Urban Fantasy Investigations

Monday, January 5, 2015

Interview: The Witches of Echo Park by Amber Benson

UFI welcomes author Amber Benson. 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?

Something that isn’t in my bio and that you probably haven’t heard in another interview or Q&A…hmmm…I feel like I’m pretty much an open book, but, if we’re being totally honest here, I will divulge a secret guilty pleasure of mine: Whenever I’m feeling low, I reread all my old Christopher Pike books.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

I’m a big book whore, so I’m always reading. I also like to clean - I have to be in the right mood, but when I am, I go to town on the dusting, sweeping and mopping. It’s a little intense.

What is your Favorite part of writing?

Having an idea spring itself on you unexpectedly.

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

I need to find the right music. I can’t do anything until I’ve made myself a book specific playlist.

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

Seanan McGuire, Rachel Caine, Caitlin Kittredge

How would you pitch The Witches of Echo Park Series to someone who has not heard of it before?

The book is a mash note to all my lady friends – it’s about women and their relationships with each other: How they support one another and are there for each other…like family. And what better way to explore those special relationships…? Put them in a coven! It’s also about what constitutes family, and how a special place - like Echo Park - can transform even the most mundane rituals into something magical.

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that The Witches of Echo Park is set in?

The book is moody and evocative. It pulls you into the magical world of the Echo Park Witch Coven…where magic and mischief reign in the East Side of Los Angeles. Where Botanicas sit side by side with hipster coffee bars, and the statuesque Lady of The Lake watches over Echo Park Lake and its magical denizens.

Do you have a favorite scene in The Witches of Echo Park?

There may or may not be a ritual sex magic scene that may or may not have some antlers involved…

Which one character out of all your books was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?

I love writing Eleanora – she is the head of the Echo Park coven – and we get to see her past in really fun to read/write flashbacks.

I had a harder time finding the voice for my main character Lyse. She was a tricky one…but when I finally caught her, I had a blast writing her.

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

Working on the second “Echo Park Coven series” book as I write this!

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Amber Benson cocreated, cowrote, and directed the animated supernatural Web series Ghosts of Albion with Christopher Golden, which they followed with a series of novels, including Witchery and Accursed, and the novella Astray. Benson and Golden also coauthored the novella The Seven Whistlers. As an actress, she has appeared in dozens of roles in feature films, TV movies, and television series, including the fan-favorite role of Tara Maclay on three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Benson wrote, produced, and directed the feature films Chance and Lovers, Liars and Lunatics. She's also the author of the Calliope Reaper-Jones novels, including The Golden Age of Death, How to be Death, and Serpent's Storm.

Find Amber and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

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The Witches of Echo Park
Echo Park Coven #1

Unbeknownst to most of humankind, a powerful network of witches thrives within the shadows of society, using their magic to keep the world in balance. But they are being eliminated—and we will all pay if their power falls…

When Elyse MacAllister’s great-aunt Eleanora, the woman who raised her, becomes deathly ill, Lyse puts her comfortable life in Georgia on hold to rush back to Los Angeles. And once she returns to Echo Park, Lyse discovers her great-aunt has been keeping secrets—extraordinary secrets—from her.

Not only is Lyse heir to Eleanora’s Victorian estate; she is also expected to take her great-aunt’s place in the Echo Park coven of witches. But to accept her destiny means to place herself in deadly peril—for the world of magic is under siege, and the battle the witches now fight may be their last…

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Sunday, January 4, 2015

Week in Review: 12/28-1/3

Books I've Bought/received

- Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott- ARC- publisher

Books I've Read

Twisted Dreams by Marissa Farrar
White Knight by Kelly Meade
Her Sexy Sentinel by Jenn Burke
Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

Reviews Posted

Asylum by Shana Festa
Storm Fall by Tracy Banghart

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

* Tuesday- Guest Blog & Giveaway for Dark Awakened by H.D. Smith

* Wednesday- Happy New Year/2014 in review

* Friday- Interview for Making Waves by Juliet Chastain

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

BlogLovin

Networked Blogs

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

Twitter

Goodreads

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

Friday, January 2, 2015

Interview: Making Waves by Juliet Chastain

UFI welcomes Author Juliet Chastain. Thanks for Joining us!!

My latest short book is scheduled to come out today—a Cougar Tale called Making Waves. It's about a shy forth grade teacher from the big city who, on vacation at the beach, gets caught in the surf and ends up in the arms of a hot younger-than-she-is surfer. It's a fun little pick-me-up kind of read with lots of sex and good vibes.

Here's an excerpt:
(Warning: Sex Scene)

I wanted him passionately. I wanted him to hold me, to touch me everywhere, to kiss and lick and suck every inch of my body. Shocked by the violence of my own desire for Kai, I could feel my aching pussy getting wetter and wetter. I could feel his cock swelling and pulsating against me.

