Escapist Newsletter (Vol 5 Issue 5)

News from LE

JKagawa-Summers CrossingThe winners of the Creasy, Wisdom and Treanor contests were announced.  Also, don’t forget, tomorrow night (or I guess it’s tonight at this point), we’ll be discussing Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires for the Bookish Escape chat.

Just a quick update for the New Author Challenge 2011.  As of today, we have 80 participates who have reviewed 387 novels.  For the TBR Newbies Challenge, we have 4 participants who have reviewed:

  1. Dead, Undead, or Somewhere In Between by J.A. Saare
  2. Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
  3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  4. The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg
  5. Marked by PC & Kristin Cast
  6. Moloka’i by Alan Brennert
  7. Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest

The TBR Newbies Challenge goes from April 15th to May 31st, so there’s still time to join in and participate.  At the end of the challenge, one reviewer will have a chance to win their choice of Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton, Hellforged by Nancy Holzner, The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox, The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber or Entangled by Graham Hancock – winner’s choice.

Cover Extravaganza

RVincent-If I DieDuring April, 106 different covers were revealed. I’m only going to show off a few that I haven’t seen get as much time on the blogs, but you can find all of them, in their original sizes, on the Facebook page. There were a ton of great sources: Wicked Scribes, All Things Urban Fantasy, Michelle’s Book Blog, Escape Between the Pages, Dark Faerie Tales and Tez Says.

New Releases

May 1st:
Dream Lover: Paranormal Tales of Erotic Romance an anthology featuring Megan Hart
Awaken the Highland Warrior by Anita Clenney
Wickedly Charming by Kristine Grayson
The Legend of Michael by Lisa Renee Jones

May 2nd:
The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess by Leanna Renee Hieber
Dead Is Not An Option by Marlene Perez

May 3rd:
Three to Tango an anthology featuring Lauren Dane, Megan Hart, Emma Holly, Bethany Kane
Enemy Games by Marcela Burnard
Bite Club by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires #10)
Breaking Point by Pamela Clare
Darkfire Kiss by Deborah Cooke (Dragonfire #8)
Chosen By Blood by Virna DePaul (Para-Ops #1)
Warrior Betrayed by Addison Fox
Always the Vampire by Nancy Haddock
Almost Final Curtain by Tate Hallaway (Vampire Princess of St. Paul)
Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse)
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison (Elder Races)
Hounded by Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid Chronicles #1)
One Magic Moment by Lynn Kurland
The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons by Katie MacAlister (Light Dragons #2)
Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill (Chicagoland Vampires #4)
Illusions by Aprilynne Pike
Sanctuary Redeemed by Moira Rogers (Red Rock)
The Lone Warrior by Denise Rossetti
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready (Shade #2)
The Council of Shadows by SM Stirling
Blood Law by Karin Tabke (Blood Moon #1)
Warcry by Elizabeth Vaughan (Chronicles of the Warlands #4)
Shadow Raiders by Margaret Weis & Robert Krammes (Dragon Brigade #1)

May 5th: Ultraviolet by RJ Anderson

May 6th: Zombie Dawn by Steve Feasey (Changeling/Wereling #5)

May 9th: Blue Galaxy by Diane Dooley

May 10th:
Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
Ruby Red by Kerstein Gier
Tighter by Adele Griffin
Die for Me by Amy Plum
The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

May 11th: Shadow Walker by LA Banks

May 17th:
Mercy by Rebecca Lim
Embassytown by China Mieville
Cryptic Cravings by Ellen Schrebier (Vampire Kisses #8)

May 24th:
Welcome to Bordertown by Holly Black
The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
Something Deadly This Way Comes by Kim Harrison (Madison Avery #3)
Mind Games by Taylor Keating
Sinful Magic by Jennifer Lyon
The Falling Machine by Andrew Mayer (Society of Steam #1)
Zombies Sold Separately by Cheyenne McCray (Night Tracker #4)
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
City of Ruins by Kathryn Rusch
The Warlock by Michael Scott (Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #5)
Angel Burn by LA Weatherly

