Bookish Escape 2012 #3: Vicki Pettersson Chat!

Are you a fan of Vicki Pettersson's Signs of the Zodiac series? Have you heard about The Taken, which starts a fabulous new supernatural noir series? If not, where have you been? The Taken hits stores on June 20th and Jackie (from Literary Escapism) and I totally can't wait to see it. Are you curious to see what it is about? Would you like to meet the characters before The Taken is released on June 12th? If so, Jackie and I hope you will join us on 

June 11th 

at 8:30pm EST 

as we talk with Vicki about her new series. 

Call-in Number: 724.444.7444 

Call ID: 93065

He’s a fallen angel. She’s a rockabilly reporter. Together they must solve a deadly string of murders plaguing the mortal and the immortal worlds. Griffin Shaw used to be a PI, but that was over fifty years ago when gumshoes hoofed the streets . . . and he was still alive. Now he’s a Centurion, an angel who assists other murdered souls through their journey to the afterlife. But while Shaw might be an angel … he’s no saint. Haunted by the mysterious events surrounding his own death, he seizes a chance to wreak some vengeance when he witnesses a deadly attack on journalist Katherine “Kit” Craig. Joining forces, the unlikely avengers take to the streets, hunting a killer whose trail of bodies stretches across Las Vegas and into an immortal netherworld. It is a dangerous trek that lead them into the darkest corners of Sin City and into the heart of an evil conspiracy extending beyond the lights of the Strip that could destory them both. But destruction isn’t the only threat Griffin faces. The closer he gets to Kit, the more he finds himself bewitched by her mortal charms. Can he resist falling under her spell? And does he want to?

Meet Vicki Pettersson!

Vicki Pettersson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Signs of the Zodiac novels, a six-book urban fantasy series set in her hometown of Las Vegas. Though she'll always consider that glittering dustbowl home, she now divides her time between Vegas and Dallas, where she's learning to like good Tex-Mex (easy) and the Dallas Cowboys (easier than you'd think). Next up is The Taken, first in the supernatural noir trilogy, Celestial Blues, debuting June 12, 2012.

Contact Info 
Website: website 
Blog: Blog Social 
Media: Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads 
Want to purchase Vicki’s novels? 


Celestial Blues

1. The Taken at Amazon | Book Depository

Sign of the Zodiac

1. The Scent of Shadows at Amazon | Book Depository
2. The Taste of Night at Amazon | Book Depository
3. The Touch of Twilight at Amazon | Book Depository
4. City of Souls at Amazon | Book Depository
5. Cheat the Grave at Amazon | Book Depository
6. The Neon Graveyard at Amazon | Book Depository

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Bookish Escape 2012: Chat w/ Darynda Jones & Giveaway!

 

Bookish Escape is back and joining the Darynda Jones Fan Group to offer you not only an awesome Chat with Darynda Jones herself but some great prizes to be given away throughout the chat.

 

I hope you’ll join Jackie (from Literary Escapism), Dana (from Readaholics Anonymous) and I as we discuss Charley Davidson and Co. at Talk Shoe on March 27th at 9pm EST.

 

Call-in Number: 724.444.7444

Call ID: 93065

Day: March 27th

Time: 9pm EST

Warning: We will be focusing on the series, so spoilers are going to happen. We’ll try to keep the hardcore spoilers to a minimum, but there are no guarantees.

Send in your question for Darynda on the form below!

1st Prize will be a T-Shirt from Darynda Jones Cafe Press ( 3 designs to choose from)

http://www.cafepress.com/daryndajones

2rd Prize will be a kindle edition of Third Grave Dead Ahead

 
3rd Prize will be the Pre-Order of Hardcover of Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet

Haven’t read the series yet? What are you waiting for?! Here are the books, in order: 

First Grave on the Right {#1}

A smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper
Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.
This is a thrilling debut novel from an exciting newcomer to the world of paranormal romantic suspense.

