*Cover Art may not be final*
Click author names to visit their webpages  and the book’s title to pre-order from The Book Depository or Goodreads if it isn’t available for pre-order.

Shadowman by Erin Kellison

Series: Shadow #3 Date/Publisher: September 2011 by Kensington Books Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Erin Kellison on Dark Central Station Author Comments:  “…I received my cover for my September 2011 release, Shadowman!  It’s the third in my Shadow series, though each book was written to stand alone. The first two books, Shadow Bound and Shadow Fall, were released through Dorchester Publishing and will be rereleased through them in trade paperback in August and September.”   My Thoughts: I like the heat of flowers from the bottom meeting the cool birches in the background, it draws the eye so powerfully to the cover model right in between.

Description:

GHOSTS
They haunt the halls of the Segue Institute, terrifying the living, refusing to cross over.  But one soul is driven by a very different force.

LOVE
It survives even death.  And Kathleen O’Brien swore she would return to those she was forced to leave too soon.

SHADOWMAN
He broke every rule to have her in life; now he will defy the angels to find her in death.

THE GATE
Forging it is his single hope of being reunited with his beloved, but through it an abomination enters the world.  Leaving a trail of blood and violence, the devil hunts her too.  Pursued through realms of bright fantasy and dark reality, Kathleen is about to be taken. . .

Previous Book in the Series:

As You Wish by Gabi Stevens

Series: Time of Transition #2 Date/Publisher: April 2011 by Tor Books Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Author’s blog Author Comments:  “Big, long, awe-filled sigh.” My Thoughts: While bare skin, tattoos and claw marks aren’t unusual on UF covers, I like how this one is done.  The cover model has a hint of androgyny about him, setting him apart from the pack.

Description:

Regina Scott, known as Reggie, has made a successful life for herself despite her lack of magical powers. She is content to live out her life as a Groundling until the outgoing fairy godmothers tell her she’s the second new replacement. In the space of a few days, she faces a curse, a plot to overthrow the Arcani world, and an entirely too enthusiastic mother. And she doesn’t know which will be the most difficult to deal with. Can Reggie balance trust, magic, and danger and still find the happiness she deserves?

Previous Book in the Series:

Wilder’s Mate by Moira Rogers

Series: Bloodhounds #1 Date/Publisher: March 1, 2011 by Samhain Publishing Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Fiction Vixen Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: Love it, love it, love it!  The color palette and duster hint at Old West, and the gears worked into the series motif (and the background) give subtle steam-punk hints.  Can’t wait for this one.

Description:
Wilder Harding is a bloodhound, created by the Guild to hunt down and kill vampires on America's frontier. His enhanced abilities come with a high price: on the full moon, he becomes capable of savagery beyond telling, while the new moon brings a sexual hunger that borders on madness.

Rescuing a weapons inventor from undead kidnappers is just another assignment, though one with an added complication--keeping his hands off the man's pretty young apprentice, who insists on tagging along.

At odds with polite society, Satira's only constant has been the aging weapons inventor who treats her like a daughter. She isn't going to trust Wilder with Nathaniel's life, not when the Guild might decide the old man isn't worth saving. Besides, if there's one thing she's learned, it's that brains are more important than brawn.

As the search stretches far longer than Wilder planned, he finds himself fighting against time. If Satira is still at his side when the new moon comes, nothing will stop him from claiming her. Worse, she seems all too willing. If their passion unlocks the beast inside, no one will be safe. Not even the man they're fighting to save.

Warning: This book contains a crude, gun-slinging, vampire-hunting hero who howls at the full moon and a smart, stubborn heroine who invents mad-scientist weapons. Also included: wild frontier adventures, brothels, danger, betrayal and a good dose of wicked loving in an alternate Wild West.

 

Previous Book in the Series:

N/A

Bloodborn by Karen Kincy

Series: Other #2 Date/Publisher: September 2011 by Flux Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Kate at The Neverending Shelf Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: There’s something very Gothic in this composition, making Brock’s eyes and the moon in the background all the more powerful.  Another beautiful cover for this series.

