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April 17, 2012 Books of the Week:
I was fortunate enough to be on a couple of panels with Jeaniene Frost at Romantic Times and C2E2 in Chicago this past weekend, and even more fortunate to snag a copy of Once Burned, which will be out in JUNE. I always open a Frost book with happy anticipation, and I’ve never been disappointed. Her forthcoming book is the story of Vlad, already introduced in past novels, and his meeting with Leila, a young woman who’s scarred and altered by her exposure to a massive dose of electricity. This has left her with an unusual power that she’s never mastered. Leila is estranged from her family and working in a circus when she’s kidnapped, and her life changes yet again. Vlad, who can set objects (and people) on fire, imprisons her in his castle while he tries to find out who’s attempting to use Leila to kill him. This book is a lot of fun – very suspenseful, very fast-paced. One of my favorite books as a child was The Pink Motel, and I was fortunate enough to find a copy through a second-hand book dealer. Carol Ryrie Brink’s charming book features the Mellens, a family with two children, Kirby and Bitsy. The Mellens receive an unsual legacy; a motel in Florida, from their Uncle Hiram. They arrive to take over, and the winter guests (mostly regulars) arrive. They are all talented and eccentric, and the children are very happy in their new life. But there are villains, as you might expect, seeking after Uncle Hiram’s secret treasure. This book, which I feel is appropriate for any child who can read, is a real winner. It won’t satisfy today’s young adults, but for ages 9-12 it should be perfect. Myke Cole and I have the same agent, Joshua Bilmes at JABberwocky. I probably wouldn’t have bought Shadow Ops: Control Point if I hadn’t met and liked Myke. That would have been a mistake on my part. Myke’s first book is the beginning of a series of military science fiction, and Peter Brett’s cover blurb reads “Black Hawk Down meets The X-Men.” That’s so accurate I’m quoting the quote. Oscar Britton, an officer in the Supernatural Operations Corps, has been trained to suppress rogue magicians by violent means, if necessary. To his horror, his latent magic tendencies suddenly roar into life, and he becomes a fugitive from the military machine. Captured, he’s taken to a secret encampment and put to work by a secret organization (Yes!). Oscar gets stomped on and forced into things that protagonists seldom have to suffer, and he struggles to think strategically in the face of terrible stress. I haven’t finished this book yet, but I’m definitely enjoying it. Blog As most of you know, next week I’ll fly to Boston for The Big Thrill, a fund-raising event, then to Washington for Malice Domestic, then to the first stop on my tour. So there may not be a new Book & Blog for a few weeks, unless I grab some downtime in a hotel room along the way. I’ll be taking my laptop and hoping to advance the next book by a few pages while I’m on the road. Tour is both exciting and wearying. I love to meet the people who actually read the books, and I enjoy answering their questions and hearing their comments. It’s a source of pride to me that bookstores are glad to see me and my readers. I’ve heard the comment often that the people who come to my events are almost universally well-behaved and understanding of the fact that each store has to stick to some rules to make the event move at a reasonable pace. The wearying part, of course, is the travel part. There’s no way around that, and I use the time to read, of course. I have a hard time writing in an airport – it’s just too busy – but sometimes I manage to work in my room. As always, I regret that I can’t reach more places, but there’s a limit to the time I’m willing to spend away from home and there’s definitely a limit to my stamina. However, please turn out to see me, and we’ll have a good time together. And most of all, I hope you enjoy DEADLOCKED. Charlaine Harris |
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© 2012 Charlaine Harris
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