A Musical Interlude from Slaid Cleaves

Thanks to rampaging real life (sigh), I didn't get Shop Talk done for today, so I'll offer up a little music while I'm off dealing with STUFF. I hate STUFF.

But I don't hate music. I use it a lot in my writing, so I'll share a song I've been listening to a lot recently as I'm working on a new character for a new writing project.

I'm not ready to talk about the project yet, although its working title is LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP.

But I will talk about this character a little, because I like him a lot and have been spending time with him (you know, in that way writers have of spending time with imaginary people).

His name is Shane Burke, and he's a kind of washed-up salvage ship diver who is a half-step from losing his home, which also happens to be his salvage boat. This is Shane's theme song, by one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Slaid Cleaves.

Shane's in need of salvation, and one never knows where that might come from...

Drive-by Review—DJ and Alex review STORM FORCE

Yeah, okay, it’s a little...incestuous, maybe? We’ll just have to deal with it!

[First, I'm over at the Novelists Inc. blog today, talking about the mechanics of writing a serial novel, just in case you wonder how the process worked from the writing side of  things.]

Happy official release day for Storm Force! Of course it has been out for about a month for Kindle after its run as a serial novel. Today, it hits print. Looks like the audiobook is scheduled for September or October release. Don’t ask me; I’d be the last one to know!

So.

DJ and Alex both like to read. When she’s not chasing down pretes, fending off advances by Jean Lafitte, and worrying about The Alex Issue, DJ enjoys picking up her ereader—because she’s a modern sort of girl and, besides, all her shelves are full of herbs and potions ingredients and black spellbooks.

Alex thinks e-readers are for sissies. He wants print, preferably served with a beer.

So I sent each of them a copy of Storm Force with no expectation of whether they would give it a good or bad review. Isn’t that the standard language one uses? They gathered at Alex’s dining tablet to talk about it.

(I have no idea where this post is going, so let’s see what the muse dreams up.)

ABOUT STORM FORCE: As leader of the elite counter-terrorism team Omega Force, former army ranger Jack “Kell” Kellison is always focused on getting the job done. So when a Houston high-rise is bombed and the governor killed or missing, Kell’s mission is clear: infiltrate the group suspected of the bombing and neutralize the threat by any means necessary. But once Kell meets beautiful chief suspect Mori Chastaine, he realizes there’s more to this case than meets the eye. And more to Mori than any man—any human man—could imagine.

Mori Chastaine is running out of options. Suspected for a crime she didn’t commit, forced into a marriage she doesn’t want, she sees no escape—until Kell walks through her door. A lifetime hiding her true nature warns her Kell might not be who he seems. But he could be the only one able to help save more innocent humans from becoming pawns in an ancient paranormal power play. If Mori reveals her secret, will Kell join her fight? Or will she become his next target?

OVERVIEW

DJ: Well, it’s kind of cool to have a human hero trying to keep up with the pretes. Kell, good luck with that, dude. You barely lived through it this time and it was your first official case. Sooner rather than later, you’re going to be cat-chow.

ALEX: Hey, just because you can’t handle all the pretes without that elven crutch, I mean staff, you shouldn’t judge others. I think Kell was pretty cool, although I could fix him up with weapons that would work better on pretes than that Army-issue sh*t he carries.

DJ: Alex, he’s a character in a book. He doesn’t need bigger weapons.

ALEX: I knew that.

DJ: Now, Mori is another matter. Good Lord, the woman should just have taken that evil SOB down and have been done with it. She made everything worse by hesitating and trying to work through the system. She gave him waaaaay more credit than he ever deserved.

ALEX: Not every woman rushes headlong into dangerous situations without a second thought. You know...smart women.

DJ: And what is that supposed to mean?

ALEX (raises eyebrow): No comment....But look at it this way. Mori was brought up in a culture where women were discounted. It’s been drilled into her since birth that she wasn’t as important as the guys, not as strong, not as powerful, and didn’t have as many options available to her.

DJ: Yeah, sounds like she could be a female wizard.

