Fangtastic Friday: The Revenge of Barrons…

… yes, THAT Barrons.  The shove you against the wall and kiss (and …other things…) your socks off Barrons.  The beast who takes what he wants and f*ck anyone who gets in his way Barrons.  The irreverant, cocky, smart, strong, sexy man who can make a woman want to run away and beg for more at the same time Barrons.  Yeah, him.

If you haven’t heard, Badass Barrons competed in the Vampire Book Club’s Alpha Showdown earlier this summer (just what we needed – a Barrons with an even further-inflated ego) and in return for a win, Fever series author Karen Marie Moning promised the fans a little sexy time from Barrons’s point of view.  That was a pretty exciting prospect for fans of the series and the votes poured in, ultimately crowning our broodingly reluctant hero as champion.  Just one hitch in this happily-ever-after… Barrons apparently did not consent to this deal and fought Ms. Moning at every opportunity.  When she finally posted the scene on her site, it was obvious that he’d put her through the ringer and then some, so she wrote a revealing intro to the scene and shared a (until recently) private piece of her creative process: the Barrons APOE, or Attitude Point of Entry.  Apparently she won the battle for the scene but ultimately lost the war; we won’t be seeing any other Barrons POV scenes unless he grants us the very highly unlikely privilege.  A shame, because this scene is really something, and I was surprised to see that it actually occurs in Darkfever, the first book of the series, and yet still manages to fit seamlessly into the storyline.

Already read the scene and still can’t get enough of Barrons?  Dreamworks recently acquired the film rights to the Fever series and after much animated discussion on her Facebook page, Ms. Moning reassured fans that she wouldn’t have sold the rights if she didn’t believe Dreamworks could do it justice.  Will the Fever series movies be able to compete against fan favorites like The Hunger Games and Marvel Superheroes?  We can only hope, because this series has the potential to be EPIC!  Intense, emotional, full of action & violence, as well as sex and drugs… well, the rhino-boy version anyway.  *wink*  Keep your fingers crossed for Darkfever The Movie!

Read the Barrons POV scene here…

Other fun links…

• Karen Marie Moning FaceBook page
• The Fever Series website

Q&A with Lisa Kessler, author of Night Walker!

Earlier this month, Lisa Kessler released her debut paranormal romance novel Night Walker, the first in the new Night series from Entangled Publishing.  GT was fortunate enough to get our hands on an advance copy and thoroughly enjoyed reading and reviewing it.  Night Walker was awarded a rating of 4 Hearts and our Bronze Heart Award for excellence in PNR fiction.  (note: “hearts” and “awards” are our new rating system, to be launched in September with the new GT site – stay tuned for more info!).  Ms. Kessler has been busy promoting her new book this month with a full schedule of blog guest appearances and interviews, and was gracious enough to allow GT to pepper her with questions about Night Walker, her work as an author, and even a few nosy personal ones!  Here’s what she had to say…

GT: Congratulations on publishing your new Night Walker series! Can you share a little of your journey and what kept you going?

Thank you!  Getting my first book published was definitely the toughest goal I have ever achieved.

There were lots of rejections. Night Walker is a unique novel that mixes time periods and it’s pretty dark too, so while I got lots of full reads from publishing houses in New York, they weren’t sure what to do with it.

At one point I gave up on Night Walker and set it aside to write a new series. (The Moon Series) But while those were tied up in a contest, Entangled invited me to submit. All I had left was Night Walker, so I held my breath and sent it off.

I really believe it was all meant to be. Night Walker found the perfect home with Entangled and I’m really excited about the rest of the series…

GT: How did you celebrate your first big release day?

I didn’t have a copy of my book to hold in my hands yet, but my hubby took me out to dinner… 🙂

GT: Where did you get your inspiration for creating the Night series?

It all started with wanting to write a novel with immortals, but set it on the west coast. Since the Mission de Alcala is the oldest building in San Diego, it seemed like the perfect place to start.

