BBB: Tell us 3 things not in your bio we don’t know about you that might make us leery of befriending you. LOL

CV: Well, I’m a big fan of GI Joe, cartoon comics and movies. I scuba dive and am happy to swim with sharks. (shark week is just over!) I’m learning to cook and experiment on my friends.

BBB: What actors would you choose to play some of your characters if your book were made into a movie or a TV show?

CV: That’s a tough question, because I keep changing my mind. I started writing the Kitty stories about 14 years ago, and a lot of newer actors have entered my radar over that time. So I’d rather not say, and just hope that if a dramatic version ever gets made, the right actors come along. (Although I somehow have always pictured Daniel Craig as the magician Odysseus Grant.)

BBB: How do you keep track of your world building?

CV: Very carefully? It helps that I have a “no holds barred” attitude about what kind of supernatural elements to include. Since I’ve set my books in our “real world,” I have to try to be as “realistic” as possible where those elements are concerned, and then stay consistent with supernatural rules I’ve already included.

BBB: Please tell us more about Kitty Steals the Show and the storyline that drives it.

CV: Kitty Steals the Show is focused on the First International Conference on Paranatural studies, because I figured the next logical step in the growing recognition of the supernatural in Kitty’s world is to have a scientific conference about it. As a werewolf celebrity, Kitty’s been invited to give the keynote speech, and while she’s in London she gets the chance to meet lots of new vampires and werewolves, and see how the supernatural community operates in another country. Oh, and she gets in a bit of trouble…

BBB: How many more books will there be in this world?

CV: I’m still not entirely sure. I’m under contract for four more. The next, Kitty Rocks the House, will be out next year. I’ve still got a couple of ideas I want to cover, and I know what the last book looks like but I don’t know exactly when I’ll get there. I do think I’m closer to the end than to the beginning at this point.

BBB: Did you do any kind of research to determine the details of your characters lives / lifestyles?

CV: Some, but really only if it impacts the story. Kitty’s a radio DJ, but I found I didn’t need too many details of how the radio station works because it detracted from the main part of the story — the show itself. So the research involved more listening to actual talk radio call-in shows to absorb how that dynamic works. The important thing is how the details impact the story, not the details themselves.

BBB: Are you a plotser or a panster? or a Planster (a combo of both – lol)

CV: Both. I start with a rough outline, and I usually know how the story is going to end before I start writing. But the outline never has enough details — I discover those along the way, and the plot comes together after I’ve started writing and have a better idea of how to get to the ending I want.

BBB: What types of creatures can readers expect in your world?

CV: All kinds. Like I said, no holds barred. In previous books I’ve had djinn, lycanthropes of all kinds, vampires, ghosts, Navajo skinwalkers, magicians, witches, fae, Chinese gods and mythological creatures. If there’s folklore about it, I’ll probably borrow it at some point.

BBB: What’s coming up for you in 2012 and 2013?

CV: The next Kitty book, Kitty Rocks the House, is due out early summer of 2013. I’ve got a bunch of short stories due out, because I’m always writing short stories on the side. I’m currently working on the sequel to my superhero novel, After the Golden Age. I’ll be making appearances at Bubonicon in Albuquerque NM, MileHi Con in Denver, the World Science Fiction Convention in Chicago, and Steamcon in Seattle. So, busy as always! Oh, and I’m taking a dive trip to Cozumel later this year, and I hope to see a few sharks!

Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell
Kitty’s House of Horrors
Kitty Goes to War
Kitty’s Big Trouble
Kitty Steals the Show
Kitty’s Greatest Hits
Kitty Rocks the House

Author Bio:
Carrie Vaughn is the author of the New York Times bestselling series about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk radio advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. She’s also written the young adult novels Voices of Dragons and Steel, and the stand alone novels Discord’s Apple and After the Golden Age, along with many short stories. She lives in Colorado, and is always working on something new.

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Learn more about Carrie Vaughn here:

Read Reviews of her work here.

www.carrievaughn.com
carriev.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/carrie.vaughn
https://twitter.com/kittynorville1

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Kitty is back for her latest full-length novel in one of her best outings yet. Visiting London for the first International Conference of Paranatural Studies, she has a chance to scout out the Old World’s place in the Long Game — the vampire Roman’s far-reaching, nefarious plan for vampires — and see both old friends and some who do not quite fall into that category.

Visiting London, however, is not quite the diplomatic outing and chance to reconnect that she is expecting. Roman already has allies, also swarming London for the convention, and if Kitty plans to make any progress in summoning together her own forces against him, she has to learn to play by the rules of new kinds of vampires and lycanthropes. Fortunately for Kitty, what she has going for her is what she does best: talking.

This is definitely a book that needs to be read in the context of its series, I think. While it certainly moves, and I downed it in just over a sitting, it is a more cerebral book than some of the never-stopping, action-packed novels that precede it. This one is a really satisfying entry, to be sure, but it I think it would be best read in the context of the Kitty series, and not as an introduction to the books, especially since a lot of old faces make their reappearances in Kitty Steals the Show, as well.

It was a real treat to see Kitty taken out of her usual American contexts and brought overseas. She shines wherever she goes, and Vaughn is a talented writer who can make any situation come to life, but it was rather fun to get to see the wolf struggle through a little culture shock, especially when she has to deal with a much darker breed of vampire than anything preying on the United States.

Cormac, for his part, is certainly back with a vengeance. I still do not quite have a grasp on where things are going with Amelia, but it is nice to have him back and a bit wiser from his “ask no questions and shoot” persona of the first few books. He has grown from there, and it is a good thing to see. As for his cousin and Kitty’s husband, Ben, I feel a little less certain. I honestly have trouble picturing him as a co-Alpha with Kitty; I think that even if he is male Alpha of the Denver wolves, Kitty may wear the (fur) pants of the pack. I do not know if this an intention of the writer, but it is hard to imagine him out-Alpha-ing Kitty — at least in a battle of words.

As always, I would urge new readers to pick up the whole series, but for any readers caught up with Ms. Norville, the latest Kitty book is a must-read. There are few werewolf-based series that come anywhere close to the quality of Vaughn’s long-running plots, and it seems very unlikely that any competition is going to knock Kitty off of her throne of queen of novel werewolves anytime soon.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (July 31, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765365669
• ISBN-13: 978-0765365668

Purchase a print copy of Kitty Steals the Show from Amazon
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Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell
Kitty’s House of Horrors
Kitty Goes to War
Kitty’s Big Trouble
Kitty Steals the Show
Kitty’s Greatest Hits
Kitty Rocks the House

Kitty is back in one of her most action-packed, fast-paced novels yet. The action moves out of the Front Range to the Bay Area as the Denver Alpha goes on a quest to track down the mysterious magical device known as the Dragon’s Pearl.

The ever-ebullient and ever-snarky host of the popular talk radio show The Midnight Hour has been on the trail of discovering whether some of the famous figures in history were in fact tied to the preternatural world when she gets a call asking her to come to the aid of one of her old allies. Anastasia, an old vampire with whom Kitty went up against an even more ancient vampire called Roman, is battling their old foe once more, vying with him to get ahold of the mythical Dragon’s Pearl. But she cannot go up against Roman on her own and she soon asks Kitty and her “pack of three” to aid her—so out to California go Kitty, her husband, Ben, and the elusive hunter Cormac. It does not take Kitty long to learn that Anastasia and Roman are not the only forces in play for the artifact and that they are going up against creatures quite otherworldly indeed. In the heart of Chinatown, Kitty ventures into a legendary tunnel system which itself may or may not be quite in this dimension.

This is one of the best Kitty books. It was a quick read—maybe because of how fast-paced the events within the book themselves are set. I think the bulk of the book occurs within a two day timespan, and it is a hard story to put down. I fell asleep reading and had to start reading again the next morning during coffee!

Kitty Norville should be the model of an amazing urban fantasy heroine. She is one of the most well-developed characters in the genre, and paired with an all-star and fascinating supporting cast, she really is top caliber. As always, set into action-heavy yet thought-provoking plots, she shines.

I loved the mix of mythological elements and the backstory on Anastasia as it started to come out—and Rick’s, who has been one of my favorite literary vampires for a while now. The Kitty universe has been out for long enough that the world-building has been heaping up fantastically. Vaughn is a master of this and interweaves the various aspects of that world wonderfully.

