*Vous pouvez trouver ici la traduction en français*
We’re very happy today to have Jenn Bennett on the blog. She is the author of an amazing Urban Fantasy series: Arcadia Bell. Her second novel Summoning the Night will be released on April 24th. I really enjoyed both of them, so if you want to learn more about them, you can read my review about Kindling the Moon here, or Summoning the Night here. I will let you discover this great post and I hope you’ll want to learn more about the series as well.
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I am often asked about the word “magician” in regards to describing my heroine, Cady. She wields an innate magical power and casts spells, so why not use “witch” or “mage,” or some other more genre-accepted word to describe what she is? Some readers even thought they were picking up a book about stage magicians who saw people in half and pull bunnies out of top hats. Even my publisher seemed to have trouble with the word, putting quotes around it in their catalog marketing.In Cady’s world, the word “witch” is a crass description. Someone who dabbles in folk magic. An amateur. Cady comes from an elite occult background, belonging to an esoteric fraternal order of magicians who use magic and ritual in their everyday lives. They go to temple, learn spells, improve their skills. They feel magic is a birthright and belonging to their organization requires not only talent, but a commitment to an esoteric lifestyle. Rules must be followed. Secrets must be kept. There are competing esoteric orders with different goals, some of them opposing.
Cady jokes in KINDLING THE MOON that her esoteric order is “’Kind of like Hogwarts, only with fewer wands and more nudity.” But I did base this organization, loosely, on real-life esoteric orders. Organizations like Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn have included some famous (and infamous) members over the years, including Aleister Crowley, William Butler Yeats, Algernon Blackwood, and maybe even Bram Stoker. The term “ceremonial magician” was used by many of the members to describe who they were, and Crowley is credited with using “magick” instead of “magic” to differentiate between what he did and stage magic. So for any readers who detest all the purposeful misspellings in fantasy (Wytch and Kaos and Majik, etc), my use of the “k” in magic was rooted in something historical—not just an attempt to throw something random into the text.
Regarding the word “mage,” I know it’s often used in urban fantasy, but in my head, it will always conjure images of boys in basements, rolling 12- and 20-sided dice. “Mage” and “wizard” seem very high-fantasy to me. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It just doesn’t fit Cady.
Of course, because Cady is so snobby about the word “witch”, and because the hero in my series, her boyfriend Lon, is a demon who feels that the word “devil” is a slur, those words are exactly what they end up calling each other as pet names. But as the series progresses and we discover what Cady’s parents bred into her during her rather unusual conception, we might find that neither witch, mage, wizard, or magician are labels that accurately describe WHAT she is.
Giveaway
Jenn Bennett gives the possibility to win one of her books: Kindling the Moon or Summoning the night. The giveaway is international if bookdepository ships to you and ends on April 30th.
If you want to learn more about the series, ckeck her website: http://www.jennbennett.net/
here is the trailer for Summoning the Night :
a Rafflecopter giveaway<a href=”http://rafl.es/enable-js”>You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.
mariska
What a fantastic giveaway. And these books are looking fantastic. Thanks for a chance to win them 😀
Mariska
miki
I really want to discover this serie so thanks you a lot for this opportunity
all the best
Mel
I love it when characters are hard to define in that way – it makes them so much more interesting. It’s amazing the number of different we have for magic user – witch, mage, wizard, magician…
I adore the sound of this series and it’s one that’s near the top of my must buy list now! 🙂
Mel S
Jennifer York
Thanks for the giveaway. I have the 1st book on my Nook but I’ve not read it yet. I’d love to win the second book.
Imel Cullen
thank’s for giveaway, it’s sounds interesting and I havent read yet jenn bennet book’s but I love book cover ^^
My keeper shelf
oooohhhh Summoning the Night is on my wishlist, I need to get my hands on it!
Book Savvy Babe
I have this series on my wish list too! Great post, I love that the use of “y” and “k” in wytch and magic has a historical basis, I always love the bits of truth hidden in books 🙂
Thanks for the contest, Book Savvy Babe
Lee @shewolfreads
Great series and a great giveaway! I love the reasoning behind mage vs magician vs witch. Great post!
Erin W
Loved Kindling the Moon and can’t wait for Summoning the Night!
Melissa (Books and Things)
I have both books here ready for me to dive in. I can’t wait!! I just got Summoning the Night in my mailbox! Squee!
I love that they hate certain words used to label them. 😀
Jamie
Thanks for the giveaway!
