Heart of Obsidian Excerpt…And Giveaway

I know that there was a bit of a let down for a lot of people when Nalini Singh‘s blurb for her upcoming Psy/Changeling novel, Heart of Obsidian, didn’t reveal who the story was to be focused on. Personally, I didn’t mind since I had stubbornly decided that it was Kaleb’s Krychek’s story, and no one else even crossed my mind. Over the course of the last week or so, Nalini has been giving tiny little teaser blurbs, but today is the real treat: the first two chapters have been uploaded HERE. There be spoilers, so if you want to wait to find out for sure who the hero is, don’t even take a peek.

Do you avoid all things excerpty and spoilerish, or are you like me and just have to read whatever you can get your hands on? I am grateful that the excerpt comes so close to the actual release date of June 4th, though, since it really does suck to get all excited for a book only to realize that you still have months yet to wait. Now, I am still convinced that the heroine is Faith Nightstar’s missing cousin Sahara, but what is your vote?

So, on to the giveaway part. If you would like to win a hardcover copy of Nalini Singh’s Heart of Obsidian, just drop a line here under the comments section and say who you think the heroine will be. Popular opinion ranges from Sahara to Alice Eldridge, to a missing swan changeling, to someone entirely new. What do you think?

Contest closes Thursday, May 23rd at Midnight Atlantic time, and is open to all. Winner to be chosen at random. Good luck!

The Breeds News…

Things have been really quiet on The Breeds front, with Lora Leigh seemingly concentrating on her many, many other series. The Breeds is my guilty pleasure – even with the crap editing, storyline inconsistencies, and predictable storylines, I dive in and don’t come up for air until it is done. I might roll my eyes the whole time, but I still can’t wait for the next one.

So, as I am updating the author pages today (finally), I didn’t plan to see anything new. But, there it was. It looks like the next Breeds book will be released next February 4th…in hardcover. Hopefully that means that the editing issues will addressed with the format change. Oh, and the hero? Title pretty much says it all…

Rule Breaker.

 

Nice. I am surprised by the jump to hardcover, especially this far into the series and with its history of issues. Still, I will take what I can get. Although if I remember correctly, a previous book was listed as a hardcover release and was then changed back to paperback. I will be keeping an eye out either way.

New Release Dates…

So, it is that time again, and I am starting an author-by-author update. So far, I have only the A’s and B’s done, but it still offered up a few books to be added to the New Release pages.

• Jus Accardo starts up a new YA series called The Darker Agency with the release of Darker Days this August.
• Midnight Breed #12 from author Lara Adrian, Crave the Night, will be released this December.
• June 2014 will see the release of Brooklyn Ann‘s third Bite book, A Bite at First Sight.
• Zoe Archer‘s second Nemesis Unlimited book, Dangerous Seduction, will be out on November 26th.
• Evertrue, the third book of Brodi Ashton‘s Everneath trilogy, will be out next January.
• Jenn Bennett is starting up a new series next year called Bitter Spirits. The first book (also called Bitter Spirits) is due out next January, and it will be followed by Grim Shadows next June.
• Nina Berry‘s third Otherkin book, Othersphere, will be released on December 31st.
• Anne Bishop‘s second The Others book, Murder of Crows, will not be out until next March. Booo.
• I thought that Cheryl Brooks‘ Cat Star Chronicles series was done, but it looks like book 10 will be called Renegade, and it is scheduled for next July.

This and That…

This is sort of a mix of everything random post. Part update, part new release info, part cover lover.