Loving the feel of him, the solid muscle beneath the velvet skin. I brought my hands slowly up his back, caressed the back of his neck, and tousled his golden hair.

He ran his hands along the sides of my breasts, and I sighed with pleasure, with wanting more. He stroked my body, down past my waist, my hips, my thighs and pulled up my skirt and caressed my bottom. He slipped his hand into the back of my panties and down into them and squeezed my buns. Loving what he was doing, I groaned wishing he would go further, desperately wanting him to...and he did.

I heard myself gasp when he reached down underneath me. His warm hand slid, slowly, deliciously over my pussy.

"Mm," he said. "You are so ready." Ready? I was so damned ready that if he didn't fuck me in the next ten seconds I was going to scream.

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

Between the time I wrote my sixth grade opus—a tragic tale of two kittens, which was fully six pages long, made me cry, and got me an A—I finished school, went to college, taught third grade, and worked in a university library. Didn't love any of it. Then I got very serious about photography and, girlie girl that am, I moved into fashion and wedding photography. That I liked. Then the urge to write came charging back, and here I am doing two things I love.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

Down time? What's that?

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

To be perfectly honest, the routine seems to involve checking the contents of the refrigerator, checking my email, checking Facebook, and then doing it all over again a time or two. After I've wasted too much time, I'm ready to start actually writing.

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

Next week a very short and sexy story will be released. It's called Intruder. Not much plot, just one steamy encounter—a perfect bedtime read. The following week Making
Music, another story with a younger hero will be released

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As a fashion photographer, Juliet Chastain creates scenarios with her cameras, as a writer, she pounds out stories on her keyboard. Just as she can make a visual story using models and clothes, so she can create a book out of a characters and ideas that pop into her head.

Juliet writes two kinds of short stories: Sweet and spicy (like Making Waves, The Captain and the Courtesan) for the romantic who likes some serious heat in a sweetly satisfying story; and erotica (Intruder, the Kink Inc. series) for those who prefer their naughty bits straight up and hot as hell.

Find Juliet and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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Making Waves
Cougar Tales #
Buy Link

Passion combusts at seaside, with hot and heavy lovemaking in the sand, in the ocean, and even in the bedroom.

What's a shy fourth grade teacher to do when she is washed up at the feet of a hot young surfer? Nathalie burns with desire for Kai, but fears he will find her too old. Can she let her inner cougar roar?

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Thursday, January 1, 2015

Review: Asylum by Shana Festa

Asylum

Author: Shana Festa

Release Date: December 9, 2014

Publisher: Permuted Press

Asylum Book #2

ISBN13: 9781618684172

Genre: Zombies/Apocalyptic

Review Copy Source: Author

Surviving the journey is just the beginning.

The last two months have brought nothing but death and destruction for Emma Rossi. She survived the initial zombie outbreak with her husband, Jake, and their dog, Daphne, but the cost was steep: Sanibel has fallen.

In a world where the only constant is change, the group is pushed to their limits before reaching the gates of Asylum, a coastal stronghold in Sarasota, Florida.

Once again, Emma must navigate an apocalyptic wasteland filled with relentless hordes of the undead and other menacing horrors that threaten her survival.

Only thing is certain. No one is safe from what lurks on either side of Asylum's gates. Asylum may offer more than just safety.

Sanity will be tested; and many won't live to tell the tale.

I am going to jump right into this review without much lead up because I have things on my brain that need to come out. I am not at all crazy about Asylum (the place, not the book). There were a few characters I liked, but most are shady. It was clear to me, as the reader, that this wasn't a good place to be and I think they were a bit naive going there. It could be because I watch The Walking Dead and I got the Terminus vibe (without the people eating that is). I yelled at them to turn back, but no one listened.

I disliked the way things are with Emma and Jake at the end of ASYLUM. They have been through a lot, he should be the one person Emma should be able to count on. That is all I will say about that. Daphne is still very much a part of the group. She is definitely a bright spot in a dark world, but please for the love of god can we stop talking about her poop? Pretty please? I will say that the dialogue concerning the dog does make me laugh often, but I can only take so much potty talk.

I enjoyed ASYLUM, but I didn't grab me and hold me like book 1 did. There was a lot of what felt like down time/leading up time and a lot of meeting new characters/killing new characters going on. Which in a wasteland of a world is understandable and expected, it just didn't move along and keep my attention like INDUCTION did. Having said that, I am still very much invested in Emma and want to know what will happen next. I will be reading book 3 and I hope some of my issues with ASYLUM will work themselves out as the story continues.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

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

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Happy New Year...2014 in Review.

