Awesome Austin

I've ended up with an extra day in Austin due to an electrical failure on the plane I was supposed to take home. With this additional time on my hands I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on the fabulous that is the Texas Book Festival.

It's my first time in Austin and I must say: cool town. Lots of interesting people, amazing art, and great places to go. There's obviously tons going on all the time.

Including Santas on Segways (there was a huge line of them, and they had elves!)

After I took this Santa's pic, he gave me a candy cane :) (I'm not kidding. He really gave me a candy cane)

The Texas Book Festival has been great. It's wonderful seeing the downtown full of literary-minded folks. I was lucky to hang out with Heather Brewer and Kirsten Miller. Our panel was standing room only! And the signing afterward was a blast.

Then we had the Zombies vs. Unicorns panel. Usually I consider myself Team Unicorn, but we were assigned our teams upon arrival and last night I made an appearance on behalf of Team Zombie. And we rocked. Though Team Unicorn "won" I think it was just 'cause of Meg Cabot's sparkly cardigan - it was a bewitching cardigan.

I was very proud of Team Zombie. We made beautiful art together. Thanks to Heather Brewer's uber-minions for taking a photo! I composed and performed a haiku for my part:

Putrid flesh is vile
but none can match the force of
Eternal hunger

Since I didn't know which team I was going to be on I also had a Team Unicorn haiku ready to go, to which you guys get exclusive access

Steed, ever untamed
Crowned with a weapon, deadly spire
To pierce hearts or win them

Clearly I will take any opportunity to write paranormal haiku.

It's been a wonderful trip, despite airplane failure, and it was amazing to talk with so many readers. Thank you to everyone who came out and to the wonderful volunteers who made the festival run smoothly.

Oh, and Nightshade is in stores in 48 HOURS!!!!

Eternal Ones Q&A

Kirsten was kind enough to answer my questions about Eternal Ones and I also am thrilled to let you know that I have two ARCs of this fab book to give away!! Just leave a comment below and you'll be entered in the giveaway :)

Thanks so much for taking part in this Q&A, Kirsten!
1. I'm going to start with the cover (I LOVE it!) because I've always been fascinated by the symbol of eternity vis a vis the snake eating its tail. What is your take on the cover image?

I love it, too! We must have gone through a million covers before we reached the final image. (OK, a bit of an exaggeration.) But the moment I saw the ouroboros, I knew we had the perfect cover. It’s so sleek and sexy and strange. I literally couldn’t be happier. (And anyone who writes knows how rare that is!)

In The Eternal Ones, a silver ouroboros (snake swallowing its own tail) is the symbol of the Ouroboros Society, a secret society that says it’s devoted to the scientific study of reincarnation. Of course, that’s just part of a much bigger (and darker) story . . .


2. I was enthralled by the places I traveled while reading this book - I loved the juxtaposition of Snope City and New York. Can you talk a little about the role that setting plays in your writing? And also, did you get to visit Rome for research?

Thanks! Well, I grew up in a small Southern town and moved to New York when I was seventeen, so I know both of those worlds quite well. But here’s a scoop (I haven’t told anyone else) . . . I went to Rome on my honeymoon, so it has a special significance for me. Also, the fact that it’s the “Eternal City” seemed to make it the perfect place for my two lead characters to get “reacquainted.”


3. The romance in Eternal Ones is wonderful. What do you think makes for good romantic tension between characters?

Thanks, again! Well, I falling in love is incredibly dangerous—whether your life is actually in jeopardy or not. I think romantic tension is a kind of fear. (Not the kind that makes you want to throw up, but the kind that makes you tingle all over.) It’s the fear of leaping into the unknown. The fear of putting your heart on the line. The fear that your love won’t be reciprocated.

Falling in love for the first time would terrify even the toughest of heroines. (By the way, you capture this phenomenon very effectively in Nightshade, which I enjoyed a great deal.) But even the toughest of heroines needs a soft spot here and there, don’t you think?


4. I was equally captivated by the mystery in this book. When you came up with the story, did you think of it as a romance or a mystery or something else entirely?

Good question! When I was writing, I never really thought about labels. Now, I think the book should be what the reader wants it to be. If you’re the kind of person who likes a good romance, there’s certainly plenty of that. But if you’re the kind of person who prefers a thriller, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed at all. I’ve never thought of myself as a “romance” reader (though I certainly enjoy them), so I would probably pick up The Eternal Ones for the mystery and see the romance as a big bonus.


5. I love Haven's name - what inspired that choice?

My sister came up with it! I wanted a name that felt “Southern,” whatever that means. And I wanted a name that felt unique. (Though I know there’s another heroine with the name Haven out there.) My sister (who lives in Atlanta) knew a girl named Haven, and I thought it was perfect for the character.


6. What is your favorite part of writing?


When I’m writing a book, there’s always a point when I feel like I’ve finally crested the hill. It’s a struggle until I get there, and then the book almost feels like it writes itself. I love that moment.


7. What's up next for you? (More Haven, please??)

I just finished the first draft of the sequel to The Eternal Ones, so there will certainly be more Haven! Now I must finish the third book in my Kiki Strike series. Once that is out the door, I have absolutely no idea what I’ll do next!