While researching, I discovered the peaceful Kumeyaay tribes actually attacked the Mission in the 1700’s, burned it to the ground and beat the head priest so badly he could only be identified by the rings on his hand.

All we have are theories as to what could have provoked such a vicious attack from a peaceful group. I made up my own theory that a young native girl was murdered. Once I had that worked out, I knew she had to be reincarnated in order for me to tell the story in contemporary times.

GT: Calisto doesn’t see himself as a “vampire”. Will we see more of this dichotomy between the two and get a better understanding of what the difference between “night walker” and “vampire” is?

Yes in the novella, Night Thief, you’ll actually see a Night Walker go up against a vampire villain…  Also in Night Demon (Book #2) you’ll meet the original 4 Night Walker brothers so you’ll get even more background on what makes a Night Walker different from a vampire…

GT: Will Calisto and Kate be the central characters for the rest of the series or will upcoming books focus on other characters?

Calisto and Kate are in Night Demon (Book 2) but as supporting cast.  Night Demon is a chance for Lukas and Gretchen to step into the spotlight.  You got a glimpse of Lukas in Night Walker, and Gretchen is a new human character.

GT: How many books do you expect to publish in the series?

At this point there will be 3 books and a novella.

GT: You got an early start as a writer (6th grade!). What other jobs have you held between writing assignments since then?

Let’s see, I’ve given horseback riding lessons, girl scout leader, singer, and a sales person in our family window covering business…  Glamorous, right? LOL

GT: What is your typical schedule when writing a new book?

When I’m writing a new book I write 20 pages, then edit those, then write the next 20 pages, etc. By the end I usually have a pretty clean first draft.

GT: When you find yourself in a plot hole or with writers block, how do you work out of it?

I’ve never had writer’s block, and plot holes aren’t usually an issue.  However when I get to the middle of the book and the pacing starts to feel a little slow it’s usually time to “up the body count”.  Nothing like a dead character to bring up the tension! 🙂

GT: What do you think inspires a good story?

Good characters.  If I can relate to the characters and enjoy spending time with them, it makes all the difference.

GT: Being married to a fellow writer, do you find you’re able to feed off each other’s creativity or do you need definite “me” time?

I feel blessed for being married to another writer.  He’s always my first reader, and he really understands the process and respects me for it.  I haven’t always had that kind of support, so I recognize it for the gift it is! LOL

GT: You’ve been in quite a few musical theater productions (check out Lisa’s music here). Do you have any upcoming projects we can look forward to?

Sadly with my full writing schedule, I don’t have time for all the rehearsals for stage productions.  These days I’ve cut back to one church job and singing for weddings and memorials…

The Gauntlet (rapid-fire Q’s with top-o-the-brain A’s)

GT: All-time favorite movie?

Rocky & Camelot

GT: Top 5 most played songs on your ipod/music list?

I don’t have an iPod! LOL  I’m so old school…  Right now based on the books I’m editing and blogs I’m writing my playlist Top 5 is probably…

Come What May – Moulin Rouge

If I Can’t Love Her – Beauty and the Beast

Bad Things – Jace Everett

Broken – Seether

My Immortal – Evanescence

GT: What book are you reading right now?

Spell Bound – Kelley Armstrong and I’m LOVING it!  Great urban fantasy…

GT: Favorite non-romance book?

The Mists of Avalon – Marion Zimmer Bradley

GT: Favorite couple, hero, or heroine in a PNR/UF series (that is not your own)?

Zack and Aura in Jeri Smith-Ready’s Shade trilogy

GT: Team Bill or Team Eric? (because we know you’re a Truebie!)

I’m still Team Bill…  Even though they’re doing different things with the show I think it’s still obvious that Bill is sacrificing his own happiness to keep Sookie’s secret safe from the vampires…

GT: Star Trek, Star Wars, or Star Gate?

Star Wars

GT: Boxers or briefs?

Boxers

GT: Biggest pet peeve?

Mean People… Ugh!

GT: If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be…

San Diego…  What can I say I’m super spoiled by the weather here! LOL

To check Ms. Kessler’s other Blog Tour stops, see her schedule here.

