A Trace of Moonlight by Allison Pang + Giveaway


Abby Sinclair, Book 3

Synopsis: Drinking from the waters of lethe and offering herself up as Faerie’s sacrificial Tithe …these just might be the least of Abby Sinclair’s problems.

Abby’s pact with a demon—whether or not she remembers making it—is binding, so she’d better count herself lucky that (in the words of a daemon who knows better) there’s nearly always a loophole. But her friends’ reckless attempts to free her, well intentioned though they may be, set off a disastrous chain of events. In no time at all, Abby turns her incubus lover mortal and gets herself killed, cursed, and married to an elven prince whose mother wants her dead. She mighthave even been able to recover from all that had she not lost the Key to the CrossRoads to her mortal enemy, who promptly uses his restored power to wreak havoc on the OtherWorld and put its very existence in jeopardy.
Only one person can make things right again, but to find her, Abby must place her trust in allies of mixed loyalties, and conquer her nightmares once and for all.

Review: I love this series and I was waiting for this book with impatience. I had many questions throughout the story, and as I was happy to be right at the end of the novel! Yes this is my moment when I was proud of myself, because I was waiting to see what it was all along the book to finally know it at the bottom of the story. No, I will not reveal more than that (I must keep the surprise).

At the beginning of the book, Abby is only a shadow of herself, not even knowing who she is. It was quite sad to see her like that … She does not really understand what’s going on and at the same time she doesn’t care. But everything changes when she is killed by Maurice to return as she was before. But thanks to this, Maurice was able to steal the key and escape from his fate. And this is when the chaos falls upon the kingdom. Ion becomes human to save our heroine, but it is something that is not for him. Abby finds herself married to Talivar and must deal with the consequences. I will not say more, the summary already reveals a lot, many things happen in this story it is necessary to read it to understand what I mean.

I admit that I was very curious about this novel, we always ask ourselves a lot of questions about Abby. Yes, and my big, big question was about Talivar and Ion, I’m intrigued to know who she’ll really choose, but I think it is not yet the time for this (too bad). Well with these two men, it’s almost impossible for her to do that. But I still have a big preference for our little Elf, and it’s always difficult for me to understand her attraction for Ion while Talivar has so much to offer. I do not really know why because they both want to do everything for our heroine, but Talivar’s still my choice. We’ll see! The love triangle does not really bother me in itself, but I hope it will not last too long because Abby needs to find a solution that can work for everyone in the end. Yes, our heroine finally plays with the feelings of everyone, and we know that it will not end in a good way. However, it was very interesting to see how all behaved throughout history.

This novel provided a lot of surprises and I was completely conquered at the beginning of the story. It is also very hard to put the book down before finishing. And what about Phin? He is seen a little less than in the first two novels, but he is still funny and annoying as usual, but more than that, totally loyal to Abby. A new very good volume in a series that I recommend.

A marine biologist in a former life, Allison Pang turned to a life of crime to finance her wild spending habits and need to collect Faberge eggs. A cat thief of notable repute, she spends her days sleeping and nights scaling walls and wooing dancing boys….Well, at least the marine biology part is true. But she was taloned by a hawk once.  She also loves Hello Kitty, sparkly shoes, and gorgeous violinists.


She spends her days in Northern Virginia working as a cube grunt and her nights waiting on her kids and cats, punctuated by the occasional husbandly serenade. Sometimes she even manages to write. Mostly she just makes it up as she goes.
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Guest Post: Darklands by Nancy Holzner