Description:
It isn’t working. The doctor said it would, but it isn’t, even though I keep taking the pills, and I keep seeing Dad sneak into the bathroom and count how many are left. As if I would stop taking them. As if I would let myself become a beast.

Brock Koeman lost his brother to werewolves. Now he’s in danger of losing himself. Bitten by a werewolf at sixteen, he fights the transformation, taking the excruciating pain as a punishment for his mistakes. With the help of a risky drug called Lycanthrox, he’s managed to stay human for two full moons. But he knows he can’t last much longer.

Hungry for revenge, Brock vows to kill the silver wolf who bit him. But Brock’s ex, the fiery Cynthia Lopez, still cares about him enough not to let him do anything suicidally dangerous—never mind that Cyn gets her thrills from danger herself. Together again, the heat between them rekindles, but Brock feels like a beast beside her beauty. He can’t stay with her; he can’t ignore the werewolves howling outside his window. When he hunts down the pack, Cyn doesn’t sit on the sidelines. She’s right beside him as they get taken hostage and start running with the werewolves, the police hot on their tails. Brock has to get a grip on who he truly is—before the wolf within kills him, or someone else does.

 

Previous Book in the Series:

The Monster’s Corner by Christopher Golden

Series: Anthology Date/Publisher: October 2011 by St. Martin’s Press Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Mihai at Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: Utterly gruesome, the way the figures on the cover are arranged hints at both wings and further horrors.  Given the subject matter, very well done.

Description:

- “The Awkward Age” by David Liss

- “Saint John” by Jonathan Maberry

- “Rue” by Lauren Groff

- “Succumb” by John McIlveen

- “Torn Stitches, Shattered Glass” by Kevin J. Anderson

- “Rattler and the Mothman” by Sharyn McCrumb

- “Big Man” by David Moody

- “Rakshasi” by Kelley Armstrong

- “Breeding the Demons” by Nate Kenyon

- “Siren Song” by Dana Stabenow

- “Less of a Girl” by Chelsea Cain

- “The Cruel Thief of Rosy Infants” by Tom Piccirilli

- “The Screaming Room” by Sarah Pinborough

- “Wicked Be” by Heather Graham

- “Specimen 313” by Jeff Strand

- “The Lake” by Tananarive Due

- “The Other One” by Michael Marshall Smith

- “And You Still Wonder Why Our First Impulse is to Kill You: An Alphabetized Faux-Manifesto transcribed, edited, and annotated (under duress and protest)” by Gary A. Braunbeck

- “Jesus and Satan Go Jogging in the Desert” by Simon R. Green

 

Previous Anthologies edited by Christopher Golden:

Rush of Darkness
by Rhyannon Byrd

Series: Primal Instinct #7 Date/Publisher: April 2011 by HQN Books Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Kaleigha at Wicked Scribes Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: Wow.  The male cover model totally steals the show on this one, I’m going to start reading this series just for the expression on his face and the placement of his hand.

Description:
Raine Spenser is on the brink. Held prisoner because of her abilities, Raine—a powerful psychic as well as vampire desperately needed a savior. But the last one she expected was the green-eyed soldier who’d once hunted her kind. Since her rescue, she’s tried to forget Seth McConnell, unable to cope with the strange, simmering attraction that draws her to the compelling human.

But their goals—find the Kraven who held Raine captive and destroy him—are the same. The ever-growing web of danger surrounding them draws these two unlikely allies closer together, and anger slowly turns into an explosive passion they’re finding harder and harder to deny....

Previous Book in the Series:

Drink, Slay, Love
by Sarah Beth Durst

Series: N/A Date/Publisher: September 13th, 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Author’s Blog Author Comments: "I am deliriously in love with it [the cover art], and I can't wait to share it with you. So without further ado... (Please pat your hands on your lap so we have drum roll sound effects. Also, imagine a red velvet curtain raising up. And maybe a few trumpets.) ... the cover art for DRINK, SLAY, LOVE!” My Thoughts: I totally agree with her on this one, beautiful cover art.  Now whether or not that’s enough to get me past the association with EAT, PRAY, LOVE, I really can’t say…

Description:
What happens when a vampire is stabbed through the heart by a were-unicorn? She suddenly develops a very inconvenient conscience. Oops.

