How much does an urban fantasy novel need a cover that feels “paranormal”?  There are a few this week that are well designed, but don’t have any sense of the “other” about them.  What elements make or break a cover for you, does a genre book need a genre cover?

 

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta 

(Click to enlarge) Not Yet Available for Pre-Order.

Description: Dark Companion, a contemporary Gothic with a mild fantasy/paranormal element, pays homage to Jane Eyre and other classic Gothic novels. Small, plain Jane Williams, a high-achieving foster girl, jumps at the chance to escape her violent neighborhood when she is offered a full-scholarship to the exclusive Birch Grove Academy for Girls. She's even given living quarters, the old groundskeeper's cottage in a grove of birches. The classes are amazing, the campus is lovely, and the other students are bright and inquisitive. The headmistress's family -- including her handsome sons -- is especially friendly. It all seems too good to be true. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about another scholarship girl who mysteriously left the school. What price is Jane willing to pay to get the security and safety she's always wanted? “I love the image of the girl facing the mysterious woods, because this fits the story so well.” – Marta Acosta

Series: N/A Artist: N/A Goodreads: Link	Publisher: Tor/Macmillan Release Date: June 2012 Source: Author’s Blog
Julia’s Thoughts	Abigail’s Thoughts
I agree with the author on this one, this cover photo is nice.  The leaf motif in the title and below looks good, though the photo itself still looks a little “naked.”  I imagine “mood Photoshopping” will occur prior to finalizing the cover.	I’m not in love with the title font—it’s a little cutesy—but the girl is lovely and just the right amount haunting.  Looking forward to this one.

Previous Covers in This Series

N/A

 

**Visit Tynga’s Reviews today for her PSF Interview & Giveaway with Melissa de la Cruz author of KEY TO THE REPOSITORY**

My guest today is Linda Robertson author of the urban fantasy series The Circle which features Persephone Alcmedi (I love that name).  Linda was kind enough to answer some questions for us about the third book in her series, FATAL CIRCLE which releases on June 29, 2010.  And thanks to her publisher, two of you can win copies below!

Linda Robertson not only writes, she is an artist, plays the piano and electric guitar, composes and was in a super-cool rock band four children ago. Now that her four sons are older, she's looking for a new band. Originally from Mansfield, Ohio, she's a graduate of Ohio State University and currently lives in Medina, Ohio.

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Interview

ATUF: Can you explain the world building of the Circle Series? What is unique about how you conceived it? Can you tell us about WEC and PAW?

LR: The first thing that comes to mind is something that was purely for convenience sake: using the ligatured "æ" in wærewolf allowed me to call them wæres without the spell-check going bonkers. Another, since the wærewolves are sensitive to magic and it can cause them to go into devastating uncyclical changes from which they cannot recover should keep witches and wærewolves apart. In UF, the world is either "open" where everyone knows and accepts that there are supernaturals, or the world is "closed" and the supernaturals are secretive. In my series, it's a little different because the supernaturals came out only twenty years ago, so you have a youth who grew up knowing they were real, and older generations having to deal with their nightmares being true. WEC, the Witch Elders Council is the uppermost echelons of witches, and you get a good look at them in HALLOWED CIRCLE. PAW, is the acronym for the wærewolves, Packs and Allied Wæres but that's more a localized group. The bigwigs of the wærewolf world you'll get to see in book 4, ARCANE CIRCLE to be released Dec. 28, 2010. 

ATUF: Persephone Alcmedi has got to be one of the best UF characters names ever.  How much were you inspired by Persephone from Greek Mythology when you conceived of the character?

LR: So glad you like it! I was only a little inspired by the Greek Myth at first. Since she is a witch from a long line of Greek witches, I had to give her a name that would speak to that heritage and as I drew out her family tree, they were all named for Goddesses or Muses. However, I've found that as the series goes on, I find more of that Greek Myth to play with. I'm not doing a modern retelling, but I am giving nods here and there where it fits the storyline and that makes it fun.

ATUF: Persephone is obsessed with Arthur Pendragon.  Did she inherit her King Arthur love from you?

LR: No. Don't get me wrong, I'm sooo not anti-Arthur or anything, but that (and the Pre-Raphaelite artwork that vividly captures the imagery of Camelot) was something I could give her to romanticize her. She just seemed better suited to an ideal from kingly times rather than give her my ardent appreciation of, say, James Bond movies, especially those with Daniel Craig. 

ATUF: I became infuriated while reading Vicious Circle when you explained how the police and hospitals treat wæres (or more accurately how they refuse to treat wæres ).  Do you think our world would respond to discovery of supernatural beings the same way?