In DARKLANDS, the fourth book in my Deadtown series, shapeshifting demon slayer Victory Vaughn travels to the Darklands, realm of the dead, to prevent her nemesis from regaining his full powers. The Darklands are based on Annwn, the mythological land of the dead in ancient Welsh lore.
Mallt-y-Nos, also known as Matilda of the Night, is a spirit who chases down the souls of the dead and drives them into Annwn. According to legend, Matilda was once a beautiful Norman princess whose favorite pastime was hunting. She loved the thrill of the hunt so much that she exclaimed, “If there is no hunting in heaven, I’d rather not go!” Matilda should have been careful what she wished for. She became Mallt-y-Nos, the Night Hag, who forever rides nightly with her pack of hellhounds, terrifying all who see her as she hunts for lost souls.
In the following excerpt from DARKLANDS, Vicky summons Mallt-y-Nos to request admittance into the land of the dead.
Excerpt from DARKLANDS
Calling a spirit is tricky business. To do it right, you need a ritual dagger, along with candles, incense, salt, and an altar loaded up with all kinds of magical paraphernalia. Except for the kitchen salt shaker, I didn’t have any of that. What I had was my intention.
I stood in the center of the living room, having pushed its few pieces of furniture against the walls. I took a couple of minutes to get centered, breathing deeply and going inside myself. Breathe in . . . breathe out. Breathe in . . . breathe out. No thinking, no guilt, just a steady focus on each breath. When the world seemed to pulse in time with my heartbeat, I opened my eyes. I pointed at the cabin floor and moved in a slow, clockwise circle. I concentrated on my intention: protection. I projected my will from my brain, my heart, down my arm and through my pointing finger, creating a sphere of protection around me. Nothing could enter the circle unless I allowed it.
Let it be so.
Then, I called the Night Hag. I pulled up everything I knew about her legend. I remembered the terror I’d felt as a child—lying in bed, sure she was coming for me, pulling my pillow over my head to block out the sound of galloping hooves. I could see the pages of a book of Welsh folktales, one from Mab’s library, where I’d read her story. I felt the uncanny shiver that had tingled through me when, walking alone at night in a dark Welsh lane, I’d felt somethingpass by. My pulse pounded like those galloping hooves. My whole body trembled with the desire to run, to flee, to stay out of range of the hag and her pack of hellhounds. But I stood my ground.
And I called her to me.
“Mallt-y-Nos!” My voice rang out with a confidence I didn’t feel, pushing past the cabin’s walls. “Matilda of the Night! Lady of the hunt! Mistress of Hounds! Night Hag, who drives lost souls to the Darklands! I, Victory Vaughn, do invoke thee!”
The words echoed back to me, then faded. My intention cut through the silence, as I held the image of Mallt-y-Nos in my mind. A silhouette on horseback, shadowy against the moon, long hair flying behind her as she rode. She reined in her horse and cocked her head, listening. I called out again: “Mallt-y-Nos, come to me!”
In my imagination, the hag wheeled her horse around. She whistled to her hellhounds. Shrieking a bloodcurdling hunting cry, she raced toward me.
“Come!” I shouted, shrieking too, raising the volume to blot out the horrible sound of the hag’s approach. “I command thee!”
Hounds bayed and howled in the distance. The sound grew closer. The ground shook as thundering hooves pounded closer, closer. I clamped my hands over my ears and kept shouting. I wasn’t saying anything now; I was just making noise. Anything to fight the terror of her approach.
An explosion jolted the cabin as the wall collapsed. I staggered back a step, almost falling, covering my face with both arms. A tingle in my shoulder told me I’d bumped into my protective magical barrier, and I jerked forward. I had to stay inside the sphere.
I dropped my arms to see what I’d called
I stared into the fiery, red eyes of a massive steed. Flames shot from its nostrils, but they broke to the left and right before they reached me. Hounds leapt forward, jaws snapping, but they couldn’t reach me. My protection held.
“Quiet!” shouted a woman’s voice. The hounds fell back, milling around the cabin. The wall they’d burst through remained intact. The half-dozen hounds that crowded the place didn’t look like any dogs I’d ever seen. Each was the size of a small horse. Their eyes glowed red and orange, lit by inner fire. Saliva dripped from their fangs; it sizzled when it hit the floor.
The horse turned sideways, and Mallt-y-Nos came into view. I blinked. This was the Night Hag? The woman astride the horse was young and beautiful, with blue-green eyes and golden blonde hair that flowed, shining, to her waist. She looked nothing like the nightmare hag that had terrorized my childhood imagination. “Why have you summoned me?” she demanded, regarding me imperiously from her demonic steed.
Before I could answer, her face changed. Wrinkles formed around her eyes, on her forehead, between her nose and mouth. Her blonde hair faded to gray, then bleached white. Her skin went from creamy to blotchy red to jaundiced. I gaped, unable to look away, as the beautiful young woman sagged and faded into an ancient crone. Finally, the hair thinned to a few wiry strands. The skin shriveled and peeled away, baring the skull beneath. Flames consumed the eyes, leaving only a red glow.
I looked into the face of death.
The cycle began again. In the course of a few minutes, Mallt-y-Nos flowed from youth to middle age to decrepitude and death. And back again. And then again. I stared, fascinated, almost forgetting the terror of her presence.
In her death’s-head form, she pointed a skeletal finger at me. “Why did you call me?” she asked again, her voice impatient. Youthful flesh covered her skull. Her cheeks turned pink; her eyes sparkled. Thick, shining hair cascaded down her back. “Do not suppose, mortal, that you can command me. I came because I was curious. Mortals run from me; they do not request my presence.”
That I could believe. Even in her youthful form, she was terrifying.
“I called you to ask you a favor.”
______________________________________________________________
DARKLANDS, the fourth novel in Nancy Holzner’s Deadtown series, is now available. For information on Nancy and her books, visit her website. You can also find Nancy on Facebook and Twitter. And visit her Kickstarter page to find out about her plans for a Deadtown prequel!

Darklands (Deadtown, 4) – Lancy Holzner

They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its border—but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…


Boston’s demons have been disappearing, and Vicky’s clients are canceling left and right. While fewer demons might seem like a good thing, Vicky suspects foul play. A missing Celtic cauldron from Harvard’s Peabody museum leads her to an unwelcome conclusion: Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and bitter enemy, is trying to regain his full powers.


