Escapist Newsletter (Vol 3 Issue 8)

To start out this month’s edition of the Escapist Newsletter, check out the cover hotness Carrie Vaughn has with the cover for her upcoming Kitty Norville novel, Kitty’s House of Horrors.  It’s that snazzy?  I am lovin’ the purple.

Here’s your shopping list for this month:

August 1st:
Night’s Edge – Anthology featuring Charlaine Harris, Maggie Shayne and Barbara Hambly
An Inner Darkness by Ally Blue (Bay City Paranormal Investigation #5)
The Fury by Sloan McBride
Time Raiders: The Seeker by Lindsay McKenna (Time Raiders #1)
Puma by Jorrie Spencer
My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent (Soul Screamers #1)

August 4th:
Cold Moon Rising by CT Adams & Cathy Clamp
Skykeepers by Jessica Andersen (Final Prophecy #3)
Larcency and Lace by Annette Blair (Vintage Magic Mystery #2)
Laced with Magic by Barbara Bretton
Cape Storm by Rachel Caine (Weather Warden #8)
Beguiled by Maureen Child (Queen of the Otherworld #2)
Laid Bare by Lauren Dane
Storm of Visions: The Chosen Ones by Christina Dodd
Bloody Right by Georgia Evans (Supernatural WW2 #3)
Beyond the Rain by Jess Granger
The Path of Razors by Chris Marie Green (Vampire Babylon #5)
The Winds of Dune by Brian Herbert (Heroes of Dune #2)
Beloved Vampire by Joey W. Hill (Vampire Queen #5)
Saving Midnight by Emma Holly
Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark-Hunter #14)
Red Tree by Caitlin Kiernan
Bengal’s Heart by Lora Leigh
Haunting Beauty by Erin Quinn
Vanished by Kat Richardson (Greywalker #4)
Spider Touched by Jory Strong (Ghostworld #2)
Dragons of the Hourglass Mage by Margaret Weiss (The Lost Chronicle Vol 3)

August 10th:
The Prodigal Mage by Karen Miller (Fisherman’s Children)

August 12th:
Lords Of Avalon: Sword Of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor (Lords of Avalon)

August 15th:
By Blood We Live – Anthology featuring Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Sergei Lukyanenko, Anne Rice, Carrie Vaughn, and more

August 18th:
Brooks, Terry
A Princess of Landover by Terry Brooks (Magic Kingdom of Landover #6)

August 20th:
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #4)

August 25th:
Unbound – Anthology featuring Kim Harrison, Melissa Marr, Jeaniene Frost, Vicki Pettersson and Jocelynn Drake
Belong To The Night – Anthology featuring Shelly Laurenston, Cynthia Eden, Sherrill Quinn
Mercy Thompson Homecoming by Patricia Briggs
Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega #2)
Never Marry a Stranger by Cayle Callen
Pleasure by Jacquelyn Frank (Shadowdwellers #3)
Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men by Molly Harper (Jane Jameson #1)
To Crave a Blood Moon by Sharie Kohler (Moon Chasers #2)
Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning (Fever #4)
Passion Untamed by Pamela Palmer (Feral Warriors)
Tall, Dark & Fangsome by Michelle Rowen (Immortality Bites #5)
Retribution by Jeanne Stein (Anna Strong #5)

For more releases, head over to SciFiGuy and check out his list.  He usually has a lot more straight fantasy than I do.

Check out what io9 is reporting.  The Beatles have gone zombie with Pocket Books‘ purchase of Alan Goldsher’s Paul is Undead: The British Zombie. Now I have nothing against either the Beatles or zombies, but do we really need to turn everything into zombies?

Rachel Caine announced a brand new series, with the first book being called Dead Sexy, which won’t be released until 2011.  I’m still working on getting more information.

Check out the anthology I came across. Spells of the City is a new collection of stories special magic that lurks in the heart of big cities.  Anton Strout is contributing a story and this is what he had to say:

My story in it is a contemporary fantasy story called “Stannis”, a weepy little tale about a young girl in the city and the centuries old gargoyle sworn to watch over her family.

Spells of the City is edited by Jean Rabe & Martin Greenberg and will be released January 2010.

