It’s all come down to this, following the discoveries made by Cormac in Low Midnight, Kitty and her allies are ready to strike. But, when their assassination attempt on the evil vampire Dux Bellorum fails, Kitty finds herself running out of time. The elusive vampire lord has begun his apocalyptic end game, and Kitty still doesn’t know where he will strike.
Meanwhile, pressure mounts in Denver as Kitty and her pack begin to experience the true reach of Dux Bellorum’s cult. Outnumbered and outgunned at every turn, the stakes have never been higher for Kitty. She will have to call on allies both old and new in order to save not just her family and friends, but the rest of the world as well.
My Thoughts :
It's the end! The final installment in the Kitty Norville series. Fourteen books and ten years later it is time to say goodbye to Kitty and find out how it finishes. The author has had plans since that first book, plans on how it would end and what would happen along the way but I am sure there have been twists and turns that she didn't even see coming and now it is over. Kitty fans beware. When you have read Kitty Saves the World you are done. No more.
Was it the best ending ever? Not sure. It was pretty good but there were some things that went on in this book that I didn't expect. There were some characters that got involved that I definitely didn't imagine had a place in this series and definitely not right at the end. It was an interesting development but strange.
Is there a nice happy ending? Not going to tell you. Read it yourself. I don't want to spoil things but there isn't a ending for all the characters and I am hoping that the author is going to do a nice spin-off with Cormac/Amelia at the reins. It would make for great reading. The previous Kitty book proved that.
Am I sad it is over? No. I thought I would be but after all this time and all the stuff Kitty has dealt with it was time for her to get an ending. Whatever ending. I am not telling you ;) Anyway, it was a great series with ups and downs that kept me reading from book one till this final book fourteen. I enjoyed it, loved it and am happy to have been a part of it.
For anyone who hasn't even tried this series, now you have no excuse. It is over. You can read them all as slow or as fast as you want to. This is one of the best Paranormal Urban Fantasy series out there with original and unique twists and great characters. The story was always worth reading and I look forward to something new from the author in the same style.
Low Midnight spins out of the series on the wave of popularity surrounding Kitty's most popular supporting character, Cormac Bennett, a two-minded assassin of the paranormal who specializes in killing lycanthropes.
In his first solo adventure, Cormac, struggling with a foreign consciousness trapped inside him, investigates a century-old crime in a Colorado mining town which could be the key to translating a mysterious coded diary… a tome with secrets that could shatter Kitty's world and all who inhabit it.
With a framing sequence that features Kitty Norville herself, Low Midnight not only pushes the Kitty saga forward, but also illuminates Cormac's past and lays the groundwork for Kitty's future.
My Thoughts :
The Kitty Norville series is a pre-order must read for me so I don't even bother reading the blurbs. I want to be surprised and I don't want to torture myself. The torture of waiting for a new installment is enough. So when I started reading this one I was surprised. Kitty was present but Cormac was taking the reins this time around. No wonder the book title didn't have Kitty in it for the first time!
Low Midnight is the thirteenth book in the series and this turn around of character perspective was not a bad decision. I love this series and it has had its ups and downs but there is nothing like the up of doing something different and making it all fresh again. Also, like any fan of the series, finding out more about Cormac and his guest, witch Amelia, was not an unwelcome plot change.
However it may also feel like a slap in the face because the next book is the last. Feel cheated? Well maybe a little but Kitty is in this book, she takes part and she rocks as always. She just isn't telling this part of the story and that is ok. This part of the ongoing plot that will obviously see Kitty saving the world (in the last book) needed to be taken care of by someone else.
The story is good, a little different but good. It isn't my favourite of course but it is an interesting one. I think I enjoyed finding out more about Amelia than anything else. I am very eager to see what role she ends up playing in the last book and if she will get a second chance or or or...
If you are a fan of the series then just go get a copy and delve right in. If you have been waiting to start the series, weren't sure or have fallen behind, then now is the time to catch up! The last installment is coming soon and I am pretty sure you don't want to come across any spoilers. Kitty has come a long way over the years and it would be a shame to miss out on the final hurrah and conclusion to everything Kitty!
Now I will go off and try not to dwell on the fact that the end of an era is coming. I just hope Carrie Vaughn knows what she is doing and doesn't disappoint the fans with the last piece of the puzzle.
