Anne McCaffrey Remebered

There is a moment when every reader becomes a reader. An "ah ha" moment. When a book catches your imagination, pulls your heart and inspires your life. Thanks to a very dear friend of mine, I was introduced to Anne's books and had my moment.

Anne's Pern series thoroughly entranced me and I bought and read every one. Many readers and bloggers ask, "Who is your "for sure" buy?". Well, Anne was mine. Pern was the most spectacular setting I have read to date. The characters had a magnetism and strength I will always admire. Her Freedom series is one of the best series I have read. I could continue indefinitely with compliments on Anne's writing and never express my gratitude or awe of her literary mind.

Anne started my love for reading fantasy and science fiction. She kept me turning pages to escape into her magnificent worlds. I am so saddened by her passing. My heart goes out to her family, friends and fans around the world. 

Your worlds will live in my heart for all days.

Anne Inez McCaffrey (1926 – 2011)

Guest Post: Theresa Meyers, Steampunk

Please welcome Theresa Meyers to Intense Whisper! Make sure to check out all of Theresa's tour stops! 

Steampunk: A New Way
of Looking at the Old

Steampunk. Maybe you’ve heard of it. Maybe you haven’t.

Well, if you have and you are scratching your head wondering what it still is, let me say this it’s fun. If you’re curious because you’ve never heard it before, let me tell you, you’ve got some fantastic new worlds to explore.

At its most basic steampunk is Victorian era science fantasy where society relies mostly on steam power and the possibilities utilizing Victorian era materials are endless. Part of what makes steampunk so fun is the aesthetic’s interest in reusing, repurposing and recycling to make old things new again. Looking at steampunk stories, you’ll see that same thing happening. It is literally taking the old and making it new again.

Steampunk doesn’t just have pirates, it has sky pirates. There aren’t just adventurers or scientists, but adventurers and scientists who do amazing things like tunnel deep into the earth with disastrous consequences, like in Cherie Priest’s book Boneshaker, or those who try to find a means of science to stop vampires, like in Gail Carriger’s Souless, or have 1880s cowboys who ride mechanical horses and use guns powered by Tesla coils, like in my own Legend Chronicle stories.

Steampunk isn’t simply just slapping goggles or gears on something, dressing it in a bustle or top hat and calling it good. There’s so much more to it. It’s reimagining how people in the Victorian era might have envisioned and approached their future.

Take for instance H.G. Well’s Time Machine. While the story starts in the Victorian era, it quickly takes a turn into fantasy as the good doctor’s machine takes him so far into the future that society has completely deconstructed, turning into a horrifying version of hunters and gatherers. While it goes far beyond what you’ll often see in today’s steampunk, the story still embodies that ideal that perhaps if we can tinker enough with time, using machines and science, perhaps we can make a difference in our future.

That’s part of the reason why technology is a critical part of steampunk storytelling. If you can take the technology out of the story and still have a story, then you probably aren’t writing steampunk. Like the comic Girl Genius, technology is a vital part of the story itself. It directly changes the abilities and behaviors of our characters and determines the limits of their actions.

It’s a fictional lens to rewrite history in a fun, fantastical way. Literally a new way of looking at the old. Where else could you imagine gigantic mechanical scorpions, stage coaches that run on steam or automatons that function as well as any of today’s artificial intelligence?

If course, like many in steampunk, I like to buck against the traditional. While you could certain set a story in London, why should you? The whole world existed for the better part of a century during Queen Victoria’s reign. Why not make use of the extensive culture and history happening during that time of discovery, expansion and colonial upheaval?

Sure this isn’t your regular historical romance. But then that’s part of the essence that makes steampunk so much fun. It isn’t average. It isn’t something normal. It’s a fusion of the past, the present, and fantasy all blended together to create a world of might have been.

Thank you so much for your post Theresa. What a fantastic description of the new genre.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Hunter and would love to invite readers to see my review.

THE HUNTER
by Theresa Meyers

They’re the Chosen—Winchester, Remington and Colt—brothers trained to hunt down supernatural beings using the latest steam-powered gadgetry. It’s a hard legacy to shoulder, and it’s about to get a lot more dangerous…

A DEVIL OF A JOB

Colt Jackson has gotten his name on many a wanted poster with success in the family business: hunting supernaturals across the frontier. Lately, though, there’s a sulfur stink in the wind and the Darkin population is exploding. A rift in the worlds is appearing. To close it, Colt will have to do the unthinkable and work with a demon to pass arcane boundaries no human alone can cross.

Except when he summons his demon, he doesn’t get some horned monstrosity: he gets a curvy redheaded succubus named Lilly, who’s willing to make a bargain to become human again. He also gets Lilly’s secret expertise on the machinations on the dark side of the rift. And her charm and cleverness help to get them out of what his silver-loaded pistol and mechanical horse can’t. Of course, when all hell breaks loose, he might have to sacrifice his soul. But what’s adventure without a little risk?
 

