iced

No, the title does not refer to the weather. It is a quite balmy 55 outside right now, but the way the wind is blowing, that might be our high for the day.  The latest book I read was titled "Iced" and it was written by Karen Marie Moning. I go 'way back' with this author. I picked up her first novel when my girls were toddlers and have thoroughly enjoyed her storytelling ever since.

This latest novel is no exception, although the age of the heroine did give me pause.  Dani 'Mega' O'Malley is 14 and is one of the few folks who stands in the way of Faery totally taking over the planet. Set in Dublin, "Iced" is full of characters Moning developed in her Fever series featuring MacKayla Lane.

These stories are great combinations of urban fantasy and romance. "Iced" features a 14 year old heroine. The romance isn't happening in this novel. It is not what I'd call a coming of age story as Mega is old beyond her years in many regards. Warning, even though the novel features a 14 year old heroine, this is not a book for the YA audience. Not. At. All. This is a full blow urban fantasy with all the grit and gore you'd expect. It also has strong sexual overtones.

The basic plot is that folks are getting iced to death in Dublin. And Mega needs to find out who so she can slay them. If some of the adults/immortals she hangs out with want to help, great!

This is a fast paced read, like all of Moning's novels. Thumbs up. I look forward to reading more of Mega's adventures and watching her grow up.

madame tussaud releases today

It is a special thing when a book releases. With the advent of facebook and other internet tools, avid readers can experience a bit of the joy an author has when their latest 'baby' is unpacked and put on store shelves for purchase. Publication is a unique joy. I've only been published nationally once, but the joy I felt when I got the phone call that my essay was going to appear in a Mary Englebreit mini magazine about blew my mind. I still have the coat I purchased with my $75 pay check and I had the essay framed.

One author, actually it was Karen Marie Moning, the author I blogged about yesterday, told me in an email she licked her first published book, just to make sure it was real! I loved it!! And when my essay was published, I understood.

Today Michelle Moran's latest historical fiction novel is released. "Madame Tussaud" is about the very famous French lady who survived the Revolution. I love the cover of the book, and I often ignore the old adage that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Yes, I do judge books by their covers and this cover rocks. Finally, a heroine facing the reader head on (no pun intended).

Cheers to Michelle Moran on her latest novel. I can't wait to read it.

shadowfever by karen marie moning

A long time ago, back when my big kids were little kids, I picked up a debut romance novel from a gal whose bio listed she went to Purdue University. Being an IU grad, I didn't hold that against her and bought and read the book anyway. Loved it. I then read her next book, and her next, and her next. I've just read her twelfth novel, "Shadowfever." 

Along the way, about ten years ago, I actually sent the author an email. She responded and we corresponded a few times as I read her third and fourth novels. She was generous and answered fledgling novelist questions about the craft with insight and lots of humor. She wrote wonderful books, full of Scottish highlanders, a bit of magic and resourceful heroines. She had a penchant for putting her heroines in purple, a color she wasn't encouraged to wear because as a red head, she was told it looked bad.

Then she switched gears. When she launched the Fever series, it was a departure for her from what she had written over the previous seven novels. That book and the four that followed have grown her fanbase to the point where "Shadowfever", the fifth and final Fever title, debuted as number one on the NYT list. Woohoo!

More Urban Fantasy than Romance, the Fever series stars MacKayla Lane, a Southern belle who goes to Ireland in hopes of solving her sister's murder case. The plot that ensues features ancient relics, magical creatures, fae and plenty of adventure.

Karen Marie Moning's status has grown and grown and it is very well deserved. She is a terrific writer who can plot an incredible story and develop unforgettable characters. Just ask any of the Moning Maniacs who follow her books and follow her to fan conferences and gatherings.

Big cheers for my fellow Indiana girl, even if she is a Boilermaker and not a Hoosier!

friday

I read two books yesterday. Yes, two of them. Once we finished stocking the store and dealing with the donations from this past week, I scanned the shelves and the online catalog for the next two Karen Marie Moning titles in her Fever series. I came away with "Bloodfever" and "Faefever." The later one I had to dig for in the work room as it was waiting to be shelved in the stacks. But, I found it!!

I devoured those books. Nothing else got done. Good thing I had planned on sandwiches for dinner and those are self serve, no cooking required by me. Good thing I cleaned earlier in the week.

I read from 11:00 until 8:00 last night......had a few interruptions, but mainly I immersed myself in Mac's world and loved every minute of it.

What a great escape. Can't wait to get my hands on the next title "Dreamfever"....I put a hold on it at the library, should be mine within the next ten days. Not sure if I can wait that long!

My folks arrived in Florida and I will get my mom's take on my grandma's condition at some point today. My uncle had arrived earlier and had already seen her, he felt the nurses didn't quite explain just how bad off she is. But, he saw her just a few weeks ago after she had the car accident and her current condition compared to then sounds to be drastically changed.

Glad the weekend is ahead.

what is old is new again

Several years back when I first began to dabble with fiction writing, I submitted an essay to a now defunct newsletter/magazine published by Mary Englebreit. It was published, I was paid (whee) and all was well in my world. Around that same time I was working on writing a time-travel romance novel. Part of learning how to craft a book is reading all of the books you can in the same genre. I picked up a romance by Karen Marie Moning and dove into her "Highlander" series. I loved it. I emailed her....and she wrote back. We exchanged several notes and she was very sweet and helpful to this novice would-be novelist....even if she graduated from Purdue and I graduated from IU.

Since then she has gone on to publish several more books. I've read all of her Highlander series, but for some reason never picked up her "Fever" books when they first came out. Last week, I found the first one in that series and brought it home. Awesome read and I will be hunting down the other titles in this series.

I found her website; wow, money and credentials sure can jazz up an online presences, neat site. She now has an assistant to answer her email....yep, she's a MAJOR author now with the "Fever" books even being optioned by Hollywood.

I'd love to send her a note, but in the eight years since we first emailed, I'm sure she's had a gazillion fans write to her and what is a special memory for me may be long forgotten by her. She was one of the first to congratulate me on my essay's publication and shared with me how when her first book was published she actually licked the cover!

I'm so happy she has done so well and obviously has the staying power that some authors never achieve.

Well done, Karen...from your fellow Hoosier.