Sam has been a vampire for 15 years, and now he's having a midlife crisis. That is, if he were still human, he'd be turning 40 and having a midlife crisis. He's just met exactly the kind of woman he's always wanted -- but these days, all he really wants is blood. Maybe he could work through it, but his vampire roommates just don't understand. Wasn't unlife supposed to get easier?
My Thoughts :
I came across this novella totally by accident and I am really glad I did! The book was in one of those recommendations lists on Amazon and the cover looked so out of place compared to the rest. The title was the next thing that struck me and finally I noticed the author! Carrie Vaughn, author of the Kitty Norville novels is a must read for me and I was surprised to see something looking so quirky from her.
As if I wasn't surprised enough by finding this novella I also saw that this short story hasn't been out long and it is set in the Kitty universe! Although Kitty does make an appearance this story has no impact on the ongoing story in the series so if you haven't read the series yet you are quite safe reading this one to get a feel for the author and the concept.
It isn't worth going into depth about the story because the blurb says it all and I would be giving too much away. It is a great short story that I really enjoyed and can highly recommend. A definite must read for any fans of the author and nice the Kitty series. I hope the guys in the book get to show themselves again sometime. They were interesting and different from your typical vampires and I am sure they have more stories to tell. Maybe they have a future!
Bright lights, big city... magic spells, witchcraft, wizardry, fairies, devilry, and more. Urban living, at least in fantasy fiction, is full of both magical wonder and dark enchantment. Street kids may have supernatural beings to protect them or have such powers themselves. Brujeria may be part of your way of life.
Crimes can be caused (and solved) with occult arts and even a losing sports team's "curse" can be lifted with wizardry. And be careful of what cab you call - it might take you on a journey beyond belief! Some of the best stories of urban enchantment from the last few years is gathered in one volume full of hex appeal and arcane arts.
My Thoughts :
Anyone who follows my blog and reads my Currently Reading posts will know that this book has been defeating me for weeks. I started reading the book one day and got to the halfway mark and had to take a break. The book is nearly 500 pages thick and it doesn't matter if you read it on a Kindle, the book still feels heavy after a while. I should have gone back to this one straight away and just got it over and done with but I wasn't enjoying it very much and kept putting it off. After weeks of conveniently forgetting about this one I finally sat down with it and practically sped read the remaining stories. There isn't anything very magical about this Magic City anthology if you ask me.
I am constantly being tricked into reading anthologies. Despite hating the majority of these compilations I still get pulled in by the big names on the covers. Who can pass up some short stories written by your favourite authors? There is a chance that the story relates to that amazing series you have been following. Could there be a new series in the making just because of this short story? The possibilities of an anthology are endless and there are always some authors involved that you always wanted to try and some you may love and have never heard of before. Nothing to lose? Except a few hours of your life/reading time.
Now not all the stories in this book were bad. Some were good. It was just really hard to get through the bad ones because there were more of them. That isn't to say that everyone would hate them. I am pretty sure there are people out there who read this anthology and gave it a wonderful review. I am not one of those people and I feel sorry for all the writers involved because I can tell they made an effort. It can't be easy putting together a short story and being limited to what would usually be a couple of chapters in a full length novel.
The concept was lost on me but the start of each story began with the location of the tale and what kind of magic would be involved. I didn't find this very helpful but it was a nice touch. The first installment was by Simon R. Green and it was a good start. It gave me hope that this would be a nice selection. However the next five stories were ones I could have skipped. Nice ideas but they were either rushed or tried to be to extravagant.
Patricia Briggs saved my faith in the book with her 'Seeing Eye'. I have been a fan of the author for years and wouldn't mind seeing her open this story into a series. The next three stories were ok but nothing to write about. They kept me reading and I was at the halfway mark and took that dreaded break. With only two great stories so far you can understand the problem I had going back to this one. Luckily the next story was a good one and I kept reading till the end.
'The Arcane Art of Misdirection' by Carrie Vaughn was an interesting read. I got a little confused along the way but it all worked out in the end and I liked it. It was unusual and felt like a prequel for something else. Maybe the author will be taking us to Vegas more often. The rest of the stories in this anthology were not to my liking. Little known authors and stories that didn't grab my attention. There were two more stories worth pointing out though. They were worth reading.
'Kabu Kabu' by Nnedi Okorafor was a little crazy but kind of fun to read. I knew what would happen in the end but that didn't stop me for going along for the ride in this gypsy taxi. I won't be looking to read anything else by the author but this story is definitely one of the better reads in Magic City and deserves a mention.