May 31st:
Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #5)
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
Infernal Affairs by Jes Battis (OSI #4)
Blood of the Wicked by Karina Cooper
Nightspell by Leah Cypess
Demon by Kristina Douglas (The Fallen)
Devil Without a Cause by Terri Garey (Devil’s Bargain #1)
Deadline by Mira Grant (Newsflesh #2)
Changeling Moon by Dani Harper (Changeling #1)
Dead on the Delta by Stacey Jay
My Dangerous Pleasure by Carolyn Jewel
Embrace the Night by Crystal Jordan
Desdaemona by Ben Macallan
The Darkness Beyond by Alexis Morgan (Paladins of Darkness #8)
Concrete Savior by Yvonne Navarro
The Breaking by Marcus Pelegrimas (Skinners)
The Neon Graveyard by Vicki Pettersson (Signs of the Zodiac #6)
The Reluctant Vampire by Lynsay Sands (Argeneau #15)
Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling #10)

Here are a few other places with their own May releases: Tez Says and Wicked Little Pixie.

Patricia’s Vampire Notes takes a look back at what was released in April.

New Release Dates: I’ve finally gotten the New Releases page updated. A printable version of the New Releases page was requested on facebook awhile back and that is now available. For a listing of all the novels that were added, click here and here. I still have a bunch more to post, but since my list is already 35 titles strong, I’ll post them later this week.  That way, this newsletter is at least 35 lines shorter than it could’ve been.

From the Author Sites

JFrank-AdamI thought Jacquelyn Frank’s Nightwalker series had ended with Noah? So now who is Adam? I guess we’ll find out November 1, 2011.

Patrice Michelle has a fantastic new website design.  It really looks fabulous, everyone should go check it out.

Colleen Gleason will be making a few stops in Michigan over the next couple weeks.  On May 14th, she’ll be in Brighton for the Advanced Writers Conference (pre-registration is required) and June 10th she’ll be in Grand Rapids at the 28th St Barnes & Noble for a Discussion and signing.

Speaking of Colleen, I totally didn’t realized that she had released a Gardella short story on Amazon.  Victoria Gardella: Vampire Slayer takes place during The Rest Falls Away, so it’s early in the series.  However, we do get to see Max, which is always fabulous. Here’s a tease:

Victoria Gardella tries to enjoy a ball with her new beau, Lord Rockley–but when bloodthirsty vampires come upon the scene, she must leave the fun in order to employ her stake along- side a grim Max Pesaro (vampire slayer) and the mysterious Sebastian Vioget.

Karen Chance has up and joined Facebook.  If you’re looking to get the latest news, head on over to the Cassandra Palmer page where Karen has been answering a bunch of reader questions.

Eileen Wilks has given us a synopsis for the next World of the Lupi novel, Death Magic, which releases November 1st.

DEATH MAGIC opens with Special Agent Lily Yu in Washington, D.C. with her fiancé–lupi prince Rule Turner—to testify before a Senate subcommittee about her role in the magical collapse of a mountain last month.  She is not there to tell them about the strange legacy she carries from that event—or about the arcane bond between her and Rule–or what her boss in Unit Twleve of the FBI’s Magical Crimes Division is really up to.  She sure won’t tell them that the lupi are at war with an Old One who wants to remake humanity in her own image.

Lily is managing the conflict between her duty as an officer of the law and the need for secrecy pretty well . . . until the rabidly anti-magic senator who chairs that committee is murdered. The line between right and wrong, always so clear to her, becomes hopelessly blurred as events catapult them all towards disaster, and prophecies of a cataclysmic end to the country she loves and serves–and to the entire race of lupi–seem well on their way to being fulfilled.

CHarris-GravesightCharlaine Harris’ Harper Connelly series is getting the graphic novel treatment. Grave Sight will be released in June and was written by Charlaine and Bill Harms.  The artwork was done by Denis Medri and Studio Gotem.

