The Blurb : They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders—but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…
Boston’s zombies have suddenly become inexplicably violent—horror movie-style—resulting in a catastrophic all-out battle against humans. More troubling to Vicky is that she’s had dreams and visions of herself fighting alongside the demons. At least, she hopes they’re just visions—otherwise, that puts her on the front lines of the wrong side of the war.
Vicky’s not surprised to discover that Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and loathed adversary, is behind the outbreak of the zombie plague, having formed an unholy pact with the Old Ones. Now, as the violence escalates and alliances shift, Vicky knows she’s the only one who can stop the plague. Unless the pack of hellhounds on her trail finds her first.
My Thoughts :
I have been following this series since it started and I am really happy that Deadtown has made it to the fifth book. Hellhound is one of the best so far and sees Mab coming to Boston and Victory solving some Hag problems. It is fast paced and thrilling. I couldn't get enough and picked it up whenever I had the chance.
This is a great unique Paranormal Urban Fantasy series and I have been enjoying Victory's story as she tries to keep Boston safe. Her family problems, struggles and history make up for quite a bit of the plot but it is the place they call Deadtown that keeps the story packed full of the paranormal. This time around there is some closure on some fronts but there are also some new questions/problems that evolve. There is a nasty little piece of the puzzle that is left over for next time and some interesting developments that I can't wait to see explored in book number six.
Fast, furious and thrilling this is a series you really need to read from the beginning. I love Victory and her friends and always can't wait to see what happens next. The depth added to the story by involving so much of Victory's family means this read is even more enjoyable. The paranormal delights inside make this a special and unforgettable read. The background of the paranormal elements and the Welsh connection is just a dream come true for me, A Welsh girl.
If you are a Kim Harrison or Jeaniene Frost lover than you will absolutely adore the Deadtown series. I can only highly recommend and praise this series and hope that people pick it up. It rocks and I can't wait for the next installment. This is a pre-order series for me and I can only hope the author writes another couple of books in this series and also delights us with another exceptionally good Paranormal Urban Fantasy series sometime soon.
Vote for one of the books that were my best reads in 2012 and then make sure you use the Rafflecopter widget to enter the Giveaway. One lucky person will win a copy of the winning book!
The contest is open till Saturday! You have a chance to get more entries or even get your friends to vote!
Here is a little info about each book on offer in the giveaway. Just click on the book title and author to see my review -
Well in the sidebar ---> there is this poll. You vote for the book you would most like to win. Then enter your name into the Giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget below. When the giveaway is over the winner gets book with the most votes. So you may not even win the book you voted for!
Newsletter subscribers! If you have not confirmed your email address then you will not be added to the draw!!!
The poll will stay open for votes until Saturday 19th of January 2012 4pm (all times are in Central European Time). The winner will be announced within days of the contest closing.
Use the Bookdepository or Amazon links/banners to keep the prizes coming! Oh and advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog wherever you can ;)
Happy New Year! Hopefully you all had a good one and are ready for another year of reading some great books! Maybe you even saw a few you want as you were browsing around the blog? Well with a new Year comes the Best of 2012 Giveaway!
Would you like to win one of my favourite reads from 2012? Well you can! Just keep reading and find out how to enter the Giveaway!
You have the chance to vote for which book you want to win from my twelve favourite reads from last year!
How does the Giveaway work?
I picked 12 of my favourite reads from the last year (sorry no ARCs are included unless they have already been released!) then you guys now have the chance to 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 is a little info about each book on offer in the giveaway. Just click on the book title and author to see my review -
Well in the sidebar ---> there is this poll. You vote for the book you would most like to win. Then enter your name into the Giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget below. When the giveaway is over the winner gets book with the most votes. So you may not even win the book you voted for!
Newsletter subscribers! If you have not confirmed your email address then you will not be added to the draw!!!
The poll will stay open for votes until Saturday 19th of January 2012 4pm (all times are in Central European Time). The winner will be announced within days of the contest closing.
Use the Bookdepository or Amazon links/banners to keep the prizes coming! Oh and advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog wherever you can ;)
I love her Deadtown series and always have the books on pre-order. The fourth book, Darklands was a spectacular read and you all had a chance to win a copy!