As always, Kitty is a winner. I would pick up the earlier books in the series first, but otherwise, this is a do-not-miss.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 307 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (June 28, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765365650
• ASIN: B0085S1HOM

Purchase a print copy of Kitty’s Big Trouble from Amazon
Purchase a Kindle copy of Kitty’s Big Trouble from Amazon

Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell
Kitty’s House of Horrors
Kitty Goes to War
Kitty’s Big Trouble
Kitty Steals the Show
Kitty’s Greatest Hits
Kitty Rocks the House

Celia West gets kidnapped – a lot. Since her parents, Warren and Suzanne West, are also Captain Olympus and Spark, two of the most powerful super-humans in Commerce City, she also always gets rescued. When the terrific After the Golden Age opens, Celia, now twenty-five and a successful forensic accountant, gets taken hostage right off of a city bus on her way home from work. As usual, her parents and their two colleagues, Bullet and Dr. Mentis, the other two members of their super-hero group, the Olympiad, arrive fairly quickly. During the time of Celia’s kidnapping by the Baxter Gang, a number of crimes occurred throughout the city, leading to the conclusion that the kidnapping was a distraction to keep the Olympiad otherwise occupied. For Celia’s trouble, she at least gets to meet Detective Mark Paulson, who also happens to be the mayor’s son. Celia’s good feelings begin to evaporate the next morning when her boss at the accounting firm informs her that she will be working with the district attorney’s office on their case against the Destructor, the villain her parents have fought for years. Since Celia avoids contact with her parents as much as she can, despite her gratitude to them for rescuing her from kidnappers, working on the case presents at least one problem for her. When a secret gets unearthed during the trial that tests some of her friendships and leads Celia to undertake her own investigation, not only does she discover some hidden connections, but also begins to understand her own role.

Rather than a story about what it means to be a superhero, After the Golden Age focuses on what it feels like to be the one person without any super-powers surrounded by those who have them. As the daughter of the two most famous super-humans in Commerce City, Celia goes through typical adolescent angst that unfortunately gets played out against the backdrop of higher stakes than most teenagers have to face. Aside from the intriguing psychological insights into Celia’s character that she provides, Vaughn also gives the reader a suspenseful tale with some surprises. Though primarily Celia’s story, the book contains interesting secondary players. Readers interested in a novel that contains super-heroes but really is about how ordinary people can become extraordinary should enjoy this distinctive entry into the genre.

Book Stats:

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (April 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765325551
• ASIN: B006W3ZSY2

Purchase a print copy of After the Golden Age on the Left from Amazon
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Welcome to Sound Bites today with author Carrie Vaughn and our guest host Sandra Wickham! Enjoy, and leave your questions for Carrie or Sandy in the comments for them to answer! Happy Listening! Stay tuned for more upcoming podcasts from other authors and exciting guests in the coming weeks.

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Learn more about Carrie Vaughn here:

Read Reviews of her work here.
To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/carrievaughnnews/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carrie.vaughn
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/445616509

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CONTEST INFO:  Open to readers WORLDWIDE!

PRIZE: The last three Kitty books (Kitty Goes to War, Kitty’s Big Trouble, Kitty’s Greatest Hits), signed, along with CD’s of the playlist for each.

The Contest Entry rules have changed so read them carefully

The CONTEST portion of the event runs TWO DAYS until 11:59 pm Central on 3/13/11. Open to readers WORLDWIDE.

These are the ways you can enter to gain points towards winning the prize offered here today. The only one that is mandatory is #1. The rest are optional. The more you do, the more points you gain, the better your odds at winning the prize. Prizes are chosen using the random.org number generator. Making a purchase is NOT mandatory, it is only one way to gain additional points. There are free ways to get points. Remember to add in your RSVP points if you RSVP’d.

1. LEAVE YOUR FIRST NAME AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME AND YOUR COUNTRY in your comment/post so we can give you the proper credit for your entries. Mandatory, if you don’t leave this,  your entries will NOT count. It is NOT mandatory to make a purchase to be entered into the contest.

2. Ask the author some questions, please no duplicates. + 1 points PLEASE ASK EACH ONE IN A SEPARATE POST.

3. Spread the word about this contest and HELP OUT Carrie by spreading the word about her book!

Tweet this event: http://www.bittenbybooks.com/?p=51713 + 1 Points (max 3 times a day please not all at the same time) include @bittenbybooks in your tweet.

4. Buy a NEW copy of the author’s book by using the links below

Purchase a print copy of Steel from Amazon by clicking here.

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Good for 500 + points per book you purchase by using the links above. Email your receipt to the prize Goddess here bittenbybooks.contests @ gmail.com (no spaces).

You can also use the Amazon link HERE to make your purchase of ANY kind of merchandise during the contest. Good for 100 + entries to the contest for EACH item you purchase. NOTE FREE KINDLE BOOKS DO NOT COUNT as a purchase.

5. Author Darynda Jones Interview and $50.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest 3/13 – RSVP Here! http://www.bittenbybooks.com/?p=51643 + 1 point

Mike Carey and Louise Carey Guest Blog and WORLDWIDE Contest 3/14 – RSVP Here! http://www.bittenbybooks.com/?p=51659 + 1 point

6. Tally your own points total +1  point

That’s it!

RULES AND LEGAL DISCLAIMERS
Winner(s) will be contacted via email. You will receive your prize directly from the author. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR FIRST AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME AND COUNTRY as well as a valid email where we can contact you. REMEMBER the more things you do, the more entries, the greater the chances of winning. PLEASE ALLOW THIRTY DAYS to receive your prize BEFORE EMAILING US.

1. Please note, the prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be absolutely no substitutions or changes the prize is non-transferable. If you don’t want the prize being offered, please don’t enter the contest. If you ever win an electronic copy of a book, please note that it is ILLEGAL to forward, give away or copy it in anyway once you receive it. Doing so violates copyright. If we find out that it has been done, you will no longer be eligible to win any of our contests.
2. You have THREE days from the day the we contact you to claim your prize by sending your name/mailing address to us at the contact email we provide. Failure to contact us will forfeit your prize. BBB can at that time, choose either to re-award the prize to another entrant or not.
3. The prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be no substitutions, trades or changes. No exceptions. Please do not ask. If for some reason you do not wish to claim your prize, please let me know as soon as possible. Bitten by Books has the option to re-award it or not.
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6. These rules are subject to change or be modified without prior written notice.
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8. By entering this contest you are agreeing to our terms of entry

Boojum
Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette

I am an admitted sucker for most things sci-fi, and sci-fi pirates certainly hit the spot! This story involves the mid-solar-system exploits of a pirate crew, focusing on a lower-decks engineer and her relationship with the strange, space-faring creature which they use as a vessel. Great character development and a great short-story overall.

4.5/5

Castor on Troubled Waters
Rhys Hughes

A quick tale of alternative history and a lifetime as a pirate leaves a pair of friends flabbergasted—and without a gambling debt owed to them. A clever, quick read.

4.0/5

I Begyn As I Mean to Go On
Kage Baker

The tale of a pirate crew’s trip to find an ill-fated emerald mine and the two runaways they pick up in the ocean, this one is a really well-written, detailed story that captures the period feel of the best pirate yarns.

4.5/5

Avast, Abaft!
Howard Waldrop

This was a different sort of take on pirates that seemed to use a lot of the conventions of the pirate stereotypes and work them in with a little twist from a few classic stories involving pirates. I think that I “got” the story in some ways, and I liked it, but it might have needed to be a longer to get Waldrop’s real point across.

3.5/5

Elegy to Gabrielle, Patron Saint of Healers, Whores, and Righteous Thieves
Kelly Barnhill

This magical story is an excellent one—the story of a witch-healer and her child, drawn inexorably to the sea where she was conceived and the pirate ship her mother healed while pregnant. The girl’s story is reported by a church official, who describes how the governor of their island became obsessed with hunting her down along with her ship. One of the better stories in the anthology, “Elegy” mixes a little fantasy in with the usual round of pirate fare.

4.5/5

Skillet and Saber
Justin Howe

A young kitchen boy’s tale, this one is packed with excitement and a grotesque sense of horror as he works to prepare dish after dish in the belly of a pirate ship—and avoid the twisted whims of the captain by means of a magical herb. But when the cooking skills of his boat get called out by the captain of another pirate ship, it might be all out war in the kitchens. A really cute and occasionally twisted story that’s a lot of fun.

4.0/5

The Nymph’s Child
Carrie Vaughn

I have been a Carrie Vaughn fan for years, admittedly, since I read her first Kitty novel, and part of the reason that I wanted to read the anthology was for this story. She certainly did not disappoint—this eager and heartbreaking story is worth every word and is a gem among the rest of the book. The ill-fated romance of a pirate captain and his first mate—a woman posing as a man so that she can sail with the ship—is touching and more than a little sad. It could easily be the entry into a longer book as well, so good is the author’s quick character-building.