Here are some online purchase links for Night Walker…

• Barnes&Noble
• Amazon
• BooksOnBoard

Hope you had as much fun reading this interview as we did chatting with Ms. Kessler and writing it!

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Psy/Changeling news from Nalini Singh

Last week on her blog, Psy/Changeling and Guild Hunter series author Nalini Singh announced the starring couple for her next Psy/Changeling novel and teased a little of the new content…

The book will feature Adria and Riaz. The Arrows will also play a strong role, as will Councilor Kaleb Krychek.

What I haven’t shared until now, is that Hawke and Sienna will also have a very strong presence in this book. We’re going to see the next step of their relationship, and I think the book will interlink very closely with Kiss of Snow in that sense.

I can’t share anything more at this stage – I’ll probably talk a little more about the book once I have a completed near-final draft.

Oh, and the yummy image at the top of this post?   That’s the UK cover of Kiss of Snow.  Thinkin’ about snagging one?  Maybe just a little?  *wink*

To stay up to date with all the latest news, straight from Ms. Singh herself, subscribe to her Newsletter (be sure to click the confirm link sent to your e-mail after you sign up).

Related links:

http://www.nalinisingh.com/ (The Psy/Changeling series website)

Nalini Singh blog

Nalini Singh Newsletter subscription

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Review: Dark Leopard Magic, by Sapphire Phelan

TLDR recap:

Orphaned a 16, Dev has lead a difficult and lonely life as a transient wereleopard shifter.  Montsho, alpha of his African wereleopard pard, has known only women and is uncomfortably surprised to find that the Dreaming has brought him news of a male as his mate.  While Dev helps Montsho learn to accept and become comfortable in their new relationship, he discovers a mystery that hits too close to home to ignore.  These two strong-willed men will face more than just social struggles on their journey together.  This story is erotic and sweet, but the writing is a little lacking in finesse.

• Title: Dark Leopard Magic
• Series: n/a
• Author: Sapphire Phelan
• Prominent Characters: Dev & Montsho
• Recommended reader age: 18+
• Sexual content level: heavy and explicit (vulgar language typical of erotica)
• Classification: m/m erotica

***** CONTENT ALERT: This is a review of a male/male erotica book.  If anything about that statement offends you or if you have delicate sensibilities, you may consider skipping this review.  Nothing here is crude or explicit, but some of the visuals evoked might be disturbing to you.  Consider yourself warned.  =) *****

Thoughts:

The story starts out with a quick and dirty (and a little gruesome!) waltz through Dev’s past, told in jaded, sharp-tongued first-person.  The second chapter unexpectedly changes to the first-person perspective of Montsho (communicated only by the chapter title) after awakening from a disturbing erotic Dreaming of Dev.  I like the idea that one of the men in this relationship has to be willing to go way outside his comfort zone in order to find the happiness they’ve been promised.  That said, however, I don’t feel there was enough of a struggle for Montsho before he caves to the inevitable and starts declaring his love.  I found it fairly unrealistic that a seemingly-straight man would allow another strange guy he’s basically just met to do things to him that he’s never even thought about before… but hey, it’s erotica, right?  Isn’t that sort of the point?  Yeah, agreed, but I think there could have been a much stronger build-up of sexual tension between them before the first penetration happens, and (true to the romantic stereotype) there seems to be absolutely no physical repercussions of these new (and heavily repeated!) activities.  “But they’re shifters – they heal fast!” Sure, they heal fast, but they still feel pain and they still have at least a small recovery time.  Meh, who reads this stuff for realism?!  Not I… *wink*

For those who are adamantly opposed to sex scenes with humans and animals, know that there is some borderline beastiality in this book.  It feels carefully written, so that they’re never human/cat (not for very long anyway) but always human/human or cat/cat.  I didn’t really get much out of the cat/cat parts, but they aren’t that plentiful or as explicit and are always paired with the human scenes.  The human/human scenes are definitely explicit but not overly long.  There is a good mix of passion and tenderness, and a decent dominance tradeoff between the two “alpha” males.