But Pryce isn’t alone. He’s conjured another, darker villain from Vicky’s past. To stop them from destroying everything she loves, she’ll have to face her own worst fear—in the realm of the dead itself.

Blog Tour: Demonically Tempted by Stacey Kennedy and Giveaway

Frostbite, Book 2

Synopsis: Tess Jennings, now a member of the Memphis Police Department, is on her first cold case. The suspected suicide of Lizbeth Knapp ten years ago isn’t a theory her family accepts—they believe she was murdered.

But the case is only one of Tess’s worries. Ghosts are talking, and word of her abilities rapidly spreads. A dark ghost is terrifying the spirits of Memphis, and she must force the entity to cross over.

Tess doesn’t have to do this alone. Not only does she have her ghost-lover, Kipp McGowen, but the department has brought in a medium. Dane Wolfe might answer all her questions, but he also brings a world of trouble. Will Tess finally have all she’s ever wanted, or will everything she’s vowed to protect be ripped away?

Review:After a nice first volume that introduced us to the Tess Jennings world, I was very impatient to discover this second one to learn more about her adventures. I really enjoyed the first book and this one is even better, now I confess I’m very curious to read the third one.
The story is this time more complete and the investigation is really intriguing. When, adding to that, we can meet some demons, what more can we ask for? I really enjoyed discovering the Stacey Kennedy ideas about them. Of course we will have a lot of ghosts for our pleasure as well despite I think it’s not the same thing for our heroine.
We meet here a new important character: Dane. I was immediately intrigued by this man. He is mysterious, dark, medium… I wondered at first if our heroine couldn’t feel something for him before the end of the book. This man made me astrong impression from the beginningof story; he is determined and doesn’t believe in ghosts the same waythat Tess. We know that our heroine should change its way of being, but perhaps not in this way.
The witch that we discover in the story is halfway betweenDane and Tess, and I must say that having learnedsome information about her, I would like to know more. She allows us to fill in the gaps we had about the universe of the novel and I hope with all my heart that we will find these two protagonistsin the next novel.
Let’s not forget Kipp, who also has a very important place here. I admit that this bookreveals great things about him, things I did not expect at all. Who would have thought that? I am also curious to see what will happen to him later in the story as it should be said that this novel starts some big changes.
The end of the book is terrible, it shows us that newevents will happen and I hope soon to havethe opportunity to read volume 3 to learn more about all that.
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Blog tour: excerpt of A fall of Water by Elizabeth Hunter

You can discover today an excerpt of A Fall of Water, the last book in the Elemental Mysteries by Elizabeth Hunter.

“No secret stays hidden forever.”


Still grieving from their loss in the far East, Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo discover that for them, all roads really do lead to Rome. But nothing is quite as it seems in the Eternal City. Joined by Carwyn and Tenzin, unexpected clashes greet them almost immediately, and rivalries churn beneath the glittering facade of the old Roman court. They quickly realize that allies might be enemies, and ancient rivals could hold the key to a deadly secret.

Giovanni and Beatrice will be forced to call on old alliances, ancient power, and fierce cunning to survive for the eternity they both desire. Sometimes, finding the end means going back to the beginning. Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water finally meet with devastating results in the conclusion of the Elemental Mysteries.

I can’t believe how much gelato I’m eating.”

Ben eyed Dez as she scooped up another spoonful. “It is pretty amazing. But then, I think we just need to accept that we are no longer eating lunch while we’re in Rome.”
Yep, gelato is its own food group here.”
Dez leaned back against the cool pillar as they sat in the shade in front of the Pantheon. They had woken that morning as they did most mornings since they had come to Rome. Late. Angela fed them breakfast before Dez and Ben struck out to explore the Temple of Hadrian, which was fairly close to the house. Every day, they would take in some site that the guidebooks recommended before they found a suitable gelateria and a shady place to people-watch.
Even though Ben made a game of flirting with Dez, she and Matt were two of his favorite people, and the three were having a great time exploring the city. If he was free, Matt came along, but most times he was running an errand for Beatrice or Giovanni. That morning, he happened to be meeting with some of his “friends” to procure a suitable weapon for Ben to carry when he was in Rome. Ben slipped a hand into his pocket and felt the cool grip of the knife his uncle had given him the night before.
Carry it whenever you go out. Particularly if you’re with Dez. Get to know the neighborhood. Learn the streets. We’re relying on you. Be smart, Benjamin.”
His eyes darted around the square, watching the bustling crowd. Tourist season had already started, but Ben knew enough about cities to be able to spot the locals. He may have spent the previous few years taking it easy in Houston and L.A., but he had been born in New York, and raised himself on the streets. And big cities, he knew, were remarkably similar in a lot of ways.
He could still spot the tourists with the fattest wallets. He could spot the savvy local girls. And he could definitely spot the guy with the shiny forehead wearing the unseasonably warm jacket who was trying a little too hard to be inconspicuous. 
Okay, I’m stuffed.” Dez stood and stretched, shoving her sunglasses up her nose and looking around. Ben could hear the trickle of the fountain in the background, and the murmur of the crowd, but he kept an eye on the suspicious man out of the corner of his eye. The guy was definitely eyeing Dez, and Ben didn’t think it was because of her California-girl looks.
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You can enter the grand prize giveaway on the author website to win A signed paperback copy of A Fall of Water: Elemental Mysteries Book Four OR A complete e-book set of the Elemental Mysteries Books 1-4. For that you just need to answer a question here.