ALEX: (Opens mouth, thinks better of it, and shuts up.)

A SCENE YOU’D READ TWICE

DJ: Okay, I laughed out loud when Kell got stuck in that compromising position at the hotel and his team members walked in on him. I mean the man pretended to be dead, hoping they’d just leave him and not laugh at him. It was hilarious. Go, Mori!

ALEX: That wasn’t funny in the least. He was an idiot. You don’t turn your back on a suspect like that. He was following his...well, it wasn’t his brain....I liked that ferry ride when the hurricane was coming. That would be awesome.

DJ: Yeah, right up to the point where you drowned.

ALEX: Some of us can swim.

DJ: Yeah, dogs are born with that ability, I hear.

I DIDN’T QUITE BUY

DJ: Why Kell confronted the bad guy without backup. I mean, I understand why the others weren’t there but he could’ve waited.

ALEX: He was given a direct order by his supervisor. You don’t wait. You do as you’re told. He’s an Army Ranger. He knows his job.

DJ: He was ordered to seduce Mori, and he didn’t do that. So obviously he doesn’t always follow orders.

ALEX: Well, there are limits to what orders should entail. 

DJ: So it’s okay to send someone to face certain death going one-on-one with a crazy sociopath, but it’s not okay to send him to have sex with the suspect?

ALEX: Exactly.

DJ: You military guys are warped, you know that?

ALEX: Whatever.

THE WORLD

DJ: Well, frankly, it’s all furry and feathery things. Where are the wizards, I ask you? Who wants to read about shapeshifters all the time?

Alex (clears throat).

DJ: Well, you know what I mean. Where are the merpeople? Where are the historical undead?

ALEX (assumes Pepe Le Pew accent): I do not wish to be in a bombed building, Jolie.

DJ: Wordbuilding was fine. Let’s move on.

THE CHARACTERS

DJ: I liked Kell. I don’t think his life expectancy is very good, but I liked him. I mean, holy crap, he took some stupid risks, but he was smart about it.

ALEX: That makes no sense whatsoever.

DJ: I guess you liked wimpy Mori.

ALEX: Yeah, I did. I understood where she was coming from and why it took her as long as it did to finally understand that the rules she grew up with didn’t apply in her situation. But my favorite was Robin. Robin was hot.

DJ: Robin was frequently naked.

ALEX: Your point?

DJ (looks out the window): I'm going home. That creepy Quince Randolph is on my porch, peeking in my living room window.

ALEX: Wait. Let me get my gun. 

Want to win a print or digital copy of Storm Force? Just leave a comment and tell me what character you’d like to see do the next Preternatura book review!

New Releases June 15—June 21 and Readers Choice C*ntest

A lighter week this week—if you can call twenty new releases a light week. I mean, I knew  my TBR pile was out of control, but yesterday I finally shelved the books I had stacked in the floor (this is besides the 14 shelves full of TBRs already)--and it was almost 200. Which is why I'm starting a new feature this Friday to unload books, so stay tuned!

A little shameless self-promotion time. Head over to the fabulous She Wolf Reads today, where I'm talking about Robin Ashton, my eagle shapeshifter in Storm Force. Our eagle named Robin is a bit on the wild side! And there's a giveaway, of course.

Also, I'm over at Urban Fantasy Investigations today, talking about five preternatural species to be on the lookout for when you're next in New Orleans. We're only a week away from the paperback release of River Road...and the premier here of the Jean Lafitte novelette Jackson Square. And another giveaway at this site. 

Now...what do you want to read this week? As always, leave a comment telling me the book you’d most like to win, and maybe random.org will make your wishes come true. Your choice of print or digital unless otherwise stated. International? Of course! As long as Book Depository delivers to your country, please enter. If you’d prefer the first book in a series listed here, that’s okay, too. 