Just added to the New Releases page:

• Werewolves Not Allowed by Cheyenne McCray (Night Tracker #2) – 2010
• Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer – September 21, 2009
• Magic in the Shadows by (Allie Beckstrom #3) – November 3, 2009.
• Sense, Sensibility and Sea Monsters – September 15, 2009
• Apocalypse Happens by Lori Handeland (Phoenix Chronicles #3) – November 3, 2009
• Chaos Bites by Lori Handeland (Phoenix Chronicles #3) – Spring 2010.
• The Mage in Black by  Jaye Wells (#2) – April 1, 2010
• Love in the Time of Dragons by Katie MacAlister (Silver Dragons #4) – May 2010
• Bitten by Cupid (Anthology) – December 29, 2009
• Sense, Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen – September 15, 2009
• Boneshaker by Cherie Priest – October 13, 2009
• Zombie Raccoons & Killer Bunnies (Anthology) – October 6, 2009
• Hell to Pay by Jackie Kessler (Hell on Earth #4) – 2010
• Green-Eyed Demon by Jaye Wells (Stepchild #3) – 2010
• The Devil’s Playground by Jenna Black (Morgan Kingsley #5) – February 23, 2010
• Cat’s Claw by Amber Benson (Calliope Reaper-Jones #2) – February 23, 2010

Just when you think the craze is over, it starts back up again.  Not only are they making Sense, Sensibility & Sea Monsters, but now they are turning Pride and Prejudice and Zombies into a graphic novel.  According to io9, Del Rey announced that writer Tony Lee and artist Cliff Richards will be turning the novel into a graphic novel.  So for all those who wanted to see Mr. Darcy (did I get the right book?) in ink, now you’ll be able to.

I’m not familiar with either the novels or the author, but Lurv a la Mode has the newest covers for Stephen Boyett’s Ariel (to be released August 25, 2009) and Elegy Beach (to be released November 3, 2009).  If you’re curious, here are some sample chapters of Ariel if you’re so inclined.

Has this been mentioned yet?  Jenna Black has the fifth Morgan Kingsley novel listed on her website.  The Devil’s Playground will be out February 23, 2010.

The covers for Jennifer Armintrout’s new Lightworld/Darkworld were posted this month.  Check them out, aren’t they snazzy?  As for the release schedule, Queene of Light will be out September 29th, Child of Darkness November 1, 2009 and Veil of Shadows on December 1, 2009.

Michelle Rowan has just signed a new deal with Penguin.  She’s now under contract for 2 new urban fantasy novels involving vampires, but these ones will be the scary kind.  The first novel will be called Nightshade and Rowan says the new series will be more of a supernatural thriller instead of like her funny Immortality Bites series.  No word on a release date though.

Lara Adrian has posted the title to her seventh Midnight Breeds novel.  Shades of Midnight will feature Kade and will be released early next spring.

Having trouble waiting for the second Glass novel by Maria Snyder?  Now you can get a slight fix.  She’s posted the third chapter of Sea Glass, which comes out September 1, 2009.

I saw via Facebook that MaryJanice Davidson is working on the next Queen Betsy novel, which will be called Undead and Unfinished.  That’s all I have though.  My guess is it’ll be out next summer since Undead and Unwelcome just came out (and I still need to read it).

P.C. Cast has announced that she’ll be releasing a new novel in her Goddess Summoning series.  Goddess of Camelot will be out sometime in 2010 and will be cowritten by Jill Monroe.

I keep hearing about all the problems Sherrilyn Kenyon has been having getting her new website design up and running, but it appears that everything is fixed now.  The new site design looks really (and worth all the headaches), so you should definitely go check it out.

There’s more info for Kelley Armstrong’s Tales of the Otherworld collection (Thanks SciFiGuy!).  We saw the cover before, but now we know it’s going to be out sometime April 2010 and there is some blurbage.  The anthology is going to contain, the once free online novellas, Birthright, Beginnings, Ghosts, Expectations, Wedding Bell Hell, and The Case of El Chupacabra, plus a new story that focuses on Eve.