• it looks like Karen Marie Moning‘s next Fever book, Burned, is up for pre-order on Amazon. It will be released on January 14th. Let my countdown begin.
• also, there is a bit of info coming about Alexandra Ivy‘s new Sentinels series. The prequel novella will be part of the upcoming Predatory anthology due out on May 7th, but we now know that the first full novel will be called Born in Blood. It will be released on December 31st.
• there will be a third book in Jacquelyn Frank‘s World of Nightwalkers series, called Forsaken. This one has a January 7th,2014 release date.
• November 2nd is the release date for the next Sentinels book from Jennifer L Armentrout, called Sentinel. And as a bonus, there is now a release date for the next Lux book, Origin. It looks like this one will be out on August 27th. But after that, things get a little tricky. From what I am picking up, there have been some changes in two other works of hers. Nephilim Rising (written under the name J. Lynn) has had a couple of pushbacks already, but it seems that now it will be released on September 17th – in e-format only. Amazon is showing a ridiculous print date of January 1st, 2018. Uh, no. Aaand, I might be totally wrong, but it would appear that the Lux spin-off book Obsession will now be released through the Entangled: Covet imprint – which means e-format only. Damn, that is a shame. I do have hopes for a print version later on, though.
• word has gotten around about Christine Feehan‘s upcoming Dark series trilogy, but it looks like there will be a book in between. Right now, the schedule is looking like Dark Lycan this September, Dark Wolf in January, Air Bound (from the Sisters of the Heart series) in either April or May. Then the third Dark book, Dark Hunter, in the usual September spot, and a Ghostwalker book after that (December or January).
• the third Marie Lu Legend book, Champion, will be released on November 5th.
• Katie Reus‘s fourth Moon Shifter’s novel, Avenger’s Heat, will be released on February 4th.

Ugh, I am getting tired of this design, and I have been looking into other templates and designs. Right now, we are on WordPress.com, but you are limited as to design. WordPress.org allows custom themes, but I dread trying to make the switch over (especially since Wicked Scribes is actually made up of something like 18 different blogs).

And on the cover front, I found this one for Jessica Shirvington‘s next Violet Eden Chronicles book, Endless. It is due out on October 1st.

New Release Dates…

Just a quick note to say that the New Release pages for 2013 have been updated, both monthly and yearly summaries. All dates are correct as of yesterday, according to Amazon.com’s listings. I hope to have 2014 set up and updated by Friday. I didn’t realize just how out of whack they were, but there were quite a few dates changed and covers and blurbs added. I added something like 10 new pages of titles, as well, so take a peek and see if there is anything new you might be interested in.

Armentrount and Andrews Deals…

I think that both of these have made the rounds already, but I thought that I would re-post them here. Amber pointed out last week that an official announcement had been made about a new YA series from a favorite of both of ours, Jennifer L. Armentrout. The official announcement was made in Publisher’s Marketplace…

          USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Armentrout’s new young adult series in which a half demon, half gargoyle teenage girl risks the wrath of her adoptive clan and the trust of a boy she’s loved forever by partnering up with a sexy, dangerous demon who claims he can protect her from dark elements in a usually quiet demon population, to Margo Lipschultz at Harlequin Teen, in a good deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in Winter 2014, by Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (World).

Nice. Very nice. Especially since her current publisher (Entangled) is so wonky with release dates lately. Makes me wonder about the stability of a company that constantly has to delay its product – not by a few days, but by many months. Harlequin is solid and established, and I hope this means that she can make a jump to a bigger audience, since she really deserves the recognition.

And the official announcement has been made on the Publisher’s Weekly site about not one, but two deals for Ilona and Gordon Andrews. It is always welcome to hear about more books from these two.

          The husband-and-wife writing team of Ilona Andrews and Andrew Gordon have signed two deals, with different houses. Agent Nancy Yost, at Nancy Yost Literary, handled both agreements. In the first, Yost signed the pair up to continue their Kate Daniels at Ace Books series for mid six figures, with Anne Sowards acquiring world English rights. In the second deal, also for mid six figures, Yost sold world rights for the first three books in a new series to Erika Tsang at Avon. Yost said the Avon series will be set in a world controlled by “modern Medici-like dynasties with paranormally enhanced abilities.”

The new series sounds very, very interesting. Can’t wait. And you won’t hear me whining about more Kate and Curran, either. Since the Edge series is officially over, I am glad to hear that Ilona and Gordon are diving into something new. What do you think…are you looking forward to the new stuff, too? Any other deals you have heard about lately? (I am sure there was another one, but of course I completely forgot what it was).

A Dark Series Trilogy…

Things have seemingly been up in the air as far as information about Christine Feehan‘s books goes. There was some deal about being between contracts, and no new schedule arranged, things like that. But many thanks to Lea-Ellen who sent me over the news that there is a Dark series trilogy in the works.

Apparently, Dark Lycan will release in the usual Carpathian time-slot of September, and it will be followed by Dark Wolf in January, and it will be followed by Dark Hunter later in 2014. And for those who have been anxiously waiting, it seems Dark Wolf will feature Skylar and Dimitri’s story.