5.0/5

68 ° 07′ 15″N, 31° 36′ 44″W
Conrad Williams

On a mission of vengeance to punish the slayer of his former crew, Captain Low is single-minded in his quest. Cobbling together a crew of half-dead men whose zeal for their mission is nowhere near that of their captain, he tracks his foe, always northbound. Strangest of all is Mr. Greenhalgh, whose origins are shaded with his status as a stowaway and unique way with the macabre. I have a theory on what was going on at the end of this story, though I suspect I am not right. It is a well-written and interesting story that keeps taking darker turns; definitely one of the better stories in the anthology.

4.0/5

Ironface: A Vignette
Michael Moorcock

This one paints a teaser of a picture of a sci-fi-based pirate story, centered around the jewel of a world called Venice for her canals and beauty—and the equally elegant pirate who occasionally preys on the planet. Easily this could be a start to a greater story; as it is, readers can’t help but want more.

4.0/5

Pirate Solutions
Katherine Sparrow

Lured in by “bone rum”, an elite group of computer hackers (modern day “pirates” of the most hated sort) make off with a handy rich man’s boat and sail for treasure—and more rum—and a place to stage their computer-nerd heists in peace and solitude. I am not really sure that I “got” this story, but it is still definitely interesting, and I think it paints a new picture of Internet pirates for anyone who reads it. It is not bad—I just think it might resonate more with other readers.

3.5/5

We Sleep on a Thousand Waves Beneath the Stars
Brendan Connell

“Cruel and generous”, the captain is an intellectual, a sort of pirate-Darwin set upon studying the natural world while pillaging for booty to support the “expedition”. Then one day, the crew sets foot on an island populated by a strange group of natives with tribal marks capable of chewing off a man’s finger—and all hell breaks loose. But the captain, ever insatiable for knowledge, lets the female of the group survive for study, with an interesting set of consequences. I really liked this story; it is definitely one of those that I wish was just the introduction to a longer work; the erudite captain and the setting is awesome, and I am hungering for more pages.

4.0/5

Voyage of the Iguana
Steve Aylett

The insane yet hilarious chronicles of the ill-fated Iguana, the story consists of short, captain’s log-esque entries of a vessel and crew completely past reason. It speaks for itself better than I can describe it, but be prepared to be amazed by the utter incompetence of the Iguana’s captain.

4.0/5

Pirates of the Suara Sea
David Freer and Eric Flint

Our lead, who ended up on the wrong side of a war, is stuck harvesting valuable materials out of the aquatic reaches of a backwoods planet when the wrong kinds of people show up at the wrong time. But once a master sergeant, always a master sergeant, and a little preparation goes a long way, especially when pirates want your blood and your booty. A sci-fi story, almost of “anti-piracy”, set in a corrupted, Firefly-eque universe, “Suara Sea” is a real winner. The main character is ridiculously awesome, and the world-building, even in this short story, is enough to make readers want more. This is one of my favorite tales in the anthology.

4.5/5

A Cold Day in Hell
Paul Batteiger

Another tale of pirates from the “good guy” perspective, “A Cold Day in Hell” tracks the exploits of a Royal Navy vessel and her captain as they track the infamous Captain Frost through the frozen seas. This is another superb story and I think it does a nice job of bringing in a little bit of the cruelty happening on both sides of the piracy/anti-piracy story. The hero and his crew are really a great cast, and I wish that we could get a little bit more of their adventures than just the one short story.

4.5/5

The Adventures of Captain Black Heart Wendworth: A Nautical Tail
Rachel Swirsky

Our heroes are black-hearted pirates, bent on destruction and plunder and murder. Their teeth are sharp and their anchor is a solid plum…and they are a pair of “piratical” rats. This is one of the most clever stories in the book and follows the adventures of a pair of rats on their buccaneering escapades. Creative and exciting, even without some of the amazing pieces in the book, this “tail” would be worth buying the anthology by itself. It made me really laugh, and the rats are completely endearing, totally in spite of themselves.

4.5/5

Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake
Naomi Novik

Lady Araminta has had her share of compromising incidents before making her debut into society. With a passel of sisters to share her spotlight, the Lady’s best bet is to search abroad for a husband of repute. Doing so, however, requires her to go by sea to her betrothed, and in this book, one should know that cannot end well. This story rings of Regency-era England with a fantasy twist. The lead is another of those that could carry her own, longer book very well, which I would love to see. The ending seemed a little hurried, but overall, this was a great story.

4.5/5

The Whale Below
Jayme Lynn Blaschke

A “things go to hell quickly” sci-fi story that is not quite as pirate-y, if just as gutsy, as the rest of the stories, “The Whale Below” is a great tale that has a lot of interesting elements. The female lead is quite frankly badass and has a tolerance level that is so low it is almost admirable in its own right. After chasing away a whaling crew, the new “owners” of a whale carcass have more to deal with than they expect once they venture into the mouth of the beast.

4.0/5

Beyond the Sea Gate of the Scholar-Pirates of Sarsköe
Garth Nix

The last story in the anthology and a member of a series of novellas by the authors, “Sarsköe” packs a punch for the final tale. Tracking an adventure of Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz, a pair of traveling adventurers (and the latter being a master of sorcery—and a puppet), this one actually does fulfill my wishes for a story to be part of a larger sequence. I really look forward to finding more of these stories. Long story short, the pair is on the hunt for a wayward “godlet”—a dark being in hiding. Naturally, the easiest way to approach the situation is by bribing a pirate crew with promises of treasure and posing as a notorious captain and mate. This ends about as well as you might expect it to but with some wonderful twists along the way.

4.5/5

Some closing thoughts: I think the pacing of the book was a bit unsteady. The more memorable tales seemed to come in clusters, though of course this may simply be my personal preference instead of anything more sinister. I really would recommend picking up the book, but I would almost recommend reading a new story occasionally instead of sitting down to read the entire thing at once. It took me a very long time to finish the entire book, and I think that if I had read a story a day instead of the entire book in two or three sittings, I would have enjoyed its entertainment value a bit more.

There are some real gems, and I hope I have done justice to each of them. I encourage readers to find their own favorites—I am sure you can figure from my reviews which were mine.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Night Shade Books; First Edition edition (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597800945
• ISBN-13: 978-1597800945

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Purchase a print copy of Fast Ships, Black Sails from Barnes & Noble

All is going well for Kitty Norville, radio host of The Midnight Hour and the first “celebrity werewolf.” Happily married and Alpha to the Denver werewolves, she is in a comfortable place in her life — at least as comfortable as she can be, given her paranormal lifestyle. Then, her popularity takes her in an all-new direction when she is asked to participate in a new reality television series dedicated to ferreting out the secrets of its supernatural stars, and the publicity is just too good to miss.

Set in a hunting lodge in the wilds of Montana, the show seems like a bad joke, or the worst of “reality” television, but when the stars start turning up murdered, Kitty realizes that the show is far from harmless, and that in order to survive, she and the other participants will have to overcome their suspicions in order to protect one another from the deadly “games” that await them.

This is a real transitional book for Kitty. Her personal growth in previous books gradually set her in place as a leader in a variety of circumstances, and now that her readers have accepted that, the focus of the book — and, one might suspect from some of its foreshadowing, of the series as a whole — seems to be pushing her into events on a grander scale, rather than focusing on that development.

The paranormal world is starting to push in on Kitty, and her little Colorado pack seems to be on the verge of making its mark on the forces beyond it — in one way or another. This is reflected throughout the book by the fact that Carrie Vaughn acts as a bit of an angel of death to some of her characters, and she is good at not limiting her scythe to “throwaway” or new characters. In spite of this, though, I do love a well-done, dark book, and this one certainly does not disappoint in that department.

With Kitty’s own personal development — and I think that this book clinches her standing as a powerful Alpha, regardless of the events of any previous novels — it also sets her in place as one of the dominant characters in urban fantasy today. She is a breath of fresh air in a genre that is overflowing with “tough” female heroines — Kitty stands out from the pack for a lot of reasons. Somehow, even though she has the snarky sense of humor and the tough-as-nails backbone well in place, she still keeps her heart, and for Kitty, that is not synonymous with jumping into bed with everything she sees. For as fun as the endless soap operas of most gritty paranormal heroines seem to be, it is also an incredibly refreshing change to have one in a committed relationship, at least at this point in her story…

Carrie Vaughn delivers another exciting novel, and this misadventure of Kitty’s is gripping and visceral. Though not quite a cliffhanger, Kitty’s House of Horrors sets up the series for many more stories in the future, and audiences will definitely want to be along for the ride.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446199559
• ISBN-13: 978-0446199551

Purchase a print copy of Kitty’s House of Horrors from Amazon
Purchase a Kindle copy of Kitty’s House of Horrors from Amazon

Purchase a print copy of Kitty’s House of Horrors from Barnes and Noble
Purchase a Nook copy of Kitty’s House of Horrors from Barnes and Noble

Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell
Kitty’s House of Horrors
Kitty Goes to War
Kitty’s Big Trouble

Several months have passed since Kitty Norville, “celebrity” werewolf and supernatural talk radio host, had her traumatic experiences with reality television in Montana, though the memories still haunt her. Back in the comfort zone of Denver, Kitty has her show and her pack to occupy her, and more distractions looming on the horizon than she really needs—or wants.