I’m still trying to figure out what this means, but I think Kelley Armstrong is working on a new series.  According to her website (at the time of this post), it says that she’s currently finishing book 1 in Omens & Shadows while I tour for The Gathering.  I don’t know about anyone else, but that sounds like a new series to me.  I’ll keep digging and hopefully will have more for you later.

Have we heard that Lara Adrian has released the title for the tenth Breeds novel?  If we haven’t heard it, guess what…it’s going to be called Darker After Midnight and will be involving Sterling Chase.  Believe it or not, Amazon already has a release date too.  Considering that ?Deeper Than Midnight? doesn’t come out until June 28th, I hope it’s not a big surprise that Darker After Midnight won’t be out until January 24, 2012.

Patricia Briggs has a title for the third Alpha & Omega novel.  In January 2012, we’ll have Fair Game, but that means we won’t have the seventh Mercy Thompson novel until the Spring of 2013.

Rachel Caine has also announced the title to the fourth Outcast Season novel.  We’ll have Unbroken in February 7, 2012, which will also be the conclusion to the series.

If you haven’t heard already, Avon is releasing the Dirk & Steele novels with all new shiny covers.  Have you seen them all yet?  If you’re a fan of the series, then don’t forget to check out the series Facebook page for all the latest news and updates.

MLiu-DirkSteele

Kerrelyn Sparks has released the synopsis to the eleventh Love at Stakes novel, Sexiest Vampire Alive, which will be featuring Gregori.

He was both a playboy and a vampire…and impossible to resist.

At the end of Vampire Mine, a terrible thing happened—a video was released that proved the existence of vampires.  Now Vamps fear the worst, the Vampire Apocalypse!  Will mortals start hunting vampires down and staking them in their death-sleep?  At an emergency meeting, Coven Masters from around the world decide how to proceed. They need an emissary to open negotiations with the President of the United States.  They want their emissary to be modern, safe, and harmless. A Vamp who has never bitten a mortal.  A Vamp who has been entirely bottle-fed. Their choice—Gregori!

Now Gregori has the fate of the entire Vamp population on his shoulders.  Can he keep them safe?  Or will he succumb to his playboy ways and doom them all?

New Excerpts or Reading for Free

NPeeler-Eye of the TempestIlona Andrews has posted a snippet of Jack and George, from their upcoming Edge novel, Fate’s Edge, which releases November 29, 2011.

Nalini Singh has posted a new excerpt from Kiss of Snow, which will be released May 31st.

Jenna Black has posted an excerpt from her newly released Dark Descendant.

Laurell K Hamilton has posted the first chapter from the next Anita novel, Hit List, which is due to hit the shelves on June 7th.

Macmillan has posted the first chapter from K. Ryer Breese’s Future Imperfect, which was just released.

Alyson Noel has posted the first chapter to Everlasting, which will be out June 7th.

Larissa Ione has posted an excerpt for her story Vampire Fight Club, which is a part of the Supernatural anthology releasing August 30th.

Rex Robot Reviews is sharing some great deals on eBooks published by Sourcebooks Casablanca.  One of the bargains is One Lucky Cowboy by Carolyn Brown, which you can get for free.

Shiloh Walker has posted a snippet from her upcoming novel, A Forever Kind of Love, which will be released April 26th.

Cynthia Eden has posted an excerpt from her upcoming novel, Never Cry Wolf, which will be released June 28th.

Lauren Dane has posted an excerpt from her upcoming novel, Mesmerized, which was released April 5th.

Tor.com has posted an excerpt from Carrie Vaughn’s After the Golden Age, which released April 12th.

Ilona Andrews has posted the prologue for the third Edge novel, Fate’s Edge, which releases November 29, 2011.

Ilona Andrews has posted the third part to Curran’s POV, which takes place at the end of Magic Bleeds.

Heroes and Heartbreakers has an excerpt for Donna Grant’s Untamed Highlander, which hit the shelves on April 26th.