LR: Take into consideration four factors: 1.) People often try to distance themselves from and demonize things they fear and/or don't understand. 2.) The fictional wærewolf virus is highly contagious. 3.) The wærewolves are not capable of human, logical thought while in wolf form so they cannot be reasoned with. and 4.) Hospitals are not equipped to kennel patients who may transform. All that considered, yeah, I could see people drawing the dividing lines. One wærewolf running amok in a hospital would be a disaster; lawsuits would follow. They'd certainly rid themselves of that liability ASAP.

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

LR: My fav would  have to be the climax of FATAL, but that'd be spoiling it so how about this. There's a scene early on where the Eldrenne Xerxadrea and her lucusi (coven) come to Persephone's house and suddenly Persephone realizes she's expected to feed them all breakfast. Johnny comes to the rescue whipping up platters of pancakes and sausage. When he clears the table a little later he compares the appetites of those little old witches to a pack of wærewolves. 

ATUF: Johnny the wærewolf or Menessos the wizard vampire, if you were Seph, who would you pick?

LR: Darn you!!! I could not pick. I'd be greedy and want them both.

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

LR: Okay. I took a break and went to review pictures of some hunks. (Oh, the things I have to do! hee hee) I came up with this: Menessos: Chris Pine, with longer wavy hair (I think he's hunky and could be very convincing in that part.). Johnny: Reynaldo Giannecchini (he's a Brazilian actor). Goliath: Simon-Paul Wagner (German actor, also quite handsome). Persephone: Kristin Kreuk or maybe Jordana Brewster.

  

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

LR: I don't have anything other than this series contracted at this time, but I've been touching up an old manuscript with a reluctant angel in it, and working a little on a completely separate vampire story. For now, I want to give this series the foremost of my attention. If I get to tell the whole story (at least 9 books) that'd be fabulous. 

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

LR: Laura Bickle's Embers is incredible. She's captured the grittiness of Detroit and developed a unique and strong heroine in Anya and balanced her with a fun and trouble-finding sidekick, a fire elemental named Sparky. Not your average UF. Detroit with arson and dragons. VERY COOL. Also, I recently sat beside Kat Richardson at a signing at RT in Columbus and she was so nice to chat with. I bought her first book Greywalker and am several chapters into--I'm SOOO digging it!!

ATUF: The amazingly talented Don Sipley is responsible for all the covers in the Circle Series. What has the cover art process been like and what are your thoughts on your covers? 

LR: Some authors say they have no say in the process. I had some input. Like (actual case with VICIOUS) being able to see the first proof and say, "Hey! She's scared of the hero's tattoos at first, so she can't have one on the cover! Get that off her arm!" And, since, that was a darn good point, Don made it go away. HALLOWED has a neat little cover-tale. Because there's some on-stage band scenes, I talked with the editor about the main character being shown with a guitar. (Since I did some side work for my boyfriend's guitar company, I had access to some really kick ass photos of models with the guitars. I sent one to the editor.) The cover came back similar to that and I loved it---except. The cover model had a baby-blue guitar, a bad knock off of a telecaster style guitar. (i.e.a "chick guitar." Insert image of me with sadface.) The guitar described in the book is a certain bad-ass guitar (called the Venom). I sent a hi-res image of the guitar I meant. Don took out the baby-blue guitar and put the Venom in. I couldn't ask for more!!!

 

When it came to FATAL I  had a specific pair of boots in mind. I forwarded a picture. It just so happens Don's studio is over a goth clothing shop which had those exact boots in stock. He borrowed them for the shoot. And I've seen ARCANE's cover, though it hasn't been released yet. It's awesome. I've been very fortunate cover-wise and I'm SOOO grateful for all that Don has done.

ATUF: I did a post recently talking where different authors talked about the books their characters would read. What would Seph read?

LR: She'd definitely read Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

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

LR: I am so behind on my reading! I can't think of anything. What has evil fairies plotting war, wærewolves fighting for rank, and one sexy vampire manipulating everyone to get what he wants?

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?

LR: I just read a very unsatisfying book about Carnevale (an older book, not UF, with a really lame ending). However, the imagery kept me reading, (Sometimes I'm a glutton for punishment that way.) I wanted to know more about that place. So, with that said, I'd like to read about angels and demons in Carnevale while I sit in a cozy outside bistro sipping Pamaritas and watching the gondolas pass in Venice.

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

Visit Linda online:

• Website
• Facebook

Want to read more from Linda Robertson?