Blog tour: extrait de A fall of Water d’Elizabeth Hunter

Découvrez un extrait de A Fall of Water, le dernier tome de la série VO:  Elemental Mysteries d’Elizabeth Hunter.

“Aucun secret ne reste caché pour toujours.”


Toujours en deuil après leur perte dans l’Est lointain, Giovanni Vecchio et Beatrice De Novo découvrent que toutes les routes mènent à Rome. Mais rien ne semble être ce qu’il est dans la Ville Eternelle. Accompagnés de Carwyn et de Tenzin, des affrontements inattendus les accueillent dès leur arrivée, et les rivalités se cachent derrière la façade de l’ancienne Court Romaine. Ils réalisent vite que les alliés pourraient être des ennemis, et que d’anciens rivaux pourraient bien détenir la clef d’un secret mortel.


Giovanni et Beatrice seront forcés de faire intervenir d’anciennes alliances, d’anciens pouvoirs, et leur ruse féroce afin de survivre à l’éternité qu’ils désirent tous les deux. Parfois, trouver la fin signifie revenir à son point de départ. Feu, Terre, Vent et Eau se rencontrent finalement, avec des effets dévastateurs pour conclure le Mystère Elémentaire.

“Je n’en reviens pas de toute la crème glacée que je suis en train de manger.”

     Ben jeta un coup d’œil à Dez tandis qu’elle reprenait une autre cuillère à soupe. « C’est assez incroyable. Mais alors,  je pense que nous avons juste besoin d’accepter le fait que nous ne déjeunerons plus que tant que nous serons à Rome. »
« Yep, la crème glacée est ici un aliment à part entière. »
Dez s’adossa contre le pilier frais comme ils étaient assis à l’ombre devant le Panthéon. Ils s’étaient réveillés ce matin, comme tous les matins depuis qu’ils étaient arrivés à Rome. Tard. Angela leur avait servi le petit déjeuner avant que Dez et Ben sortent pour explorer le Temple de Hadrian, qui était assez proche de la maison. Chaque jour, ils choisirent quelques sites recommandés dans le guide touristique avant de trouver un joli glacier et un endroit à l’ombre pour regarder les gens.
Même si Ben avait fait un jeu de ce flirt avec Dez, elle et Matt étaient deux des personnes qu’il préférait, et ils passaient tous les trois du bon temps à explorer la ville. S’il était libre, Matt serait avec eux, mais la plupart du temps, il faisait des courses pour Beatrice ou Giovanni. Ce matin, il devait se rendre à une réunion avec quelques uns de ses « amis » pour se procurer une arme que Ben pourrait porter durant leur séjour à Rome. Ben rentra les mains dans ses poches et sentit la fraîcheur du couteau que son oncle lui avait donné la nuit précédente.
«  Porte le quel que soit l’endroit où tu vas. Particulièrement si tu es avec Dez. Apprends à connaitre les environs. Familiarise-toi avec les rues. On compte sur toi. Sois intelligent, Benjamin.  »
Ses yeux détaillèrent le parc, regardant la foule animée. La saison des touristes avait déjà commencé, mais Ben savait bien différencier les locaux. Il avait peut-être passé quelques années à se reposer à Houston et L.A., mais il était né à New York, et avait grandi tout seul dans les rues. Et les grandes villes, il le savait, étaient toutes identiques en de nombreux points. 
Il pouvait toujours distinguer les touristes avec leurs valises. Il pouvait voir les filles locales. Et il pouvait nettement voir le gars avec un front brillant, portant une veste bien trop chaude qui essayait d’être si discret que ça en devenait très suspicieux.
« Okay, je n’ai plus faim. » Dez se leva et s’étira, remettant ses lunettes de soleil sur son nez et jeta un regard aux alentours. Ben pouvait entendre le bruissement de la fontaine en arrière fond, et le murmure de l’eau, mais il garda un œil discret sur l’homme. Le gars regardait vraiment Dez, et Ben ne pensait pas que c’était parce qu’elle ressemblait à une fille Californienne.
Traduction réalisée par Melliane 
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Vous pouvez participer sur le site de l’auteur au concours afin de gagner les 4 tomes VO sous forme e-book ou pour le premier tome signé de l’auteur. Il suffit de répondre à une question. n’hésitez pas à jeter un coup d’oeil ici.



