Interview Author Stephanie Julian + Giveaway

We are very happy to welcome author Stephanie Julian here at Book Lovers Inc again. Today is the release of What a Goddess Wants, the first book in Steph’s new series The Forgotten Goddesses. I fell in love with Steph’s writing a while ago and I devoured What a Goddess Wants (you can read my review here). Please give her a warm welcome. And check out the end of the post for the surprise we prepared for you. *wink*Susi: Steph, can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Steph: I’ve been lucky enough to be a professional writer since I graduated from college with an English degree and no idea what I was going to do with it. I got lucky and landed a job at a newspaper, where I worked cityside before moving to lifestyle. I got …

Guestpost: Fantasy Matured by Philippa Ballantine

Today we are happy to welcome Philippa Ballantine at Book Lovers Inc! Philippa (or Pip to her friends ;-p) is not only New Zealand’s first podcast novelist she is also an author penning stories in a variety of genres: she released urban fantasy, fantasy and steampunk novels! Today she is here to tell us some behind the scenes secrets about her writing, please give Philippa a warm welcome!

Here’s a dirty little secret. Writers write what they know. Yes, even fantasy ones like myself.

So, by definition many of the writers write about characters that are about the age they are. Our life experiences—good and bad—bleed over into what problems our characters face, and how they handle with them. I know that as I have got older so too has the average age of my characters—especially the main point of view ones.

Even with …

Guestpost: Lessons Learned by Jocelynn Drake

Hello out there! I hope you’re enjoying your Thursday so far. Today we are very excited to have Jocelynn Drake author of the Dark Days series here to tell us about some of the lessons she has learned since becoming a published author. 

Ms. Drake the stage is yours…

I’ve been a “professional writer” (defined here as having a paid contract with a publishing house) for approximately four years, and by many accounts I am still a newbie, a little wet behind my ears as I stumbled over various learning blocks in my path. I have had six books and one novella published, while being contracted for three more short stories and two books in a new series. At first glance, I struggle to believe that the “newbie” title still fits, but I’m still learning many things about the publishing industry …

Bookish Rants or Raves: There’s NO Shame is Taking Second Place!

Lover Mine by J.R. Ward

It’s hard to ignore the spotlight and I do love my heroes and heroines. It doesn’t really matter if it’s the sexy Alpha Hero everyone wants to have for their own, or if it’s the no-holds-barred kickass heroines/heroes found in Urban Fantasy, those leading men and women have the difficult job of capturing your heart and making you dedicate a lot of your time in reading their stories.

We count on their stories to take us away from our own worlds and escaping to different realities. However important they may be though, what really makes their adventures and lives real is the people around them. The sidekicks and secondary characters who make the heroes and heroines’ stories even more compelling and real.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood (BDB) series by J.R. Ward, for example. For me, reading the …

Guest Post: "Joss Whedon Took My Tropes" by Sierra Dean + Giveaway

Today we are delighted to welcome author Sierra Dean. Sierra writes urban fantasy and her first novel, “Something Secret This Way Comes” is being released next week, on the 10th. We were chatting on Twitter about tropes and I mentioned that she had used some of my least favorite tropes in her book. Despite that, I enjoyed the book. So when she was considering guest post ideas, the subject of tropes seemed appropriate. Please give her a warm welcome and after the article, see what she has for one lucky person.

      Whether we want to admit it or not, there’s only so much originality to be found in the idea pool for urban fantasy and paranormal romance authors. There are only so many ways to tell the genesis stories …

Bookish Rants or Raves: Queer is NOT Weird!

I just want to get one thing off my chest, I am a proud supporter of the gay community. I avidly hate any and every type of prejudice and won’t stand for it, in any instance. 

I felt I needed to say that to get to my point LOL. we’re talking about books, so i wanted to talk about gay characters in UF and PNR and how much I love them!

They can be the gay best friend or the gay secondary character that steals the show, these people usually just make a story pop and give a much brighter realism to the fantastic worlds we get to read about constantly.

Who is is not dying to read Qhauy’s HEA? 

A sub genre that showed up more recently that rocks, is the M/M PNR. There …

Guest Post: Kick-Ass Sci-Fi Heroines by Zoë Archer + Giveaway

We are very happy to welcome Zoë Archer here at Book Lovers Inc today. Her latest novel, Collision Course was just released and today she will tell us about some kick-ass science fiction heroines. Be sure to stay tuned till the end for your chance to win.

Yesterday on this blog, we talked about science fiction, its different subgenres, and the commonalities and differences between them. It’s a very expansive genre, open to many kinds of interpretation, which is why many authors (myself included) find it not just alluring, but fun.

For me, one of the major appeals of writing science fiction romance is the heroines. Sci-fi heroines are a breed unto themselves. Because they often exist in a different society or a time set in the future, sci-fi heroines are usually as strong as the men, if not …

Bookish Rants or Raves: An Urban Fantasy Fashion Show!

I have to admit, I am not a very fashionista kind of girl. I’d live in jeans and a T-Shirt if I have to, but I do like to think i have some sense of style and I do know how to dress appropriately in any given situation. 

However, I’m afraid to say that, that isn’t the case of most Urban Fantasy characters, is it?

If you think about it, some UF heroes and heroines have worn pretty mind boggling outfits haven’t they?

Out of the top of my mind I can recall, Jean-Claude’s open white billowing blouse over leathers, Rachel Morgan’s white leather outfit in “Pale Demon” and we cannot forget the regular appearance of leather in UF covers, being it, black, white of full body leather outfits that defy nature.

I mean, I cannot imagine doing all that fighting in leather! Seriously, it CANNOT be comfortable! LOL 

Bookish Rants or Raves: My Point of View on POVs!

Sometimes I see around the web an authors, reader or blogger say how much the Love/Hate a certain type of Point of View (POV) when it comes to novels and I thought this would be an interesting topic for discussion.

I personally, enjoy reading books written in first or third person. I feel that either POV has its qualities and bring something interesting to the table.

Like the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning”, where we get almost the whole story all told from the Heroine’s point of view. It might be constricting not getting to see any other characters actions for more of the time, but we get a deep insight in the Heroine’s mind and it makes understanding her that much easier.

“Every time I think I’m getting smarter I …

Review: Magick Charm by Jennifer Wells

Format read: PDF from authorNumber of pages: 288 pagesRelease Date: 1 September 2010Publisher: Crescent Moon PressFormats available: paperback, ebookPurchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s Website, Amazon, Kindle store

Book Blurb:

Janie Adler likes her quiet, orderly life reviewing books for a small New Orleans newspaper exactly the way it is. So what if Duke Hot Pants, the hero of her favorite romance novel, is the only man in her life? She has a Pulitzer Prize to chase. That is until her quirky twin sister Rachel moves in, bringing boyfriend drama, a smelly ferret, and irrational belief in all things magickal along with her.

Persuaded by a local voodoo priestess-and maybe one margarita too many-the twins cast spells to improve their love lives. Loser-magnet Rachel focuses on avoiding the wrong men and Janie seeks her romance novel ideal. While …