The Reluctant Reaper (The Reluctant Reaper #1), by Gina X. Grant, (June 17, Pocket Star)

Life for Kirsty d’Arc might not be perfect, but it’s far from hellish. She likes her job, has a great BFF and truly admires Conrad, her boss. When she dives in front of a lunatic’s blade to save him from certain death, she finds out Conrad isn’t so admirable after all. He’s traded her soul to the Devil. While her body lies comatose on the Mortal Coil, Kirsty’s spirit is dragged straight to Hell. The place is quirky, wacky, and not without charm. She seeks out allies, earning the friendship of a powerful drag demon, a psychic server and most importantly, Hell’s civil servant. Stuck in the netherworld, Kirsty vows she’ll do everything on her postmortem bucket-list, starting with getting her life back and ensuring that Conrad has Hell to pay.  (ebook only) 

Before the Fall (Rojan Dizon #2), by Francis Knight, (June 18, Orbit)

Mahala is a city of contrasts: light and dark. Hope and despair. Rojan Dizon just wants to keep his head down. But his worst nightmare is around the corner. With the destruction of their power source, his city is in crisis: riots are breaking out, mages are being murdered, and the city is divided. But Rojan's hunt for the killers will make him responsible for all-out anarchy. Either that, or an all-out war. And there's nothing Rojan hates more than being responsible. 

Intuition (Transcendence #2), by C.J. Omololu, (June 18, Walker Childrens)

As Cole begins to accept her new life as Akhet, someone who can remember flashes of her past lives, every new vision from her past lives helps explain who she is in this life. As her passion for Griffon grows, she learns to identify other Akhet around her, including Drew, the young self-made millionaire who reveals his startling connection to Cole-he was her husband in Elizabethan England and gave her the ankh necklace that has been returned to her after centuries in hiding. Drew's attentions are overwhelming as he insists that their connection in the past signals their future destiny together, but before she can decide who she truly loves, Cole must learn to harness her unique Akhet abilities if she is to ever understand her role in this strange new world. 

Lexicon, by Max Barry, (June 18, Penguin Press)

At an exclusive school somewhere outside of Arlington, Virginia, students are taught to persuade. The very best will graduate as “poets”: adept wielders of language who belong to an organization that is as influential as it is secretive. Emily Ruff is living on the streets of San Francisco when she attracts the attention of the organization’s recruiters. She is flown across the country for the school’s strange and rigorous entrance exams. Emily becomes the school’s most talented prodigy. Wil Jamieson is brutally ambushed by two strange men in an airport bathroom. Wil is the key to a secret war between rival factions of poets. As the two narratives converge, the work of the poets is revealed and the world crashes toward a Tower of Babel event which would leave all language meaningless. 

On Pins and Needles (Sierra Fox #3), by Yolanda Sfetsos, (June 18, Samhain)

Sierra Fox s relationship with sexy werewolf Jason Papan is going great, but it doesn’t take a psychic to tell her someone s out to get her. There s too much else going on to worry about just another assassination attempt. The half-sister Sierra never knew she had isn’t a typical teenager. Willow comes with supernatural baggage that grows heavier every time someone close to her dies. The load gets bigger every time the police find the body of another young girl. Sierra s not only dealing with the target on her own back, but the one that a power-hungry woman has painted on her poltergeist-magnet sister. Sierra must face her deepest fears and embrace the darkest of her powers to overcome the looming threat. Or the prediction of her death might just come true.  (ebook only) 

Proxy (Proxy #1), by Alex London, (June 18, Philomel)

Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want, including a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death. Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. When Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid. 

Requiem (The Psalms of Isaak #4), by Ken Scholes, (June 18, Tor)

Who is the Crimson Empress, and what does her conquest of the Named Lands really mean? Who holds the keys to the Moon Wizard’s Tower? The plots within plots are expanding as the characters seek their way out of the maze of intrigue. The world is expanding as they discover lands beyond their previous carefully controlled knowledge. Hidden truths reveal even deeper truths, and nothing is as it seemed to be. 