Interview with Jess Haines for her H&W Investigations series

Welcome today to Jess Haines, the author of the H&W Investigations series. Her fourth book: Stalking the Others, will be released on July 3rd. If you’re interested you can read the review here. We hope you’ll enjoy this amazing interview. Thanks to Jess Haines for answering all our questions.
Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
Sure thing!
First, thanks again for having me over for the STALKING THE OTHERS blog tour. My name is Jess Haines, and I write urban fantasy.
I’m a workaholic who loves coffee and chocolate and can’t survive without books.  I’m originally from New York, but I’m currently living in Los Angeles because it is suitably weird enough for the time being.  I enjoy karaoke and bad movies, and have a menagerie of animals to keep me company when I’m not writing.  (Seriously, when I’m an old fart, I’ll be known as the crazy bird/cat/fish/snake/lizard lady.)
How many books do you intend to write for this series?
Right now, I’m contracted to write six books, but of course I’d be happy to write more in the H&W Investigations series.
Was it difficult to write the first book? How long did it take? Did it become easier with the following books?
No, not at all. In fact, I’d say HUNTED BY THE OTHERS (book 1) and TAKEN BY THE OTHERS (book 2) were the easiest to write in the series since I wrote them with no break, back to back.
I finished the first draft of HBTO in about 3 months and the first draft of TBTO in 4 months. 
Don’t use my timeframe as a measuring stick, though. Back then, writing was what I did to keep sane at night when I couldn’t sleep due to a combination of a crappy work schedule (I was working two jobs, between 80 and 90 hours a week) and insomnia.  Now that I have a lot of the stress off of my plate, I write at a much more leisurely pace.
How do you find your titles? Did you imagine them all when you started the series or do you brainstorm each time?
I brainstorm each time. TAKEN BY THE OTHERS (book 2) was actually supposed to be the title for the fourth book, which is now STALKING THE OTHERS.  The original title of book 1, HUNTED BY THE OTHERS, was DEALING WITH THE OTHERS.
It’s a combination of brainstorming and throwing stuff at my editor to see what sticks.
How did you end up writing Urban Fantasy books? Is there any other genre that appeal to you?
Way back in the day, when I first wanted to be a novelist, I decided I was going to be a Serious Fantasy Author. I was going to write doorstops in the style of George R.R. Martin, Terry Goodkind, or Robert Jordan.
Yeah, that didn’t go so well.
After going through some rough times, I found that writing something so desperately serious was just so not me that I had to do something else. That was around the time when I discovered the Dresden Files and the Anita Blake series. Since Shiarra was essentially a ready-made character from my roleplaying days, I thought it would be fun to use her as the main character for my first urban fantasy novel.
And HUNTED BY THE OTHERS was born! 
Does the inspiration for the characters come from people you know?
For the most part, no. They are conglomerations of my experiences with books, movies, etc.
Is there a character more difficult than the others to write?
As for one who is harder to write than the rest? Jack. He’s a huge pain in the ass. Every time I think I have that vamp hunter pinned, he surprises me with a new twist to his character.
Who is your favorite character in the series?
I love them all for different reasons.  It’s hard to choose a favorite because they all have behind-the-scenes significances and histories—not to mention strengths and flaws—that the readers haven’t seen and color my perspective.
If forced to choose, I’d say it’s a toss-up between Royce and Arnold.  Royce is such a delightfully devious bastard, and so much fun to write, that it’s hard not to love the vampire.  Wouldn’t want to be in Shia’s shoes if I was faced with him, though!
On the other hand, there’s Arnold.  He’s got a huge “look out for number one” mentality, but he’s also a nerd with glasses and (channeling a bit of Genie here) phenomenal cosmic powers at his fingertips.  C’mon, you know that’s hot.
Have you already other plans for future series? Or is it top secret?
Right now, I’m contracted through six books in the H&W Investigations series, though I’ve got plots in mind for more. There are also some spinoff ideas I’ve been kicking around.  We’ll see what happens once book six is done.
Most of my attention right now is on completing the next book in the H&W series, but I’ve got some other stuff I’m working on, too.
If you’re familiar with the series, I’ve got a little something I’m looking for a home for right now that features Mouse, the mute vampiress, and Christoph, the dude in the fetish collar who shows up briefly in DECEIVED and again in STALKING THE OTHERS.
Can you tell us a little something about the fourth book?
This is the fourth book in my series, so let me start with a short recap of the other three:
Book 1 – HUNTED BY THE OTHERS: Shiarra Waynest, a private investigator, is blackmailed into retrieving an artifact from a vampire. The problem? As a human, she doesn’t stand a chance against the Others.
Book 2 – TAKEN BY THE OTHERS: With the artifact destroyed, Shia believes her dealings with the supernaturals in town are over—but the vampires, werewolves, and monster hunters in town believe otherwise…
Book 3 – DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS: Determined to get away from the troubles plaguing her in the city, Shia goes on a vacation with her werewolf boyfriend—along with his entire pack—in the Catskills. 
Book 4 – STALKING THE OTHERS: After the events and subsequent betrayal Shia experienced in the last book, she’s done being pushed around.  If she’s going down, she’ll take out as many of her enemies as she can—and hope that in the process, she keeps whatever humanity she has left...
So, in this book, Shiarra is in a very bad place.  She’s lost her family, her boyfriend, and probably her business and license as a private investigator—and some might feel she’s also lost her marbles.  She’s ready to take on the world, and get some payback from the people who turned her life into her version of a living hell.
It’s not recommended as a starting point—this is the continuation that picks up right where my last book, DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS, left off.
Without spoiling, did you know from the start that the relationship between Chaz and Shiarra would be like that?
Yup. I am an evil author. I had that twist planned from the beginning. Along with a few others…
Did you need to do a lot of researches for your books?
Sometimes. It’s been a while since my last trip to New York, so every once in a while I have to go on a picture hunt or pull up a map to make sure I’ve got my geography and such correct. For the most part, I’ve got everything worked out in my head, so I don’t have to do too much research.
Do you have a favorite author? Or a favorite book?
I have many.  It’s too hard for me to pick just one!  Here are a few of my favorites:
Series:
-Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series
-Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series
-Kim Harrison’s Hollows series
-The Coldifre Trilogy by C.S. Friedman
-Many of the DragonLance novels
-ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DUNGEON and its sequel, ONE QUEST, HOLD THE DRAGONS by Greg Costikyan
-Mark Henry’s Amanda Feral series
-Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series
-Laurrell K. Hamilton’s early Anita Blake novels
-Robin Hobb’s Liveship series
-Mary Janice Davidson’s Queen Betsy series
 