(Oh yeah, and if someone doesn’t send me the ARC for your sequel to Nightshade, I will not be held responsible for my actions! I’m dying!)

Thanks so much, Kirsten! I'm dying for An Eternal Ones sequel too!!

Welcoming Kirsten Miller!

Special treat today, blogging friends. Author Kirsten Miller has provided a guest post. Hooray!

Hello!

My name is Kirsten Miller, and I’m the author of The Eternal Ones. I’m so thrilled that Andrea has invited me to “guest post” on her blog, since I’m a big fan of her work.

She’s asked me to tell you a little bit about my book, so here goes . . . It’s both a romance and a thriller. It’s filled with secret societies, snake handlers, soul mates and people who’ve lived countless lives. The Eternal Ones is sexy, dark, and extremely strange. I have a hunch you might like it!

As you might have guessed, reincarnation is at the heart of The Eternal Ones. It’s a subject that’s fascinated me since I was a kid. I don’t know if I’d call myself a believer, but I do think that reincarnation could explain quite a few of life’s little mysteries—déjà vu, child prodigies, inexplicable phobias, and love at first sight to name just a few.

(People always ask me if I’ve lived before. I must admit that I’ve always felt like I might have died somewhere in Europe during the Second World War. But who knows? Anyway . . . .)

The Eternal Ones follows a girl named Haven Moore who’s always had visions of a city she’s never visited and a handsome young man she’s never met. Then one day she discovers that the visions aren’t just fantasies—they’re actually memories of another life.

Finally Haven understands why she’s always felt like there’s someone out there that she needs to find. And a chance glimpse of a young man on TV convinces her that she should look for him in New York. When she arrives, Haven finds herself linked with a notorious playboy and a mysterious secret society. And that’s when things really start to get strange.

If any of this has captured your interest, please drop by my website (theeternalones.com) or my blog (http://theeternalones.wordpress.com/), where I’ve been giving past life readings to brave souls who send in a photo.

And if you’re interested in reincarnation, you’ll definitely want to drop by the Ouroboros Society. (ouroborossociety.com) It’s just a little bit sinister. Ha!

Thanks so much, Andrea, for inviting me to post on your blog! I’ll see you on mine in the fall! (And don’t forget to send me the sequel to Nightshade!)

Kirsten

Thanks, Kirsten. And thanks also for answering all my questions - which will be posted on tomorrow's blog :)

Review: The Eternal Ones

On August 10 you'll have the chance to pick up the first of Penguin's Big 5: Kirsten Miller's The Eternal Ones. This week I'm delighted to host Kirsten and her novel on my blog!!

I was lucky to get an early copy of this novel and I'm thrilled to shares my thoughts with you about this extraordinary book. It's the story of Haven Moore, a young woman whose dreams of the past and an undying love send her running from a stifling existence in Tennessee to a luxurious, but increasingly dangerous life in Manhattan - which she may or may not have lived through once before.

I have two things to say right off the bat: 1) This book was not what I expected 2) It's on my list of must reads for 2010.

Since the Eternal Ones is being billed as a romance I envisioned a read where I'd be pleasantly swept into the lives of two people who were desperately in love with each other, cheering them on as they overcame obstacles so they could live happily ever after. Don't get me wrong there's plenty of enticing romance in the Eternal Ones - but what drew me into the story so I couldn't put it down was the mystery, the fantastic places Kirsten takes her readers to, and the genuinely terrifying moments that caught me off guard in this book.

You heard that right - there were several scenes that made me gasp and my stomach curl in on itself (in a good way - I like to be scared when reading books, especially when I didn't see it coming). This book is filled with layers of intrigue and deceit that are both subtle and addictive.

The Eternal Ones offers a unique mix of romance, mystery, suspense and a few truly wonderful chills. I'm pretty good at unraveling plots, but Kirsten's book had me guessing and second-guessing myself when it came to who was a hero and who was a villain throughout the story. She had me enthralled through the final sentence of the book.

I loved her characters, particularly Haven and Beau, who I'd love to have as friends - they are both likeable while still flawed enough to be believable.

The world of the Eternal Ones is fascinating and I can't wait to learn more about what lays in both the past and the future for Haven Moore.

You can visit the official web site here and check out this book trailer!

Some Upcoming Goodness

Today is a happy!

My father in law is visiting us from Germany and it's so wonderful to have him in our home :) My editor LOVES Bloodrose - her stamp of approval and ecstatic praise for the final book of the Nightshade trilogy made me jump for joy.

And more goodness waits on the horizon:

First, tomorrow is the cover shoot for WOLFSBANE. I cannot begin to describe how excited I am for this cover. Once again the phenomenally talented Suza Scalora is photographing, and she's been gracious enough to let us photograph her at work - which means I'll get to do a full cover post on this blog and you'll get the insider's view on how it happens!!
Second, it's nearly August which means it's almost my birthday (whoopee!!) and it's almost time for the debut of the first of the Penguin Five. Next week I'll be hosting Kirsten Miller, author of The Eternal Ones, on this site and I'm so excited to have her. The Eternal Ones is a fantastic book and I'm eager to pick Kirsten's brain about it.
Hope you're all enjoying summer as much as I am!