The dual first-person perspective is an interesting writing technique that I haven’t seen much of, and Ms. Phelan uses it effectively to express the dichotomy of personality between our two heroes.  Dev most definitely identifies more with his leopard than with his human side, and he makes no apologies for it… wild, careless, and without roots is how he prefers to live.  Montsho is a respected pard leader and enforcer, cognizant of his impact on those around him, and takes comfort in the structure and familiarity of his pard.   However, the dialogue occasionally teeters between childish and preachy, sometimes resulting in a stuffy feel to the conversations.  The sexual vocabulary is also awkward and cheesy at times, taking me out of the moment to try to process what I’ve read and understand what context the author intended it in.  There was a fair amount of snickering over terms like “ambrosia” and “nectar”.

Memorable quotes:

But it sucks so good! (I know I know, I just couldn’t resist this one…)

We were a perfect, blazing circle of suck.

If you like Dark Leopard Magic…

If you enjoyed Dark Leopard Magic for its shapeshifting and paranormal storyline, you may also like the books in the Psy/Changeling series (starting with Slave to Sensation) by Nalini Singh.  Ms. Singh has created a rich world of shifters, mentally-gifted Psy, humans, and all the passion and politics that comes with the mix.

If you liked Dark Leopard Magic for its male/male erotically explicit romance, you might enjoy The Vampire Queen series by Joey W. Hill, particular books 5 and 6 which star Gideon and Daegan.  Now if you’ve read those books, I know what you’re probably thinking… “but those books are really more about a F/M/M BDSM threesome than a M/M romance!” and yes, that’s absolutely true.  I haven’t read much M/M erotica yet, so I’ll probably have more appropriate recommendations for you in the next few months.  =)

Final thoughts:

The opening of the book is a story of survival, a young man’s acceptance of his beast and his struggle to live alone in a human world he knows little about.  It’s initially difficult to identify with Dev because of his cavalier and violent attitude toward humans, even with regards to sex.  There’s a pretty disturbing scene before he meets Montsho that involves a little dismembering – best not to let your guy friends read that bit.  The story feels a little loose but I can see where Ms. Phelan was going with it, and the relationship and chemistry between the characters, while accelerated a little too early in my opinion, was strong enough to overpower the plot.  As it should be, with erotica.  =)

I would have liked to give this a rating of 4, but there are just too many spelling and grammar mistakes that took me completely out of my headspace, and the dialogue turned awkward a little too often.  Some people may think this review and analysis is overkill for a story classified as “erotica”, so to all the unenlightened I say this: read the Vampire Queen series by Joey Hill and then tell me you don’t think a high standard has been set for the genre of paranormal erotica!

If male/male erotica is your thing, grammar and spelling don’t phase you, and you’re just in it for the smexy, you will probably enjoy this book.  Dev and Mont definitely have chemistry and there’s a little mystery and action to be had as well.

Rating:

3.5 fangs: Bite worthy!

*Original review done for The Forbidden Bookshelf.  Go here to see it.

Related links:

http://www.sapphirephelan.com/ (Sapphire Phelan’s website)

http://www.nalinisingh.com/ (The Psy/Changeling series website)

http://www.storywitch.com/ (The Vampire Queen series website)

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Night Huntress World: Vlad & Leila celebrate their first title!

She’s a mortal with dark powers…He’s the Prince of Night…

Jeaniene Frost, author of the popular Night Huntress & Night Huntress World series’ has released the title of her first book in the upcoming Vlad & Leila series, featuring everyone’s favorite pyrokinetic vampire and his new, apparently mortal, lady love.  Ready for this?

Once Burned

*mwuah!* Perfecto!  On the as-yet-mysterious Leila, Ms. Frost says…

Leila has some unusual abilities, too, but I can’t say more about those until I’m allowed to release the book description.