Standalone Novels:
-THE WHEEL OF TIME by Robert Jordan (yes, this is part of a series, but it’s really the only one I truly enjoyed—the series got too political for my tastes)
-THE ELVENBANE by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey
-JOHN DIES AT THE END by David Wong
-NEEDFUL THINGS by Stephen King
-THE TOMMYKNOCKERS by Stephen King
-1984 by George Orwell
-ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card
-BATTLEFIELD EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard
-HAPPY HOUR AT CASA DRACULA by Marta Acosta (I know there are more books in this series, but I only just read the first one and it became an instant favorite!)
-RAPTOR RED by Robert T. Bakker
-JURASSIC PARK by Michael Crichton
-THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE by Avi
-SPLIT HEIRS by Lawrence Watt-Evans and Esther Friesner
-STEAL THE DRAGON by Patricia Briggs
-UNDER THE FANG (an anthology of vampire short stories, not for the faint of heart/weak of stomach)
And, of course, any Calvin & Hobbes titles.

Where is your favorite place to write?
The couch in my living room. It’s so darn comfy!  😉
Your books are going to be released in France, do you see yourself meeting your French fans one day?
I would love to!  I’m not sure how realistic it is—international travel is a bit outside of my current budget—but if the book sells well enough, it would be fabulous to come to a convention or do a signing in France!

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Author’s website: http://www.jesshaines.com/
For the Calendar of the tour: http://jesshaines.com/blog/2012/05/07/stalking-the-others-official-blog-tour-calendar/

You can have the possibility to win 15 paperback copies of Stalking the others with the rafflecopter form. It’s opened for US and Canada only.

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Interview avec Jess Haines pour sa série Les Autres

Bienvenue à Jess Haines, l’auteure de la série Les Autres qui sortira prochainement chez Milady. Le quatrième tome Stalking by the Others est prévu aux USA pour le 3 Juillet. Si vous êtes intéressés, vous pouvez retrouver l’avis ici. Nous espérons que vous apprécierez cette superbe interview. Merci à Jess Haines d’avoir répondu à nos questions.
Pouvez-vous vous présenter en quelques mots ?
Bien sûr !
Premièrement, merci de m’avoir sur le blog pour le blog tour de STALKING THE OTHERS. Mon nom est Jess Haines, et j’écris de la Fantaisie Urbaine.
Je suis une folle de boulot qui aime le café et le chocolat, et je ne peux pas survivre sans livres. Je suis originaire de New York, mais je vis actuellement à Los Angeles comme c’est une ville étrange qui me correspond parfaitement pour le moment. J’aime le Karaoké, les mauvais films, et j’ai une ménagerie d’animaux pour me tenir compagnie quand je n’écris pas. (Sérieusement, quand je serai plus vieille, je serai connue comme la folle femme aux oiseaux/chats/poissons/serpent/lézards.)
 
