Interview: K. E. Shade

UFI welcomes Author K. E. Shade. Thanks for Joining us!!

What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview?

 I love to cook. Once I learn the basics of a recipe, I'll often tweak it to suit my own tastes. My favorite time of year to cook is winter because my house doesn’t have air conditioning. Plus, I love making soups that take several hours to make. For me it's not tedious. Chopping all those veggies up is pure therapy.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

Now that my sun room has been remodeled, I love sitting out there to read. Plus, I always have a fur baby to keep me company.

What is your Favorite part of writing?

 Shaping the characters. Not the way they look but their mannerisms. Personalities are ley, in my opinion, to drive the story.

Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?

 I don't have any hardcore rules but I know if I don't keep the television off or my earbuds piping in the music, distraction comes that much easier.

What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres? 

 Kim Harrison, Christine Feehan, and Julie Belfield. I snatch their books up as soon as I see them.

How would you pitch Her Beauty Within to someone who has not heard of it before?

A clash between two different societies, both living in the same magical environment.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that Her Beauty Within is set in?

The story is set in a large oak tree, called Mother Oak by the occupants. It rests along a small stream. Pixies live on the top branches of the trees and sprites down below. Each has their own part in keeping their ecosystem going.

Do you have a favorite scene in Her Beauty Within?

 When Adele finally accepts her new surroundings and the fact that her title is not a birthright but something she must earn.

Which character was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?

Adele for both. She was cruel and quite ugly, not caring about anyone but herself. Stripping her title and making her work to be accepted into the society she's thrust into.

What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?

As seems to be the case, I have several projects in the works. One is a fantasy series, another is a naughty twist on some of the classic tales such as The Count of Monte Cristo. My brain never stops, which makes it difficult when I'm the middle of my morning commute to work.

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K. E. Shade is multi-published author Kastil Eavenshade in disguise pandering her romantic shenanigans. When not catering to the whims of three rescued kitties, she's dreaming up her next heart-beating tale. No period in history—past, present, or future—is safe from the clutches of her muse. Her passions beyond writing are drawing, cooking, and watching Pittsburgh Penguins hockey. She credits her parents for her free spirit as they've always supported her in every aspect of her life. Without them, she wouldn't be here.


Find K.E. Shade and her books

Website / Goodreads

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Her Beauty Within
July 4, 2014
Buy Link

In order for Adele to find her one true mate, she's got to learn to see beyond the veil of vain beauty. 

Adele lives a privileged life. High in the great oak that is her kind's home, the pixie does as she pleases including playing cruel pranks on the wingless sprites who dwell in the tree. When one of the Council of Eight decides Adele needs to be taught a lesson, the pixie is cast down into the world of the sprite. Without the finery that made her one of the privileged of the society, Adele must find the meaning of true beauty and what love entails, or be cast out forever.

An Outlaw in her Bed
July 11, 2014 
Buy Link

When Ella realizes that her mysterious guest, Travis, has a deadly past, she has to come to terms that it may just be the cause of her husband's untimely death. 

Ella Gilby lost her husband to the perils of living in the wilderness of the new frontier. When her son finds a wounded man in the barn, she does what any Christian woman would do for a needy soul. She takes him in until he's able to move on, but never expects the attraction to blossom between them.

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Review: Night's End by Yasmine Galenorn

Night's End

Author:Yasmine Galernorn

Release Date: July 1, 2014

Publisher: Berkley

Indigo Court Book #5

ISBN:   0425259234

ISBN13: 9780425259238

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Publisher

Eons ago, vampires tried to turn the dark Fae in order to harness their magic, only to create a demonic enemy more powerful than they could have imagined. Now, in a final push, Myst returns with a vengeance to bring the Golden Wood forever under the rule of the Indigo Court.

Newly crowned Fae Queens Cicely and Rhiannon have embraced their destinies and claimed their thrones. But Myst is rising once more, and now, at the helm of her armies, she begins her final assault on the Golden Wood. As Fae, vampires, and magic-born alike fall under the tide of blood, Cicely and her friends must discover a way to destroy the spidery queen before they—and their people—face total annihilation.

Cicely has gone through a lot in a very short time. Her life was turned upside down when she came back to New Forest and now that she is a Fae Queen she has to not only protect herself but her court as well from Myst who once again is ready to attack the Golden Wood. I have always felt that Cicely was a very strong character. The slow reveal of information about her past and what she was meant for when she was born was intriguing and I was never bored with it. Her relationship with her cousin Rhiannon has remained strong and I have enjoyed watching them fight for their friends and family while growing closer.

