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We're absolutely delighted to announce that we have launched our Fangtastic chat room where visiting authors will answer your questions, discuss their books and generally have fun with topics about writing. We're incredibly excited and have some terrific authors already lined up .... but for our inaugural Fang Chat our guest host is the wonderful Kim Falconer, author of the fascinating Quantum Enchantment trilogy and Quantum Encryption, her new series being released on 1st August with with book one ,Path of the Stray). When not writing, Kim runs an astrology forum and alternative science site (and trains with a sword so beware!) so we thought that it would be appropriate to have our very first chat at the time of the next new moon .... so on Tuesday August 10,at 8pm Aust EST when the moon is new in Leo (perfect for such a social, creative ventures) come and join us for our very first Fang Author Chat. Many of you might know Kim from her books, from Twitter or maybe from her great comments on our competition blogs, so you'll know that we can expect a lot of fun with this chat. However if you don't yet know her, well let's just say that her chosen topic for the chat is Sex and the SF Fantasy writer - otherwise known as "Blood Sugar Sex Magic"and you'll get the picture that we're going to be in for a lot of laughs, some no doubt risque and inappropriate comments and an insight into a rather challenging aspect of contemporary writing. Yep Kim's ready to get down and dirty on a topic often overlooked and easily misunderstood in both genre and literary fiction. In fact, when describing this topic to us Kim wrote ...... If you think writing sex is simply a matter of describing an image from the Kama Sutra and adding ‘oh yeah, do it to me baby!’ this chat is for you. This is going to be such fun - hope that you can join us!
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Check out what we think at our Book Reviews Page! |
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I really must start off by saying that Power and Majesty has an absolutely gorgeous cover! The dark and imposing city, the threatening glow in the sky, the fragile beauty of the tulle slipdress bedecked with roses and just seen people falling from the sky... This cover is perfectly evocative of the story and the way that Tansy Rayner Roberts is able to balance elements of light and dark, beauty and cruelty in this sweeping new fantasy. It’s this balance between elements that has taken Power and Majesty from being an interesting read to being a book that provokes a great deal of thought over the themes it introduces. The concept of power is at the heart of the characters and events. How the search for power leads to cruelty, abuse and fear of having your power usurped and how power is not enough to be a leader. Then again having a lack of power will leave you at the mercy of others. It seems that it is only when power is balanced with a conscience that Majesty can be achieved. But moving on from the deep and meaningful – this is a really good read! |
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This book, The Dead-Tossed Waves, was awesome. At first I was quite hesitant because of how the first in the series, Forest of Hands and Teeth, ended. I was also hesitant because of how dead-tossed waves started; it was like a happy little story then it just turns. Unlike Forest of hands and teeth, which started off well and then the whole thing just went downhill to a really depressing end, dead-tossed waves was a good book. Wow. The new characters were quite unexpected, though they were actually quite a good touch and came as a surprise. Alias was definitely my favourite though. He was everything wrapped into one. He was a shy character in my opinion which gave it that more exciting. |
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Secret Ones is a wonderful debut that promises an excellent series to come. It’s a little hard to pick a genre to place Secret Ones into. Although there is a VERY strong romance element, in a paranormal setting, there is also a theme of mystery throughout that moves it into the urban fantasy genre. But what I can decide on... it’s good. We have the world building around a whole new race that co-exists with humans, and the world building is done quite well, with slow introduction to the rather complicated hierarchy. However, I do wish there was a glossary, I found it hard to keep track of the different roles, what they did, and who was doing them. It’s a minor gripe, as not truly integral to the story. The mix of the Australian setting with the Irish was incredibly well done. It provided such a definition between the world of the humans and the more isolated world of the gadda, for all that they were hiding ‘in plain sight’ in an Irish town. Ms Murphy played this aspect beautifully, with enough description that even those who’ve never seen the Australian ‘outback’ or an Irish winter could taste the dust or feel the cold wind. |
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You can check out the full list of our reviews at http://www.fangtastic.com.au/book_reviews.php or at http://www.fangtastic.co.nz/book_reviews.php. |