And of course, we all want to know the release date now that it’s really for real!  Sheesh…

ONCE BURNED is tentatively scheduled to release on March 29th, 2012, assuming I can finish it soon. Cross your fingers for me  .

We definitely will.  *wink*  And you can bet on legions of Cat & Bones fans eagerly hitting bookstores on release day to devour the new Vlad novel (myself included)!  =)

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New John Pritkin short by Karen Chance: A Family Affair

A Family Affair, the new John Pritkin short story by Karen Chance, is now available on Ms. Chance’s website for your viewing pleasure!  Spells will be slung and potions will be flung, so read at your own risk!  *grin*

This short story adventure, featuring everyone’s favorite DSWM (Dirty Sexy War Mage), takes place between the events of Curse the Dawn and Hunt the Moon (books #4 and #5 in the series) and does contain spoilers for the first four books of the Cassie Palmer series, so I highly recommend not reading A Family Affair until after you’ve finished Curse the Dawn!

If you still can’t get enough Pritkin, head over to the John Pritkin Facebook fan group and chat him up with the other DSWM addicts!  It’s an open group, so just request to join!  =)

In other Karen Chance news…

We just received word, Fury’s Kiss, the third Dorina Basarab novel, will be published in July 2012!  We also hope to have another Cassie book out that year; more on that as info becomes available.

To read A Family Affair directly from Ms. Chance’s website, click here!  The story is also accessible via SmashWords and can be downloaded to your mobile device and viewed in your favorite app.

• Karen Chance’s Cassie Palmer website
• Read A Family Affair on the Cassie Palmer website
• Read A Family Affair on Smashwords
• The Cassandra Palmer Series by Karen Chance Facebook page
• The John Pritkin Facebook Fan Group

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Dual Review: Vampire Mistress and Vampire Trinity (The Vampire Queen series #5 and #6), by Joey W. Hill

TLDR recap:

Renegade vampire hunter Gideon Green is a wandering soul, lashing out at everyone who tries to help him in his search to find peace and a place to belong.  Anywn Naime, owner of the successful BDSM club Atlantis, is a natural dominant and has the ability to reach into the hearts of her clients to bring them face-to-face with dangerous and frightening truths.  Vampire Daegan Rei is a mystery, a chillingly effective killer with unswerving loyalty to Anwyn and an unsettling interest in the wayward vampire hunter.  Gideon’s struggle with what his rough life has made of him, and who he subconsciously wants to become, is vulnerably gut-wrenching and will touch even the most cynical readers.

• Title: Vampire Mistress, Vampire Trinity
• Series: The Vampire Queen series – books #5 & #6
• Author: Joey W. Hill
• Prominent Characters: Gideon Green, Anwyn Naime, Daegan Rei
• Recommended reader age: 18+
• Sexual content level: heavy and explicit (vulgar language typical of erotica)

Thoughts:

The first book in the Gideon duet, Vampire Mistress, centers around the renowned troubled vampire hunter Gideon Green and the consummate BDSM club mistress Anwyn Naime, and his path to becoming a marked servant.  The second book, Vampire Trinity, focuses on the relationship between Gideon and Daegan Rei and the ties that bind the three of them together.   As with books #1 and #2 in this series, I’m reviewing these as a set – they were written with the intention of being read as one story, so one feels incomplete without the other.

Gideon’s path to accepting and becoming part of his vampire trinity is sometimes uncomfortably arousing in its poignant brutality.  The vampire hunter’s reluctant regard for Daegan offends his staunchly hetero sensibilities and leads him on a harrowing journey of self-discovery and acceptance.  The psychological impact of his fight, acceptance, and submission is masterfully crafted.  Gideon’s journey is as physically traumatic as his brother Jacob’s, and even more so psychologically.

Ms. Hill definitely understands how to tame an alpha male without breaking him or taking away what makes him special.  If Jacob’s journey was heartbreaking and scintillating, Gideon’s is excruciatingly personal and explosively erotic.