Previous Book in the Series:

N/A

Shadow Walker by Allyson James

Series: Stormwalker #3 Date/Publisher: June 2011 by Berkley Sensation Cover Artist: N/A Cover Source: Kaleigha at Wicked Scribes Author Comments: N/A My Thoughts: From the expression on the cover model’s face, I would have expected a different finger to be in the air.  I love the sass they’ve managed to put into this cover.

Description:
Racing her motorcycle down a lonely winter highway, Stormwalker Janet Begay feels the ground collapse beneath her feet. After tumbling two hundred feet into an underground cavern, she manages to escape with help from her sexy dragon-shifter boyfriend, Mick—but not before they disturb some dark forces.

As Janet contends with a hotel inspector intent on putting her out of business, as well as her grandmother, who’s taken up residence, Mick’s behavior becomes strange and erratic, until he is a clear danger to Janet and her friends. Janet’s drag-queen, attitude-ridden magic mirror insists that Mick has been “touched by shadows,” and the Stormwalker realizes that someone is out to enslave her dragon. Now she must free Mick before he kills her…

Previous Book in the Series:

And my picks for Best & Worst…

Best Cover	Worst Cover

So any new to you covers? Which are your Best & Worst picks?

**Visit Tynga’s Reviews today for her PSF Interview & Giveaway with Andrea Cramer author of NIGHTSHADE & A chance to win 2 more copies of OTHER**

My guest today is debut author Karen Kincy whose upcoming Paranormal YA OTHER, which releases on July 1st, about a teenage girl shapeshifter with serious denial issues caught my eye awhile back and made me think of Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (who incidentally blurbed about the book too). Karen was kind enough to stop by for an interview and her publisher Flux sent along two copies of OTHER to giveaway!  Details below.

A shameless nerd and lover of snark, Karen lives in Olympia, Washington, where she is a senior studying linguistics, literature, and computer science at The Evergreen State College. She ripped off her hometown of Snohomish, WA for the fictional locale of Klikamuks, where Other takes place. When she’s not at her computer, writing, she’s probably out in the forest with her notebook, writing, or on a photography expedition with her trusty digital camera. She likes to imagine werewolves lurking among the trees. Karen is represented by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger, Inc.

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Interview

ATUF: OTHER is the first book in a new young adult urban fantasy series. Can you tell us a little about the book?

KK: The ten-second elevator pitch: In a small Washington town, a shapeshifter girl starts discovering paranormal people like herself dead in her backyard, and it’s up to her to catch the killer before she’s next. And you guys get a summary and blurbs, too:

Feathers unfurl from my skin. My plummet curves into a swoop, and I tuck my talons beneath my body. From girl to great horned owl in about a second. Pretty good, huh?

Gwen Williams is like any other modern teenager with one exception: she's a shapeshifter. Never having known her Pooka-spirit father, Gwen must struggle with the wild, wonderful magic inside of her alone—and in secret. While society may tolerate vampires, centaurs, and "Others" like Gwen, there are plenty of folks in Klikamuks, Washington, who don't care for her kind.

Now there's a new werewolf pack in town, and Others are getting killed, including Gwen's dryad friend. The police are doing zilch. In the midst of terrible loss and danger, Gwen meets a cute Japanese fox spirit who's refreshingly comfortable with his Otherness. Can Gwen find the courage to embrace her true self and find the killer—before she becomes the next victim?

"This who-done-it is an unusual blend of mystery and fantasy, starring original characters not often featured in modern urban fantasy for teens. I really enjoyed it."—Annette Curtis Klause, author of Blood and Chocolate

"Other has it all; love, shifters, pookas, and nail-biting action. What's even better, Kincy's characters are vibrant, real and lovable. This is a debut that leaves you aching for more."—Carrie Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Need and Captivate

ATUF: Gwen is the main character in OTHER and she is a half pooka. What exactly is a Pooka?