Combien de livres comptez-vous écrire pour cette série ?
Pour le moment, je suis sous contrat pour six livres, mais je serais bien sûr heureuse d’en écrire plus pour la série H&W Investigations.
Etait-ce difficile d’écrire le premier livre ? Combien de temps cela a-t-il pris ? Est-ce devenu plus simple avec les livres suivants ?
Non, pas du tout. En fait, je dirais que HUNTED BY THE OTHERS (Tome 1) et TAKE BY THE OTHERS (Tome 2) ont été les plus faciles à écrire comme je les ai écrits sans avoir besoin de pauses, à la suite.
J’ai fini le premier jet de HBTO en trois mois et le premier jet de TBTO en quatre.
Faites cependant attention à ne pas prendre ces chiffres vraiment en compte. A cette période, écrire était ce qui me gardait saine d’esprit la nuit quand je ne pouvais pas dormir à cause d’une combinaison d’horaires de travail merdiques (j’avais deux travails et entre 80 à 90 heures par semaine) et des insomnies. Maintenant j’ai beaucoup moins de stress et j’écris à un rythme beaucoup plus lent.
Comment arrivez-vous à trouver vos titres ? Aviez-vous déjà une idée en tête quand vous avez commencé la série ou vous prenez-vous la tête à chaque fois pour les trouver ?
Je me prends la tête à chaque fois. TAKE BY THE OTHERS (tome 2) était supposé être le titre du quatrième roman, qui est maintenant STALKING THE OTHERS. Le titre initial pour le premier volume, HUNTED BY THE OTHERS, était DEALING WITH THE OTHERS.
C’est une combinaison de prise de tête et d’envois à mon éditeur pour voir ce qui correspondait le mieux.
Comment en êtes-vous venue à écrire de la Fantaisie Urbaine ? Y-a-t-il un autre genre qui vous donne envie ?
Revenons au temps où je voulais devenir écrivain, j’ai décidé de devenir une sérieuse auteure de Fantasy. Je voulais écrire dans le style de George R.R. Martin, Terry Goodkind ou encore Robert Jordan.
Oui, ça n’a pas si bien marché.
Après avoir eu des temps assez difficiles, j’ai trouvé qu’écrire quelque chose si désespérément sérieux n’était vraiment pas moi et j’ai donc essayé un autre style. C’est à ce moment là que j’ai découvert les séries Les Dossiers Dresden et Anita Blake. Comme Shiarra était déjà un personnage que j’avais créé durant mes jours de jeux de rôles, j’ai pensé que ça serait sympa de l’utiliser en tant que personnage principal dans mon premier roman de fantaisie urbaine.
Et HUNTED BY THE OTHERS est né !
Vos personnages sont-ils inspirés des personnes que vous connaissez ?
Pour la plus grande part, non. Ils sont des conglomérats de mes expériences avec les livres, films, etc.
Y a-t-il un personnage plus difficile à écrire que les autres ?
Qui est le personnage le plus compliqué à écrire ? Jack. C’est un gros emmerdeur. Chaque fois que je pense avoir compris ce chasseur de vampire, son personnage me surprend.
Qui est votre personnage préféré dans la série ?
Je les aime tous pour différentes raisons. C’est difficile de choisir un favori comme ils ont tous une signification particulière – sans mentionner leurs forces et leurs faiblesses – que les lecteurs n’ont pas encore vu et qui colore mon point de vue.
Si j’étais obligée de choisir, je dirais que cela tournerait entre Royce et Arnold. Royce est un salaud si délicieusement sournois, et si drôle à écrire, que ce n’est pas compliqué d’aimer le vampire. Bien que je n’aimerais pas être à la place de Shia si je devais lui faire face.
D’un autre côté, il y a Arnold. Il a la mentalité « je suis le meilleur », mais c’est aussi un nerd avec des lunettes et (ressemblant un peu au Génie ici) un phénoménal pouvoir cosmique au bout de ses doigts. Oh allez, vous savez que c’est sexy.
Avez-vous déjà des idées pour une future série? Ou est-ce top secret ?
Pour le moment, je suis sous contrat pour 6 livres dans la série H&W Investigations, bien que j’aie plusieurs intrigues en tête. J’ai aussi l’idée d’un spin off qui me trotte dans tête. Nous verrons quand les six livres seront sortis.
Une grande partie de mon attention pour le moment est basée sur le prochain tome dans la série H&W, mais j’ai aussi d’autres choses sur lesquelles je travaille.
Si vous êtes familier avec la série, il y a un petit quelque chose pour lequel je cherche une maison, mettant en scène Mouse, la vampiresse muette et Christoph, le gars dans le collier fétiche que l’on voit brièvement dans DECEIVED et encore dans STALKING THE OTHERS.
Pouvez-vous nous dire quelque chose au sujet du quatrième livre ?
