Happy Mother’s Day! While it’s true that most urban fantasy heroines tend to fly solo, there are a handful that manage to balance supernatural smack downs and motherhood.
Showing posts with label Kelly Gay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kelly Gay. Show all posts
13 May 2012
Posted by
Abigail
at 12:00 PM
Labels: Gail Carriger, Ilona Andrews, Jenn Bennett, Kelley Armstrong, Kelly Gay, Lori Devoti, patricia briggs, Sophie Littlefield, Top 5, Urban Fantasy
Labels: Gail Carriger, Ilona Andrews, Jenn Bennett, Kelley Armstrong, Kelly Gay, Lori Devoti, patricia briggs, Sophie Littlefield, Top 5, Urban Fantasy
18 January 2012
This is the biggest cover art post we’ve had in awhile, and there are some treats on both ends of the Good/Bad spectrum today. I spent a fair amount of time staring at Katie MacAlister’s TALE OF TWO VAMPIRES cover, as well as Jeannine Garsee’s THE UNQUIET (as a sucker for both hot men and visual tricks). I saw my very first Amish/Vampire crossover book, which you can just bet is going to be closely followed by me reading my first Amish/Vampire book, and at least one old-school-romance cover surprised an audible “woof” out of me when the page loaded. As a special treat, at the very end of the post we have our dearly departed ATUF girl’s video debut in S. M. Reine’s “Making of an Indie Book Cover”. Enjoy!
Posted by
Julia
at 6:30 AM
Labels: Amanda Bonilla, Christopher Golden, cover art, Darynda Jones, Erin Kellison, Kelly Gay, Tera Lynn Childs, Yasmine Galenorn
Labels: Amanda Bonilla, Christopher Golden, cover art, Darynda Jones, Erin Kellison, Kelly Gay, Tera Lynn Childs, Yasmine Galenorn
01 September 2011
 | Title: The Hour of Dust and Ashes
Sexual Content: Kissing Rating:
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Posted by
Abigail
at 6:31 AM
Labels: 1st person, 3rd in series, 4 bats, Charlie Madigan, Greek Mythology, Kelly Gay, Review, Sirens, Urban Fantasy
Labels: 1st person, 3rd in series, 4 bats, Charlie Madigan, Greek Mythology, Kelly Gay, Review, Sirens, Urban Fantasy
28 July 2011
**Visit Dark Faerie Tales today for her Deadly Destination tour of Vicki Pettersson’s Las Vegas & a chance to win THE NEON GRAVEYARD**
I. Love. This. Series. Greek Mythology, heaven and hell, smokin’ hot male Sirens, and one of the coolest protagonists in UF. I’m talking about Kelly Gay's Charlie Madigan series, which continues on August 30th from Pocket Books with THE HOUR OF DUST AND ASHES. Charlie, her partner Hank and I have been tight since last January and things have only gotten better since. So when Charlie’s daughter, Emma, wanted to plan a Deadly Destinations trip to Charbydon (aka hell), I said sign us up. Have you read this series? Want to? One of you will win the entire Charlie Madigan series, and two of you will win THE HOUR OF DUST AND ASHES! See details below.
Emma Madigan’s Guide to Charbydon
by
Kelly Gay
Hope you all are having a great summer. Glad to be here for the Deadly Destinations event! My third Charlie Madigan novel releases August 30th and I’m really excited to see what readers think about the direction Charlie and company have taken. One thing I can tell you is that Charlie finally travels off-world to Charbydon (aka hell) and, of course, she gets into her fair share of trouble! As my readers know, Charlie’s daughter Emma keeps a journal called Hellhounds Rule, Parents Drool. The following is an excerpt:
The City of Two Houses
Ugh. I meant to write this down sooner, but classes are kicking my butt. Anyway, it’s the weekend—FINALLY!—and my chores are done, and the most excellent hellhound to ever walk the face of all three-worlds has been bathed and fed, so I can finally chill and get some writing done.
Okay, so. I can’t believe my mom was actually in Charbydon!! She never likes to go anywhere on this planet, so her going off-world to another dimension = huge. Travel isn’t her thing, but 
even though that trip was pretty dramatic and led to some not-so-great things, I know she'd go again in a heartbeat if it meant saving someone in trouble.