What Bears Repeating

LHabel-Dearly DepartedMarie Brennan has some fabulous news.  She has just signed a three book deal for a new series with either the first novel or the series being called A Natural History of Dragons.  Right now, the new series is slated for three books, but Marie is saying it could go as long as five novels.

Nalini Singh is doing a US Tour!!  Unfortunately, the closest she will be to me is south of Dayton, Ohio for Lori Foster’s Reader & Author Get Together, but that’s not going to stop me.  I am so going to be there.  Who’s with me?

Subterranean Press has announced that they will be releasing a new Otherworld novella by Kelley Armstrong. Hidden, which will feature full-color illustrations by Angilram, is slated to be released in December.

Charlaine Harris is going to be in Ann Arbor, Michigan on May 16th.  This is going to be a paid signing, so if you’re looking to go, you’ll need to purchase a ticket, which went on sale today.

Jennifer Estep, she has not only announced the title to the second Mythos Academy novel – Kiss of Frost, but she has also posted the back cover copy.

Jennifer has also posted two new short stories that take place in her Elemental Assassins world. The first story, Tangled Threads, takes place after Venom and is told by Jo-Jo Dev­er­aux and her sis­ter, Sophia Dev­er­aux. The second story, Tan­gled Schemes, is from Bria’s point of view as she searches for her sister, Gin. Plus, RT Book Reviews has posted an excerpt from Jennifer Estep’s Touch of Frost, which is due out.

Sea Lion Books has acquired the rights to transform Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush into a graphic novel.  The first volume is scheduled to debut sometime this winter and Fitzpatrick is already showing off some of the sketches. Have you been wondering what Patch and Nora woudl look like?

USA Today has a first look at Richelle Mead’s upcoming Vampire Academy: Graphic Novel.

Suvudu has the news that Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey will be made into a movie and production will begin as early as 2012. David Hayter will be working on the screenplay while the movie will be produced by Copperheart Entertainment and DarkHero Studios.

Jocelynn Drake has announced that she has been contracted for a new series.  With the Dark Days ending in June with Burn the Night, I was starting to wonder what we’ll get to look forward to next.  The first novel in the tentatively titled Tattoo Artist series could be released as early as next summer.

Featured Book: Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

BFantaskey-Jekel Loves HydeJill Jekel has always obeyed her parents’ rules–especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father’s office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she’s tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be the key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship.

To improve her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen’s sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill’s accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything–even Tristen’s love–just for the thrill of being…bad.

This Month’s Reviews

Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep
Boelyn: Tudor Vampire by Cinsearae S.
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler
Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K Hamilton
Bite Club by Rachel Caine
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
Neon Graveyard by Vicki Pettersson
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward
Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill

From the Reader

The Hugos, the academy awards of science fiction, were recently announced and check it out – Carrie Vaughn was nominated!  Her story, Amaryllis, was nominated in the Best Short Story category.  Congratulations Carrie!  If you want to know who all the nominees are, check out Suvudu or io9 for a complete listing.

Blastr has found three new trailers for the upcoming movie, X-Men: First Class, and this time they are featuring three characters we haven’t seen much of yet – Banshee, Havoc and Beast.  I’m having a little trouble actually seeing the clips, so if anyone does get to see them, let me know what you think.

Blastr has also found out that a script for a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie has been delivered to Disney. While I love the movies (especially Depp), I’m also wondering if we really need a fifth movie. Speaking of Pirates, check out the new trailer for Stranger Tides.

Author Appearances

For the full listing of this month’s author appearances, click here.

Contests

St. Martin’s Press is giving away 50 ARCs of Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan.  Ends June 1st.

Shiloh Walker is giving away an ARC of Hunter’s Fall.  Ends May 9th.

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

2 Comments

  1. I especially like your last paragraph – and I did start a blog – two in fact – just a few months ago! I always write letters to my children at Christmas – sometimes more often, but at least once a year. They know their letters will be in their stockings! Probably wouldn’t do anything you said not to – just a little bit inhibited! But that’s just me. Congratulations on being freshly pressed!

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