Beltane and Buffy

April 30 is my favorite of the eight sabbats. Beltane/May Eve is a harbinger of summer honored with fabulous festivals replete with fires and dancing. The world of Nightshade is steeped in the tradition and history of witchcraft and Wolfsbane draws readers deeper into that world. To celebrate this holiday I'm holding a contest and the winner will receive a Wolfsbane ARC!

Since my last blog post touted the greatness of Buffy I want to have a Beltane Buffy quiz. May is the fifth month of the year, so here are five of my favorite quotes from Buffy. Correctly identify the Buffy character delivered each of the five quotes and you'll be in the running to win the ARC.
1) "What's the matter Watcher? Life flash before your eyes? Cup o' tea, cup o' tea, almost got shagged, cup o' tea?"

2) "Forgiveness makes us human, blah, blah, blah."

3) "Rain of toads. One minute its 'oh no, pop quiz' and now it's rain of toads."

4) "That's beautiful...or taken literally incredibly gross."

5) "Bored now."

Good luck! Entries taken until 12 a.m. May 1.

Please leave your answers in the comments section. This contest is open to international entries!

Heathen much?

A happy and blessed Beltane!

Beltane, sometimes called May Eve, is one of the eight Sabbats. If you want to celebrate right, you should get yourself to Scotland for the Fire Festival.
If you're interested in gaining eternal beauty, be sure to climb the highest hill in your neighborhood and wash your face in the morning dew.

Pagan lore plays a big part in Nightshade's world, but since my book isn't available until October (Samhain anyone??) I thought today would be a good day to recommend some of my favorite books that are steeped in history and the old ways.

Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series is gorgeously written and thoroughly researched, reflecting Melissa's graduate work in gender studies and a sharp eye for folklore. It's a good time to start reading her work too - as the fifth book in the series, Radiant Shadows, was just released.

Maggie Stiefvater gained fame for her wolfie Shiver series, but her first books focused on the realm of faerie. Lament and Ballad are wonderful and heartbreaking. Pick them up!

And just 'cause I'm always a bit evil, I'll recommend another 2010 debut that releases a month before my own baby. Brenna Yovanoff's The Replacement is delicious and dark, frequently terrifying and not for the faint of heart, offering an original and haunting depiction of faerie seeping into our world. Brenna and I are Penguin buddies and I'm thrilled that both our books are featured as part of the Penguin Five promotion (I will post more on what that means soon).(Yes, I have an ARC, and yes I just might be giving it away in a contest...If you think the cover looks cool here, wait till you see it in person. Soooooo shiny and beautiful!)

Have a wonderful May Eve and if the books above don't make it clear - you should not mess with the Fey.