Reviver: A Novel, by Seth Patrick, (June 18, Thomas Dunne)

Revivers. Able to wake the recently dead, and let them bear witness to their own demise. Twelve years after the first reviver came to light, they have become accepted by an uneasy public. The testimony of the dead is permitted in courtrooms across the world. In the United States, that responsibility falls to the Forensic Revival Service. Despite his troubled past, Jonah Miller is one of their best. Daniel Harker, the first journalist to bring revival to public attention, is murdered, and Jonah finds himself involved in the hunt for answers. Working with Harker's daughter Annabel, he becomes determined to find those responsible. They uncover long-hidden truths that call into doubt everything Jonah stands for, and reveal a threat that if not stopped in time, will put all of humanity in danger. 

Rogue Touch, by Christine Woodward, (June 18, Hyperion)

Twenty-year-old Anna Marie was just fired for the third time, this time from a bakery. Her skin, her touch, is a deadly weapon that must be concealed. She accidentally put her boyfriend, Cody, in a coma when they kissed. Horrified, she ran away to Jackson, Mississippi, where she's been living alone. She meets otherworldly James and everything changes. He's just like her, completely alone and also on the run. To elude James's mysterious and dangerous family, the pair takes to the highway. James reveals that his true name is Touch and he christens Anna Marie Rogue. With danger at their heels, they know they can't run forever. Rogue must decide if she'll unleash her devastating powers once again in order to save the only person who seems truly to understand and accept her. 

Sea Change, by S.M. Wheeler, (June 18, Tor)

The unhappy child of two powerful parents who despise each other, young Lilly turns to the ocean to find solace, which she finds in the form of the eloquent and intelligent sea monster Octavius, a kraken. In Octavius’s many arms, Lilly learns of friendship, loyalty, and family. When Octavius, forbidden by Lilly to harm humans, is captured by seafaring traders and sold to a circus, Lilly becomes his only hope for salvation.  Her journey to win Octavius’s freedom is difficult. The circus master wants a Coat of Illusions; the Coat tailor wants her undead husband back from a witch; the witch wants her skin back from two bandits; the bandits just want some company, but they might kill her first. Lilly's quest tests her resolve, tries her patience, and leaves her transformed in every way.  

Star Cursed (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #2), by Jessica Spotswood, (June 18, Putnam Juvenile)

With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers, if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves. Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she'll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war. 

Storm Force (Omega Force #1), by Susannah Sandlin, (June 18, Montlake Romance)

As leader of the elite counter-terrorism team Omega Force, former army ranger Jack “Kell” Kellison is always focused on getting the job done. When a Houston high-rise is bombed and the governor killed or missing, Kell’s mission is clear: infiltrate the group suspected of the bombing and neutralize the threat by any means necessary. Once Kell meets beautiful chief suspect Mori Chastaine, he realizes there’s more to this case than meets the eye. And more to Mori than any man could imagine. A lifetime hiding her true nature warns her Kell might not be who he seems. He could be the only one able to help save more innocent humans from becoming pawns in an ancient paranormal power play. If Mori reveals her secret, will Kell join her fight? Or will she become his next target? Hey....this book looks familiar!

The Book of Cross Book One: The Mona Lisa Sacrifice, by Peter Roman, (June 18, ChiZine)

For thousands of years, Cross has wandered the earth, a mortal soul trapped in the undying body left behind by Christ. Now he must play the part of reluctant hero, as an angel comes to him for help finding the Mona Lisa, the real Mona Lisa that inspired the painting. Cross's quest takes him into a secret world within our own. He's haunted by memories of Penelope, the only woman he truly loved, and he wants to avenge her death at the hands of his ancient enemy, Judas. The angel promises to deliver Judas to Cross, but nothing is ever what it seems when Judas is involved, and when a group of renegade angels looking for a new holy war show up, things truly go to hell. 