Rex keeps joking and saying, “Charlie went to hell and hell was never the same again”, which is actually true. She's not allowed to go there anymore.
Anyway, now that things have settled down, Mom’s told me some really cool things about Charbydon, and since I plan to go there one day, remembering this stuff is important.
So, back in the ancient history of Charbydon, the jinn used to rule the land and the great underground city of Telmath. But when the nobles came and warred with the jinn (and won), they built the City of Two Houses above Telmath. The cavern that holds both cities is the size of a hollowed out mountain with cliffs and rivers and chasms that seem to have no end. The whole place is hot and muggy, and smells like tar and swamp water.
The nobles are an oligarchy. They have two kings, one from each royal house—the House of Abaddon and the House of Astarot. So that’s why it’s called the City of Two Houses. The city is made up of palaces and temples that rise straight up from the giant cliff they’re built on. And because the nobles inspired a lot of our myths about Sumerian gods, their city looks a lot like the old Sumerian and Babylonian temples with their thick walls, ziggurat temples, and straight avenues. The palaces have balconies and gardens and they overlook Telmath below. Fires burn in giant stone basins and the best part, the part I HAVE to see for myself are the buildings made of black marble. Mom says that some of them are so clear and polished that it almost looks like mirrors or calm black water.
How cool is that?
One of these days, I’m going to convince Mom to go back (well, if they’ll let her) and take me, Brim, and Rex. There are a bunch of stray hellhounds that need homes. Someone has to look after them, so that can be my mission. Not so sure Mom would be cool with me bringing a bunch of wild hellhounds back to Atlanta with us, but we shall see. Oh, we shall see... J
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About Kelly Gay
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I'm just your average bookworm who likes to spend an embarrassing amount of time in make-believe places. I've had many jobs from construction (I can drive a backhoe, tar and shingle a roof, and frame out a house) to waiting on tables, threading film through a projector, managing horse farms, and selling men's underwear (a talent, I tell you!). In the writing world, I'm a 2010 double RITA finalist, a three-time RWA Golden Heart finalist, and a recipient of an NC Arts Council Fellowship grant in Literature. |
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Giveaway provided by Pocket Books & Kelly Gay
Two winners will each receive a copy of THE HOUR OF DUST AND ASHES & One winner will receive the first 3 books in the Charlie Madigan series
Available on August 30, 2011 from Pocket Books
Description:
To save her sister, she must stop a silent killer. . . .
Protecting Atlanta from the off-world criminals of Underground is tough enough, but now Detective Charlie Madigan and her siren partner, Hank, learn that the addicts of the offworld drug ash have begun taking their own lives. Ash makes humans the perfect vessels for possession, and something or someone is leading them to their deaths. Charlie is desperate to save her addicted sister, Bryn, from a similar fate. As New Year’s Eve approaches and time runs out, Charlie makes a deadly bargain with an ancient race of beings and embarks on a dangerous journey into hellish Charbydon with Hank and the Revenant Rex to save Bryn and make it back before it’s too late. Only, for one of them, coming home means facing a fate worse than death. . . .
Pre-Order from
Giveaway Guidelines
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Open internationally
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Leave a comment for Kelly & a way to contact you unless it’s listed in your profile
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All Deadly Destinations winners will be announced on August 7th
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See our Giveaway Policy if you have any questions
14 January 2011
You can read all the previous Top 10 Lists HERE
Abigail’s Paranormal Picks for 2011
There are a lot of paranormal titles coming out in 2011 (around 600 so far that I know of). I’ll be lucky if I get to read half that many (realistically I’m shooting for 200). But there are a handful that I’ve been rabidly waiting for. I’m going to omit the titles already released so far this year (Secrets of the Demon by Diana Rowland and Taken By The Other by Jess Haines would have made this list otherwise) and list my Top 10 Paranormal Picks for 2011. Julia will be posting her Top 10 List tomorrow.
Description:
Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.
Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.
As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.
I was blown away by SHADE last year (read my review) calling it “a character driven ghost story with all the emotional resonance and bittersweet romance to make this impressive YA debut a must read for book lovers of all ages.” I’ve been looking forward to the sequel ever since. The cover may be disappointing, but I’m betting the story is going to be anything but.