C’est le quatrième livre dans ma série, laissez donc moi commencer avec les trois autres.
Tome 1 – HUNTED BY THE OTHERS: Shiarra Waynest, un détective privé, est soumise à un chantage afin de retrouver un artefact pour un vampire. Le problème ? En tant qu’humaine elle n’a aucune chance contre les Autres.
Tome 2 – TAKEN BY THE OTHERS: Avec l’artefact détruit, Shia croit que ses relations avec les êtres surnaturels en ville sont finies – mais les vampires, loups garous, et monstres qui hantent la ville pensent autrement…
Tome 3 – DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS: Déterminée à fuir les problèmes s’accumulant en ville, Shia part en vacances avec son petit-ami loup garou – avec toute sa meute – dans les Catskills.
Tome 4 – STALKING THE OTHERS: Après les événements et la trahison que Shia a pu expérimenter dans le dernier livre, elle en a marre d’être manipulée. Et si elle se fait descendre, elle emportera avec elle autant d’ennemis qu’elle le peut – et espère par la même occasion, qu’elle gardera le peu d’humanité qu’il lui reste…
Alors, dans ce livre, Shiarra se retrouve en mauvaise posture. Elle a perdu sa famille, son petit-ami, et probablement même son travail et sa licence en tant que détective privé – et d’autres pourraient aussi penser qu’elle a perdu la tête. Elle est prête à se redresser et récupérer ce que lui doivent les personnes qui ont transformés sa vie en un enfer vivant.
Ce n’est pas recommandé de commencer la série ici – c’est une continuation qui commence tout de suite après la fin du dernier, DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS.
Sans spoiler, saviez-vous depuis le début que la relation entre Chaz et Shiarra serait ainsi ?
Ouep, je suis une auteure diabolique. J’avais prévu ce retournement de situation depuis le début. De même que quelques autres…
Avez-vous eu besoin de beaucoup de recherches pour vos livres ?
Parfois. Ca fait longtemps que je n’ai pas fait un tour à New York, alors à chaque fois que j’en ai l’occasion, j’y vais pour prendre des photos ou pour acheter une carte pour être sure que la géographie est correcte. Pour la plupart, tout se déroule dans ma tête, donc je n’ai pas besoin de trop de recherches.
Avez-vous un auteur favori ? Ou un Livre ?
J’en ai des tas. C’est trop difficile pour moi de choisir un seul livre ! Donc voici certains de mes préférés:
Séries :
– série Fever de Karen Marie Moning
– série Dresden Files de Jim Butcher
– série Hollows de Kim Harrison’
– la trilogie The Coldifre de C.S. Friedman
– beaucoup des romans de DragonLance
-ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DUNGEON et sa suite, ONE QUEST, HOLD THE DRAGONS de Greg Costikyan
– serie Amanda Feral de Mark Henry
– série Sword of Truth de Terry Goodkind
– les premiers romans de la série Anita Blake de Laurrell K. Hamilton
– série Liveship de Robin Hobb
– série Queen Betsy de Mary Janice Davidson
Pour les romans seuls :
-THE WHEEL OF TIME de Robert Jordan (oui, il fait partie d’une série, mais c’est vraiment le seul que j’ai aimé – la série est trop basée sur la politique pour moi)
-THE ELVENBANE de Andre Norton et Mercedes Lackey
-JOHN DIES AT THE END de David Wong
-NEEDFUL THINGS de Stephen King
-THE TOMMYKNOCKERS de Stephen King
-1984 de George Orwell
-ENDER’S GAME de Orson Scott Card
-BATTLEFIELD EARTH de L. Ron Hubbard
-HAPPY HOUR AT CASA DRACULA de Marta Acosta (Je sais il y a plusieurs autres livres dans la série, mais j’ai juste lu le premier et il est pour moi mon préféré)
 -RAPTOR RED de Robert T. Bakker
-JURASSIC PARK de Michael Crichton
-THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE de Avi
-SPLIT HEIRS de Lawrence Watt-Evans et Esther Friesner
-STEAL THE DRAGON de Patricia Briggs
-UNDER THE FANG (une anthologue d’histoires courtes sur les vampires, qui ne sont pas pour les âmes sensible / les estomacs sensibles)
ET bien sur tous les titres de Calvin & Hobbes.
Quel est l’endroit où vous préférez écrire ?
Le canapé dans mon salon. C’est si confortable ! 😉
Votre livre va sortir en France, vous voyez-vous rencontrer vos fans français un jour ?
J’adorerais ! Je ne sais pas trop si c’est réalisable, les voyages internationaux sont un peu au dessus de mon budget actuel – mais si le livre se vend bien, ça serait merveilleux de venir à une convention ou faire signer mes livres en France !
 
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Retrouvez plus d’informations sur le site de l’auteure: http://www.jesshaines.com/