Most likely the best read in the book and one of the biggest names on the cover was 'Curses' by Jim Butcher. I am embarrassed to admit that I haven't visited this series for a good couple of years and really need to get back into it. This short story not only made me kick myself for not reading the series more often but it also reminded me how great the series is. Harry Dresden rocks and this story did too. I may just be a little biased because of the Welsh references in the story but it was enjoyable and I am going to dust off my Harry Dresden books asap.
All in all this was a mixed bag. I rarely come across an anthology that I give a glowing review to but with so many different authors, ideas and styles it is hard to find a collection that fits together well and is going to be worth reading all the way through. A fifth of Magic City is great where as the rest is so so. If you see more than five authors on the list that you really love then take the chance but do expect to be disappointed by the rest.
As Denver adjusts to a new master vampire, Kitty gets word of an intruder in the Denver werewolf pack’s territory, and she investigates the challenge to her authority. She follows the scent of the lycanthrope through the mountains where she is lured into a trap, tranquilized, and captured.
When she wakes up, she finds herself in a defunct silver mine: the perfect cage for a werewolf. Her captors are a mysterious cult seeking to induct Kitty into their ranks in a ritual they hope will put an end to Dux Bellorum. Though skeptical of their power, even Kitty finds herself struggling to resist joining their cause. Whatever she decides, they expect Kitty to join them in their plot . . . willingly or otherwise
My Thoughts :
We are twelve books into the Kitty story and I admit I am having mixed feelings about it all. I loved this series and couldn't wait for the next installment. However the last few books haven't been what I have come to expect and this latest release also disappointed me. It was a nice story in theory but I think a lot of people will be as disappointed as I was. There wasn't, in my honest opinion, any progress made in this twelth book and the close world of Kitty (her pack etc) were once again nowhere to be seen. Oh and the Underworld title is very misleading. It wasn't what I was expecting at all.
There is a whole new story arc that has appeared over the last few books and I am finding it really hard to understand why it is Kitty's problem. I am sure somewhere along the line something happened but things seem to be dragging along. If anything the whole 'Roman' thing is just runing the feel of the series. I loved Kitty getting into some kind of trouble and it was always exciting but she still managed to do some great shows inbetween and the pack, Ben and Cormac all got involved and it felt like things progressed. Now Kitty is beating the same bush all the time and even her shows are on the backburner.
I realise that to keep the series going there must be some kind of continuing story but why that has to be to do with vampires and not closer to home on the werewolf front is making me slowly bored of the series. Sure the writing style is still great and I still enjoy Kitty and her strength but I miss the good old days of running with the pack and having a mystery to solve. Instead I have another series who is hunting/fighting the big bad evil. Saving the world and all that is great but that wasn't what Kitty was about for me.
Devoted fans of the series, like myself, will be eager to read this new release and I won't be telling them not to. After all this is Kitty we are talking about and she is hard to give up on. I will also be keeping up with Kitty because I have already come this fair and want to see how things play out. Although I wonder how many more books Kitty really has in her and how long this story arc will drag out because I didn't feel that this book really got us any closer in the 'quest'.
Every month here on Amberkatze's Book Blog there is a Monthly Giveaway!
If you want to win a copy of one of my favourite reads from the previous month then you have to check in and enter!?
The April Monthly Giveaway is now over and closed. It is time to see which book won the vote and who has won a copy of the winning book!
What is the Monthly Giveaway?
You have the chance to vote for which book you want to win from my five favourite reads from last month!
I pick five of my favourite reads from the last month (sorry no ARCs are included unless they have already been released!) then you guys go to the poll and vote for the book you want to win or the one you think deserves to win! Remember! You may not actually win the book you voted for.
Here are the results for this months giveaway!
Wuthering Frights by H.P. Mallory came in last with only 8.11% of the vote. I hope this bad result is due to one of two factors. 1) You have all read this series already or/and 2) The other books on offer were just too good to pass up on.
Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting came in at fourth place. 13.5% of the vote wanted this book to win but the top three books just didn't give this one a chance.
Sharp by Alex Hughes holds the third place with 18.92% of the votes. I really wanted this one to win but it seems you guys wanted the other books more. I just hope that you will all go and check out this series anyway. It rocks!
Kitty Rocks the House by Carrie Vaughn comes in at second place and I wasn't expecting that. It seems there are still a lot of Kitty fans out there who don't run out and buy the new releases. 27.03% of the vote shows you guys really wanted Kitty to win!