March 15, 2011
Description:
The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.
When Violet Ambrose's morbid ability to sense the echoes of those who've been murdered leads her to the body of a young boy, she draws the attention of the FBI. She is reluctantly pulled into an investigation that will endanger more than just her secret...but her relationship and possibly her life as well.
THE BODY FINDER was another surprise read from last year (read my review) and earned a perfect 5/5 rating from me: “The love story here is tender and sweet, the threat pulsepounding and terrifying, and the supernatural elements utterly believable. The Body Finder surprised me in the best possible way; it didn’t exceed my expectations, it shattered them.” After a debut like that, this follow up has a lot to live up to.
Description:
They’re here, and they’re real…werewolves, vampires, mages, and other creatures of the night. For New York P.I. Shiarra Waynest, taking care of Others business started out as a way to stay solvent. But now business is getting very, very complicated…
Shiarra’s relationship with sexy werewolf Chaz may be somewhat unconventional. Still, after a few bumps, Shia is finally ready to get serious. That means meeting family–or in this case, bringing Chaz’s entire werewolf pack along for a rollicking full-moon weekend in the Catskills.
Soon after they arrive, threatening notes appear, warning Chaz to go home. Then their cabin is ransacked. Shia starts digging to find out whether it’s the work of upstart teenaged werewolves or something more sinister. Yet as rumors about her vampire connections arouse the pack’s hostility, Shia has to contend with other dangers. Not just from an adversary about to make his fatal intentions known, but from a threat that’s even closer than she knows…
This will be the second release for Jess this year in her H&W Investigations series (read my review of HBTO & TBTO) which means I’m twice as happy. “Pure fun. That’s was Jess gave us with HUNTED BY THE OTHERS and that’s what’s she’s delivers in the follow up, TAKEN BY THE OTHERS. Well, that and nonstop action, some of the best romantic tension in urban fantasy, and a heroine who just gets better with every book.” Is it any wonder I’m dying to read the next one? And the one after that? And the one after that…?
Description:
Betrayal, loss, pain, fear. How many trials can love endure and still survive?
Alpha wolf Calla Tor forges an alliance with her masters' enemies and tries to rescue her pack from imprisonment in Vail
Apart from the fact that NIGHHTSHADE had one of the coolest book campaigns ever, and award winning cover art, the story itself was killer (read my review)! “I ended staying up all night completely consumed by this bewitching novel that reads like a combination between Richelle Meade’s Vampire Academy series and the Underworld movies.” The cliffhanger ending in NIGHTSHADE was infamous (and the teeniest bit cruel), but it served it’s purpose as I’m already franticly trying to get a copy of WOLFSBANE.
Description: N/A
A bit of a wait still for this one (hence no description), the Charlie Madigan series is so good I don’t really need one (read my review of book #1, and review of book #2). I recently even named Hank my favorite new UF hero and this is the first time we actually get to see him on the cover! “Strong characters, a believable world, and solid romantic tension. That’s what I want in an urban fantasy and that’s what Kelly continues to deliver in her gritty, creative, and infinitely readable Charlie Madigan series. THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS was excellent and THE DARKEST EDGE OF DAWN is even better.” What that means for THE HOUR OF DUST AND ASHES? …I can’t wait to find out.
Description:
The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater
In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.
“I can count on one hand the number of books that I have physically clasped to my chest upon finishing. As if by that action I could keep that feeling in my heart forever. SHIVER is now one of those books.” Yeah, I loved that book beyond words (read my review). And then she followed it up with LINGER, “SHIVER touched my soul and LINGER reminded me why. The timeless and pure love story between Sam and Grace beats through every page of LINGER. Romantic, tragic, and hopeful in turn. LINGER is the kind of story that, well, lingers with a deliciously bittersweet ache.” (read my review). FOREVER is the concluding book in the The Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy and I honesty it will end up being one of my all time favorite series in any genre.
#4 River Marked by Patricia Briggs
March 1, 2011
March 1, 2011
Description:
Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now.
An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...
