Your Reading Assignments

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X-posted from my Blog.


It's been a while since I've pimped out a book anywhere other than Twitter/Facebook. What can I say? Busy trying to salvage a career here. I really don't want to sling fries with the pimple set. Ever. So I come out of my manuscript cloud (picture letters and crumpled paper flying around the room like a monkey flings its own crap), to talk about a book and a series that I REALLY love.

I'm talking about Stacia Kane's UNHOLY GHOSTS.

Stace and I met, like so many authors, online and hit it off, probably because we're both very, very wrong. She and I were founding members of the League of Reluctant Adults--way back when there were just five of us--and started beta reading each other's shit. Which brings me back to UNHOLY GHOSTS. I've had the chance to read all three of the books in the series (the other two are UNHOLY MAGIC and CITY OF GHOSTS) and I'm here to tell you, this is groundbreaking stuff.

Now, I'm not a HUGE fan of urban fantasy. Primarily because what I've read seems to be inspired by the genre itself and the heroes/heroines aren't really surprising at this point. What it takes to catch my interest is realistic characters. And that's not to say what's realistic for a TYPICAL hero or heroine of this genre, but what's realistic for human beings. Stace's character Cesaria (Chess) Putnam is damaged; she's drug addicted; she lives in a dystopian world of systemic grief, where the majority of the population has been extinguished by an uprising of ghosts; a world where God does not exist. That's all I'll give away about the book and its premise. I've seen some reviews where Chess's drug abuse was the breaking point for the reader, I love her for the complexity of her crutch. The necessity of it is masterful worldbuilding. And Stace's protagonist is the perfect creation to explore the dark boundaries of heroism. I was in love from the first chapter.

Seriously, pick it up today!

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Another League of Reluctant Adults member, Jackie Kessler, is serializing HELL TO PAY, the last book in her fantastically saucy succubus series on her website. That means every week you can get your Jezebel fix, what could be more awesome. Plus, it's free. What? Seriously? Spike up here!

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Yet another Leaguer, Michelle Rowen's new Demon Princess book, REIGN CHECK is out today. You'll be needing that one in your bag. You just will.

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Great news for two other Leaguers. Richelle Mead's SPIRIT BOUND is #1 on the USA Today Bestseller list!!! Huge news because the USA Today list lumps all genres together. That's a buttload of sales y'all. Our glowing ray of sunshine, Michelle Rowen sold the next book in her Living in Eden paranormal romance series. This one's called THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC. Congrats ladies!

Comments

Brenda Hyde said…
I ordered Stacia's book from B & N but of course it just got mailed today so I'm waiting here, tapping my fingers impatiently. I think it sounds dark, gritty, original and damn, am I going to love it.
May 25, 2010 at 4:09 PM
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