The 'Geisters, by David Nickle, (June 18, ChiZine)

When Ann LeSage was a little girl, she had an invisible friend, a poltergeist, that spoke to her with flying knives and howling winds. She called it the Insect. With a little professional help, she contained it. The nightmare was over, at least for a time. The nightmare never truly ended. As Ann grew from girl into young woman, the Insect grew with her. It became a thing of murder. As she embarks on a new life married to Michael Voors, a successful young lawyer, Ann believes that she finally has the Insect under control. There are others vying to take that control away from her. They may not know exactly what they're dealing with. They are the 'Geisters. And in pursuing their own perverse dream, they risk spawning the most terrible nightmare of all. 

The Long War (The Long Earth #2), by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, (June 18, Harper)

Where Joshua and Lobsang once pioneered, now fleets of airships link the stepwise Americas with trade and culture. Mankind is shaping the Long Earth, but in turn the Long Earth is shaping mankind. A new 'America', called Valhalla, is emerging more than a million steps from Datum Earth, with core American values restated in the plentiful environment of the Long Earth, and Valhalla is growing restless under the control of the Datum government. The Long Earth is suffused by the song of the trolls, graceful hive-mind humanoids. The trolls are beginning to react to humanity's thoughtless exploitation. Joshua, now a married man, is summoned by Lobsang to deal with a gathering multiple crisis that threatens Long Earth with a war unlike any mankind has waged before. 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman, (June 18, William Morrow)

It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond the world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed, within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it. His only defense is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is an ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang. 

The Shuddering, by Ania Ahlborn, (June 18, 47North)

Ryan Adler and his twin sister, Jane, spent their happiest childhood days at their parent’s mountain Colorado cabin, until divorce tore their family apart. With the house about to be sold, the Adler twins gather with their closest friends for one last snowboarding-filled holiday. While Ryan gazes longingly at Lauren, wondering if his playboy days are over, Jane hopes of reconciling with her old boyfriend evaporate when he brings along his new fiance. Something lurks in the forest, watching the cabin, growing ever bolder as the snow falls, and hunger rises. The true test of their love and loyalty begins as the hideous creatures outside close in, one bloody attack at a time. Ryan, Jane, and their friends must fight for their lives. Or else surrender to unspeakable deaths in the darkened woods. 

The Stranger: A Tor.Com Original, by Anna Banks, (June 18, Tor)

The Syrena don’t trust many humans. Rachel is one of them. The story of how Galen met her, and how they bonded, is both exciting and heartbreaking.  (ebook only) 

The Watcher in the Shadows (Niebla #3), by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, (June 18, Little Brown Books)

When fourteen-year-old Irene Sauvelle moves to Cape House on the coast of Normandy, she's immediately taken by the beauty of the place. She meets a local boy named Ishmael, and the two soon fall in love. A dark mystery is about to unfold, involving a reclusive toymaker who lives in a mansion. Irene's younger brother dreams of a dark creature hidden deep in the forest. A young girl is found murdered, her body at the end of a path torn through the woods by an inhuman force. Irene and Ishmael wonder if a demonic presence has been unleashed on the inhabitants of Cape House. They'll have to survive the most terrifying summer of their lives, as they try to piece together the mysteries and secrets hidden in a town torn apart by tragedy, amidst a labyrinth of lights and shadows.  (U.S. Release) 

Wisp of a Thing (Tufa #2), by Alex Bledsoe, (June 18, Tor)

Rob Quillen comes to Cloud County, Tennessee, in search of a song that might ease his aching heart. All he knows of the mysterious and reclusive Tufa is what he has read on the internet: they are an enigmatic clan of swarthy, black-haired mountain people whose historical roots are lost in myth and controversy. Close-lipped locals guard their secrets, even as Rob gets caught up in a subtle power struggle he can’t begin to comprehend. A vacationing wife goes missing, raising suspicions of foul play, and a strange feral girl runs wild in the woods, howling in the night like a lost spirit. Change is coming to Cloud County, and only the night wind knows what part Rob will play when the last leaf falls from the Widow’s Tree, and a timeless curse must be broken at last.

The small print: This contest is international to any place Book Depository ships. Contests end at midnight CDT U.S. on Saturday, and winners are announced on Sunday’s blog. It’s the responsibility of the winner to contact me with their mailing info. Books unclaimed after a month will go into a general giveaway pile.