After Kitty does a feature program on the strange, ongoing supernatural occurrences at Speedy Marts, a chain of convenience stores, she finds herself facing a libel suit lodged by their mystically-shady CEO. While Cormac, former werewolf-hunter and Kitty’s longtime source on the paranormal, investigates the CEO for proof that her claims were not libelous, Kitty has her own situation to sort out…of the lupine kind.

Three werewolves, once part of Special Forces and now rogue, run loose through her pack’s territory, and the Army calls her in to help in handling the situation. But the wolves are not just dangerous targets to be taken out—they are also veterans and untrained in the ways that werewolf and human life can coexist. Rehabilitating the men might be difficult, but Kitty has to try.

Carrie Vaughn has absolutely outdone herself with this book. The two plotlines are fantastic and work together really well. She is also very good at never letting the action lag during the course of her books, and Kitty Goes to War is a prime example of this—the audience’s interest is never going to wane during a Kitty book.

Her “werewolf soldier” idea is one of the best I have come across in paranormal fiction recently; not only does it let her tackle some tricky, painful issues among real veterans and soldiers, it also lets her pay a lot of respect and homage to the soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress and the other issues they face “coming home”, even if lycanthropy is not among them. She handles it tastefully and with a lot of care—this is fine writing, and a tribute to the men in uniform.

This series excites me, and every book probes just a little deeper into the paranormal world that Vaughn has created, gives a little more of the “what’s really going on behind the story”. For any other author, I would have to say that the artful crafting of her universe is what makes the books fantastic; in the case of the Kitty series, the plotlines and character development match the incredible world-building that Vaughn works into her books. These need to go on the “must read” list for any urban fantasy reader.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1 edition (June 29, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765365618
• ISBN-13: 978-0765365613

Purchase a print copy of Kitty Goes to War from Amazon
Purchase a Kindle copy of Kitty Goes to War from Amazon

Purchase a print copy of Kitty Goes to War from Barnes and Noble
Purchase a Nook copy of Kitty Goes to War from Barnes and Noble

Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell
Kitty’s House of Horrors
Kitty Goes to War
Kitty’s Big Trouble

PLEASE NOTE: The contest portion of this event is now closed. The winners have been chosen and contacted by EDGE publishing

BBB: Thanks for joining us today for the BBB launch of “Those Who Fight Monsters: Tales of Occult Detectives” edited by Justin Gustainis, published by EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing.

Many of our Bitten by Books readers may know your characters from other series.  Could you please tell us a bit about the characters in your stories in Those Who Fight Monsters?

T. A. Pratt: Despite lacking much in the way of tact and having a tendency to solve all her problems with violence, Marla Mason has been chief sorcerer and protector of the city of Felport for a few years now, and no one’s succeeded in assassinating her yet.

Laura Anne Gilman: Danny Hendrickson is a former NYPD officer, currently working as a private investigator in New York City. He likes to keep his half-faun genetics under his hat, so to speak.

Julie Kenner: Soccer mom Kate Connor spends her days driving carpool, organizing Gymboree playdates, and hunting demons. Just another day in suburbia…

Simon R. Green: John Taylor is a private eye who operates in the Twilight Zone, solving cases of the weird and uncanny. His beat is the Nightside, that sour secret heart of London, where the sun has never shone and it’s always three o’clock in the morning, the hour that tries men’s souls. Gods and monsters can be found there, often attending the same self-help groups. John Taylor is your last chance for justice, the truth, and other disturbing things.

Lilith Saintcrow: Jill Kismet is the resident hunter of Santa Luz, a city somewhere in the American Southwest. She likes bullwhips, .45s, and breakfast burritos. Oh, and holding back the tides of Hell. She’s a big fan of that.

Carrie Vaughn: Jessi Hardin is a homicide  detective with the Denver Police Department. She heads the department’s new Paranatural Unit and has (rather inadvertently) become an expert on  emerging issues  of law enforcement and the supernatural.

Justin Gustainis: Quincey Morris, who is descended from the man who gave his life in the fight to destroy Count Dracula, is an occult investigator living in Austin, Texas.

Tanya Huff: Tony Foster is the second assistant director on “Darkest Night”, the most popular syndicated vampire detective show on television.   He’s one of only three wizards currently practicing in the world and he intends to keep practicing until he gets it right. Given the amount of supernatural flotsam showing up in Vancouver lately, he’s being given a lot of opportunity.

Chris Marie Green: Former Hollywood stuntwoman Dawn Madison is currently in retirement from vampire hunting and resides near San Diego. Kiko Daniels, who lives nearby, runs a paranormal detective agency with his partner, Natalia Petri.

Caitlin Kittredge: Petunia Caldecott is a former Detective Inspector with the Metropolitan Police, London. She graduated from London City College and currently resides in Whitechapel. Jack Winter is a mage and a pain in her arse, but he sometimes makes himself useful. He hails from Manchester, England.

C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp: Tony Giodone’s skill as a hit man has resulted in a stack of cold case files in the homicide divisions of a number of major cities. Even before he was attacked and turned into a werewolf, if you met Tony in a dark alley, he’d be walking back into the light alone. Although still an assassin, he’s now working for Wolven, the police force of the Sazi council—in other words, the good guys.

Jackie Kessler: The succubus Jezebel has turned her back on her Hellish past (sort of) and now lives as the human Jesse Harris, working as an exotic dancer in New York City. Note: this story takes place before Hell’s Belles.

C. J. Henderson: Museum curator Piers Knight is a quiet fellow who likes good food, quiet evenings with a pot of tea and a good book, and being left alone by all the world. While usually well fed and well read, he rarely gets more that a week or two to himself before Fate, Destiny, or some other joker comes knocking at his door, bringing him all manner of bothers.

Rachel Caine: Cassiel was once a Djinn (genie), and is now, thanks to a disagreement with a higher ranking Djinn, trapped in human form as a punishment. Her only hope for long-term survival is partnership with a supernaturally-gifted Warden, Luis Rocha, who controls the elements of the earth. Cassiel and Luis both reside in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when not battling supernatural forces elsewhere.

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Read Justin’s Reviews and Interviews on BBB

http://www.justingustainis.com/

Justin’s Myspace page

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Read a 4.5 Tombstone review of  Those Who Fight Monsters: Tales of Occult Detectives here: http://www.bittenbybooks.com/38809/those-who-fight-monsterstales-of-occult-detectives-edited-by-justin-gustainis/

Contest: Open to readers worldwide, contest ends at midnight tonight 4/13.

Enter a draw for 3 copies of Those Who Fight Monsters, signed by Justin Gustainis.

1. To enter ask the authors a question – Mandatory

2. Leave your first name and your country – Mandatory

This new collection of short fiction has been put together by Justin Gustainis and published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing. I was anxious to read it because I love mysteries with paranormal elements. I was not disappointed by this collection in any way.

First of all, it has two great stories by two of my favorite authors. There is a wonderful John Taylor story by Simon R. Green. If you have not been introduced to John Taylor, a PI in the Nightside, you are missing something great. In this particular story, John Taylor has been hired to find out who is haunting the “Jolly Cripple.” It is a bar most people would not be caught dead in, so why would a ghost choose to haunt it? John Taylor finds out not only the why, but the how, and the ending will leave you with a delicious sense of justice done.

My favorite series by the wonderful writer Tanya Huff is Smoke and Shadows with Tony Foster. Tony works on a cable television show about a vampire detective. The thing is, Tony once had a vampire lover, and he is a wizard, so even he finds where he works ironic. The cast and crew of the show keep finding themselves in situations where Tony’s expertise is the thing that saves their butts. In this story, Lee, Tony’s boyfriend and the co-star of the tv show, appears to have a stalker — an otherworldly one, and that worries Tony. It is not simply jealousy that this beautiful young woman is attracting Lee’s attention, it is that he fears what she will do to Lee — especially when a string of bodies seem to follow where she has been before. In the end, it is Lee’s kindness that saves them.