I’m no expert in the psychology of domination and submission, but the dichotomy between Gideon’s heart’s desire and what his soul demands is intriguing and immersive.  The art of domination, of looking into someone’s soul, understanding what they need and knowing how to help them realize it, walks a very fine line between compassion and abuse, and for someone as emotionally scarred as Gideon, it is a razor edge.

On a geekier note, there are two separate references to World of Warcraft in Vampire Mistress.  Think Ms. Hill actually plays?  For the Horde!

Memorable quotes:

I’m quoting for two books, so get comfy!  =D

The psychology of dog (people?) whispering…

“In order to understand a creature’s pain, ,you have to step inside him, see through his eyes.  And be strong enough not to feel sorry for him, in order to teach him how to be a dog again.  Live in the moment, because this moment is all there is.”

Dangerously conflicted…

“Your problem is your mind came here looking for what you want, rather than what you need.  Your soul is the battleground between those two forces.”

Nothing a good titanium pair of handcuffs can’t solve…

Goddess save her from alpha males, and their irritating habit of switching from emotionally closed, dysfunctional pains in the ass to knights in shining armor in a heartbeat, sweeping a woman’s legs right out from under her.

It’s never too late to apologize… 

“Well, me and Don Juan, we don’t hang out as much as we used to.”

Trusting your own emotions?  Pffft, overrated.

Oh yeah, ego stroking.  His subconscious was working this angle hard.  Freaking little internal hustler.

Gotta draw the line somewhere!

He definitely had rules about bathing with naked male vampires he didn’t know.  Hell, with naked men he didn’t know.

Parental supervision not required…

“Maybe, Dad.  They’re having karaoke night at Floyd’s down the street.  I’ve been itching to give them my rendition of ‘Back in Black’.”

Real strength comes from within…

“Nothing outside of you destroys who you are, what you want to be.  If you’re strong enough, you can put it back together, no matter who or what shatters you.”

The quandary of leadership…

“A true leader does want to lead, because he or she believes the goal is important.  The more appropriate adage is that a person takes a leadership role, not because he or she wants to be important, but because the job itself is important.”

Ah, the sophisticate wine connoisseur…

Jesus, how many bottles of wine did anyone need?  He chose one at length, mainly because he liked the dog printed on it.

If you like Vampire Mistress and Vampire Trinity of The Vampire Queen series…

If you enjoyed Vampire Mistress, Vampire Trinity, and the rest of the Vampire Queen series for its paranormal ties (vampire society with humans who serve as blood hosts), check out the Night Huntress series (Cat & Bones, starting with Halfway to the Grave) by Jeaniene Frost.  The NH books are not erotica but they feature strong ties between a central couple and they definitely have their share of steamy scenes.

If you enjoyed Vampire Mistress and Vampire Trinity for its acceptance of alternative sexuality but you don’t want to read full erotica, try the Black Dagger Brotherhood (starting with Dark Lover) by J.R. Ward.  The BDB books are tamer but still have emotional and sensual impact, and Ms. Ward is not afraid to consider the reality of men who love men.

Final thoughts:

Vampire Mistress and Vampire Trinity are raw and revealing, especially on the part of Gideon, but for the two vampires as well.  Ms. Hill leads us straight into their souls and lets us experience firsthand their anguish, uncertainty, passion, and triumph.  This entire series is an emotionally supercharged freight train that will blow your mind and leave you begging for more!

Rating: Vampire Mistress	Rating: Vampire Trinity
4.5 fangs: BITE IT!	5 fangs: DEVOUR IT!

Related links:

http://www.storywitch.com/ (The Vampire Queen series website)

http://jeanienefrost.com/ (The Night Huntress series website)

http://www.jrward.com/bdb/ (The Black Dagger Brotherhood website)

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One Grave at a Time: newest Night Huntress book trailer and excerpts!

For Cat & Bones fans, the wait for Book 6 is nearly over.  One Grave at a Time doesn’t hit bookshelves until the end of this month (August 30th), but impatient readers can get an early glimpse of the first three chapters on Ms. Frost’s website.  To spoil or not to spoil, that is the question!  Actually, it’s more like “excellent impulse control or rabid pleasure seeker?” because anyone who’s already a fan of this series is going to have a tough time not taking a peek!  If you’re of the “give it to me now!” camp, click here to read the teaser chapters.