Hm. As much as I always love to find out release news, this one leaves me torn. A trilogy would be great (especially if it means that the series is wrapping up, which is what I am hoping for), but it also means that at a three book a year schedule, another Ghostwalkers book would be a long, long ways away. The last Ghostwalkers book was Samurai Game, which was released on July 3rd, 2012. With a Dark series trilogy finishing off 2013 and taking the first two slots of 2014, you are probably looking at 2015 before a new, non-Carpathian book is released. That…sucks. I know, I sound ungrateful. But the one Ghostwalkers a year was ok, one every year and a half was not so great, but waiting three years for a new one is a bit of a pain.

How do you like this news? Are you behind a new trilogy, or are you more of a Ghostwalkers/Leopard/Sea Haven series fan and disappointed at what will probably be a long wait for a new book?

New Release Info…

It is time again for a double-check on all of the authors listed in the Series Reading List pages. I have finished A-D, and between that and a random search there were a couple of interesting things I came across…

• The second book in Jean Johnson‘s Guardians of Destiny series will be called The Grove, and it will be released on December 3rd.
• The October 29th Black Wings book from Christina Henry now has a title. It looks like this one will be called Black Heart.
• Kate Locke‘s third Immortal Empire book will be called Long Live the Queen, and it will also be released on October 29th.
• Cold Blooded, the third book from Amanda Carlson‘s Jessica McClain series, will be released on October 8th.
• It looks like Caris Roane‘s Ascension series is indeed ending. Born in Chains, her October 1st release, is part of a new series called Men in Chains.
• August 27th is the release date for the next Kerrelyn Sparks book, this one called The Vampire with the Dragon Tattoo.
• If you are a fan of Cat Adams‘ Blood Singer series, the sixth book will be called To Dance With the Devil and it will be out on November 5th.
• The release date is TBA, but it looks like Midnight Breed #12 from Lara Adrian will be called Crave the Night.
• November 5th is also the release date for a G.A. Aiken Dragon Kin novella. No other info available as yet.
• The second book of Alyssa Day‘s new League of the Black Swan series will be called The Unforgiven.
• There will be another Morganville Vampires book from Rachel Caine. This next one will be called Daylighters, and it will be released on November 5th.
• This October, Jacqueline Carey will release the second book of her new Agent of Hel series, Autumn Bones.
• The second book from Gail Carriger‘s spin off from her popular Parasol Protectorate series, Curtsies and Conspiracies, will be released on November 5th.
• Dakota Cassidy‘s 8th Accidental Friends book, The Accidental Werewolf: Something About Harry, will be coming out on December 3rd.
• This December, Andrea Cremer returns to her Nightshade world with the release of book 4, Snakeroot.
• There is some Kresley Cole news that I was happy to hear. Book two of her YA Arcana Chronicles series, Endless Night, will be coming out on October 1st, and the second Dacians book (title TBA) will be released on December 3rd.

Here is the blurb for Endless Night, and by the sounds of it things are about to get very interesting…

          In the second book of the Arcana Chronicles Evie has now fully come into her powers as the tarot Empress. And Jackson was there to see it all. In the aftermath of killing Arthur, the tarot Alchemist, Evie realizes that a war is brewing between the other teens that, following the apocalypse, have been given powers and its kill or be killed. Things get even more complicated when Evie meets Death, the mysterious, sexy Endless Knight. Somehow the Empress and Death share a romantic history – one that Evie can’t remember, but Death can’t forget. She is drawn to the Endless Knight, but is in love with Jack. Determined to discover why she’s been granted these powers, Evie struggles to accept her place in a prophecy that will either save the world, or completely destroy it.

Entangled Publishing Deal

Ok, let me start this by a rant. Entangled is plucking on my last good nerve. It started out a fresh, exciting new publishing option that provided some really good reads. And then…the delays. The push-backs. More push-backs. Yet another round of push-backs. For example, today’s pick of the week post for me was going to be Jennifer L. Armentrout‘s Shadows novella. As of a few days ago, release date was today. Today…not so much. The Book Depository now lists it as a July 25th release – and I do believe this is at least the third date, probably the fourth. It makes things hard on fans…and hard on authors. I feel bad for them that their publication dates keep getting moved around (and not by a matter of a few days, either. We are talking months).