KK: Pooka: a shapeshifting spirit from Wales or Ireland, most commonly found in the form of a pure black horse with glowing golden eyes. Can assume any animal form, though the golden eyes are a dead giveaway. Gwen passes them off as hazel, when human. She’s never met her real father, though she does know that her mother met the pooka in Wales and took a fancy to him. The rest is history. For more info, I actually have a nifty section on my website.

ATUF: Can you explain the world building of OTHER? What is unique about how conceived it?

Believe it or not, the very first proto-draft of Other took shape as a parody of some urban fantasy/paranormal romance clones I had been reading, which inevitably featured badass werewolves, brooding vampires, and a tough-as-nails, dagger-wielding, smart-talking heroine who alternately slays or sleeps with the paranormal dudes.

So I thought to myself, “Yeah, right. Surely by now the innocent townspeople would have wised up to the presence of werewolves in their backyard. And I’ll bet that not all the paranormal people lead exciting glamorous lives.” I started this proto-draft with a scene involving an immortal teenage vampire checkout boy, working at the same grocery store as Gwen, worrying about an immortal pimple on his nose.

Needless to say, Other evolved a lot over the course of revisions. The tone became more serious, but I kept the general idea that the magical and the mundane people rubbed shoulders and knew very well of each other’s existences. Hence, prejudice and preconceptions about Others like Gwen, who isn’t sure how many are hiding in her town: “Maybe they’re also under the bed, as they say. Monsters that haven’t come out yet.”

ATUF: I took the Other quiz on your website and it turns out I’m a Watersprite. What kind of Other would you want to be?

What Other are you? Your Result: Watersprite   You are a watersprite! You inhabit ponds and rivers, have webbed fingers and toes, and generally lead an aquatic life. You go by many names in different countries: Nix in Germany, Neck in England, Morgen in Wales, and of course the famous Siren of Greece. In OTHER, a watersprite family lived secretly in the river near Klikamuks.
Dryad
Kitsune
Werewolf
Pooka
Leprechaun
What Other are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

KK: Definitely some sort of shapeshifter, so I have an excuse to run around at night and blame those feral urges on my morning crankiness. Probably not a werewolf, though, but a feline shapeshifter. Gwen turns into a cougar at some point; we have a lot in common.

ATUF: Gwen is torn between two guys in OTHER, her longtime boyfriend Zack, and Tavian, “a sexy Japanese fox-spirit.” How important was it for you to have two love interests representing Gwen's Other and human sides?

KK: I don’t think Zack and Tavian represent Gwen’s human and Other sides, respectively, so much as they do her struggle between concealing and revealing her true self. I’ve met a lot of people who feel like they have to pretend to be somehow “better” than themselves around friends and love interests. Not to tread into the realm of cliché advice, but both Gwen and I agree that it’s better not to fake your personality or hide important facts.

ATUF: If OTHER were ever made into a movie, who would your dream or, to keep things interesting, nightmare cast be?

KK: That’s a complicated question. I would have to sit down and do a proper guest blog on it, but for now let’s just say that I would be seriously creeped out if anybody from the cast of the Twilight movies joined the cast of the hypothetical movie Other. Wouldn’t be able to get Meyer’s characters out of my head. However… I would say that Rachelle Lefevre, who plays the evil vampire Victoria, might make an interesting Gwen.

ATUF: What other projects can we look forwarding to reading from you soon?

KK: The sequel! Bloodborn should be out Fall 2011, starring Brock, a character from Other who hates and fights werewolves, but then—unluckily for him—gets bitten by one. As a bloodborn (i.e., newly made) werewolf, Brock struggles with his own self-hatred, shifting body, and the pack dynamics of some werewolves who aren’t sure whether they want to help him or kill him. You can read more about Bloodborn on my website.

ATUF: What are some of your favorite titles/authors in the paranormal genres?