There were many “new to me” writers in the book, and I enjoyed the stories. They are all well-written, and they each hit different notes in terms of the reader’s emotions.

One of the things I liked the best about the book was at the end of each story there is a brief description of the author and what he or she has written, and a short description of the main character of the story and what other works they have appeared in so that the reader can go find more if they should so desire.

Those Who Fight Monsters:Tales of Occult Detectives is a terrific anthology and one well worth the paranormal fan’s attention.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: EDGE Science Fiction & Fantasy; 1st edition (March 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894063481
• ISBN-13: 978-1894063487

Purchase a print copy of Those Who Fight Monsters:Tales of Occult Detectives from Amazon

Purchase a print copy of Those Who Fight Monsters:Tales of Occult Detectives from Barnes & Noble

PLEASE NOTE: The contest portion of the Carrie Vaughn event is now closed. A winner will be chosen at a later date and contacted via email.

Hello, and thanks for stopping by the release party for Kitty Goes to War, the eighth book in the series about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk radio advice show. She’s come a long way — from bottom of the pecking order to leader of the pack, from awkwardly single to happily married. She’s made a lot of friends (and enemies) and faced a lot of trouble along the way. And she’s not done yet. I’m so pleased that I still have more stories to tell about this character. I’d heard writers talk about characters taking over the story and demanding that they be written about, but I didn’t really understand that until Kitty came along.

One of my pet projects in writing the series has been to explore what some of these supernatural goings-on would look like in the real world, which led me to a subject that’s hugely relevant in the U.S. right now: war veterans returning home and trying to adjust. In a supernatural world, of course there’d be werewolves serving in the military. In so many ways they’d be ideal soldiers — perfect hunters with killer instincts, nearly invulnerable. But what happens when these werewolf soldiers try to come home? They’ve spent months giving in to the violent natures of their wolf sides — can they ever listen to their human sides again? That’s what Kitty finds out in her new adventure.

The prize I’m offering is an iPod shuffle pre-loaded with all the Kitty playlists (one for each book) currently in existence (including the ninth one — I haven’t even announced the title to the book yet!). Kitty started out as a late-night radio DJ, so music is a big part of her life, and a big part of my writing — I always have something playing in the background. It seems appropriate to share the love.

Thank you to everyone who’s been reading the books and keeping up with the series, and I hope you enjoy the latest installment. Stay tuned, because more adventures are on the way.

What’s your favorite song (right now)? Do you have a favorite song from the Kitty playlists? (I like “Train in Vain” by the Clash and “Crush Story” by Too Much Joy)

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Learn more about Carrie Vaughn here:

Read Reviews of her work here.
To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/carrievaughnnews/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carrie.vaughn
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/445616509

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CONTEST INFO: Open to readers WORLDWIDE!

Prizes: A 2 GB iPod shuffle that she will pre-load with all the Kitty playlists, including the one for book 9, which she’s just finished.

1. LEAVE YOUR FIRST NAME AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME in your comment/post so we can give you the proper credit for your entries. Mandatory, if you don’t leave this, none of your entries will count. It is NOT mandatory to make a purchase to be entered into the contest.

2. Answer at least ONE of Carrie’s Questions and or ask her some questions, please make sure they aren’t duplicates. Good for 10 entries per question. (Max 3 good towards entries)

3. Order copies of Carrie’s new book Kitty Goes to War by clicking the links below.

From Amazon click here.

From Barnes & Noble click here.

Good for 500 entries per book you purchase by using the links above. Email your receipt to the prize Goddess here bittenbybooks.contests @ gmail.com (no spaces). Not valid on past purchases.

OR you can use the Barnes & Noble link HERE to make your purchase of ANY kind of merchandise during the contest. You can also use the Amazon link HERE to shop as well. Good for 100 entries to the contest for EACH item you purchase. Not valid on past purchases.

4. Spread the word about this event and invite everybody you know by using the new Share Buttons below at the bottom of the post to tell your friends about this contest and come back and tell us where you shared. This is the live link to the event: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26914 if you don’t know how to use either of those functions. Good for 25 entries per place you post the event link.

While you are here today, please be sure to stop by the Bernita Harris event here http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26909

RSVP to Linda Robertson’s event here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26768

RSVP to Nicole Peelers KINDLE CONTEST here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26834

Enter to win FREE copies of  No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26718

Go here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26735 For more than 45 FREE books

Read this week’s Column and comment here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26796

Vote in this week’s poll here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=26888

good for 25 entries per each one you do.

That’s it!

RULES AND LEGAL DISCLAIMERS
The contest ends on 6/29/10 at 11:59 pm Central and the winners will be contacted via email. You will receive your prize directly from the authors. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR FIRST AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME as well as a valid email where we can contact you. REMEMBER the more things you do, the more entries, the greater the chances of winning. PLEASE ALLOW THIRTY DAYS to receive your prize BEFORE EMAILING US.

1. Please note, the prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be absolutely no substitutions or changes the prize is non-transferable. If you don’t want the prize being offered, please don’t enter the contest. If you ever win an electronic copy of a book, please note that it is ILLEGAL to forward, give away or copy it in anyway once you receive it. Doing so violates copyright. If we find out that it has been done, you will no longer be eligible to win any of our contests.
2. You have FIVE days from the day the we contact you to claim your prize by sending your name/mailing address to me. Failure to contact me will forfeit your prize. BBB can at that time, choose either to re-award the prize to another entrant or not.
3. The prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be no substitutions, trades or changes. No exceptions. Please do not ask. If for some reason you do not wish to claim your prize, please let me know as soon as possible. Bitten by Books has the option to re-award it or not.
4. Contest is open to readers in the USA except where noted above. The prizes are shipped directly from the publisher unless otherwise noted.
5. Bitten by Books is in NO way responsible for the prizes being offered in any of the contests. If for some reason a contributor does not honor their prize, there is nothing we can or will do about it. We are not worried that this will happen, but we want to be very clear that WE are not offering these prizes, the contributor is and it is their responsibility to fulfill their prize obligations.
6. These rules are subject to change or be modified without prior written notice.
7. Contest is void where prohibited.
8. By entering this contest you are agreeing to our terms of entry

PLEASE NOTE: The contest portion of this event is now over. The winner will be chosen at a later date and notified via email.

My First Dragon

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t think too much about dragons before I decided to write a book about them. Don’t get me wrong, I think dragons are cool. I love movies like Reign of Fire, and I’m one of the five people who saw D-War in the theater. But they’re almost so ubiquitous I didn’t think of them much. They’re the emblem of stereotypical fantasy, there’ve been hundreds of novels that feature them, from The Hobbit to the Dragonlance series to the Pern books to Eragon. I didn’t think much about dragons because lots of other people were doing it for me.

Then I started writing Voices of Dragons, and I started thinking about it. And I realized just how deeply ingrained in my subconscious and cultural awareness dragons really are. Dragons aren’t just everywhere in fantasy literature. They’re in the literary canon as well — in Beowulf, The Faerie Queene, the St. George story, and so on. If there’s an epic hero, chances are at some point he’s going to have to slay a dragon. (They’re even more ubiquitous than vampires and werewolves!) One of the things I wanted to do in Voices was imagine a world in which dragons had always really existed. This meant going back through literature and history and finding references to dragons, and quotes about dragons, and looking at them as if they were historical record instead of fictional or mythological stories. I wanted to put some quotes at the start of the book, to get my readers thinking about it as well. It turns out there are a lot of quotes about dragons. It seems that humanity, all over the world, has always loved telling stories about big, scaly, reptilian beasties.

Vampires and werewolves are clearly human doppelgangers, darker halves of ourselves, expressions of our subconscious desires and fears. But what is it about dragons? They’re so different. Reptilian, often flight-capable, often fire-breathing. They’re an expression of humanity’s deepest darkest fears, not about ourselves, but about the alien. But just as often, even in ancient stories, dragons are friends and allies of humanity. So what’s that all about? Maybe it’s not just conquering our fears, but being at peace with them?

I think my first dragon encounter was the movie Pete’s Dragon, which was the first movie I ever saw in the theater. Next was probably Disney’s film of The Reluctant Dragon, based on Kenneth Graham’s novel. In both of these, kids encounter friendly dragons. That might explain why my dragons talk, and at least one of them is friendly. Then came Smaug from The Hobbit — a very wicked dragon. But then came the Pern books — more uber-friendly dragons. Robin McKinley’s The Hero and the Crown is one of my favorite books, and the dragon Maur, which main character Aerin has to slay, is one of the wickedest, evilest villains I’ve ever encountered. When I encounter a dragon, one of the first questions I’m always going to ask is, Is this dragon a good guy or a bad guy? Because it could be either.