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Paranormal Romance Releases July-August |
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Playing With Fire by Katie MacAllister The heat is on... Despite her unique ability to protect herself by hiding in the shadows, May's on the run for breaking Otherworld law. And she's also in hiding from her demon boss, Magoth, who is absolutely determined to seduce her. But then May meets Gabriel. The most gorgeously, broodingly, handsome piece of trouble you can imagine. Sparks fly - quite literally - when she discovers he's actually a shapeshifting dragon. Read more... |
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Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh Max Shannon is a good cop, one of the best in New York Enforcement, and born with a natural shield that protects him against Psy mental invasions. The last case he expects to be assigned to is that of a murderer targeting a Psy Councilor's closest advisors. And the last woman he expects to compel him in the most sensual of ways is a Psy on the verge of catastrophic mental fracture. Read more ... |
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Water Bound by Christine Feehan For Sid, the last thing he remembered was being enlisted to protect a vulnerable young woman in the coastal town of Sea Haven . Then, as if in some nightmare, the mysteriously sexy bodyguard was lost in the swirling currents of the ocean, and sucked deeper into the nothingness of a freezing black eddy. Just as quickly, just as miraculously, he was saved--pulled ashore by a beautiful stranger. Read more... |
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Dreamveil by Lynn Viehl Taylor: Keeping her identity as a Kyndred secret, Rowan Dietrich, who has the ability to "dreamveil" herself into the object of others' desires, finally makes a new life for herself with world-class chef Jean-Marc, but the GenHance corporation and a relentless bounty hunter will stop at nothing to capture her. Read More... |
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Tall, Dark, and Wolfish by Lydia Dare The reckless, rakish younger brother of a powerful duke, Lord Benjamin Westfield transforms into a wolf under the light of the full moon...until one fateful evening when he doesn't change and his life is shattered. Fearing he may never be able to change again, Benjamin sets out for Scotland in search of a witch who can heal his inner beast. Read More... |
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Taken by Midnight by Lara Adrian At the crossroads of death and desire, a woman tastes a pleasure no mortal is meant to survive . . . In the frozen Alaskan wilderness, former state trooper Jenna Darrow survives an unspeakable breach of body and soul. But with her narrow escape comes an even greater challenge. For strange changes are taking place within her, as she struggles to understand--and control--a new hunger. Read More... |
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Urban Fantasy Releases July-August |
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First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
The aging First Lord of Alera has fallen in battle. Yet his people must continue to resist an invading inhuman army. Desperate Alerans even pledge fealty to the Vord Queen to survive, turning the incredible power of Aleran furies back on their own people. And despite all efforts, the Alerans are being ground into dust and pushed to the farthest reaches of their own realm.However, Tavi has returned with vital insights from the Canim Blood Lands. Read more ... |
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Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border to Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her 'gift' - for Corine is a handler: she can touch something and know its history, and sometimes, its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing - and that's why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance . . . Chance's uncanny luck has led him to her doorstep. He needs her help. Someone dear to them both has gone missing in Laredo, Texas, and the only hope of finding her is through Corine's gift. Read more .... |
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Secret Ones by Nicole Murphy Dreams of Asarlai #1 (This debut from Aussie author Nicole Murphy is a great read ... interesting blend of Irish and Aussie magic and a promise of more intrigue to come.) Maggie Shaunessy is used to keeping secrets. She's a fantastic teacher, but she's also gadda, part of a hidden, powerful race - and she has a habit of annoying the wrong people. Until Lucas Valeroso meets Maggie, he had no idea what awaited him: super-human powers, a smart and beautiful woman interested in more than unlocking his new abilities and, above all, a sense of belonging. Read more ... |
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Darkest Edge of Dawn by Kelly Gay Deep beneath Underground a cunning bid for power and revenge has begun, one that threatens to make Atlanta the new battleground in the ultimate confrontation between heaven and hell. The powers of hellish Charbydon have the upper hand after plunging the city into primordial night. And under the cover of darkness, a serial killer targets the most powerful Elysian’s in the city, the angelic Adonai. Read More... |