KK: I’m a YA author, so I read a lot of YA paranormal by authors such as Annette Curtis Klause and Carrie Jones (though I’m biased because they both blurbed Other), Libba Bray, Carrie Ryan, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, etc…

ATUF: I'm a cover art junkie. What can you tell us about the cover art for OTHER? Do you know who the artist is?

KK: The wonderful people at my publisher, Flux, whipped together the cover art for Other from various images. I don’t know too much about the designer, other than that her name is Lisa Novak, as evidenced by the credit on the inside of the cover. But I do know that the cover still makes me do authorial dances of glee.

ATUF: Can you tell us about your favorite scene in OTHER?

KK: Nope! Because that would be unfair to the other scenes. Okay, okay, I will say that the very first scene came to me at a bus stop, after I missed my bus, and I scribbled it down almost word-for-word while sitting there. Still love it.

ATUF: If OTHER was a Frankenstein book compiled from elements of other books, what would some of those other books be?

KK: I have to tip my hat to K. A. Applegate’s Animorphs series, which I devoured as a teen and still have a soft spot for. They inspired my obsession with shapeshifters, as did Annette Curtis Klause’s Blood and Chocolate. Other than that, I can only assume that a little bit of every beloved book has crept into my own creation. It’s alive, it’s alive!

ATUF: In honor of Paranormal Summer Fest, can you describe your perfect Paranormal Summer read? And where would you love to be vacationing while reading it?

KK: Tough question! I’m drooling over a lot of paranormal novels that come out this summer. One of my perfect Paranormal Summer reads would be a juicy new werewolf novel like Jennifer Lynne Barnes’s Raised by Wolves or Jackson Pearce’s Sisters Red. Best read while sitting in a Washington forest, back against the bark of some old tree, toes curled in the leaf litter in imitation of claws. No vacation necessary.

ATUF: Thanks so much for stopping by Karen.  Come back anytime!

Visit Karen online:

• Website
• Twitter
• Facebook

Giveaway

Giveaway courtesy of Flux

Two (2) copies of OTHER by Karen Kincy

 

(Flux, July 1, 2010)

Book Description

I can’t last much longer. It’s been one week, three days, and I forget how many hours.

My belly cramps, and I curl on my bed, staring out at the stars. A delicious breeze glides through my window and cools my sweaty forehead. The air smells of summer–mowed grass, recent rain, lingering barbecue–and tempts me more than I want to admit. Shards of moonlight and shadow shift on the wall. I clench my teeth and toes and try to ride out the pain. My bedroom drifts counterclockwise, and I shut my eyes.

It can’t be good for me, not shapeshifting.

Seventeen-year-old Gwen hides a dangerous secret: she’s Other. Half-pooka, to be exact, thanks to the father she never met. Most Americans don’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for Others, especially not the small-town folks of Klikamuks, Washington. As if this isn’t bad enough, Gwen’s on the brink of revealing her true identity to her long-time boyfriend, Zack, but she’s scared he’ll lump her with the likes of bloodthirsty vampires and feral werewolves.

When a pack of werewolves chooses the national forest behind Gwen’s home as their new territory, the tensions in Klikamuks escalate–into murder. It soon becomes clear a serial killer is methodically slaying Others. The police turn a blind eye, leaving Gwen to find the killer before the killer finds her. As she hunts for clues, she uncovers more Others living nearby than she ever expected. Like Tavian, a sexy Japanese fox-spirit who rivals Zack and challenges her to embrace her Otherness. Gwen must struggle with her own conflicted identity, learn who she can trust, and–most importantly–stay alive.

Click HERE to read an excerpt from OTHER

GIVEAWAY GUIDLINES

1. Open to US/Mexico/CA
2. Fill out the form below
3. Entries for all Paranormal Summer Fest giveaways must be received by Midnight MST on July 4th.  All the giveaways winners will be announced on July 6th.

I would greatly appreciate if you shared this giveaway on your blog or favorite social networks.  And please say hi to Karen. Thanks!

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