About Theresa Meyers: Raised by a bibliophile who made the dining room into a library, Theresa has always been a lover of books and stories. First a writer for newspapers, then for national magazines, she started her first novel in high school, eventually enrolling in a Writer's Digest course and putting the book under the bed until she joined Romance Writers of America in 1993.

In 2005 she was selected as one of eleven finalists for the American Title II contest, the American Idol of books. She is married to the first man she ever went on a real date with (to their high school prom), who she knew was hero material when he suffered through having to let her parents drive, and her brother sit between them in the backseat of the car. They currently live in a Victorian house on a mini farm in the Pacific Northwest with their two children, three cats, an old chestnut Arabian gelding, an energetic mini-Aussie shepherd puppy, several rabbits, a dozen chickens and an out-of-control herb garden.

You can find her online on Twitter, Facebook, at her website or blogging with the other Lolitas of STEAMED! Make sure to visit Bewitching Book Tours for more tour dates.

Winner Announcement!

Thank you to everyone who entered my Halloween Contest!

 Special thanks for following my blog, tweeting and posting the contest.

Winner: Lexi
The winner has been emailed.

New Release: The Guardian

The Guardian
by Sherrilyn Kenyon

As a Dream-Hunter, Lydia has been charged with the most sacred and dangerous of missions. She’s to descend into the Nether Realm and find the missing god of dreams before he betrays the secrets that could kill all of them. What she never expects is to be taken prisoner by the Realm’s most vicious guardian.

Seth’s time is running out. If he can’t hand over the entrance to Olympus, his own life and those of his people will be forfeit. No matter the torture, Seth hasn’t been able to break the god in his custody. Then there’s the beautiful Dream-Hunter Lydia: She isn’t just guarding the gates of Olympus—she’s holding back one of the world’s darkest powers. If she fails, an ancient curse will haunt the earth once more and no one will be safe. But evil is always seductive...



Website: www.officialsanctuary.com and www.sherrilynkenyon.com for more about SHERRILYN KENYON, THE GUARDIAN, and all of her novels.
 
To sign up and access an exclusive bonus scene from THE GUARDIAN, visit: http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/features/series/the-guardian?WT.mc_id=10336

Review: Darker Still ARC

Darker Still (Magic Most Foul #1)
by Leanna Renee Hieber

The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Pride and Prejudice, with a dash of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul. From Goodreads

Darker Still is unlike any other book I have read. I do not read a ton of YA and when I do they are heavily paranormal. Leanna's tale has supernatural aspects but is more of a haunted historical romance then paranormal. Regardless of this departure from my most-read genres I thoroughly enjoyed the read and found myself more and more captivated by the characters as the story unfolded.

The story is told from Natalie's viewpoint. In diary format. So I quite literally was stepping into her world via her words. Let me say that Natalie is a fantastic story teller. Her language is easy to follow and she does not get caught up in flighty thoughts. Though the diary format does limit dialog, there was still plenty of secondary character development and interactions.

The setting as described is sublime. Natalie's story takes place in a world filled with ruffle, lace, carriages, teas and high society. The intrigues of the well-to-do and the less fortunate abound filling the pages with rich color. Leanna describes New York with passion and love and imbues the same awe into Natalie. The city is defined in such a way as to lend perfectly to the magical feeling of the novel.

Then there is love. The love of family, of life and of self. The characters combine a plethora of personalities and backgrounds which enhance the experiences of Natalie and her world. Leanna writes of understanding, fortitude, resilience, honor, loyalty and strength. But in such a way that all of these strong characteristics are subtle, perhaps understated. There is an incredible patience in the story. Which could be lent to the era of the setting. The book gives a very regal and innocent feel with just the smallest hint of sass.

There is also romantic love. Both Natalie and Jonathan must have faith in each other and their spirituality. To conquer their demons they must find goodness, magic and angels. Through tragedy and plight they find an extraordinary kinship. Against propriety and thought most definitely scandalous, they sneak an occasional caress. A stolen kiss. I loved the purity and consideration. Jonathan is the epitome of a gallant gentleman.

As you may have found in this review the book inspires more intricate descriptions and adjectives than some. I had to open both my dictionary and thesaurus. Leanne writes with a beautifully flowing lint. With elegant flourish much like the author herself. If you enjoy a opulent tale with magic, mystery and love please delve into Natalie's world and immerse yourself in her modest and much unexpected quest. 

For more information on this book please visit Leanna Renee Hieber's website!
Darker Still will be available November 8th, 2011 is available now!