Which makes them a lot like people after all, doesn’t it?

Now, I want to hear about all of your favorite dragons and dragon stories. Go!

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Learn more about Carrie Vaughn here:

Read Reviews of her work here.
To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/carrie.vaughn?ref=profile

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CONTEST: She is giving away a dragon-themed gift basket:  It will include a signed copy of Voices of Dragons, a copy of a favorite dragon book, a DVD of a favorite dragon movie, some chocolate, and some other surprises! Open to readers worldwide!

To Enter PLEASE

1. LEAVE YOUR FIRST NAME AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME in your comment/post so we can give you the proper credit for your entries. Mandatory, if you don’t leave this, none of your entries will count.

2. Answer Carrie’s question above and ask her a question. Good for 10 entries. (Max 10)

3. Purchase copies of Carrie’s books

From Amazon:
Click here

From Barnes & Noble:
Click here

Good for 300 entries per book you purchase by using the links above. Email your receipt to the prize Goddess here bittenbybooks.contests @ gmail.com (no spaces). Not valid on past purchases.

OR you can use the Barnes & Noble link HERE to make your purchase of ANY kind of merchandise during the contest. You can also use the Amazon link HERE to shop as well. Good for 100 entries to the contest for EACH item you purchase. Not valid on past purchases.

4. Spread the word about this event and invite everybody you know by using the new Share Buttons below at the bottom of the post to tell your friends about this contest and come back and tell us where you shared. This is the live link to the event: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=21397 if you don’t know how to use either of those functions. Good for 50 entries per place you post the event link.

While you are here today, please join us at today’s book chat here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=21374, VOTE in this week’s poll here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=21376 RSVP for Tuesday’s event here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=20439, RSVP for Wednesday’s event here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=20440 Good for 25 entries per event you participate in or RSVP for.

Be sure to check out these other fun events for next week: http://bittenbybooks.com/?page_id=4.

That’s it!

RULES AND LEGAL DISCLAIMERS

The contest ends on 3/23/10 at 11:59 pm Central and the winners will be contacted via email. You will receive your prize directly from the authors. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR FIRST AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME as well as a valid email where we can contact you. REMEMBER the more things you do, the more entries, the greater the chances of winning. PLEASE ALLOW THIRTY DAYS to receive your prize BEFORE EMAILING US.

1. Please note, the prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be absolutely no substitutions or changes the prize is non-transferable. If you don’t want the prize being offered, please don’t enter the contest. If you ever win an electronic copy of a book, please note that it is ILLEGAL to forward, give away or copy it in anyway once you receive it. Doing so violates copyright. If we find out that it has been done, you will no longer be eligible to win any of our contests.

2. You have FIVE days from the day the we contact you to claim your prize by sending your name/mailing address to me. Failure to contact me will forfeit your prize. BBB can at that time, choose either to re-award the prize to another entrant or not.

3. The prize stated IS the prize you will receive, there will be no substitutions, trades or changes. No exceptions. Please do not ask. If for some reason you do not wish to claim your prize, please let me know as soon as possible. Bitten by Books has the option to re-award it or not.

4. Contest is open to readers in the USA except where noted. The prizes are shipped directly from the author unless otherwise noted.

5. Bitten by Books is in NO way responsible for the prizes being offered in any of the contests. If for some reason a contributor does not honor their prize, there is nothing we can or will do about it. We are not worried that this will happen, but we want to be very clear that WE are not offering these prizes, the contributor is and it is their responsibility to fulfill their prize obligations.

6. These rules are subject to change or be modified without prior written notice.

7. Contest is void where prohibited.

8. By entering this contest you are agreeing to our terms of entry

The Temptation of Robin Green by Carrie Vaughn – 5/5

A military researcher gets more than she expected out of her new laboratory position when she finds herself working with a mysterious collection of living, cryptozoological specimens, including an irresistible male selkie who seduces her completely. A wickedly good tale to start off the collection.

Succubus Seduction by Cheyenne McCray – 4.5/5

Lilin, a gorgeous succubus, is tasked with stealing the soul of a handsome mortal man. However, she’s thrown a curveball – he resists her, and her immortality is taken from her as a result. Good character development, especially for a short-story.

Paranormal Romance Blues by Kelley Armstrong – 4.0/5

A half-demon walks into a trashy vampire bar…and finds herself in the middle of a chase to hunt down a killer vampire. Cute story with a cool universe behind it, though a little bit confusing at times.

John Doe by Anna Windsor – 5/5

A psychologist receives a very unusual patient, who turns out to be rather otherworldly – and has a life-changing revelation about her past. Intense story and amazingly original!

Taking Hold by Anya Bast – 4.5/5

A werewolf loner and a human woman track a lost shifter pup through the winter wilderness but find much more than a missing boy. Nice story with great warmth between the romantic leads.

How to Date a Superhero by Jean Johnson – 4.5/5

Carrie Vinson, AKA the Ascendant superheroine Foresight, might be a masked protector of human life, but that certainly doesn’t make her dating situation any easier. Dealing with her handsome partner, Steelhand, is an exercise in frustration, and when Carrie sees an intense vision of the future, it ends up flustering her to the point that the telepath notices. Fun story; I’d like to read more in this universe.

Daniel - C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp – 3.0/5

Lawyer Karen James has even more issues than how to properly serve up divorce notifications and restraining orders – she has made an enemy of a malevolent vampire, Alexander, and now the race is on to protect herself and her undead love, Daniel, from Alexander’s wrath. Very short; might have been better if it were a bit longer or there was a little more background on why Alexander and Karen had bad blood between them.

Light Through Fog by Holly Lisle – 5.0/5

After the death of her husband, Sarah was absolutely heartbroken. But a seemingly impossible encounter with her deceased love leaves Sarah pregnant – and many questions to be answered. An absolutely beautiful story and a real tearjerker.

The Tuesday Enchantress: A Guardian Story by Mary Jo Putney – 4.5/5

Charlie, a young doctor-to-be with magical Guardian blood in his veins, happens to be in the right place at the right time to save his friend Rajiv when his coffee shop is held up and Rajiv is shot. But they’re not alone – a bewitching female Guardian also happens to be in the shop, and the attraction between Charlie and Maggie is magical in its own right.

Trinity Blue by Eve Silver – 4.0/5

Daemon Alexander, an ages-old man with a magical secret, finds some peace as he masquerades as the human handyman of a seemingly fragile woman in a small, New York town. But appearances can be deceiving…

Grace of Small Magics by Ilona Andrews – 4.0/5

A game between opposing, magic-capable clans comes with a very deadly price, and Grace, a young woman of little magical ability, is caught in the middle of it. To top it all off, she finds herself in a long-standing family blood-debt to a wickedly attractive man from an opposing clan…

Once a Demon by Dina James – 5.0/5

A handsome demon-turned-vampire gives a special confession to a friend’s wife and finds some absolution in the process. Gorgeous story; one of the best in the volume.

Night Vision by Maria V. Snyder – 4.5/5

Covert “light-bender” – a woman with a rare condition able to make herself invisible and see perfectly in the dark – is called out of hiding to save the life of a federal agent trying to save his sister who is afflicted in the same way she is. Great story with neat characters.

Pele’s Tears by Catherine Mulvany – 4.5/5

After her grandmother’s disappearance and apparent suicide, Noelani hires an investigator to determine what happened and finds the love of her youth in the detective. An unusual story and a fun one.

Pack by Jeanine Frost – 5.0/5

A hiker on her own in Yellowstone National Park gets more than she bargained for when she is attacked by a pack of wolves – but these canines are far from the garden-variety gray wolves the national park is famous for… Awesome story set in a universe that begs for more than a short-story.

When Gargoyles Fly by Lori Devoti – 5.0/5

In this sweet story with echoes of the Pygmalion myths, an enchanted gargoyle saves the life of the woman who returned him from stone to life and must decide whether an ancient war between gargoyles and chimeras is most important to him – or the possibility of love with the human woman.

The Lighthouse Keeper and His Wife by Sara Mackenzie – 4.0/5

Isabel, the wife of a lighthouse-keeper in another time, is brought into the past to battle the sea-god Neptune and save the lives of all aboard an old-time passenger steamer doomed to die unless she and her husband of old, Zek, stop him.