Nancy was giving away a SIGNED copy of Darklands to one lucky person! The contest is now over and the Rafflecopter widget below is now showing the lucky winner! Is it your name showing up in the widget? Keep reading to find out how to claim your prize!
If you didn't win then make sure you check out the Deadtown series!
Want to enter more contests? The latest author contest is advertised in the sidebar --->
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 won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
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.
Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site.
Her fourth book in the Deadtown series is out now and if you haven't already tried the books then you really really need to!
Have you already read the interview? You can find out more about Deadtown and the author.
Also Nancy is giving away a SIGNED copy of Darklands! Just go to the event and use the widget to enter the contest. You have till Sunday to enter and the winner will be announced next week. Make sure you check back to see if you won!
I may live in Austria but I will always love Wales, my home land. So when I come across a book in the paranormal genre that incorporates Wales into the story I am always desperate for more.
My author guest this week has made Welsh stand out in her books and her series has even taken a trip to Wales. Nancy Holzner is the brilliant writer of the Deadtown series and love having here as a guest on the blog.
I hope you all enjoy this latest interview with Nancy and read till the end for details on how to win a signed copy of her latest release, Darklands.
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Amber - Welcome back to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here again as a guest! Could you start things off by telling us a little about your fourth book in the Deadtown series, Darklands?
Nancy – Hi, Amber! Thank you so much for inviting me back. It's always a pleasure to be here. As Darklands begins, Vicky is trying to figure out why so many of her clients, who've hired her to kill their personal demons, are canceling. Why are Boston's demons disappearing? She suspects it may have something to do with Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and nemesis, trying to regain his full powers. Finding out what Pryce is up to—and putting a stop to his ambition to rule all the realms—will send Vicky into the realm of the dead, with no promise she'll make it out alive.
Amber - How did you come up with the idea for Darklands? Did you already have it planned out when writing the previous books?
Nancy – When I wrote the very first book in the series, Deadtown, I thought of it as a standalone novel that I could develop into a series if a publisher was interested. So when Ace wanted me to write more, I started thinking about what my long-term goal for the series would be with the second book, Hellforged. I knew then that the war brewing between demons and the human world would escalate and come to a head in book 6. So I've known where this larger story arc was heading right from the second book. Still, things always come up as I write. At the end of Hellforged (CAUTION: spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn't read that book), Vicky triumphs over her demi-demon cousin, Pryce, and his Hellion allies. I knew then that Pryce would try to restore what he'd lost, and (given the world I'd created) he'd travel to the realm of the dead to do it. Ever since I started the series, I really, really wanted to write a book set in Annwn, the Welsh realm of the dead.
Amber - Vicky has already been up against a lot of so far. How do you decide what to throw at her in each book?
Nancy – After each scene, I ask myself, "What's the worst thing that could happen now?" Occasionally, I give Vicky a break, but usually, the worst thing I can think of is what happens.
Amber - You know I love how you incorporate so much Welsh into your books. How did your love of Wales/Welsh start?
Nancy – My first husband was English, and we lived in London for several years. We didn't have a lot of money (we were both students at the time), but we traveled around the UK when we could. I thought Wales was one of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen. As I've told you in the past, it's my dream to rent a seaside cottage in Pembrokeshire and spend a month there, writing.
Amber - How do you pick the names for your characters? Do they have any special meanings?
Nancy – I pick names more by how they feel and sound than by what they mean. Sometimes, I'll be writing and using a certain name for a character, but the name somehow doesn't "click." When that happens, I pick another name and try that one out. I get a lot of character names from browsing the phone book; I've also given a couple of friends cameo appearances by naming a character after them. (They asked; I wouldn't use someone's name without their OK!)
Amber - How many books do you have planned for the series? Do you already have an end game ready?
Nancy – There will be six books in the series, and I do know how it will end (although I'm always open to surprises as I write). I'm also planning to write a novella-length prequel set during Boston's zombie plague. I'd like to package that with some short stories featuring supporting characters and make it available as an ebook.
Amber - When can we expect the fifth book? Can you tell us something about it?
