herself. On one particular evening night out to a classical concert assisted by her in-laws, Julianna hears the most beautiful sound that awakens her to life once again. The violinist’s passion through his music not only livens her will but also her heart as she finds the ability to love. If she allows herself the possibility...

Andrew Graham never settled down and loved again after losing the love of his life. Throwing himself into his music, his passion is in the strings of his violin. Once he stops in Welshire to play for the royal family, a beautiful princess captures his interest and his heart. Soon he finds himself on the edge of a romance that will test his ability to trust and love once again.

Voice of Abandon or, The Princess and the Violinist is a sweet, classical novella that proves life and love can begin after loss. Even when you least expect it.

Coming December 2009

This is a post of pure total randomness. I'm not a fan of remakes, redos, reboots and do-overs but if I had a time machine and could go back, I'd send some major mental waves for some superhero casting changes.

Here's who I would love to see in the place of:

I'm not a huge Spidey fan (aside from the MTV cel animated run and the ooooold tv cartoon (and yes, I even liked the 'supposedly' bad live action Spiderman, too). An 'close but no cigar' casting miss happened between the first and second movie when Maguire was almost out for health reasons. If I can go back in time, I'd whisper Jake's name to Sam Raimi before he can think "Tobey who?"

Matt Damon as Matt Murdock

A few reports flooded the net about Matt playing Matt but most are old reports before Affleck took over the role. I really wish they would have went with Damon. Not only do I completely heart him just because he's just an awesome actor, he's shown he can do action like a pro with the Bourne movies. I would have loved to have seen him tackle Daredevil with a better director and writer behind the camera.

Leonor Varela as Elektra Natchios

I'm a late bloomer Elektra fan. I got hooked on this awesome kick butt assassin from the recent Marvel Knights "Gregs Run". That is, Greg Horn (one of my fave comic artists) and Greg Rucka. If we look at Horn's Elektra art, Leonor Varela has the anti-heroine's look and, from her Blade II stint, she had the chops to handle the action. Some training here and there and she'd be a sai wielding butt kicker in no time. Jennifer Garner ended up the role and was rather flat but I think since Alias was popular at the time, Marvel thought they could cash in on her name at the time. I would have loved to have seen Leonor given the role with a better writer and director and also a possible spin off based on some of her comic stories which are awesome in their own right. I loved the character arc in A dream would be the Punisher/Elektra one shot I read ages ago.

Imagine the possibilities of their first meeting at Columbia University and then their inevitable showdown.

Or just watch this awesome Elektra fan film instead.

Honorable Mention

Clive Owen as James Bond

Seriously? Who doesn't think Clive could've nailed Bond?? At one time, Owen was offered the role but declined it as he saw it beneath him. Seeing as this was during the time of Brosnan's last few movies, I couldn't blame the guy. But with an awesome new writer and director, Owen would have restarted a really cool, sleek new Bond franchise.

I'm generally a meh cook. The best things I can make (from what my victims, er family members who have eaten my stuff, have told me) are pork chops, scrambled eggs topped with cheese, cookies, brownies and now pie. When low on ingredients, I've found that a quick google search brings up a ton of quick and easy recipes. Cooks.com has become my go to place. When I didn't have Manwich for Sloppy Joes (and I love me some manwich) a recipe there lead me to use BBQ sauce on ground turkey. With a dash of spike, it was awesome. I've also found an awesome recipe for easy Very Blueberry Pie.

Allrecipes.com is another fave and there I found some an easy homemade maple syrup recipe. Per some of the comments I added butter and YUM. Awesome syrup.

My aunt (maternal side) is the big baker in the family and I'll have to call her for some baking recipes. Either that or make a quick trip just to dive into her yummy dishes. I wish my grandmother (paternal side) was alive because she made some amazing dishes that I still remember from when I was younger. I wish she wrote down her recipes, especially her famous brownies I hear a lot about. I try to catch my mother when she cooks to see what she puts in her food but she's more of a 'creative cooker'. She often takes recipes and adds a little something extra that always turns out so good. I don't know how she does it but it happens. I wish I had that talent but for now I'll be happy making small and easy dishes until I can work my way up to the heavier stuff!

Here's the spiffy cover art and blurb for Within the Shadows of Mortals (Book 2 in the Ashen Twilight Series) coming 2010.

The war between immortal and mortal begins

For centuries, a group of Nightwalkers, Lycans and Shifter Elves have lived within the shadows of mortals to ensure their survival…until an old foe reemerged and brought the realm of the Fae into the mortal world.

After the fall of the enemy, a string of events unfolds. Ariya is now an Aziza faerie Queen settling with Jace Archane, a Regent in the House of Blood in the Aziza realm. The houses continue to move West after fighting for their survival against the elemental led by Liam Blakedon, a former guard in the Archane house.

A new beginning is on the horizon until blood is spilled on their lands once again…

Late on the highway leading to California, a massacre breaks out in the darkness of night ending in the death of a Lycan family. Word gets back to Ariya and Jace in the Aziza Fae realm and they return, seeing how much has changed since they took their retreat. Mortals have become aware that Nightwalkers, Lycans and Shifter Elves are alive and well in their city. Worse yet, Rich and his pregnant mate, Joanna, have disappeared on the trip from Arizona to California. As they race to find Rich, before it’s too late, a group of mysterious hunters begin picking off members of the houses, one by one.

Ariya knows that Jace is tired of running and hiding after centuries of living within the shadows of mortals. Now, she must choose a path that will force her to decide whether to help her immortal allies or rule the broken kingdom left behind after her parent's death. Soon, she finds that Jace's presence in the Aziza realm brings an ancient evil to life that only lived in fairytales...until now.

Jace Archane knows the depths humans will go to destroy the immortals. Tired of hiding and living hidden from mortals, he is ready to rise and fight against their hunters. However, as he gives in to his baser Nightwalker instincts, his relationship with Ariya tenses. Jace may end up losing more than his humanity as he gives into revenge against his mortal enemies.

Coming February 2010