Blood Song by Lynda Hilburn – 4.0/5

A sound-healer has an unfortunate experience with a newly-awakened, out-of-control vampire, and her angelic rescuer haunts her dreams. But her hero is far from an angel himself…

The Princess and the Peas by Alyssa Day – 4.5/5

A princess’s ruse to capture the most powerful fae leader for her husband goes awry, while her servant girl has her own adventures with the elvish guests.

At Second Bite by Michelle Rowen – 5.0/5

Julia Donner never expected to meet a crazed vampire at the singles’ meet, much less two. One claims her as his soulmate, while the other attempts to kill her, but it’s the lethal one that catches Julia’s heart… One of the best in the book, as well as one of the funniest.

Blue Crush: A Weather Wardens Story by Rachel Caine – 5.0/5

A djinn and a weather warden – a woman with supernatural powers over the weather – set out into the ocean to rescue a human girl, but end up finding two terrifying creatures in the waters and a mystery to be solved. A great story and a nice hook for the Weather Wardens series.

The Wager: A Lords of Avalon Story by Sherrilyn Kenyon as Kinley MacGregor – 3.5/5

A lord of Arthurian times finds himself in the modern era after being punished for mentally insulting a merlin – a woman of powerful rank – but it seems his trials are not yet passed. The story was hilarious but could have used a bit more fleshing out on the plot end. On the other hand, I have never read any of the series, and it may have made more sense if I had.

In Sheep’s Clothing by Meljean Brook – 4.5/5

A young werewolf female returns to her hometown, only to find a dangerous human stalking women – and the crush of her teenaged years. When she accidentally turns the killer into a wolf, the chase is on, and she must track down the menace before he kills any more women.

The Dream Catcher by Allyson James 5.0/5

In a society where passion is frowned upon, a noblewoman craves more and finds it in the mysterious Dream Catcher – a preternatural creature capable of turning anyone’s fantasies into a powerful illusion. But will Natalia’s Dream Catcher seize more than her innermost desires and capture her heart? Another of the best in the anthology and a hot one to finish the book with.

Total Book Rating: 4.5/5

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (March 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762436514
• ISBN-13: 978-0762436514

To purchase a print copy of The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance from Barnes & Noble click here.

“Gift Wrap” by Charlaine Harris – A short Sookie Stackhouse story set after From Dead To Worse. Christmas alone can be hard, but for Sookie, being alone isn’t necessarily a bad thing, is it?

“The Haire of the Beast” by Donna Andrews – What would you do if your sibling wanted you to try making a spell to become a werewolf? Would you try to do it?

“Lucy at Christmastime” by Simon R. Green – If you follow Simon Green’s Nightside series, then you will like this Christmas tale of Christmas past, present, and old love.

“The Night Things Changed” by Dana Cameron – When your sister is a vampire and you are a werewolf, what do you do for Christmas?

“The Werewolf before Christmas” by Kat Richardson – When Matthias, the werewolf, is busted by Santa for killing and eating a reindeer, he is put into the harness to help out. But can someone evil be trusted to be good?

“Fresh Meat” by Alan Gordon – Lehrman trains dogs, and trains them well. They are his family. But can they save his Christmas and his life?

“Il Est Ne” by Carrie Vaughn – Kitty is on the road on Christmas. When she runs across a relatively new turn, she doesn’t feel so alone. But is she spending the holidays with a killer?

“The Perfect Gift” by Dana Stabenow – When people are dying, and the police get a tip that its cannibals, what do you do? What will it take to stop the Wolf Murders?

“Christmas Past” by Keri Arthur – When a man – er,werewolf – dumps you at Christmas, for no reason or explanation, what do you do when he comes back? Do you get into the Christmas spirit and forgive? Or get even?

“SA” by J. A. Konrath – When weird things appear in your stool and your neighbor disappears, what do you do? Find the local Shapeshifters Annonomys, that’s what!

“The Star of David” by Patricia Briggs – Ever wonder about David Christiansen the werewolf mercenary we met through Mercy Thompson? Here’s your chance to find out!

“You’d Better Not Pyout” by Nancy Pickard – Have you ever wondered how good old Saint Nick is eternal? Read this and find out one author’s insight!

“Rogue Elements” by Karen Chance – When were girls go missing, The Silver Circle call in a half were War Mage to look into it. If you like the Cassandra Palmer series, then you’ll love this short addition!

“Milk and Cookies” by Rob Thurman – Do you remember when, as a child, Christmas lost its magic? Join Nicky in remembering the tortures of childhood and the rediscovery of holiday magic!

“Keeping Watch Over His Flock” by Tony L. P. Kelner – Have you ever wondered how werewolves came into being? Was it simply evolution, or something of a miracle?

Wolfsbane and Mistletoe is a hilarious, fun-filled anthology that had me rolling with laughter! Normally, I use anthologies for an opportunity to find new authors and series, but this one is filled with the tried and true authors that I have come to love! This Christmas based anthology holds stories of vampires, warlocks, and werewolves – oh my! And many different ideas on the beginnings of werewolves, who Saint Nick really is, and what the magic of Christmas means to people. I loved this group of stories, and highly recommend it to any who loves Keri Arthur, Charlaine Harris, or Patricia Briggs!

Book Stats:

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover; 1st Printing edition (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441016332
• ISBN-13: 978-0441016334

To purchase a print copy of Wolfsbane and Mistletoe from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of Wolfsbane and Mistletoe from Barnes & Noble click here.
To purchase an eBook copy of Wolfsbane and Mistletoe from Barnes & Noble click here.

Music Hath Charms by Tanya Huff - What would you be willing to do to save your business and the people depending on you? Would you be willing to help people who don’t think they need to be saved? Find out just what it takes with “Music Hath Charms”.

Minotaur In Stone by Marjorie M. Liu – A life of loneliness, of being alone in a crowd of people, unnoticed, forgotten, lost; but then her dreams bring her something special. Can she hold on to what she dreams of? Or is it all nothing but vivid imaginations?

Demon Lover by Cheyenne McCray -If a dream lover came to you every night and left you unfulfilled, would you be willing to do anything for the promise of that completion? Even if it cost you your soul? But is that all that he wants from her?

Equinox by L. A. Banks – When man starts truly destroying the world through pollution and war, Artemis comes back to the world to extract her revenge. But when Vince and his squad are put on the job, neither he nor Artemis expects the outcome of their meeting.

Ride a Dark Horse by Susan Krinard - When a divorce forces Cat to reevaluate her life, she runs to a ranch recommended by a friend. What she does not expect is for a childhood dream to come to life. Could her dreams from so long ago truly be real? And what of her dreams now?

To Die For by Keri Arthur – Werewolf Alpha meets shifter in this story. What does one do when to desire someone is dangerous but the pain of that desire can be equally as bad? But lust cannot supersede the safety of the young boys that are missing.

Curse of the Dragon’s Tears by Heidi Betts - After reading family journals about the hex her great grandmother had put on Douglas MacKay, Laura Tomescu is determined to find out if it is true. Are the dreams she has prophetic, or merely fantasy? If he is real, is there anything that she can do?

Brother’s Keeper by Lilith Saintcrow- Selene is a tantraiiken, or sexwitch, whose strong feelings, no matter what they are, turn to desire. But can she push past these side effects when her brother is brutally murdered? Can she trust Nikolai, the ruling Vampire, to help her find out just what happened?

(Like a) Virgin of the Spring by Susan Sizemore and Denise Little – Ginger is a psychic. She was simply supposed to go into the Dark Ages to record the history that did not find its way into the history books. What isn’t expected is for her to be lost in the past. Bern was sent back to find the scientists lost in the past. But once trapped in time, is he willing to do whatever it takes to get back to his own time?

Life is the Teacher by Carrie Vaughn – Did you ever wonder what happened to Emma after she was turned? Did she ever find a way to cope? If so, how? This short tale shows that maybe, just maybe, life can go on after your first death.

Moonlight Becomes You by Linda Winstead Jones – Claire believes that her neighbor is a vampire – that explains him always wearing black, the dirt by his door, and never seeing him with groceries, right? And what about the disappearances around the neighborhood? Or the unexplainable howling of some beast? Can she get proof of her outlandish thoughts? Or will she get more than she bargained for?

Dirty Magic by Kim Harrison -Being a banshee is hard; being a banshee mother is even harder. What is someone to do when the ones they love die for loving them? Mia loves Tom but doesn’t want to drain him more than she already has. Can a banshee have any hope for a normal love?

Hotter Than Hell is a collaboration of short tales that is absolutely wonderful! It has it all: vampires, werewolves, demons, curses, loss, and love. It is an interesting set of short stories brought to us by some of our favorite authors and well worth the money! I thoroughly enjoyed each individual story. I laughed, snickered, and cried. I put it down only long enough to get another drink, only to pick it up immediately to continue on my journey. These twelve authors have truly delivered an interesting and entertaining anthology. I urge you to rush out if you have not done so already!