Nancy – The fifth book will be out in 2013; I don't know the exact date yet. Its working title is Hellhound. In Darklands, Vicky makes a bargain with the Night Hag, who chases lost souls across the border into the Darklands, to get into the realm of the dead. The Night Hag is a huntress who drives a pack of hellhounds, and by the end of Darklands she's not yet finished with Vicky and her friends.
Amber - How long on average does it take you to write a book? Do you have a process you follow? or do you just start at page one and see what happens?
Nancy – I can usually write a first draft in 2–3 months. It takes another 1–2 months to get that draft into decent shape (which means one significant rewrite and one polishing). And of course, I'll work with my editor to complete another draft or two after that. For me, the first draft is the hardest. It's tough facing the blank page. I like having something to work with, taking a sketched-out scene and bringing it more fully to life.
Amber - How do you come up with the titles for your books? Do you always go with the first title or is it hard to come up with the right one?
Nancy – I've done it both ways. Coming up with the title of the first book, Deadtown, was a trial-and-error process that involved brainstorming from me, my editor, and her boss. For later books, I try to come up with titles that have the same feel as Deadtown (two syllables, both stressed) so they'll link the books and look similar on the cover. I considered quite a few possibilities before I came up with Darklands. (I think I was calling Annwn "the Otherworld" in the manuscript before I decided to use the term "the Darklands.")
Amber - If the series was going to be made into a TV series or Film, who would you like to see playing the main characters?
Nancy – I go back and forth on this question. I've never yet encountered an actress who's quite like the image of Vicky who lives in my mind. When Emma Watson first cut her hair short, I thought perhaps she could play Vicky when she got a bit older. I'm always interested to hear which actresses readers think would make a good Vicky, because it helps me see how they imagine her as they read.
Amber - Are you a full time writer or do you have a day job? If yes, How do you divide your time?
Nancy – I'm a full-time writer, but half my income comes from writing nonfiction. I do freelance writing related to education (such as content for online courses), and I also write how-to and reference books. I try to write fiction first thing in the morning, but I'm not always good at jumping right in. I've found that taking five minutes to sketch out what will happen in the scene really helps me focus.
Amber - Are you working on any other projects you would like to tell us about?
Nancy – I've got several back-burner ideas I'm getting ready to develop. The one I'd most like to write is a dark historical fantasy set in the late 19th century. Not steampunk—what I have in mind is closer to horror. Sort of stylish horror. I've also got an idea for a standalone that would be closer to paranormal romance than my urban fantasy is. When I finish the draft of Deadtown 5, I plan to spend some time with these ideas to see which one takes off.
Amber - What are you listening and watching lately? Is there any music or other media that influences your writing?
Nancy – I'm an opera fanatic, so I'm looking forward to the start of the new opera season. A movie theatre near my house shows HD simulcasts of certain productions at the Metropolitan Opera. I rarely miss those. I don't listen to music while I write, though. I'm one of those writers who work best when it's quiet.
Amber - What about books? What have you been reading? Any recommendations?
Nancy – Lately I can't seem to get enough ghost stories, the more Gothic the better. (This might account for my desire to write a dark fantasy/horror novel.) Recently, I've really enjoyed The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (much better than the movie), The Ghost Writer by Australian author John Harwood, and Audrey's Door by Sarah Langan. I also was really impressed by Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, which I can't believe I'd never read before. It was one of those books I kept thinking about for days after I'd finished it.
Amber - Who has been your biggest inspiration in life?
Nancy – That's hard to say. Probably my husband, Steve, who helped me believe I could become a writer—and gave me the time and support I needed to actually do it.
Amber - If you could talk to any famous person, alive or dead, who would you meet up with? and why?
Nancy - I started my career as a medievalist, and I've always been fascinated by Christine de Pizan, who lived in France in the late 14th/early 15th century. She's considered Europe's first professional woman writer. As a girl, she received an unusually strong education in languages and the classics, at least partly self-taught. When she was widowed at the age of 24, she decided she'd support herself, her mother, and her three children by writing. She was a popular poet and wrote The Book of the City of Ladies to refute the misogyny expressed in works such as The Romance of the Rose. I'd love to hear her thoughts on writing, her life, and her times.