It really doesn’t get better than Mercy Thompson. Many series lost steam after a few books, but with five books so far, this series has only gotten better. This was the series responsible for getting me hooked on UF and it’s still the one I measure all other books against. “Everything I’ve loved about the previous books are here again [in SILVER BORNE]. Mercy is just plain cool. She is laid back, resilient, tough without being pushy, and brave enough to risk her life for those she loves. I know RIVER MARKED doesn’t need my hype, but it’s getting it anyway.
Okay, so I know I already reviewed this one, but AFTERTIME rocked my face off, which is actually a really apt description since zombies do literally eat peoples faces in this book. If you like zombies, read this book. If you don’t like zombies, read this book. “It’s shocking, and heartbreaking, and so beyond words awesome that my love for zombies has reached an all new high…AFTERTIME is hands down the best zombie book I’ve read all year. Hide your wife, hide your kids, and hide your husbands ‘cause they eating everybody out here. Seriously.” (read my review). Go. Buy. Read.
Description:
Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.
Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.
So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .
As much as I love Mercy Thompson, after reading MAGIC BLEEDS, I officially dubbed Kate Daniels the perfect urban fantasy heroine. “Ilona and Gordon have done what few authors have done before: They've taken a beloved series, ripped its guts out, nearly destroyed its main character, and given their fans something infinitely precious: a series that, instead of slowing down, has just been given its second wind. Kate Daniels is better than ever.” I was tempted to name this my #1 pick for 2011, but first or second, a new Kate Daniels book is not to be missed.
Description:
MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever. Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.
What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh — a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.
In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves. Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?
From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world... or destroy it.
I’m not alone in naming the final book in Karen Marie Moning’s MacKayla Lane/Fever series, SHADOWFEVER, my top pick for 2011, and with good reason. “…Near perfect urban fantasy (and yes, it is more urban fantasy than paranormal romance). A chilling mystery, a darkly seductive enigmatic love interest with questionable character, in a terrifying yet alluring world full of both scary and seductive fey. I am dying to devour the other books in the Fever series and be devoured in return.” After four books, I still feel that way. I’m sad to see this series end, but I know it’s going to go out with a bang bigger than any of us could have predicted.
Honorable mentions:
There are a handful of other titles slated for release this year that either don’t have titles or covers, but that doesn’t mean I want them any less: - UNTITLED DOWNSIDE #4 by Stacia Kane
- MY LIFE AS A WHITETRASH ZOMBIE by Diana Rowland
- IF I DIE (Soul Screamers #5) by Rachel Vincent
- BLOOD BOUND by Rachel Vincent
- UNTITLED VAMPIRE EMPIRE #2 by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith
Posted by
Abigail
at 6:30 AM
Labels: Andrea Cremer, Ilona Andrews, Jeri Smith-Ready, Jess Haines, Karen Marie Moning, Kelly Gay, Kimberly Derting, Maggie Stiefvater, patricia briggs, Sophie Littlefield, Top 10 List, Urban Fantasy
Labels: Andrea Cremer, Ilona Andrews, Jeri Smith-Ready, Jess Haines, Karen Marie Moning, Kelly Gay, Kimberly Derting, Maggie Stiefvater, patricia briggs, Sophie Littlefield, Top 10 List, Urban Fantasy
18 February 2010
Kelly Gay just posted the cover for her next Charlie Madigan book, The Darkest Edge of Dawn! The Better Part of Darkness was one of my absolute favorite reads last year so I’ve been waiting for this one. I still have a few months to wait. This one is due out August 31st 2010.
We have a cover! Artist is once again the amazing Chris McGrath. Can't even put into words how much I dig this cover -- okay, I can -- I love with the intensity of a thousands suns... :D The cover isn't final, maybe a few tweaks here and there. Oh, and it doesn't translate in the pic, but the actual cover title will be a flat silver foil. –Kelly Gay
Here the the original art from Chris McGrath. You can see Charlie’s badge more clearly:
*Update* The Sordid Domain of Random Inspiration has the description:
'Detective Charlie Madigan returns in this stunning new urban fantasy!
As Charlie and her partner, the siren Hank, move forward in their case to apprehend a serial killer stalking Atlanta—one with powers far beyond those seen by mortals—Charlie must desperately find a way to dispel the living darkness that that threatens to cloak her beloved city forever more, even as she protects those she loves the most from an overwhelming evil engulfing all of their lives....'
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