First of the Kim Harrison news, we have a snazzy cover for the seventh Hollows/Rachel Morgan novel, Black Magic Sanction.  Second, and the exciting one in my opinion, the Hollows are going graphic!  From what Harrison has said so far, the new series will focus on the years prior to Dead Witch Walking, when Ivy and Rachel were still working for the IS.  These will be from Ivy’s point of view, so we’ll get to see more interactions with the vampires and probably a lot deeper development on Ivy’s character.  This also means Kisten will be back for those of us who perished along with him.  Harrison is working on the script right now with Del Ray, but the good news is, we’re looking at a fall 2010 release for the first novel, so that’s not an insane amount of time to wait for it.

During a discussion with RachelfromNJ and Jackie Kessler, it was unearthed that the title for the fourth Hell on Earth novel will be Hell to Pay.  Jackie just recently turned it in to her editor, so we really don’t have a release date yet, but if you’ve been waiting for more Jezzie and Daun, you’ll be getting it.  My guess is next year.  Until then, Jackie is also working on a Jezzie story for an upcoming anthology. No word on which one yet, but once I heard, you know I’ll share.

Chris Marie Green has announced that she’ll be taking part in a new anthology collection along with Simon Green and Rachel Caine.  The anthology is going to have a them of Occult Detectives and will be out sometime Fall 2010.  Green has already plotted out her story and she says it’s going to take place after the conclusion of her London VB trilogy.  However, that’s all she’s giving us since the sixth book, Deep in the Woods, isn’t out for another nine months.

PC Cast has a couple of series that are getting all new covers and SciFiGuy has them both.  There are new covers for her adult fantasy trilogy Divine by Mistake, Divine by Choice and Divine by Blood.  The first reprint will come out in August with the other two following in September and October.  There are also new covers for her two YA fantasy novels – Elphaeme’s Choice and Brighid’s Quest.  These two are being re-released as part of the new Harlequin Teen.  Elphaeme’s Choice will be out sometime in September and Brighid’s Quest will follow in March 2010.  SciFiGuy has both the new and old covers for these novels, so if you’re interested in seeing the changes, make sure you head over.

Yeah, I’m posting this again because seriously, do we really need Zombie Raccoons & Killer Bunnies???  It’s still creepy.  :)

Jeri Smith-Ready announced the title to her third WVMP novel.  Bring on the Night doesn’t have a set release date yet, but Jeri is guessing that it will be sometime between July & September 2010 since the first book in her new YA series, Shade, comes out in May.

Nalini Singh announced who the seventh Psy-Changeling novel is going to be about.  Remember the cop, Max, from Clay and Tally’s story?  Well, we’ll be getting more of him in book seven and we are told that we haven not met his heroine yet.

Suburban Vampire has a great compilation of upcoming vampire literary adaptions.  So if you’re looking for new vampire flicks, head on over.

Contests:

• Kelly Gay is giving away an ARC of The Better Part of Darkness.  Contest ends August 7th.
• Kmont is giving away a copy of Spider-Touched by Jory Strong.  Contest ends August 5th.
• Rachel Vincent is giving away a YA Book Basket for pictures of My Soul to Take.  Contest ends on August 5th.
• Fantasy & SciFi Lovin’ Reviews is giving away the entire set of Janny Wurts’ The Wars of Light and Shadow series. Contest ends August 12th.

Phaedra Weldon has announced the title of her fourth Zoë Martinique, which will be Revenant.  There’s no word on when it’ll be released, but having a title can be half the battle sometimes.

It’s getting to be that time again. The Book Bloggers Appreciation Week is coming up the week of September 14th through the 18th and they’ve opened the polls for the BBAW Awards.  There are a ton more this year, and while I”m hoping to get nominated, I’m not expecting to.  There is a lot of competition out there and all of it is just as (if not more so) fabulous than little old me.  So, if you have a favorite site (mmm…I wonder if bribery would work), head over to the BBAW site and vote for your favorite blog.

Keri Arthur has thrown up a snippet for the upcoming Bound to Shadows.  I so can’t wait for the next Riley novel!

Rogue Angel: The Spirit Banner by Alex Archer (TBA); Shalador’s Lady by Anne Bishop (March 2, 2010); Apocalypse Happens by Lori Handeland (November 3, 2009); Inside Out by Maria Snyder (TBA).