Now….go forth and comment!

Cover Reveal: UK Edition of Elysian Fields...And Weekly Winners

Happy Sunday! I've been sitting on this one a while, waiting for the official OK to post it...but since Mel S (thanks, Mel!) found it on Amazon a couple of days ago, well, here it is!

It's my favorite of the UK covers. I like the moody coloring, and the abandoned amusement park in the background is perfect since some of the book's major scenes take place in the old abandoned Six Flags New Orleans, which flooded badly during Hurricane Katrina and has been caught up in litigation ever since.

The other major settings in Elysian Fields are:

1) DJ's house and Alex's house. They're next door to each other, in uptown New Orleans. DJ's house is a camelback built in the 1870s. It's patterned after the house that was next door to mine in NOLA. Alex lives in a true New Orleans shotgun house, and is patterned after a friend's shotgun--they're called that because they're long, one-room-wide narrow houses with one room opening directly onto the next. You could fire a shotgun from the front door, and the shell would go straight thru the house and out the back door. Land in NOLA tends to be narrow and deep--I lived in a Victorian side-hall cottage, and my lot size was 40-feet x 120 feet. That was wider than most because I actually had off-street parking, which is a premium in uptown NOLA. Here's a shotgun. Just about all of the houses in this part of the city are raised on piers (which is one reason it didn't flood as badly during Katrina), have steeply pitched roofs, nice Victorian gingerbread trim and millwork, and the "three-bay" front. The opening on the left is the front door; the other two are floor-to-ceiling windows with hurricane shutters that can be closed when a storm approaches and opened wide during the day to allow breezes through and to serve as additional doors--remember, most of these babies were built way before air conditioning!

2) "Plantasy Island," Quince Randolph's nursery and landscaping business, catty-cornered from DJ's house and across from Eugenie's. We'll get a look inside the store for the first time; Rand lives upstairs and the nursery is on the first floor.

3) "L'Amour Sauvage," which is the city's elegant vampire bar, located in the French Quarter on Chartres Street. I took the name from a line from Zachary Richard's song "Un Coeur Fidele"--"l'amour sauvage, promesses cassees, farouche desire"--savage love, broken promises, fierce desires. Back before the days of street signs, the streets in the city were marked in beautiful tiles inlaid into the sidewalks. Most have been pilfered or broken, but there are a few still around:

4) Elfheim. Yes! We finally meet the Elves in Elysian Fields. Elves are...different. Mostly, we get to see the interior of the Synod's place of meeting, which I based on a cabin in Pine Mountain, Ga., that I went to a few years ago. It's probably the only connection Pine Mountain, Georgia, will ever have to Elves! 

5) Old Barataria. Jean Lafitte's home in the Beyond. These swamplands south of New Orleans is where  Jean had his empire, including a fine house on Grand Terre Island. Here is a drawing of his house, which we visit in the book:

So, that's your tour of major settings in Elysian Fields! Now....did you win a book this week? You know the routine...if you see your name, please email me at suzannej3523 at gmail dot com with your mailing info...

HOLLY BRYAN won her choice of John Mantooth's The Year of the Storm or a mystery book from my TBR mountain. Choice of print or digital. 

REBE won a $10 gift card to her online retailer of choice for participating in this week's solicitation of guest blog and character post ideas. (A major THANK YOU to everyone who posted ideas--we had some great ones!)

NATALIA J won a copy of Jill Archer's Fiery Edge of Steel.

CARL SCOTT won this week's Reader's Choice contest and picked Dance of the Red Death. Choice of print or digital. 

Back tomorrow with a new Reader's Choice!

Q&A with John Mantooth, The Year of the Storm, and C*ntest

Today, please help me welcome author John Mantooth to Preternatura! John is a fellow Alabama author, and his debut novel, The Year of the Storm, came out a couple of weeks ago. It's a dark, rich story of growing up and coming to terms with the path, and believing what we need to in order to make that happen. John is an award-winning writer in the short-fiction realm, with stories in the Tor Books 2010 anthology Haunted Legends, Fantasy magazine, Crime Factor, and other publications. His story anthology, Shoebox Train Wreck, came out last year. You can learn more about John by visiting his website.