Death, Doom & Detention by Darynda Jones is the winner this month with 32.34% of the votes. I can't say I am surprised by this result because Darynda always seems to win my Monthly Giveaway when she is on the poll.
The Results
The widget below should now be showing the name of the Monthly Giveaway winner. That person will win a copy of the winning book Death, Doom & Detention by Darynda Jones. Just make sure you contact me with your details to claim your prize! If you prefer a Kindle copy of the book please include those details when claiming your book.
Didn't win this time? Keep a look out for the next Monthly Giveaway coming in June. You will all get to vote from a selection of my reads from May.
Make sure you check out the books from the Monthly Giveaway. They are always my five favourite reads so they are definitely worth getting a hold of!
There are five books to choose from and the winning book is then the prize! The winner gets a copy of the book that wins the vote!
Want to find out more? Go over and see which books are on offer, vote for the one you would like to see win and then make sure you are entered via the widget!
Remember! The books on offer are my favourite reads from last month! So they are really really good and usually new releases!
You have a few more days left to enter so don't waste any time and go check it out before it is too late!
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Have you entered the Sherry Soule Contest? The author has a fun quiz for you all to take part in and then you can enter the giveaway! This one is open for another couple of weeks so you have time to get some friends involved too! Then if they win you can borrow their copy of the prize!
On the heels of Kitty's return from London, a new werewolf shows up in Denver, one who threatens to split the pack by challenging Kitty's authority at every turn. The timing could not be worse; Kitty needs all the allies she can muster to go against the ancient vampire, Roman, if she's to have any hope of defeating his Long Game. But there's more to this intruder than there seems, and Kitty must uncover the truth, fast.
Meanwhile, Cormac pursues an unknown entity wreaking havoc across Denver; and a vampire from the Order of St. Lazaurus tempts Rick with the means to transform his life forever.
My Review :
I have been following Kitty's story since it began. I actually can't believe that this is book #11! Where has the time gone? Has Kitty really been doing this so long? This is a question I asked myself while reading this latest release. Why? Well however amazing this series has been along the way I have to admit that it is starting to lose its appeal. Is there an end in site? What was really achieved in this book?
As stories go it was a nice one. There was quite a few things going on and it kept me interested to the end. However it doesn't feel like this book really got the general story any further along. If anything this book threw a few troubles Kitty way and stopped her from making any new progress. Every time she takes one step forward she may as well take two back. Will things ever slow down and get easy for Kitty?
I love the characters and concept and wouldn't be without it and actually would read as many books about Kitty as possible. Despite that I want to see things evolve. I also would like to see the story move along a few years. Even the pack and Kitty's family were saying the same thing in this book. I don't feel like the character has time to tell me anything more than a small piece of what is really going on.
Of course this series stays on my must read list and I will pre-order the next book. I can't stay away from Kitty and love the DJ werewolf. She has come a long way since the series started and it is always a pleasure to catch up with her. I just want her to catch a break and be able to settle down.
A must read for any fans of the series and a must read for anyone who hasn't yet been introduced to Kitty. Just make sure that you start this series at the beginning if you haven't met Kitty before. There is a lot of background story that you need to keep up with if you want to enjoy this series.
Kitty has been tapped as the keynote speaker for the First International Conference on Paranatural Studies, taking place in London. The conference brings together scientists, activists, protestors, and supernatural beings from all over the world—and Kitty, Ben, and Cormac are right in the middle of it.
Master vampires from dozens of cities have also gathered in London for a conference of their own. With the help of the Master of London, Kitty gets more of a glimpse into the Long Game—a power struggle among vampires that has been going on for centuries—than she ever has before. In her search for answers, Kitty has the help of some old allies, and meets some new ones, such as Caleb, the alpha werewolf of the British Isles. The conference has also attracted some old enemies, who’ve set their sights on her and her friends.
All the world’s a stage, and Kitty’s just stepped into the spotlight.
My Thoughts :
Kitty Norville has been one of my favourite werewolf characters ever since the series came out. Ten books ago this series made me go wow and kept surprising. So when this book opened up with Kitty off to London I wasn't just surprised but very excited! Kitty off to my homeland? That sounded like a lot of fun.
The first half of the book was pretty cool. I liked the whole run up to going, the worry about the plane journey and meeting up with Ned, the master vampire. His story was very intriguing and I hope this isn't the last we see or hear of him. The conference was also interesting. The subjects the author came up with sounded good and I would have liked to have taken part in if the conference was real. The little side story of Amelia was also a nice fresh angle. I think I liked that part the most.