Suburban Vampire has news on the Cirque du Freak movie.  Aside from the amazing image Catherine posted, it appears that the title has been changed to The Vampire’s Assistant and we’ll get to see it October 23rd instead of waiting for next year.

Carrie Vaughn has mentioned a new anthology collection that should intrigue a lot of us.  By Blood We Live has an amazing cast of authors – here’s just a few to whet your appetite, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Sergei Lukyanenko and Anne Rice.  By Blood We Live is set to release on August 15th. I should probably also mention that Carrie herself will be in this anthology as well.

Cherie Priest has started up a new website in anticipation of her upcoming steampunk novel, Boneshaker, which comes out October 13, 2009. If you’re still trying to figure out if you want to dive into a steampunk novel (like me), then may I suggest checking out the first chapter of Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker?

Have you been looking for a great place to find free downloads for some of those hard to find novels?  I just found out about Suvudu’s free library and they have quite a collection of novels: including Dark Fever by Karen Marie Moning, Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian and Blood Engines by TA Pratt.  I’m definitely going to be browsing more through that site.

Melissa Marr has announced the title to the fourth Fae book!  The new title will be Radiant Shadows, but alas, no news on a release date.  I can’t wait to see what happens between Set, Aislin and Keenan.

Jaye Wells has named the sequel novel to her Red-Headed Stepchild.  The new title is The Mage in Black and will be available on April 1, 2010.  The third novel is tentatively called Green-Eyed Demon, but there isn’t a release date for that as of yet.  I’m sensing a color theme here.

Check out the shininess Angie Fox found in her inbox. It’s the cover for the third Demon Slayer novel, A Tale of Two Demon Slayers, which will be out February 2010.

This month’s reviews:

1. Jaz Parks by Jennifer Rardin
2. Chosen by C A Milson
3. Good Things Come in Threes (Anthology)
4. The Chosen: Rise of the Darkness by C.A. Milson
5. Prey by Rachel Vincent – the SPOILER edition
6. Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh
7. The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by Elizabeth Leiknes
8. Death’s Daughter by Amber Benson
9. Demons Not Included by Cheyenne McCray
10. The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
11. Richmond Rogues by Katie Angell
12. The Demon King and I by Candace Havens
13. Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine
14. Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost – SPOILER EDITION

And I’m still working on reviews for Speak of the Devil by Jenna Black, As Shadows Fade by Colleen Gleason and Four Duke and a Devil (Anthology), so expect those soon.

Richelle Mead has news for all of her Australian fans.  Penguin Australia is planning a huge Vampire Academy party while she is in the country.  There’s more information over on her site, so if you love the series, make sure you check it out.

I’ve heard of a new anthology called Bitten by Cupid that will include Lynsay Sands, Jaime Rush and Pamela Palmer and is slated for December 29, 2009. The only gossip I’ve heard about it so far is that the Sands story is about Tiny, a PI in the Argeneau series, but that’s it.

There is a new steampunk anthology in the works.  The Shadow Conspiracy is being published by Book View Cafe and SciFiGuy has more info if you’re interested.

Diana Rowlan d has named the third Demon series novel.  There’s no release date yet, but Promise of the Demon will be the next in line.

Come Hell or High Water by Michlle Bardsley (January 5, 2010); Archangels’ Kiss by Nalini Singh (February 2010); Tempted by PC & Kristen Cast (October 27, 2009); No Werewolves Allowed by Cheyenne McCray (TBA); the anthology Inked featuring Karen Chance, Marjorie Liu, Yasmine Galenorn and Eileen Wilks (January 5, 2010).