 

For I Have Sinned {#1.5}

Darynda Jones revisits the sexy, suspenseful world of supernatural shenanigans she created in her Grave series with For I Have Sinned.  In this Charley Davidson story, Charley helps a woman find out how she died and gives her the closure she needs to pass through to the other side.

Second Grave on the Left {#2}

 

When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can’t help but wonder what Cookie’s up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously? Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman’s name. Mimi’s husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message.
Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He’s left his body because he’s being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can’t let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they’ll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do?

Third Grave Dead Ahead {#3}

Charley Davidson—grim reaper extraordinaire, private investigator . . . meh—is practicing her profession under the influence, caffeine and copious amounts of it, due to an extreme desire to induce insomnia. Every time she closes her eyes, Reyes Farrow, the part-human, part-supermodel son of Satan, is there. Only thing is, he’s a tad peeved. She did bind him for all eternity, so it’s hard blame him. But 13 days without a wink is bound to bring out the crazy in a girl. So, when a man hires her to find his wife, Charley accepts the job with one goal in mind: Put the man behind bars, and not the wet kind. She can sense the guilt waft off him and vows to find the woman’s body and prove he’s a murderer. 
In the meantime, Reyes is back in prison and none too happy about it . . . so Charley thinks, until she is carjacked by the dark-haired rake, who swears the very man he went to prison for killing is not only alive, but close by. And he wants Charley to find him. 
While a visit to her old friend Rocket sheds no light on Reyes’s situation, Charley finds out the man’s wife is still alive and time is running out. Finding her before she dies would be a miracle, but she has to try. Together with the help of a fashion-impaired receptionist named Cookie, Charley sets out to bring the bad guys to justice. She just hopes Reyes is not one of them. And that she’s not hallucinating from her self-induced bout with insomnia.

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet {#4}

 

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is that. Grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above. Or at least get dressed. She quickly realizes something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. The more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it. 
In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, has been cleared of all charges. He is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved. Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans.

Hope to see you there!

 

Don’t Forget to Vote for the Theme for

My TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

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BE Interview: Jackie Morse Kessler

Just the other night, Jackie (Literary Escapism) and I had the extreme pleasure of interviewing Jackie Morse Kessler, who will be releasing the third novel in her Riders of the Apocalypse series, Loss. This fabulous series not only tackles real life problems, but spins it through a supernatural tale that captivates the reader. If that doesn’t convince you to read this series, then how about the knowledge that proceeds from the sale of each novel goes to charity? Loss focuses on Billy Ballard, the most bullied kid in school, and how he is tricked into becoming the new Pestilence.

Fifteen-year-old Billy Ballard is the kid that everyone picks on, from the school bullies to the teachers. But things change drastically when Death tells Billy he must stand in as Pestilence, the White Rider of the Apocalypse. Now armed with a Bow that allows him to strike with disease from a distance, Billy lashes out at his tormentors…and accidentally causes an outbreak of meningitis. Horrified by his actions, Billy begs Death to take back the Bow. For that to happen, says Death, Billy must track down the real White Rider—who is lost in his memories.

In his search, Billy travels through White Rider’s life: from ancient Phrygia, where the man called King Mita agrees to wear the White Rider’s Crown, to Sherwood Forest, where Pestilence figures out how to cheat Death; from the docks of Alexandria, where cartons of infested grain are being packed onto a ship that will carry the plague, to the Children’s Crusade in France—all the way to what may be the end of the world. When Billy finally finds the White Rider, the teen convinces the man to return to the real world.

But now the insane White Rider plans to unleash something awful on humanity—something that could make the Black Death look like a summer cold. Billy has a choice: he can live his life and pretend he doesn’t know what’s coming, or he can challenge the White Rider for his Crown. Does one bullied teenager have the strength to stand his ground—and the courage to save the world?

Jackie and I talked to Jackie for a good hour about the Riders and even a little Jezzie (for those who are familiar with her Hell on Earth series). So be prepared to listen for a little bit. *grin*

 

Meet Jackie Morse Kessler! 