Although this is Urban Fantasy there is some romance to be had in the Indigo Court series. Cicely and Grieve have a long history as soul mates and this lifetime together they are finally able to be with one another after a long struggle. I have always been a bit disappointed that Lannan was brought into their story. I'm not really into the sharing of Cicely so it never felt right and I wasn't really satisfied with how things turned out in that department.

The events of NIGHT'S END happened at a nice pace with plenty of action and lots of danger. I felt like the series was over by the end and all loose ends were tied up to my liking. We got a tiny glimpse of the characters future at the end of NIGHT'S END which was nice, I wouldn't mind another little short story diving a bit more into it as I am always interested in what happens after the fact but overall I was happy with the conclusion to the Indigo Courts series.

I gave it 4/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

New Releases: 7/6-7/12

Tue July 8th

 Tales of the Hidden World by Simon R. Green

Not a very big week for releases. Happy Reading anyways!

Guest Blog: Taming Fate by Amalia Dillin

UFI welcomes Amalia Dillin Author of The Fate of the Gods Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

The Novella: A More Satisfying Alternative to Homeric Digression
 
There is SO MUCH history covered in the Fate of the Gods series that it was impossible to fit everything I would have liked to into the overarching narrative of the trilogy. Sometimes the things I couldn’t fit were things that just didn’t work at all, because, for example, I wanted Eve or Adam to be two different people within the same lifetime, and I had to choose one over the other. But most often, it was a situation like this one, with TAMING FATE, where there was a pretty relevant story to be told and not enough pages to tell it in its entirety.

Unlike Homer’s audience, the modern reader isn’t necessarily as interested in excessive digression. (I’m certainly not!) We don’t really have a lot of patience for it, outside of a carefully framed use of flashback, every now and again. Nobody today would sit still, for instance, for a recitation of the history and genealogy of the hero’s horse. And there definitely was no way I was going to fit enough of Eve’s relationship with the Marquis DeLeon inside FORGED BY FATE and FATE FORGOTTEN, when there was so much else to cover. Not without slowing the narrative of the series to a crawl – much like that history of Achille’s or Hector’s steeds might.

But the Novella is pretty much perfect for this kind of story. Somewhere between 17,000 and 40,000 words, it offers enough room for more than just a bit sized story, but something that can still be enjoyed as a quicker read. It allows for the exploration of events that take place off-page, but maybe don’t need to be entire books of their own. And actually, the more novellas I write, by accident or otherwise, the more I really like it for these kinds of side stories and supplementary events, because I’ll be honest, I’m not very good at writing short stories.

For TAMING FATE, I hit the novella length without too much trouble – mostly, I think, because I knew from word one it was a side story, not an epic of its own. (The epic was already written in the other Fate of the Gods books, in fact!) And there was a freedom in knowing it was an opportunity to dig deeper into the background of the book, without having to unearth an entire novel.

I hope you’ll find the length and content of TAMING FATE to be just as satisfying to read as I found it to write – but if not, don’t worry. There’s more Fate of the Gods still to come, and BEYOND FATE is just around the corner!

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I began as a Biology major before taking Latin and falling in love with old heroes and older gods. After that, I couldn't stop writing about them, with the occasional break for more contemporary subjects. I live in upstate New York with my husband, and dream of the day when we will own goats--to pull my chariot through the sky, of course.

I'm kind of obsessed with mythology, history, animal behavior, and comic books. I love exploring how story becomes history becomes myth, and often wonder what future generations are going to make of the most famous of our modern literary heroes. Will they one day look back and wonder if we worshipped at the altar of Superman? How many years until Sherlock Holmes is rooted firmly into the realm of living historical person and people start claiming him as an ancestor? Or, has the digital revolution and the dawn of the internet interrupted the natural evolution of story into memory into fact into truth? We, and the people who came before us, have such a complex relationship to our myths. They are both living and dead, growing and unchanged, history and fiction.

I try to always keep in mind that once, however long ago, or maybe even just yesterday, somewhere and somewhen, people believed mythology was truth. It's only fair, after all.

Find Amalia and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

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Taming Fate
Fate of the Gods #2.5

For the first time in her many lives, Eve would rather be anywhere but home.

In 15th Century France, Eve would have burned as a witch if it hadn’t been for the too-timely arrival of the Marquis DeLeon to save her skin, but their hasty marriage is off to anything but a smooth start. As tensions in the town grow and plague threatens, Ryam DeLeon knows if he and Eve cannot find common ground, their first Christmas may be their last.

Previously published in the anthology A Winter's Enchantment.