Amber - Thanks for visiting Amberkatze's Book Blog again!
They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its border—but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…
Boston’s demons have been disappearing, and Vicky’s clients are canceling left and right. While fewer demons might seem like a good thing, Vicky suspects foul play. A missing Celtic cauldron from Harvard’s Peabody museum leads her to an unwelcome conclusion: Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and bitter enemy, is trying to regain his full powers.
But Pryce isn’t alone. He’s conjured another, darker villain from Vicky’s past. To stop them from destroying everything she loves, she’ll have to face her own worst fear—in the realm of the dead itself
My Thoughts :
I have been enjoying the Deadtown series since the first book released. It made me go 'WOW' back then and it has continued to wow me since. With a captivating plot and kick-ass heroine it is really one of my favourite reads. I love catching up with Vicky and the whole wonderful strange weirdness that is Deadtown. Nancy Holzner has built up a fascinating world that I continue to enjoy and that keeps surprising me. I love it!
Darklands starts with action and excitement and that is the general speed throughout the book. You hardly have time to take a breath and something else amazing has happened or is taking place. It sounds like it could be too much but the writer has a great way of making the emotions and activity span over a few chapters with new revelations of information coming together all the time. It is truly a work of art.
This time around you can expect some interesting vampire shopping addictions as well as more amazing Welsh mythology blending into the story. Also some relationship struggles and problems with her family and gorgeous werewolf boyfriend. It all just adds to the edgy atmosphere of series. Oh and how could I forget Vicky's zombie 'assistant' she really adds some fun to the books. I hope we get to see more of her in action in the next book.
The only thing I can say I seriously don't like about this series is Vicky's poor hair! On the cover it looks extremely nasty this time around and yes I know it is because of her shifting abilities but could she not get a nice wig? I feel so sorry for her!
You haven't tried this series yet? Then you have to! There is nothing else out there like this and you won't regret it. An amazing Paranormal Urban Fantasy series that I hope keeps going strong. I can't get enough and look forward to the next super installment.
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 won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!
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.
I picked my five best reads from January and you vote for your favourite. The one you most want to win. The book that wins the vote is the prize!
Everyone can enter!
Just sign up for the newsletter (and confirm your registration!) and you are automatically entered for this months giveaway and every other monthly giveaway!
Here is a little info about each book on offer this month. Just click on the book title and author to see my review -
Please use the links around the site to buy your books and help keep the contests going!
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For more chances to win -
Post about this giveaway somewhere on the internet eg. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. Make sure you post the link here so I can confirm your extra entry.
Email your friends about this giveaway. Make sure you add my email address so I also get a copy and can confirm your entry. Amberkatzes_Book_Blog@gmx.eu
The new year got off to a great start with some amazing reads in January. I managed to get quite a bit of reading done and I hope you all did too!
Want to win one of the books I read in January? Well you can! It is time for the Monthly Giveaway! You have the chance to vote for which book you want to win from my five favourite reads from last month!
What is the Monthly Giveaway?
I pick five of my favourite reads from the last month (sorry no ARCs are included!) 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 is a little info about each book on offer this month. Just click on the book title and author to see my review -
Well in the sidebar <--- there is this poll. You vote for the book you would most like to win. I pick a name from the subscibers list and that person wins the book with the most votes. So you may not even win the book you voted for!
To subscribe to Amberkatze's Book Blog all you have to do is use the box in the sidebar <--- or at the bottom of this post. Everyone who is already subscribed will be entered in the contest as well as new subscribers. If you have not confirmed your email address then you will not be added to the draw!!! The poll will stay open for votes until Thursday 16th of February 2012 4pm (all times are in Central European Time). The winner will be announced within days of the contest closing.
Post about this giveaway somewhere on the internet eg. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. Make sure you post the link here so I can confirm your extra entry.
Email your friends about this giveaway. Make sure you add my email address so I also get a copy and can confirm your entry. Amberkatzes_Book_Blog@gmx.eu
Use the Bookdepository or Amazon links/banners to keep the prizes coming! Oh and advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog wherever you can ;)