Interviews:

• New! – Karen Mahoney, who has had her first story, Falling to Ash, published in The Eternal Kiss anthology , by the Book Smugglers
• New! – Natashya Wilson, Harlequin YA Editor, by Dear Author
• New! – Don Linn of Quartet Publishing, aka Mr. X, by Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
• New! – Rita Herron, author of Dark Hunger, by Bitten by Books
• New! – Jory Strong, author of Spider-Touched, by Nalini Singh
• New! – Rachel Vincent, author of My Soul to Take, by SciFiGuy
• New! – Rosemary Winslow, author of Green Bodies, by Savvy Verse & Wit Pt 1
• New! – Rosemary Winslow, author of Green Bodies, by Savvy Verse & Wit Pt 2
• New! – Rachel Vincent, author of My Soul to Take, by Fantastic Book Review
• New! – Vicki Pettersson, author of City of Souls, by Bitten by Books
• New! – Rachel Vincent, author of My Soul to Take, by Readaholic
• New! – CE Murphy, author of Urban Shaman, by Chapters Bookstore
• Kat Richardson, author of the Greywalker series, by Amberkatze Reviews
• Kelley Armstrong, author of The Awakening, by Ian O’Neill
• Vicki Pettersson, author of City of Souls, by Las Vegas Weekly
• Nalini Singh, author of Branded by Fire, at Hooked on Romance
• Ann Aguirre, author of Doubleblind, at Writer Unboxed
• Laura Resnick, author of The Purifying Fire, at SciFiGuy
• Jaye Wells, author of Red-Headed Stepchild, by Clarity of Night
• Pearl North, author of Libyrinth, by Maria V. Snyder
• Lucy Finn, author of Best Wishes Always, by Bitten by Books
• MaryJanice Davidson, author of the Queen Betsy series, by Bitten by Books
• Cecilia Tan, author of Mind Games, by Patricia’s Vampire Notes
• E. Van Lowe, author of Never Slow Dance with a Zombie, by Popin’s Lair
• Cynthia Eden, author of Midnight’s Master, at Amberkatze Reviews
• Doug Knape, founder of SciFiGuy, by Vampire Wire
• Gena Showalter, author of Seduce the Darkness, by Bitten by Books
• Candace Havens, author of Dragons Prefer Blondes, by Bitten by Books
• Kat Richardson, author of the Greywalker series, by Fleur Bradley in the Pikes Peak Writers News Magazine
• Georgia Evans, author of Bloody Awful, at Patricia’s Vampire Notes
• Sandra Hyatt, author of Having the Billionaire’s Baby, at Nalini Singh
• Devon Monk, author of Magic in the Shadows, at Chloe Neill
• Jennifer Rardin, author of Once Bitten, Twice Shy, at Bitten by Books
• Van Jensen, author of Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer, by CBR
• Kathleen Duey, author of the Resurrection of Magic Trilogy, by Reading Rocks
• Seanan McGuire, author of Rosemary and Rue, at The League of Reluctant Adults
• Tate Hallaway, author of Dead If I Do, at Victoria Janssen
• Kimberly Frost, author of Would-Be Witch, by Amberkatze Reviews
• Mike Carey, author of the Felix Castor series, by SciFiGuy
• Jackie Kessler, author of Black and White and the Hell on Earth series, at Bitten by Books
• Jeaniene Frost, author of Destined for an Early Grave, at Bitten by Books
• Mary E. Pearson, author of The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Nalini Singh
• Mike Carey, author of the Felix Castor series, by Bitten by Books
• Suzanne Selfors, author of Saving Juliet, by Fantastic Book Reviews
• Joey W. Hill, author of The Mermaid’s Kiss, by The Good, The Bad and the Unread
• Heidi Betts, author of Loves Me, Loves Me Knots, by Mistress Heidi
• Jeri Smith-Ready, author of Bad to the Bone, by SmexyBooks
• Jeri Smith-Ready, author of Bad to the Bone, by Star Crossed Lovers
• Kim Harrison, author of Once Dead, Twice Shy, at The Book Smugglers
• Lucienne Diver, author of Vamped, by Jamie Blair
• Laurell K Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series, by CT Adams & Cathy Clamp
• Carrie Vaughn, author of the Kitty Norville series, by Rita’s World
• LA Banks, author of The Awakening, by Amberkatze Reviews
• Annette Blair, author of Larceny and Lace, by Bitten by Books
• Cherie Priest, author of Boneshaker, by Sesquicentennial Madness
• Stacia Kane, author of Demon Inside, by Bitten by Books
• Maria Snyder, author of Sea Glass, by Katie’s Book Blog