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Week in Review: 6/29-7/5

Books I've Bought/received

- Premonitions by Jamie Schultz- Publisher

- Dark Secrets by Madeline Pryce- eCopy- Pulisher

- Reap & Repent by Lisa Medley- eCopy- Author

- Time of Death by Shana Festa- eCopy- Author

Books I've Read

Dweller on the Threshold by Rinda Elliott
Blood of an Ancient by Rinda Elliott
Time of Death: Induction by Shana Festa
Dark Secrets by Madeline Pryce
Queen & Commander by Janine A. Southard

Reviews Posted

Enslaved By the Others by Jess Haines
Fireborn by Keri Arthur
Cold Hard Secret by Sierra Dean

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* New Releases for the week. Was there anything you were looking forward to reading?

* Tuesday- Guest Blog & Giveaway for Poison In the Blood by Robyn Bachar

*  Wednesday- Interview & Giveaway for Fireborn by Keri Arthur, Promo for Ever Mine by Eden Ashe

* Thursday- Interview with author Kirsten S. Blacketer , Promo & Giveaway for Awakened by Virna DePaul

* Friday- Promo & Giveaway for Dream Huntress by Michelle Sharp

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* Did you know you can follow UFI on these other sites?

BlogLovin

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You can also add me (as in Stacy) to your friends on these sites if you're on them.

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 * I love comments so if you see something you like (or not) please comment away and let me know.

Review: Enslaved By the Others by Jess Haines

Enslaved By the Others

Author:Jess Haines

Release Date: July 1, 2014

Publisher: Zebra

H&W Investigations Book #7

ISBN:  1420124048

ISBN13: 9781420124040

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: NetGalley

Vampires, werewolves, magi and worse--the Others have joined the mortal world, and there's no turning back now . . .As a New York P.I. and Other specialist, Shiarra Waynest has been in plenty of trouble before. But waking up in a windowless room the prisoner of a vampire slave trader is a shock for anyone. Shia has her wits, her bravado, and a couple of used staples, so maybe she can take on a mansion full of serious evil.
But although she's desperate to escape, Shia needs some answers too. Her friends are in danger. There are betrayers and spies among them. And even if she can figure out what's going on and somehow get a message out, she's still a captive of the worst kind. . .

The excruciating wait for ENSLAVED BY THE OTHERS was so worth it. It picks up right where FORSAKEN BY THE OTHERS left us with that horrible cliffhanger and it's immediately clear that the trouble Shia finds herself in is much worse than anything she has dealt with so far.

Shia is once again at the mercy of Max. She quickly finds out exactly what kind of business he is now conducting and starts plotting her escape. I don't want to get to much into what happens while in the "care" of Max but I found her "company" rather interesting. Some things happen with this other captive and the questions it leaves us with I assume will be a big part of the next book. Sara is also in captivity and although they are not kept together, Max uses Sara against Shia and we find out what is happening with her throughout their time there. I really missed Royce and Arnold. They make an appearance at the end but I really want to see the whole gang together again.

As you can imagine there is a lot of action in ENSLAVED BY THE OTHERS. The suspense is off the wall and I liked the addition of a new character that is dangerous but I can tell is a new 'friend' that I think Shia will need in the future. I enjoyed this addition to the H&W Investigations series. I am hopeful that the whole gang will be featured in book 8 and I am also hoping that Shia and Sara will do some investigating again.


I gave it 4/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Promo & Giveaway: Dream Huntress by Michelle Sharp

Dream Huntress
Dream Seeker #1
Amazon / BN /  Entangled

 Detective Jordan Delany has a gift. Through her dreams, she connects with dead victims of violent crimes. Her isolated life as a drug cop is perfect for hiding the freakish visions, until her newest investigation has her posing as a cocktail waitress in a down-and-dirty strip club. When
she’s saved from a drunken customer by a handsome stranger, the heated chemistry is exactly why she intends to keep Mr. Arrogant at bay. But learning he’s the new bouncer for the corrupt club she intends to bust just might be the one reason why she can’t.

Tyler McGee suspects a drug ring operating out of the local club is flooding the streets of his hometown with heroin. Determined to get answers, he plays the part of a fallen cop and lands the job of head bouncer. What he discovers is that the club owner isn’t the only deadly obstacle he’s facing. His attraction to an intriguing cocktail waitress with a penchant for danger just might kill him first.

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Michelle Sharp is a romantic suspense author from the Midwest. Although she has a degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University, she finds weaving tales of danger, deception, and love much preferable to reporting the cold, hard facts. Her goal in life? To team resilient, kick-ass heroines with the sexy alpha’s who love them. As most writers probably are, she is an avid reader. Her husband and kids would call it obsessive—but whatever. Her first choice is usually a story with a thrilling combination of danger and love, but any book with a great voice and intriguing story will keep her turning pages well past any reasonable bed-time.

Her debut novel will be published with Entangled Ignite in June of 2014. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Missouri Romance Writers.

Find Michelle and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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