Whether or not you choose to indulge in the chapter previews, you can safely check out the book trailer sans spoilers!  (Psst – click Play below!) 

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Release day: Night Walker (The Night series #1) by Lisa Kessler

Related links:

Lisa Kessler’s Night Walker, the first novel in the new Night Series from Entangled Publishing, is now available at your favorite bookseller!  If you missed my review of Night Walker, check it out here and then go pick up your own copy and get to know Calisto and Kate.  If you need to stop for a few, to ogle the cover eye candy, that’s perfectly acceptable.  *grin*

Here are some online purchase links…

• Barnes&Noble
• Amazon
• BooksOnBoard

Enjoy!

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Q&A with Karen Chance: Cassie & Pritkin & demons, oh my!

Karen Chance, author of the infectiously fun fantasy Cassie Palmer series, posted a new Q&A about the books and characters on her “The Cassandra Palmer Series by Karen Chance” page on Facebook, and in it she answers some burning questions fans had about characters and events in the books.

*** Spoiler note: If you have not read the Cassie Palmer series but plan to, and want absolutely no knowledge of any goings-on before reading, skip down the the “It’s all in the shorts…” section of this post. ***

Fan Q&A with Karen Chance

What exactly is a warlock? 

 Charley Sheen. It can also be a term for a mage who specializes in demonology, can summon demons and can put some of them in thrall.

In Claimed by Shadow, Pritkin confronts Cassie and Casanova in Casanova’s monitoring room, Billy comes in and starts making wisecracks, and Casanova takes a swat at him. Cassie explains that Casanova is able to hear Billy due to “his demon senses.” Pritkin is also in the room, though, and he cannot hear Billy.

They’re both Incubi. I would put it down to Casanova being in a vampire host while Pritkin’s other half is human, but other vampires cannot hear Billy either. Does this have something to do with Casanova being an Incubi possessing a vampire (thus being a spirit, sort of) while Pritkin is a half-Incubi, half-human physically living in this world?

Firstly, Casanova isn’t in a vampire host.  The vampire who calls himself by that name does so because his incubus (or succubus, if you prefer, since he thinks of it as female) used to possess the real Casanova.  But the incubus isn’t Casanova and the guy who calls himself that isn’t either.  Basically, he’s being pretentious.

Secondly, Pritkin isn’t a demon.  He isn’t even possessed by a demon.  He’s a human-demon hybrid, and like all hybrids, he received some of each parent’s abilities while missing out on others.  Some of the incorporeal demon races can interact with non-demon spirits, but Pritkin didn’t inherit that particular talent.

As for Casanova, when his demon is in residence, so to speak, he gains a good deal from it, including extended senses that other vampires do not have.  It’s one of the reasons he made the deal in the first place.  Hope that helps.

What did Pritkin think Mircea thought he was? If this question is a little confusing, I’m talking about Cassie and Pritkin’s conversation in the restaurant. When Cassie tells him Mircea thinks he’s a warlock, Pritkin seems to feel that there was something Mircea wasn’t telling her. What did Pritkin think Mircea actually thought?

Pritkin and Cassie were having two very different conversations in that instance.  Cassie thought they were talking about the recent attacks on her life.  Pritkin thought they were having a discussion about the few times they had…gotten close.  So he wasn’t thinking about Mircea’s claim that he was a warlock, but rather the motivation behind it—namely a reasonable sounding excuse for keeping Pritkin away from Cassie.

In Touch the Dark, when Pritkin and Cassie first make eye contact in the Senate’s chamber, “something that looked almost like fear crossed” Pritkin’s eyes.  What was it he saw that shook him up?

