Sunday, 1 December 2013

January 2014 Book Releases I'm Dying To Get My Hands On!


Up From the Grave (Night Huntress #7)


My Sweetest Escape (My Favorite Mistake #2)

The past will always find you.

Jos Archer was the girl with the perfect life; until the night it all came crashing down around her. Now, nine months later, she still hasn't begun to pick up the pieces. Even transferring to a new college and living under the watchful eye of her older sister, Renee, isn't enough to help her feel normal again.

And then she meets Dusty Sharp. For reasons Jos can't begin to fathom, the newly reformed campus bad boy seems determined to draw her out of her shell. And if she's not careful, his knowing green eyes and wicked smile will make her feel things she's no longer sure she deserves.

But even as Dusty coaxes Jos to open up about the past, he's hiding secrets of his own. Secrets about the night her old life fell apart. When the truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together;or tear them apart for good?
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by Harlequin HQN

Evertrue (Everneath #3)


Uninvited (Uninvited #1)

The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by HarperTeen

Come to Me Quietly (Closer to You #1)


(I Can't Say How Much I Hate This Cover, It's Awful!)

Secret (Elemental #4)


Cruel Beauty


Dark Wolf (Dark #25)


Loving Cara (Love Under the Big Sky #1)


Flame (Sky Chasers #3)

In the thrilling conclusion to the Sky Chasers series Waverly, Kieran, and Seth struggle to survive on-board the New Horizon—and take down their enemies before it's too late.

Waverly and the other members of the Empyrean have scattered, and their home ship has been destroyed. Their mission to rescue their parents didn't go as planned, and now they're at an even greater disadvantage: trapped with their enemies on the New Horizon, trying to find a way to survive. Kieran has been pulled under Anne Mather’s wing, but is she really trying to make peace, or just using Kieran to build her own power? Meanwhile, Waverly is taken in by a mysterious old man who wants to help her bring Anne Mather down—but the more Waverly cooperates with him, the more dangerous her position is, and the more at odds with Kieran she becomes.

Seth's situation is even worse. After setting out from the Empyrean on his own, with only a vague strategy to guide him, he is a fugitive aboard the New Horizon. He's doing what he can to challenge the power of Anne Mather, but he's badly hurt, and getting sicker.

Will Seth ever see Waverly again? Will his health hold out long enough to help her topple their enemies? And will Waverly find a way to unite with her friends before they all fall? Nothing is sure and every moment is a risk in this explosive finale of the Sky Chasers series.
Expected publication: January 7th 2014 by St. Martin's Griffin

Hope Flames (Hope #1)

Veterinarian Emma Burnett won't let anything or anyone sidetrack her from her job as new owner of the vet clinic in Hope. She let a man distract her once, with disastrous results. But when Luke McCormack brings in his injured police dog, Emma can hardly ignore him. Despite Emma's best efforts to keep things strictly doctor and owner of the patient, Luke's one hot distraction.
Expected publication: January 7th 2014 by Berkley

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant(The V Trilogy #1)


Minders

A high concept, cinematic read with a surprising twist,MINDERS asks the question: who is really watching who?

Q: If the boy you love commits a crime, would you turn him in?

Sadie Ames is a type-A teenager from the wealthy suburbs. She's been accepted to the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program, where she'll spend six weeks as an observer inside the head of Ford, a troubled boy with a passion for the crumbling architecture of the inner city. There's just one problem: Sadie's fallen in love with him.

Q: What if the crime is murder?

Ford Winters is haunted by the murder of his older brother, James. As Sadie falls deeper into his world, dazzled by the shimmering pinpricks of color that form images in his mind, she begins to think she knows him. Then Ford does something unthinkable.

Q: What if you saw it happen from inside his mind?

Back in her own body, Sadie is faced with the ultimate dilemma. With Ford's life in her hands, she must decide what is right and what is wrong. And how well she can really ever know someone, even someone she loves.
Expected publication: January 30th 2014 by Razorbill

Darkest Fear (Birthright #1)

Vivi’s animal instincts are her legacy—and maybe her downfall—in this start to a romantic fantasy series that will appeal to fans of The Nine Lives of Chloe King.

Vivi has known the truth about her family—and herself—since she was thirteen. But that doesn’t mean she’s accepted it. Being Haguari isn’t something she feels she’ll ever accept. How can she feel like anything but a freak knowing that it’s in her genes to turn into a jaguar?

Now eighteen, Vivi’s ready to break away from the traditions of her heritage. But all of that changes with the shocking, devastating deaths of her parents and the mysteries left behind. Vivi discovers family she never even knew she had, and a life open with possibility. New friends, new loyalties, and even romance all lay ahead—but so do dangers unlike anything Vivi ever could have imagined.
Expected publication: January 7th 2014 by Simon Pulse

Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After #1)

In the first in Tessa Dare's captivating Castles Ever After series, a mysterious fortress is the setting for an unlikely love . . .

Growing up as the daughter of famed author Sir Henry Goodnight, Isolde spun romantic tales of knights and maidens. But now Izzy has nothing—aside from a stone heap inherited from her godfather. Gostley Castle is rundown, reportedly haunted, and already inhabited—by a darkly sensual recluse who claims to be the Duke of Rothbury. And he's not budging.

Ransom Vane intends to find the castle's rumored treasure. After a life marked by hardship and betrayal, he deserves it—far more than any sheltered English miss. Except Izzy is no gullible girl; she's intelligent, tenacious, and tempting beyond reason. With her wits and his brawn, they could find the priceless relics. All he needs to do is resist the urge to care for her.