ABOUT THE YEAR OF THE STORM:  When Danny was fourteen, his mother and sister disappeared during a violent storm. The police were baffled. There were no clues, and most people figured they were dead.  Only Danny still holds out hope that they’ll return. Months later, a disheveled Vietnam vet named Walter Pike shows up at Danny’s front door, claiming to know their whereabouts. The story he tells is so incredible that Danny knows he shouldn’t believe him. Others warn him about Walter Pike’s dark past, his shameful flight from town years ago, and the suspicious timing of his return.  But he’s Danny’s last hope, and Danny needs to believe….

And now, let's hear from John...

Give us the “elevator pitch” for your book.  

Nine months after Danny’s mother and sister disappear in the woods behind his house, a tortured Vietnam vet shows up at his door claiming to know their whereabouts.

Describe your favorite scene from the new book--and why is it your favorite?  

 

There’s a scene near the beginning of the book when the narrator, Danny, describes seeing his best friend from childhood in a bar.  There’s a really sad moment where they almost reconnect, but then some other people come in and the moment is lost.  I’ve never had that happen to me, but when I wrote it, it felt very true, and in some ways, it sums up what the book is about.  

What’s on your nightstand or top of your TBR pile?

 

I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t read Frank Bill’s newest one, Donnybrook, but it’s been purchased and moved to the top of my rather large TBR pile. 

Favorite book when you were a child.  

I had two.  My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Drone, read them both aloud to the class.  She read The Secret Garden and James and the Giant Peach.  I was hooked from that point on.  If you’re still out there, Mrs. Drone, thanks!  You changed my life.

Book you've faked reading (Moby Dick is leading the votes on this question!): 

Anything by H.P. Lovecraft.  I’ve read a lot of the fiction influenced by him, but never one of his actual stories, though I don’t think I’ve admitted that until right now.

Book you're an evangelist for:  

I think everyone should read Ron Rash’s One Foot in Eden.  That book floored me.  Another book I talked about for days after I finished was Holly Goddard Jones’s The Next Time You See Me.  Of course, her collection Girl Trouble is phenomenal too.  In my opinion, she’s one of the best writers working today.  I also like to read some young adult, and one book that I think a lot of people may have missed in that genre is Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork.  It’s a book everyone should read.

Book you've bought for the cover: 

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.  Great cover, even better book, as I discovered. 

Book that changed your life:

Well, I’ve already mentioned The Secret Garden and James and the Giant Peach, but I’d also throw in Different Seasons by Stephen King.  Without that book, I probably wouldn’t have become a writer because that book led me to discover the other books on my dad’s bookshelf, which made me really catch the bug.

Favorite line from a book: 

From the acknowledgements of This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff: “My first stepfather used to say that what I didn't know would fill a book. Well, here it is.”

Book you most want to read again for the first time: 

All of them. 

Favorite book about books or writing: 

There was a textbook I had in college called The Story and Its Writer that I really loved.  Basically it had great short stories followed by thoughts from the writer.  I read my first Flannery O’Connor story, “Good Country People” in this anthology.  I’d like to get my hands on it again.

Thanks, John! Now, for those of you who don't know Alabama, let me tell you that it's prone to tornadoes, which is an inciting incident in John's book. Everyone I know (self included) has at least one tornado story. Do you live in a part of the country prone to tornadoes or hurricanes? Have you ever been close to one?

One commenter will win their choice of either a copy of The Year of the Storm, or you may choose to take a chance on a mystery book--or two--from my towering TBR mountain. Tell us some stories!

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You

I'll be back tomorrow with a great new author for you to meet--a fellow Alabamian, no less. Today, I wanted to thank everyone for the awesome character post ideas! I'll be putting them to work very soon. Keep adding ideas if you think of any.

