I’m taking a break from blogging so that I can get ahead on some writing deadlines and things like that. The Friday book review will post as usual, and I’ll be back here blogging on Wednesday, Aug. 1.
Until then, stay cool.
I’m taking a break from blogging so that I can get ahead on some writing deadlines and things like that. The Friday book review will post as usual, and I’ll be back here blogging on Wednesday, Aug. 1.
Until then, stay cool.
Tags: General musings
Widow’s Web, the seventh book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, will be out on Aug. 21. I’ve gotten some questions about the book, especially about how the title might or might not relate to Gin and Owen, so I thought I would share a few (vague) thoughts about it.
Please note that this post does contain some mild spoilers and hints about the book and future books in the series. So if you absolutely don’t want to know anything about the book before you read it, you may want to skip this post.
Well, I guess the first thing I should say is this: I do something in this book that some folks are probably not going to like. I’m not going to talk about exactly what it is, but you’ll know when you read it.
So why did I do this thing? Well, I thought it was necessary for the story, and it lets me kick off another story arc that I wanted to explore. After the book has been out for a while and folks have had a chance to read it, I’ll try to do a post talking a little more in-depth about the story and the decisions that I made about it and the characters.
In the meantime, I’m asking that folks be patient and wait for the story to play out. I know it’s hard, especially since the next book, Deadly Sting, probably won’t be out until April 2013, but I’m still asking. So … pretty please?
I’m also asking folks to keep in mind that Widow’s Web is not the end of the series. There will be at least three more Elemental Assassin books after this one, and the things that happen in Widow’s Web will continue to play out over the next few books.
I know this post sounds like a giant tease for the book, but that’s really all I can say about the story, etc. right now. I try to avoid giving out spoilers just so folks who don’t like spoilers don’t accidentally stumble across them. However, I did want to give everyone a heads-up about the story in the book. So this is my way of doing that.
Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the book when it comes out. Happy reading!
One of the first things I do when I turn on my computer every morning is check out the latest news, reviews, and more on some of the many book blogs out there. Whether you like YA, fantasy, romance, or another genre, there’s a book blog (or two or three dozen) devoted to it.
Here are some of the blogs I like:
All Things Urban Fantasy: One of my favorite things about this blog is the weekly Wednesday post about new book covers that have been released.
Books and Things: This blog has a little bit of everything — reviews, giveaways, blog tours, blog hops, and author interviews.
Dear Author: I like the daily book news posts, along with the monthly threads for authors to post about their new releases and for readers to share what books they are (or aren’t) enjoying.
Fiction Vixen: Another blog that features a little bit of everything — reviews, giveaways, book deals, and author interviews.
Literary Escapism: One of the things I like about this blog are the roundups of all the new covers and excerpts that can be found online, along with news from authors about their latest projects and release dates for new books.
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books: Yet another blog that features a little bit of everything — reviews, book deals, news, videos, and more.
Smexy Books: I like the weekly wrap-up of what the reviewers are reading, as well as the weekly top ten post.
Supernatural Snark: I like the mix of YA, paranormal, and urban fantasy titles reviewed on this site, along with books in other genres.
The Book Smugglers: This blog focuses a lot on YA and includes reviews, author interviews, giveaways, and more.
Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks: One of things I like about this blog is the conversational posts/questions about books. For example, a recent post asked what folks do after they read a really good book.
There are many, many more book blogs out there, and this is by no means an exhaustive list. Half the fun is finding a blog you like that delivers the news, reviews, and features that you want in an informative, entertaining way.
What about you guys? What are some of your favorite book blogs?
Tags: About Books
Confession time. I have a bad habit. I will be all excited about a new book coming out, actually purchase said book, and then … I won’t read it. Or when I do read it, it will be weeks, if not months (or longer), after the release date. Sigh.
Part of this is just my schedule. I’m writing four books this year, along with blogging, social media, and all the other things that authors do. So it always seems like I should be working and writing instead of reading.
But my goal this summer is to make more time to read and to whittle down my TBR pile a little — so I can make room for more books. LOL. It’s a vicious cycle, I know.
Anyway, here are some YA books in my TBR pile that I’m looking forward to reading this summer. Note that the book descriptions are from Goodreads:
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore:
Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.
Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa:
Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.
Worse, Meghan’s own fey powers have been cut off. She’s stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can’t help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen:
THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.
In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point — he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well.
As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner’s sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.
An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.
What are you looking forward to reading this summer?
Tags: About Books
It seems like I am getting more and more e-mails/comments about audio books, so I thought I would talk a little about those today.
My Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series is available as audio books through Audible. Just go to the Audible home page, type my name in the search engine, and you should be able to find the audio books. So far, all of the books in the series from Spider’s Bite to By a Thread are available as audio books.
As far as I know, the audio book for Widow’s Web will be released on Aug. 21, the same day that the print and e-book versions will be available.
Also, for those of you wondering, the audio books are being narrated by Lauren Fortgang. I’ve gotten a lot of nice comments about her narration, and folks really seem to like her voice.
However, my Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series is not available as audio books at this time. Basically, Audible and the other companies that do audio books decide which print/e-books that they want to turn into audio books. I think it would be great if the Mythos Academy books were available as audio books, but it’s not something I have any control over. If the books ever do get turned into audio books, I will let everyone know.
My Bigtime paranormal romance series is also not available as audio books.
There are some companies out there that do create audio books for authors. For example, I’ve heard of Audiobook Creation Exchange. But with my writing schedule, that’s just not something that I have time to explore right now. I figure you guys would rather me write more books. Maybe someday, I’ll have enough free time to explore that option. We’ll see what happens.
Anyway, that’s a little info about the audio books. Hope that helps answer any questions you might have. Happy listening, everyone!
Tags: About Books, Audio books, Bigtime series, Elemental Assassin series, Mythos Academy series
Thank you! You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter. Please check your email and click on the confirmation link.
Note: As an Amazon Associate, Jennifer earns from qualifying purchases.
As a Libro.fm affiliate, Jennifer earns from qualifying purchases. Jennifer is also an affiliate with other book retailers/programs.
The names, e-mail addresses, and other contact information of people who sign up for Jennifer's monthly e-newsletter or who e-mail her or comment on her blog is not sold to third parties. Also, the information is not used in any way other than what is necessary to fulfill reader requests.
For example, information may be used to send readers a newsletter that they signed up for; to answer reader e-mails and blog comments; to send review copies to book bloggers; to send prizes to contest winners; and/or something similar.
We use MailerLite to manage our email marketing subscriber list and to send emails to our subscribers. MailerLite is a third-party provider, which may process your data using industry standard technologies to help us monitor and improve our newsletter.
MailerLite’s privacy policy is available at https://www.mailerlite.com/privacy-policy.
You may unsubscribe from Jennifer’s newsletter at any time by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of each newsletter or by using the Contact form on her website.