However after the halfway mark I felt the story slipping away. Politics got in the way and so many characters crawled out of the woodwork. It was hard to keep track of who was who and what they all wanted. The conference was practically forgotten and things were just a rush of getting from A to B and finding that person and saving the other. The paranormal aspect was entertaining but the reasoning behind it all was weak and unappealing. Also there was a huge lack of Kitty's wolf.
I have to say I admire the author for keeping the British aspect of this book real. She didn't try and make it something it isn't or add pieces of her own imagination to make it sound cool. She kept London and the culture how it should be. However I still don't understand why the conference had to take place in London. It sounded plausible but at the end of the day does everything have to be in London? Paris or Vienna would have been nice for a change.
All in all it was great to visit Kitty again. She has come a long way and I have enjoyed following her. However maybe it is time for Kitty to get a nice peaceful life with her pack, family and friends. Is it probable that this could happen? I hope for her it is. I love this series but all good things must come to an end and I would like to see the author give this series a well deserved nice ending and wow us with something else new and unusual.
Fans will love this new addition to the series and it is a must read. Although I will admit that this wasn't my favourite of the series so far. I am still a huge Kitty fan and she stays on my must read and must buy lists but I hope the next book has more to offer.
Kitty Norville is back and in more trouble than ever. Her recent run-in with werewolves traumatized by the horrors of war has made her start wondering how long the US government might have been covertly using werewolves in combat. Have any famous names in our own history might have actually been supernatural? She's got suspicions about William Tecumseh Sherman. Then an interview with the right vampire puts her on the trail of Wyatt Earp, vampire hunter.
But her investigations lead her to a clue about enigmatic vampire Roman and the mysterious Long Game played by vampires through the millennia. That, plus a call for help from a powerful vampire ally in San Francisco, suddenly puts Kitty and her friends on the supernatural chessboard, pieces in dangerously active play. And Kitty Norville is never content to be a pawn.
My Review :
Nine books into the series and I feel like something changed in this new installment. The plot was ok, definitely not the best so far but good. All the gang were there and lots of action came and went but something was different. It did seem to be over too quick and the story a little rushed. I have to admit I find Ben a little boring and annoying. However those are small quirks.
Kitty is on my must read, must buy list and has no reason to worry about losing her place on it but Kitty's Big Trouble was not the best so far and may have been, for me, the worst. Although on saying that it wasn't horrible! I read this in record time and wondered where the rest of the story was. There was definitely something missing. I just can't put my finger on what.
This newest adventure was interesting and pulls away from the pack and Denver. Kitty ends up in San Franciso and there is a nice bit of Chinese mythology involved in her Big Trouble. Lots of action but Kitty seemed a little off. Ben was weird and Cormac without his ammo is kinda lame. Book ten can only get better!
A must read for all fans but I will be interested to see what others thought of this one. A great series that I highly recommend. Like all running series there will always be one you don't like as much as the others. This one was obviously mine.
This week my author guest was Carrie Vaughn. Best known for her Kitty Werewolf novels she also writes some pretty neat YA books and has a few other projects out there as well. This month sees the release of the anthology 'Those Who Fight Monsters' and Carrie was here telling us about her contribution to the book and also her new release 'Steel'.
You all had the chance to enter and win a copy of the newly released 'Steel'. It was great reading your answers and seeing so many familiar books. There were also a few titles I haven't heard of and a few may just end up on my wishlist. Thanks for sharing!
Anyway! Time to see who won! Congrats to :
Gail!!!
You can find out how to claim your prize below!
If you didn't win this time then just keep trying!!! There is another contest coming up later today and the Monthly Giveaway will be starting sometime over the next week or so!
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How to claim your prize!
Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address. If you won a contest where you can choose your prize, then please make sure you state in your email which book you would like. This will help things go alot quicker!
If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter. However please don't send me more than one email unless you really don't get an answer within 3 days. I am not online 24/7 ;) Sometimes it takes a little longer to reply.
If a prize isn't claimed after 7 days I will, if the author agrees, pick another winner.
Please also note that I can not be held responsible for prizes that come direct from authors. I will check with them for you if you haven't received your prize but I can not hunt down your mail! Any prizes that come from myself could come from a 3rd party eg. Amazon or Bookdepository. If I am sending a prize myself please be aware that it could take a few weeks to reach you as it is coming from Europe.