Happy New Year!!

In 2014 I.....

Read 269 books

First book of the year I read was Deadshifted by Cassie Alexander
Last book of the year I read was Her Sexy Sentinel by Jenn Burke

Posted a total of 464 blog posts
with
174 of those being reviews

First review of the year was The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin
Last review of the year was Storm Fall by Tracy Banghart

Was there anything about UFI in 2014 that sticks out as your favorite? How many books did you read in 2014?

Here's to another excellent year to come!

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Dark Awakened by H.D. Smith

UFI welcomes H.D. Smith. Thanks for Joining us!!

Introducing Ronin … with an excerpt from Dark Awakened, book 2 in the Devil’s Assistant series by HD Smith.

Ronin is a new character in book 2. Claire eventually discovers he’s Mab’s bounty hunter, but she has no clue why he was sent to deliver her to the Countess of East Hareington—or how exactly Mab wouldn’t be involved (as he claims). Below is how he’s introduced in the book.

Without warning the sensations caused by his presence blinked from existence and he appeared in front of me. Startled by the sudden movement, I jumped back, only to be stopped by his strong grip on my arm.

“Hello, lass,” he said, “that’s a neat trick you’ve got there.”

Okay, so maybe it was the accent—vaguely Scottish—or it was the ruggedly handsome god of a man that stood in front of me, but I was momentarily speechless.

Dressed in army-green cargo pants and a skin tight black t-shirt that molded around every well-defined muscle of his chest perfectly, he was simply gorgeous. His tousled blue-black hair was short, but needed a trim. His piercing cobalt eyes sparkled more than shined in the light, and his sun-kissed skin was somewhere between warm honey and a golden bronze. He sported a large don’t-fuck-with-me knife strapped to his thigh, and an angry-looking bullwhip hooked to his belt.
And I still couldn’t sense what he was. I mean, Highlander came to mind, but nothing that told me which of the realms he belonged to. It wasn’t a universal rule that pagans were the blond-haired blue-eyed among us, or that druids tended to have brown hair and brown eyes, and I’d met more than one demon that didn’t fit the black hair, red eye combination, but nothing about this stranger was leaning in any direction.

He was unique. No question about that.

The rough feel of the fingerless gloves that clamped around my biceps snapped me out of my trance. Blinking, I shook my head. Who is this guy?

He was big, maybe not as big as Quaid, but close—easily six-eight. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, but considering he had the power to make himself invisible, I was sure that meant nothing.

He studied me with his cool, fathomless eyes. I swallowed. I wasn’t sure if it was the dust in the air or the fact that this big guy was towering over me, but my chest tightened and it felt hard to breath. I tried to raise my hand to his face. I could compel him to let me go. The touch magic was a side benefit of having Mab’s mark. I was fairly sure she could compel from a distance, but I had to be in physical contact to make it work. He tightened his grip, pinning my arms, which prevented me from touching him.

“I haven’t broken any of the rules.”

Find out more about what’s in store for the bounty hunter in Dark Awakened, book 2 in the Devil’s Assistant series by HD Smith.

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HD Smith has been writing for over ten years. She is a software developer by day, working for an awesome cruise line in Celebration, FL.

HD grew up in South Carolina, but has called the Sunshine State home since 1997.

She has Computer Science degrees from Clemson University (BS) and Florida Institute of Technology (MS). Her other hobbies include painting and screen printing. She enjoys creating t- shirts inspired by the places in her books. For more information, visit HD’s website at http://www.hdsmithauthor.com/

Find H.D. Smith and her books

Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Dark Awakened
The Devil's Assistant #2
Amazon BN Kobo Amazon Print

Last spring Claire’s seemingly normal—if not totally screwed up—life was tossed on its head. For five years she’d been one of the damned—a human that knows the truth about the otherworldly among us. She’d worked for The Boss—the Demon King himself—as his administrative assistant, handling everything from early retirements, to Maintenance’s incessant requests for dental.

No one gets dental.

Then she walked into Purgatory—totally not her fault—went back in time, and awakened powers she never knew existed. Now Claire has a prophecy hanging over her head, a diamond ring hidden in her sock drawer, and the blood of a long dead royal running through her veins.

And it’s only going to get worse.

Her vow to live free or die takes a serious hit when she’s forced back under The Boss’s protection. Of course, there’s no protection from fate, or the Bounty Hunter sent to deliver her to Purgatory. And as if being “the girl” in the prophecy wasn’t enough, Claire soon discovers there are three other contenders for her role—two of whom want her dead.

Follow more of Claire’s adventures in Dark Awakened, the second installment of the Devil’s Assistant Series, to find out if she’s lucky enough to escape with her life, or if she’s just the first notch on the next contender’s belt.

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