Jackie Morse Kessler grew up in Brooklyn, NY, with a cranky cat and overflowing shelves filled with dolls and books. Now she’s in Upstate NY with another cranky cat, a loving husband, two sons, and overflowing shelves filled with dragons and books (except when her sons steal her dragons). She has a bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature, and yet she’s never read any Jane Austen (with or without zombies). She also has a master’s degree in media ecology. (The living study of technology and culture. Which is cool, but she still can’t figure out how to use Tweetdeck.)

Jackie spends a lot of time writing, reading, and getting distracted by bright and shiny new ideas. (She just came up with a new idea right now.) She has a weakness for chocolate and a tendency to let her cat take over her office chair.

Contact Info
Website: http://www.jackiemorsekessler.com
Blog: http://www.jackiemorsekessler.com/blog/
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter


Want to purchase Jackie’s novels?


Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Hunger at Amazon | Book Depository
Rage at Amazon | Book Depository
Loss at Amazon | Book Depository
Breathe (2013)


Hell On Earth (writing as Jackie Kessler)
Hell’s Belles at Amazon | Book Depository
The Road to Hell at Amazon | Book Depository
Hotter Than Hell at Amazon | Book Depository
Hell to Pay at Amazon


Icarus Project (writing as Jackie Kessler with Caitlin Kittredge)
Black and White at Amazon | Book Depository
Shades of Gray at Amazon | Book Depository
Eternal Lover at Amazon | Book Depository
A Red Hot Valentine’s Day at Amazon

Don’t Forget to Vote for the Theme for

My TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

Read more...

Bookish Escape 2012: Jackie Morse Kessler & Loss!

Bookish Escape is back baby and tomorrow night we’ll be kicking off the 2012 series with a totally different premise. No longer will we just be discussing a particular novel or series, but we’ll be picking it apart with the author themselves.  Our very first author for 2012 will be none other than Jackie Morse Kessler, who will be releasing the third novel in her Riders of the Apocalypse series, Loss, on March 20th.

This fabulous series not only tackles real life problems, but spins it through a supernatural tale that captivates the reader. If that doesn't convince you to read this series, then how about the knowledge that proceeds from the sale of each novel goes to charity?  In either case, I hope you’ll join Jackie (from Literary Escapism) and I as we discuss Loss and the other riders at Talk Shoe on March 12th at 8pm EST.

Call-in Number: 724.444.7444

Call ID: 93065

Day: March 12th

Time: 8pm EST

Warning: We will be focusing on the series, so spoilers are going to happen. We’ll try to keep the hardcore spoilers to a minimum, but there are no guarantees.


Haven’t read the series yet? What are you waiting for?! Here are the books, in order:

Hunger

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”
Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons?

Rage

Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different. That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control. A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world.

Loss

Fifteen-year-old Billy Ballard is the kid that everyone picks on, from the school bullies to the teachers. But things change drastically when Death tells Billy he must stand in as Pestilence, the White Rider of the Apocalypse. Now armed with a Bow that allows him to strike with disease from a distance, Billy lashes out at his tormentors…and accidentally causes an outbreak of meningitis. Horrified by his actions, Billy begs Death to take back the Bow. For that to happen, says Death, Billy must track down the real White Rider—who is lost in his memories.
In his search, Billy travels through White Rider’s life: from ancient Phrygia, where the man called King Mita agrees to wear the White Rider’s Crown, to Sherwood Forest, where Pestilence figures out how to cheat Death; from the docks of Alexandria, where cartons of infested grain are being packed onto a ship that will carry the plague, to the Children’s Crusade in France—all the way to what may be the end of the world. When Billy finally finds the White Rider, the teen convinces the man to return to the real world.
But now the insane White Rider plans to unleash something awful on humanity—something that could make the Black Death look like a summer cold. Billy has a choice: he can live his life and pretend he doesn’t know what’s coming, or he can challenge the White Rider for his Crown. Does one bullied teenager have the strength to stand his ground—and the courage to save the world?

Breathe (2013)

Hope to see you there!

Don’t Forget to Vote for the Theme for

My TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

Read more...