In the meantime, here's the schedule for the rest of June and for July. I'll be putting the links up here each day, along with the type of post and which character is doing it--and who suggested the topic, of course :-). Also, whatever giveaways are being offered.

Preternatura will continue with its usual schedule here, of course.

This list does NOT include the online tour for Elysian Fields. That's still being set up for August and September, and before that begins, I'll be collecting ideas for flash fiction. I think that's going to be fun!

First, though, there's this (SJ=Sentinels-related; SS=Penton or Storm Force-related). No wonder I'm not sure who I am half the time! There are also some promo-only and review spots not listed below, but that will be mentioned here on the days they run.

June 14: Romance Magicians (SS)
June 17: She Wolf Reads (SS); Urban Fantasy Investigations (SJ)
June 18: Novelists Inc. (SJ)
June 19: Paranormal Unbound (SS)
June 25: Curling Up with a Good Book (interview-SS)
June 26: My Book Addiction (interview-SS)
July 1: Paranormal Unbound Genre Talk (SJ)
July 2: Literary Escapism (SS)
July 5: The Avid Reader (interview-SJ)
July TBA: Tor/Forge E-Newsletter (SJ)
July 8: Tynga's Reviews (Interview-SS); That's What I'm Talking About (SJ; part of the Urban Fantasy 4th of July Celebration)
July 9: Dark Faerie Tales and All Things Urban Fantasy (SJ/part of Deadly Destinations event); Paranormal Romance Fans for Life (SS)
July 10: Grave Tells (SS)
July 15: Paranormal Romance Fans for Life (SJ)
July 15: Paranormal Unbound Genre Talk (SJ)
July 16: Romance with Flavor (interview-SJ)
July 17: Literary Meanderings (interview-SJ)
July 23: Musings and Ramblings (SJ)
July 25: Reading Reality (SS)
July 29: Paranormal Perceptions/Surveillance Report (SJ)
July 31: Romance on a Budget (SJ)

Pick Your Poison: Seeking Writing Ideas for Character Posts

Okay, my friends, it’s time. This is your first call to action! 

Over the next four months, my characters are all sitting on G and waiting for O—ready to race off to do your bidding in the blogosphere. In June and July, they are looking for what you would like to hear them talk about in a guest blog. Frankly, I’m tired of myself, so I want my characters to earn their keep by guest-blogging in my stead.

[In about a month, I’ll be asking for flash fiction prompts, so hang onto those ideas—I’m hoping most of the online tour for Elysian Fields, which will run from August 10-September 10, will be largely flash fiction that you guys have suggested!]

Who’s available for this adventure?

In the Sentinels world, you can come up with blog topics for any of the following: DJ Jaco, Alex Warin, Jake Warin, Jean Lafitte (he always has something to say), Rene Delachaise, Quince Randolph (aka Rand), or a secondary character (Eugenie Dupre, NOPD detective Ken Hachette, Leyla the manager at the Green Gator, etc.).

In the Penton/Omega Force world, you can come up with blog topics

for Aidan Murphy, Krys Harris, Mirren Kincaid (beware of foul language), Glory Cummings, Will Ludlam, Randa Thomas, Jack “Kell” Kellison, Mori Chastaine—or one of the other major players: Cage Reynolds, Melissa Calvert, Mark Calvert, Nik Demetriou, Robin Ashton, Garrett “Gadget” Foley, or Archer Logan.

Sorry, Matthias and Michael are indisposed. (What is it with me and M names? Good grief.)

Have a question you’d like to ask one of the characters? Maybe what they think about a current event or political issue? What they think of another character? What they might do on a free evening? Anything and everything. Throw those ideas out there!

By the time the next two months are done, I’ll need lots of these, so let ‘em fly. I’ll always post the link when they run, of course, and give credit to the person who proposed the idea! 

As an incentive to participate, I’ll offer my usual Shop Talk giveaway today of a $10 gift card to your favorite online bookseller or retailer (or equivalently priced book from Book Depository if outside the US).