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Use the Bookdepository or Amazon links/banners to keep the prizes coming! Oh and advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog wherever you can ;)
This week my author guest is Carrie Vaughn! Famous for her Kitty werewolf series she has also written a few other books like her latest release, Steel. Also she has a short story in the new anthology 'Those Who Fight Monsters' and I have to say I think her contribution was my favourite.
So I hope you enjoy the interview but most of all I hope you enter the contest! Carrie is giving away a copy of her new book (released just this week!), Steel. I haven't read it yet but I am sure, that like everything else Carrie has written, it is an amazing read.
Make sure you enter the contest by 4pm (Central European Time) on Sunday!
Never miss out on a new Author Event, Contest or Book Review! Subscribe Now!
Use the Bookdepository or Amazon links/banners to keep the prizes coming! Oh and advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog wherever you can ;)
This month my author guests all have a story in the anthology 'Those Who Fight Monsters'. From all of the stories in the book there was one that really stood out for me. Carrie Vaughn's "Defining Shadows" was my favourite story (shhh don't tell the other authors) in the collection and I couldn't resist asking the writer to be a guest here again on Amberkatze's Book Blog.
I love Carrie's books and her Kitty series is one of my favourite must buy and must reads. I hope you enjoy the interview about her short story in Those Who Fight Monsters, what Kitty is up to and what else Carrie is up to writing wise.
Oh and Carrie is giving away a book! Make sure you enter the contest for your chance to win!
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Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as a guest! You have a short story inside the new anthology Those Who Fight Monsters. Can you tell us a little about it?
Carrie - Thanks for inviting me! "Defining Shadows" is about one of the secondary characters from my Kitty series, Detective Jessi Hardin, investigating a very strange case. She's called in when half a body -- a set of legs, essentially -- is discovered standing upright. She guesses that this isn't an ordinary case, but the answers she eventually finds are even more bizarre than she anticipated.
Amber - So how did you pick what to write for the anthology? Was it hard coming up with something or was the story all ready filed away ready for something like this?
Carrie - I've been wanting to write a story about Detective Hardin working on a case for a long time, so this -- an anthology about detectives and the supernatural -- was the perfect opportunity. I've also been wanting to write about the manananggal, the Filipino creature at the center of the crime, ever since I heard about them from a Filipina friend of mine. So I put both ideas together.
Amber - When you write a short story does the publisher set you limits or do you just write and hope the piece is long/short enough?
Carrie - The anthology guidelines usually have limits. Some anthologies want shorter stories, some will let me write longer stories. I try to pick an idea that will fit within those limits before I even start writing.
Amber - How do anthologies really work? Do you the authors get together and have a chat and a few drinks? Discuss your story ideas? Or is it all emails and no contact with anyone else?
Carrie - In almost every case there's an editor (Justin Gustainis in this case) who comes up with the theme of the anthology, or has a group of writers that he or she wants to work with. The editor will bring the idea to a publisher and recruit writers. The writers rarely have contact with each other -- it's all done through the editor. Usually the editor is looking for a good variety of stories, that still fit within a theme (although a theme can be as loose as "Year's Best Science Fiction"), so the authors involved don't really need to work with each other. It's up to the editor to decide that the stories all fit and are the best they can be. (One exception is a shared-world anthology, like the work I do on Wild Cards. In those cases, the stories are interconnected, so the writers have to work with each other to get the facts and characters straight.)
Amber - Have you read all the stories in Those Who Fight Monsters? Did you have any favourites?
Carrie - I haven't read any of them yet! (except my own, of course) That's tough thing about being in an anthology like this -- I've seen the table of contents, I know the other authors involved, but I won't see the finished product until I get my own author copy. I'll be reading it for the first time along with everyone else!
Amber - I really like the story and it was quite possibly my favourite in the book. Will the story turn into a series?
Carrie - I don't know that it will turn into a series about Detective Hardin, but she's definitely an ongoing character in the series and I'll definitely be writing more about her. In fact, if you liked this story you'll want to check out my novella, "Long Time Waiting," in Kitty's Greatest Hits, coming out in August this year. There's some overlap between
the two stories.
Amber - You have a few books due out this year. Give us the low down tell us all about them!