You need to recall why Pritkin was actually there.  He said it was to claim Cassie on behalf of the Circle (since she was a human magic worker, the vampires had no real right to her).  But in reality, that wasn’t his mission at all.  Of course, the Circle would have been happy to have the vamps merely hand her over, but they didn’t really expect it. And Pritkin was hardly the man they would have sent for a diplomatic mission in any case.  He was there to investigate Cassie, and if she was determined to be a serious threat, to eliminate her.  In other words, he was there in his usual role as an assassin.

The Circle thought it was being clever.  It would kill two birds with one stone—get rid of a pythia who was outside its control and remove one of Jonas’s chief supporters at the same time.  Because the vamps would almost certainly kill Pritkin after he took out Cassie.  It never entered their minds that Pritkin might have a problem going through with the assignment.  He was, after all, a well-known demon hunter.  But killing dangerous rogue demons is a little different from killing A) a human being, B) a woman and C) someone who was about the same age his late wife had been when she died.

Of course, Pritkin hadn’t really thought about it, either.  He was focused on the logistics of the mission and the fact that he was going to have to deal with the Senate, which never made anybody’s day.  But then he came face-to-face with the reality of his situation.  Which was a young, unarmed human female with big blue eyes, tumbled blond curls and a happy face t-shirt.  Who was staring down Jack the Ripper despite having absolutely no way to defend herself.  She was tiny and delicate and courageous and vulnerable and obviously mental for not cowering in a corner and…

And he was appalled.

He was also afraid, because he’d never had a target like this.  And because, to protect the Circle, he might be called upon to kill another young woman, this time on purpose.  And because, for the first time in his career, he wasn’t sure he could do it.  So, since he was Pritkin, he proceeded to act like a dick to hide his fear and to steel himself against her.

Are demons that are incorporeal on Earth (like incubi) corporeal in their own realms in Hell?

First of all, it depends on which realm you mean, because in my universe, “Hell” is a human catch-all name for many, many different areas.  Are you familiar with Buddhist cosmology?  Because if so, the Cassie Palmer universe is structured something like that.  Basically, lots and lots of hells, each one different from the others.  And some of them can support corporeal life (because some demons are born with bodies), but others would be toxic for anything other than a spirit.

Second, it depends on which demon.  Some of the usually incorporeal types can save up enough power to form themselves a body (like Saleh).  Others are spirits wherever they are (like the incubi, except for Rosier, who’s special like that).  And still others are what is called two-natured and can take either form (like Sid).  See “A Family Affair” for an explanation of how it all works.

Pritkin got a pretty nasty wound from a Fey weapon while he was in Faerie. Will it leave a scar?

No.

In HTM, Mircea told Cassie that he borrowed the limo from a friend during their date in London? Who did he contact?

A member of the European Senate who lives there.  Her name—and you knew it was going to be a woman, didn’t you?—is Marsilia.

It’s all in the shorts…

If that wasn’t enough Cassie Palmer goodness, there are three  new “coming soon” shorts listed on Ms. Chance’s “Freebies” page on her site.  The cover art for all three is there, and we get to see two delectably smoldering cover images of everyone’s favorite dirty sexy war mage, John Pritkin, and one of the inimitable master vampire Mircea Basarab.  Check ’em out below and drool to your heart’s content (tip: click to open the full-size image in a new window for optimal ogling)…

Not yet a fan of the Cassie Palmer series by Karen Chance?

You’re missing out on some seriously hair-raising, skin-of-your-teeth, preposterously droll fast-paced action and a witty, charming, steamy, riot of a good time!  Want to learn more?  Check out Ms. Chance’s Cassie Palmer website and meet all your soon-to-be-favorite new characters.  Or you could just pick up Touch the Dark and get started RIGHT MEOW!  You should probably do yourself a favor and just go ahead and get all 5 books while you’re there, and save yourself an impatiently harrowing trip back out after you finish the first one in record time.  Seriously, good luck putting these down to do something so annoying as, oh, sleep or eat!

More links!

• Karen Chance’s Cassie Palmer website
• The Cassandra Palmer Series by Karen Chance Facebook page

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