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Harper (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061161292
• ISBN-13: 978-0061161292

To purchase a print copy of Hotter Than Hell click here.

Kitty Norville is back in her most exciting adventure yet, a continuation of her Las Vegas tribulations in Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand. Her temporary defeat of the vampire priestess was just that, a non-permanent solution, and trailing her back to Denver is a fire-creature bent on destroying Kitty and her Pack. She is far from alone, however, the crew of a paranormal television series backs her up, as well as new husband Ben and her vampire allies.

This is my favorite Kitty book to date, and I adored how the vampire intrigue plotlines of the previous books continued through to Kitty Raises Hell. The “villain” is one of the best yet, inscrutable and nebulous in motives, as is the maybe-ally, Roman, who offers his assistance to the Pack Alpha and Denver’s master vampire, Rick.

Better than amazing writing from one of the best writers in the paranormal genre, this book will blow you away. Perfect marks for Kitty and Carrie Vaughn.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (February 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446199540
• ISBN-13: 978-0446199544

To purchase a print copy of Kitty Raises Hell click here.
To purchase a Kindle copy of Kitty Raises Hell click here.

Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

Two little wolfies sitttin’ in a tree….K I S S I N G! First comes biting then comes shifting, then comes marriage… Okay, my lame attempt at werewolf wedding humor probably falls short. LOL Needless to say that Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand is the installment where Kitty and Ben are supposed to tie the proverbial knot. But hey, it just wouldn’t be a real day in the life of Kitty Norville if there wasn’t some type of paranormal shake up and chaos right?

Even though Kitty and Ben are mated, they are going to make it legal. Kitty’s mom wants the big fluffy Billy Idol white wedding (okay maybe not Billy Idol, but you get my drift), and Kitty wants it small and simple. What better way to escape wedding planner Hell than to elope. To Vegas no less! Should be easy enough, but when vampire Rick asks her to do him a favor and hook up with the head vamp in Vegas coupled with a hotel full of bounty hunters, things start to get a bit dicey.

We are five books into the Kitty Norville series, and it is amazing at how much Kitty’s character has grown both personally and professionally. Carrie Vaughn keeps molding all of these characters and shaping them like an artist would with clay. Stretching them to their limits yet keeping them strong enough not to break and remaining believable.

The secondary characters in this book are engaging and quite entertaining and lend a solid layer to the plotline. I would say I am really looking forward to reading book six Kitty Raises Hell next month, but I would be lying. Since I have already read it and it too knocked my socks off! I love it when publishers and authors team up and do back to back releases like this. It is like a double shot of paranormal goodness that keeps you craving more.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446199532
• ISBN-13: 978-0446199537

To purchase a print copy of Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand click here.
To purchase a Kindle copy of Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand click here.

Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

Kitty Takes a Holiday is the third installment in the evolution of Kitty Norville. It is an edgy, daring adventure into the increasingly barren existence of the plucky werewolf female. Still as much of an amazing lead as ever and deeper with every chapter, the Kitty books truly have a niche.

After the national fame of Kitty Goes to Washington, Ms. Norville returns to Colorado, if not her former Denver home. The opposite of her high-brow, cosmopolitan existence in her Washington escapades, Kitty goes wild — to a point, finding a cabin in the woods to call her own. But, as her luck would have it, things fall apart rather abruptly, with developments that threaten her relationships with some and strengthen those with others.

Carrie Vaughn has the guts to write her books with twists that aren’t always the obvious ones, and usually are the shocking ones. Kitty Takes a Holiday has streaks of horror and scenes where the adrenaline starts through the reader. And, if the terror of the darkest side of the paranormal isn’t unlikable enough, the “normal” world steps up to the task, filled with enough violence of its own kind.

Nothing is ever as it seems in the Kitty Norville series, except for the fact that they are impossible to put down. Five out of five tombstones without question.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446618748
• ISBN-13: 978-0446618748

To purchase a print copy of Kitty Takes a Holiday click here.

Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

Kitty Norville has managed to avoid her former Alpha, Carl, and his psychotic mate, Meg, for as long as possible. After they made her life a living hell and killed her best friend, running away was the obvious choice. Since fleeing her former life, she has outed her kind to the world, traveled to Washington to defend herself, and taken an ill fated vacation that left her friend in prison and her lawyer permanently changed. So when her mother falls ill, Kitty has no choice but to return to her home town of Denver and hope she can stay below the pack’s radar without running into any trouble, or any trouble running into her.

This time she isn’t alone and she isn’t as vulnerable. Cormac may be in prison, but Ben is more than able to protect her in his new form. Until Rick, friend and creature of the night, wraps her into the intrigue of the vampire world where a war is brewing that is certain to spill into the streets of Colorado. Does Kitty have what it takes to protect her family from this new threat without completely changing who she is?

Kitty and the Silver Bullet is the fourth installment in the series about Kitty Norville, the werewolf DJ to the paranormal and normal alike. A submissive at heart, Kitty has evolved through the course of the series into a strong character who realizes that there is more to the world than herself and she does have a chance at happiness.

The beginning of the novel focuses on behind the scenes drama, establishing the new order of things after the events in Kitty Takes a Holiday. Once the action hits, it hits hard, leaving you shaking in anticipation and desperate for relief. I can only guess what Carrie Vaughn has in store next for our werewolf, but I can guarantee it will as engaging and heart-stopping as her previous four books in the series have been.

Look for book five in the series, Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand, January 2009.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446618756
• ISBN-13: 978-0446618755

To purchase a print copy of Kitty and the Silver Bullet click here.

Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

“The phone rang. And rang. I mentally prepared another version of my message- please call back, we have to talk, I promise not to bite.”

Kitty is on the move. With the death of her best friend and the possibility of her own looming before her, she has decided to take her show on the road. When informed that she is to be at a witness at a hearing, she must head off to D.C. And while she expects a lot of things to happen, one of the many unexpected things is to be welcomed with open arms by the vampire mistress of the city.

Luis is a were jaguar who works in the Brazilian Embassy. When he finds out that Kitty is staying with Alette, he wants to let her see the shifter community not just hear what Alette thinks. He is determined to show her that they are not the uncouth beings that the vampire mistress would have her believe they are. And then his interest turns personal…

Kitty Norville, radio personality, has a command performance at a Senate committee hearing. What could they possibly want her for? Do they really think of her as a specialist? Or is this more like a witch hunt? Unsure of what to expect, she has her lawyer, Ben, meet her in Washington since it’s always a good idea to have legal representation handy when you are paid to talk and tend to be sarcastically caustic to those you deem idiots.

Ms. Vaughn takes us on another wild ride with Kitty. In the first book, Kitty and the Midnight Hour, we saw how a pack can be both beneficial and unhealthy for some. Now Kitty is a lone wolf herself. I truly enjoyed this adventurous story entwined with the political intrigue, hot were, and religious fanatics! As the story progresses, we see Kitty grow up a little more in the wolf sense. She begins to hold her own and to develop more of a sense of herself and what this gift that she has can mean. I really love this series of self discovery, hardship, love, and the full moon!

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446616427
• ISBN-13: 978-0446616423

To purchase a print copy of Kitty Goes to Washington click here.

Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

Kitty Norville is the late-night host of a Denver alternative radio station, and with a one-time, joking reference to the supernatural realm, her show becomes a call-in about all things paranormal making it an overnight smash. Before she knows it, The Midnight Hour is syndicated, and she’s opened the door to her own life as a “closet” werewolf.

Naturally, this kind of attention is hardly limited to her adoring fans, with her pack and the local vampire family disliking the attention that her show brings to their world. Her own relationship with her wolf family straining under the combined influences of the show and pack politics, Kitty finds herself at the center of too much attention. Things are further complicated by the arrival of a werewolf hunter, Cormac, into her already complex life, murders by a rogue werewolf, and an enigmatic faith-healer who is not quite what he seems.

I highly enjoyed this book. Carrie Vaughn is one of those rare authors whose can start off a novel with highly defined characters; you really feel like you’re just jumping into the lives of believable people, not formulaic characters. Her world-building is exquisite, the secondary characters are absolutely fantastic, and the character evolves wonderfully throughout the course of the book. Two thumbs up and a “well done” to the author.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446616419
• ISBN-13: 978-0446616416

To purchase a print copy of Kitty and the Midnight Hour click here.
To purchase a Kindle copy of Kitty and the Midnight Hour click here.

Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.