Persephone Alcmedi/ The Circle
1. Vicious Circle (read my Review)
2. Hallowed Circle
3. Fatal Circle
4. Arcane Circle

 

Giveaway

Giveaway courtesy of Simon & Schuster

Two (2) copies of FATAL CIRCLE by Linda Robertson

 

Book Description

Destiny sucks. . . .

There was a time when Persephone Alcmedi thought her life was hard to manage, what with wondering how to make sure she took adequate care of both her grandmother and her foster daughter, Beverley, whether she’d end up in the unwanted position of high priestess of a coven, and whether her wærewolf lover, Johnny, would resist the groupies who hang around his band Lycanthropia.

But that was before the fairies started demanding that Seph’s frightening, unpredictable ally—the ancient vampire Menessos— be destroyed . . . or the world will suffer. Seph and Menessos are magically bonded, but that’s a secret she dares not reveal to her fellow witches lest they be forced to reject her and forbid her use of magic. And, despite the strain this casts on her relationship with Johnny, as a showdown with the fairies nears, she and Menessos badly need the wærewolves as allies.

Life, death, and love are all on the line, but when destiny is calling, it doesn’t help to turn away. With the individual threads of their fates twisted inextricably together, can Seph, Johnny, and Menessos keep the world safe from fairy vengeance?

GIVEAWAY GUIDLINES

1. Open to US only
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 Linda. Thanks!

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Interested in being interviewed on All Things Urban Fantasy?  CONTACT ME

Book Description

A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do....

Being a witch doesn't pay the bills, but Persephone Alcmedi gets by between reading Tarot cards, writing her syndicated newspaper column, and kenneling werewolves in the basement when the moon is full -- even if witches aren't supposed to mingle with wolves. She really reaches the end of her leash, though, when her grandmother gets kicked out of the nursing home and Seph finds herself in the doghouse about some things she's written. Then her werewolf friend Lorrie is murdered...and the high priestess of an important coven offers Seph big money to destroy the killer, a powerful vampire named Goliath Kline. Seph is a tough girl, but this time she bites off more than she can chew. She needs a little help from her friends -- werewolf friends. One of those friends, Johnny, the motorcycle-riding lead singer for the techno-metal-Goth band Lycanthropia, has a crush on her. And while Seph has always been on edge around this 6'2" leather-clad hunk, she's starting to realize that although their attraction may be dangerous, nothing could be as lethal as the showdown that awaits them.

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Book 1 in The Persephone Alcmedi Series

Review:
Persephone Alcmeda (aka Seph) is little like Rachel Morgan and Stephanie Plum rolled into one. Like Rachel, she's a powerful witch who can tap into ley lines and manipulate magic. And like Stephanie, she has to deal with her batty old grandmother making comments about her love life and random people moving in with her all the time.

In the back of my address book was a list of contact numbers for the wærewolves who kenneled in my basement during full moons. My finger ran down to the name Johnny. A last name wasn’t necessary to clarify this guy. There was only one Johnny.-VICIOUS CIRCLE

VICIOUS CIRCLE has a sudden revelation world building scenario. The world lived in blissful ignorance of Wære, Vampires, Witches, and Fey until recently. The human population has been struggling to adapt ever since. The Wære have endured the worst treatment by far. Police won't investigate crimes about them and hospitals will discharge them regardless of their condition the moment the Wær virus is detected.

Seph is instantly likeable as the witch with sympathies towards Wære and a strong, if often reckless sense of justice. She has a quirky love for Arthur Pendragan aka King Arthur that does a nice job of humanizing her.  And the Wære/rock star Jonny as well as another romantic possibility who I won’t name keep things interesting and promise a bigger payoff in future books.

The biggest problem I had with VICIOUS CIRCLE is how small it seems. Nearly the entire book takes place in Seph's house. Plus it took a really long time before any action happened. I liked the character of Jonny as a playful and shameless flirt, but he didn’t have nearly enough scenes. 

Overall, VICIOUS CIRCLE introduces us the a complex magical world, a likeable heroine still unsure of her powers, and the potential for lots of romantic tension.  These all help compensate for a small, slightly slow story.  Hallowed Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 2) is available now, and Fatal Circle will be out June 29, 2010

Sexual Content: References to sex.

My Rating (out of 5):
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.

Click HERE to read an excerpt of VICIOUS CIRCLE

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (June 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439154287
• ISBN-13: 978-1439154281

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Disagree with my review?  Contact me your review for this or any other book I’ve reviewed and I might use it for 2nd Opinion Review