Carrie - Steel is my young adult novel about time travel, swordfighting, and pirates, due out in March. After the Golden Age is my superhero novel -- about the daughter of the city's greatest heroes, who works as an accountant -- due out in April. The next Kitty novel, Kitty's Big Trouble, will be out in June. Kitty has adventures in San Francisco's Chinatown.
Kitty's Greatest Hits, a collection of many of the short stories I've written about Kitty and her world, will be out in August.
Amber - I am still hoping for a sequel to Voices of Dragons. Will there be one?
Carrie - I hope so! Unfortunately, it's not on the schedule just yet, so I may have to wait a little while before I get to it.
Amber - How is Kitty doing? Is she getting old and tired yet or will we be seeing a lot more of her in the future? Are you working on any other projects?
Carrie - Kitty's not done yet. The ninth novel will be out this summer, and I've just finished the tenth. I have at least a couple more planned after that. I'm always working on other projects -- I like writing adventure-oriented young adult books and I have more like that planned. I always have more ideas than I can possibly work on at once, so I'm keeping busy.
Amber - What made you want to be a writer? Were there any books or authors that had an influence on you?
Carrie - I always loved reading, and I always wrote down things -- I was a great daydreamer, and was always spinning stories in my mind. By the time I got to high school I realized I could really do this as a career, and since I wasn't any good at sports or music, writing was the one thing I could do. So I went for it. Ray Bradbury and Robin McKinley were great influences.
Bradbury for his use of language, for teaching me that words matter; and McKinley for her amazing characters who I wanted to be friends with. I wanted to be able to do that.
Amber - Is there any genre you have not tried writing that you would like to?
Carrie - Space opera/planetary science fiction. It's a genre I love reading, and I've written a few short stories in it, but I would love to write a novel in that genre.
Amber - Could you write a book together with another author? If yes, which author would you like to work with and why?
Carrie - I'm not sure I could. I know lots of other people who've collaborated, and I'd love to try it if it's an author I like, and we had a really good idea. But I'm also kind of a control freak, so it might be tough. On the other hand, I've written for the Wild Cards series, which are shared-world books so there I'm often working with several other writers to make sure our stories fit together. But my pieces for those are usually shorter than novel length.
Amber - What other paranormal creatures would you want to write about besides the ones you've already written about? Is there any you just don't like, and would never use in your books?
Carrie - There are so many…I haven't done much with the creatures of Greek mythology -- sphinxes, Cyclopes, sirens, hydras and the like, and I think I would like to. I'm really not fond of the shambling brain eating type zombies that seem to be all the craze right now.
Amber - What are you listening, reading and watching lately? Any recommendations?
Carrie - I've been reading a lot of non-fiction for research. Right now I'm reading a book on women pilots in World War II in Britain, called Spitfire Women. I've also been reading MLN Hanover's urban fantasy series -- it's good. The most recent book is Vicious Grace.
Amber - If you could visit any famous person, alive or dead, who would you visit? and why?
Carrie - Queen Elizabeth (the first) is who I usually list for these. She as amazing, centuries ahead of her time. The things she did -- rule on her own, turn England into a world power -- should have been impossible, but she did it.
Amber - Thank you so much for popping by! I hope you come visit again soon!
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Contest Time
Carrie has a new YA novel out this week called Steel and she has a copy to give away! Thanks Carrie!
How To Enter
What are you reading and what do you want to be reading?
No answer = No Entry
Earn more entries for each link you place about this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.
Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!
You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.
Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.
Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site!
The contest will stay open until Sunday 20th of March 2011 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.
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Who are Those Who Fight Monsters?
Danny Hendrickson - from Laura Anne Gilman's Cosa Nostradamus series.
Kate Connor - from Julie Kenner’s Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series.
John Taylor - from Simon R. Green’s Nightside series.
Jill Kismet - from Lilith Saintcrow’s Jill Kismet series.
Jessi Hardin - from Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville series.
Quincey Morris - from Justin Gustainis’ Morris/Chastain Investigations series.
Marla Mason - from T. A. Pratt's Marla Mason series.
Tony Foster - from Tanya Huff’s Smoke and Shadows series.
Dawn Madison - from Chris Marie Green’s Vampire Babylon series.
Pete Caldecott - from Caitlin Kittredge’s Black London series.
Tony Giodone - from C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp’s Tales of the Sazi series.
Jezebel - from Jackie Kessler’s Hell on Earth series.
Piers Knight - from C. J. Henderson’s Brooklyn Knight series.
Cassiel - from Rachel Caine’s Outcast Season series.