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Shadow Chase In a job like this, one mistake can cost you everything. As a Shadowchaser, Kira Solomon has been trained to serve the Light, dispatch the Fallen, and prevent the spread of chaos. It’s a deadly job, and Kira knows the horror of spilling innocent blood. But now she has a new role, as the Hand of Ma’at, the Egyptian Goddess of Truth and Order, and an assignment that might just redeem her. Read More |
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Iron Hunt by Marjorie M Liu During the day, Maxine’s tattoos are her armour and she is invincible. At night they peel from her skin to take on forms of their own, leaving her human and vulnerable, and revealing themselves to be demons sleeping beneath her skin. But these demons are the best friends and bodyguards a woman could have. And Maxine needs bodyguards. She is the last in a line of women with power in their blood, trained to keep the world safe from malignant beings who would do us harm. Read More.... |
Teen Paranormal Releases July-August |
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Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer If you thought eighth grade was tough, try it with fangs and a fear of garlic. Junior high school really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod, and not in the good slurp-up-the-blood kind of way. A gang of bullies harasses him daily, the principal is dogging his every move, and the girl he really likes prefers his best friend. Read more .... |
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Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf. As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Read more ... |
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Little Vampire Women by Louisa May Alcott and Lynn Messina
The classic novel of love and family in 19th century Massachusetts will never be the same, especially now that Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy are little vampire women. Readers will be agog and aghast at the hilarity of the sisters′ transformation-especially now that they have (much) longer lives and (much) more ravenous appetites. . Read more ... |
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Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Venus Cove. But everything changes when three angels, Ivy, Bethany and Gabriel are sent from heaven to protect the town against the gathering forces of darkness. They work hard to conceal their true identity and, most of all, their wings. Read More |
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Jealousy by Lili St. Crow Just when Dru thought she was safe, everything exploded her face. Her mom and dad are long gone, her protectors Graves and Christophe kinda want to rip each other's throats out, and a four-hundred-year-old nosferat named Sergej won't stop hunting her until his bloodthirsty army of suckers has torn her to shreds. Read More... |
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An action-packed, paranormal thriller in a gritty urban setting, with a charming love story and unexpected twist that leaves you wanting more! |
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And a final word ...... |
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Now I know a lot of people think that twitter is just bored housewives talking about what they had for lunch, or surly teenagers discussing how horrid their parents are. But they're all wrong! (or .. mostly wrong). @fangbooks has been on twitter for a little while now, and it is amazing to see it used as a serious 'business' tool. We follow a lot of authors and publishers so that we can try and stay up to date with the latest news in the industry and the best 'tweeters' don't just use it as another way to bully people into buying their book, but share insight into their writing process, educate on the publishing industry, discuss plots - and, of course, have 'on the spot' giveaways. Yes, you do occasionally get the discussions about lunch (or friday night drinks), but for the most part, it's a fun and informative medium of instant communication. One of the biggest things to happen recently was the sudden launch of the #dearpublisher hashtag after the Australian-Booksellers-Association conference in Brisbane. It started off as a discussion for booksellers to share what they would like to see from the publishing industry, but quickly became a free-for-all discussion on ways to make books more accessible to readers, and how to let readers know about new books from new authors. And the publishers listened - and responded. It's still going, but not with the frenzy inspired in the first 24hours. There was even a nice piece in the Guardian about it, which you can read online. For those of you that have avoided twitter - give it a go. Sometimes it's a little bit silly, but most of the time it's a fascinating world. To find out what we've been saying, you can just look on our tweet-link: http://twitter.com/fangbooks
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