Melissa (My World...in words and pages)
I love the turn with with words. It give us readers something different to think about, and ponder over. 🙂 I just got Kindling the Moon as a win, and really looking forward to reading it. 🙂 Thank you for the great post!
Reading mind
ops, I haven’t read this book! must do it! Looks like I’m misisng a really good book
BookaholicCat
Love this series, I have the books so I won’t be participating in the giveaway, also Book Depository doesn’t ship to this side of the world. 🙁
Melliane
Oh I didn’t know that, so sad…
Kimberley
I loved Kindling the Moon and can’t wait to read Summoning the Night. Will there be a book 3?
Missie, The Unread Reader
“Kind of like Hogwarts, only with fewer wands and more nudity.”
hahahaha! I was completely sold when the nudity part was mentioned. Gotta love the power of magic bare skin. 😉
Thanks so much for the guest post and giveaway.
Disincentive
Thanks for this one! I would love to read it.
Disincentive @ (read, watch, listen) – reviews
Cari Z
Any chance to win this book, I am entering…they’re so good:)
Mimi Valentine
LOL I loved the bit about Hogwarts — so funny! x) But even though I actually don’t mind alternate spellings that much (although I never let it pass without taking not of it), I love how you explained that your way of spelling “magick” had more to do with something historical than an attempt at originality! 🙂
Awesome guest post, Jenn! You sure know how to sell a book to a witch-lover like me! 😉 <3
Jenn Bennett
Hi everybody! Thanks for all the nice comments! I really appreciate Melliane and Inessa having me on their blog. 🙂 Good luck to everyone in the giveaway!
BookaholicCat: You are in Turkey, right? I’m sorry Book Depository doesn’t ship there. That stinks. 🙁 Do you have an eReader? If you see this message, DM me on twitter and let me know.
Kimberly: Yes, there will at least three more releases, maybe more. Arcadia 2.5 is a special digital novella that’s coming out in December (a story that takes place between the events of books 2 & 3), then Book 3, BINDING THE SHADOWS will release in spring of 2013. Book 4 will release spring of 2014, maybe sooner.
Missie: My series is half urban fantasy, half romance. So there’s nudity in all my books . . . and more. 😉
Mimi: Glad I’ve enticed you! And always happy to meet a fellow witch-lover. 😀
–Jenn
Mirjam
Kindling the Moon is on my wish-list, so I love this chance to win it! I am looking forward to meeting Cady. 🙂
pamerd
Hi
Thanks for the post and interview. I loved Kindling the Moon and I an looking forward to Summoning The Night.
Thanks for the chance
Pam
tpibrew@msn.com
Elodie
That’s an amazing giveaway, thank you so much for this opportunity 🙂 !! I actually hadn’t heard of this series until now and I’ve checked it out on Goodreads and it sounds awesome !! Great post, thank you so much for the giveaway girls !!
Mariya
Thanks for the giveaway! I really want this book just for Jupe! Haha! ;))
CrystalRosette
Thank you for the giveaway!
These books seem interesting!!
mariusreads
awesome giveaway!
Denise Z
I have had Kindling the Moon on my wishlist for a while now and yippee if you are not having a giveaway opportunity LOL I think the series sounds awesome and so on point for my favorite type of read. I watched the trailer and had to giggle it was done in a very fun style and brought back some silly memories. Thank you for taking the time to share with us today and for this awesome giveaway opportunity 🙂
Aurian
Great give away, those books have been on my wishlist for a while now. It has been many years since I learned French in school, but I can still read some things on your blog 🙂
Melliane
It’s a really great series. I try to write in both languages so don’t worry. Thank you!
marybelle
The books look amazing. A fabulous giveaway thank you.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
deasuluna
Thanks for the giveaway! This series looks great and those covers are gorgeous they really pull you in, I want to read these!
Dovile
Thank you for the chance!
JessS
Thanks for the giveaway! I haven’t read this series but it looks good! And that bit at the end about pet names really makes me want to read it 🙂
Moonlight Gleam
AHH! Awesome post and wonderful giveaway! Thank you for the opportunity! (I entered as Lucy D.)
Stéphanie
Awesome Giveaway. I read a review of Summoning the Night yesterday on http://www.rabidreads.ca/ and I instantly added Kindling the Moon to my TBR list. It’s like your psychic! Can’t wait to read these books!
Diane
This is a great giveaway since I haven’t yet tried the author!
Darlene
This series is on my Wishlist. Thanks so much for the giveaway!
Michele
Thank you so much for the giveaway!