But, it looks like there has been some major dealing going on behind the scenes…

          Powerhouse publisher Macmillan has reached agreement with juggernaut, Entangled Publishing, to handle global distribution for Entangled’s highly successful digital imprints, beginning February 1, 2013.

In the new arrangement, Macmillan will distribute English language e-books of Entangled’s new publications in all domestic and international markets and for all platforms where Macmillan currently does business.

With unprecedented growth, in a year Entangled has exploded to twelve imprints with more than 350 authors and thirty titles released per month. In 2012, Entangled published the sixth overall best-selling book of the year and eight national best sellers. The agreement includes additional resources and personnel from Macmillan to strengthen Entangled’s infrastructure. “This partnership brings a global leader in print and digital distribution, ensuring Entangled can continue to support our rapid growth and success,” says CEO and publisher of Entangled, Liz Pelletier.

In a separate agreement, St. Martin’s Press will launch a new joint venture imprint known as St. Martin’s/Entangled which will bring into print and publish a select number of Entangled’s digital first titles.

“We couldn’t be more excited about our alliance with these giants in the industry,” says Liz Pelletier. “To be able to bring our titles to a global audience, meeting both the needs and expectations of our authors and readers everywhere, has exceeded my expectations as a publisher. We look forward to an exciting collaboration with Macmillan and St. Martin’s Press.”

John Sargent, Macmillan’s CEO, said, “We are hugely impressed with Liz Pelletier’s vision and what she has accomplished in such a short time. We found her out-of-the-box approach to publishing incredibly exciting and saw potential to work together with her on several levels. We think Liz and Entangled have found a new way forward and we think we can help build on that remarkable success.”

With my vast non-understanding of the publishing world, I can only see this going one of two ways. Either the involvment of one of the huge, established publishing giants will whip Entangled into shape…or the new demands will overwhelm it further and see even more chaos. I would really like to see this house do well, since they do put out quality product…that is, when you can actually get your hands on it.

Who else has been let down by the iffy release schedules of Entangled? It is getting to the point that I am leery of starting a new series of theirs, because God only knows when you will get the next book.

All Things Kate Daniels…

I do genuinely try to restrain my inner 12 year old fangirl, honestly. But sometimes, the book nerd fights her way to the top and strange things happen. Like when a couple of weeks ago, I took the blinders off and did some scary math. Magic Rises is Kate Daniels book number six. Six, as in one before seven, which was said to be the official end of the series (or at least Kate and Curran’s part of the saga). That was not the good math, since that meant there would only be two more wonderful, wonderful books. Well, I get to redo that math a bit (and breath a bit easier for a couple of more years) since Ilona Andrews‘ made a very welcome announcement over on their blog…

There will be three more Kate Daniels books after the originally planned seven.

Yep, it will now be a 10 book series – but that also comes at a bit of a price…

           Jim and Dali’s book has been phased out.  It required an insane amount of research into Indonesian customs and everyone had difficulty figuring out where it fit into the schedule.  They are fan favorites and we want to do it right or not at all. We’re toying around with the idea of novella series, but we haven’t decided yet.  It may have to go into stuff we do on the side column, somewhere after Innkeeper and Roman.  We want to make sure that you get at least one Kate book per year.

Magic Rises, Kate 6, will be released this summer, Kate 7, next summer, and so on, bringing the total to 10 Kate books.

Kate 7 will be written as intended. We always said it will be a confrontation between Kate and her father and that’s exactly what it will be.  It will be a natural stopping point, the end of Round One, to that part of the series arc, so if you wish, you can stop after Kate 7, and not follow further adventures of Kate, Curran, Hugh, Roland, and various enemies and near immortal relatives and not feel completely left adrift.

So that is a yay, with a bit of a disappointment because i was definitely looking forward to Jim and Dali’s story, and more yay because we still might get their story, just in a different way. All in all, I can’t complain. Some series need to go away already, but Kate Daniels is not one of them. And as an extra bit of Magical goodness, here is the blurb for Magic Rises…

            Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.
 
Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.
 
Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

Look for Magic Rises on July 30th. Or else.