A simple task . . . and quite impossible, when Izzy is fast becoming the prize he craves most of all . . .
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by Avon

Wulfe Untamed (Feral Warriors #8)


Bitter Spirits (Roaring Twenties #1)

First in a new romance series: It’s the roaring twenties, and San Francisco is a hotbed of illegal boozing, raw lust, and black magic. The fog-covered Bay Area can be an intoxicating scene, particularly when you specialize in spirits…

There’s a big curse in little Chinatown...and it’s not prohibition.

Aida Palmer performs a spirit medium show onstage at Chinatown’s illustrious Gris-Gris speakeasy. However, her ability to summon (and expel) the dead is more than just an act.

Winter Magnusson is a notorious bootlegger who’s more comfortable with guns than ghosts—unfortunately for him, he’s the recent target of a malevolent hex that renders him a magnet for hauntings. After Aida’s supernatural assistance is enlisted to banish the ghosts, her spirit-chilled aura heats up as the charming bootlegger casts a different sort of spell on her...

On the hunt for the curseworker responsible for the hex, Aida and Winter become drunk on passion. And the closer they become, the more they realize they have ghosts of their own to exorcise…
Expected publication: January 7th 2014 by Berkley

Anything to Have You

Nothing should come between best friends, not even boys. ESPECIALLY not boys.

Natalie and Brooke have had each other's backs forever. Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies. Brooke is the movie—the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be.

Then it happens—one crazy night that Natalie can't remember and Brooke's boyfriend, Aiden, can't forget. Suddenly there's a question mark in Natalie and Brooke's friendship that tests everything they thought they knew about each other and has both girls discovering what true friendship really means.
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

And We Stay

When high school senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school library with a stolen gun, he threatens his girlfriend Emily Beam, then takes his own life. In the wake of the tragedy, an angry and guilt-ridden Emily is shipped off to boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she encounters a ghostly presence who shares her name. The spirit of Emily Dickinson and two quirky girls offer helping hands, but it is up to Emily to heal her own damaged self.

This inventive story, told in verse and in prose, paints the aftermath of tragedy as a landscape where there is good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow.
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by Delacorte Press

Aspen

One quiet night in Boulder, Colorado, Aspen Yellow-Sunrise Taylor made a mistake.

In the next instant, her life changed forever.

Aspen doesn't want to remember when Katelyn Ryan, a sleek-haired popular soccer player, crossed the yellow line in her car and smashed into Aspen's. But forgetting is pretty hard- because Katelyn may have died - but she didn't leave. Her ghost is following Aspen around, and heading into senior year, it's kind of a problem. Especially when Katelyn's gorgeous former boyfriend Ben appears to be the only person at school with a clue as to how Aspen feels.

Popularity, college, Homecoming Court, hot guys - none of these things ever mattered to Aspen. She's been busy trying to rein in her giant mass of blonde curls, keep her stoner mother Ninny away from Toaster, her mom's awful bongo drumming boyfriend, and prevent her best friends Kim and Cass from killing - or kissing - one another. But with Ben sitting next to her in Physics looking all too gorgeous, Katelyn's spirit dogging her steps, and her obsessive snow-globe collecting therapist begging her to remember all the things she wants to forget, Aspen is thrust into a vivid, challenging world she can't control … and doesn't want to.

A darkly funny, emotionally gripping story of opening up, letting go, and moving on, ASPEN is about the best-worst accident of your life ... and what comes next.
Expected publication: January 2014 by In This Together Media

Tuesday, 26 November 2013

Book Review (276): Wildest Dreams - Toni Blake


Wildest Dreams

Publication: 26th November 2013
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 400
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: Adult
Buy It: Amazon / Kindle | B&N / Nook
Indiebound | iTunes

From the seductive rhythms of Bourbon Street to the sultry climes of the bayou, a woman's search for the truth leads her into danger and passion beyond her wildest dreams . . .
Advertising executive Stephanie Grant knows how to sell an idea, but she's never had to sell herself before. Walking into The Big Easy's most exclusive bordello, however, she's ready to do just that. What Stephanie doesn't expect is to encounter a man who sees right through her disguise, laying bare not only what she wants, but what she needs.
The lithe blonde who glides up to Jake Broussard's bar could have any man she chooses, but that isn't her endgame. The ex-cop quickly catches on to Stephanie's real plan, and it won't be long before Chez Sophia's rich and powerful clientele do the same. Stephanie's playing with fire. Good thing this hometown boy likes it hot.
My Thoughts.

Wowza! Wildest Dreams by Toni Blake is a red-hot read with a couple that has sizzling chemistry and who will steam up the pages.

Stephanie has come to New Orleans to hunt for her sister Tina, after discovering that Tina has started working as a prostitute and hasn't contacted her for some time she becomes worried and so goes undercover herself as a prostitute at Chez Sophia's where she meets the barman, ex-cop Jake who can tell straight away that she's putting on an act and calls her on it.

Worrying that she may unintentionally get herself hurt Jake agrees to help search for Tina and use some of his old police contacts, after a past tragedy Jake has cut himself off mostly from everyone, but Stephanie seems to be wriggling herself into his life more and more, and as much as he tries to fight it, the chemistry is too strong and they soon find themselves giving in to temptation.

But when Jake starts feeling guilty about being this happy will he put an end to this love affair, can Stephanie find her sister before anything terrible befalls her, and finally will these two finally admit their feelings for one another and give love a chance together?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, Toni Blake is a new author to me and I will definitely be on the look-out for her previous books, the characters were intriguing and never dull, the location was perfect and I loved the storyline.

I give this 4/5 Stars.


About Toni

Toni Blake is the USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels published in numerous languages. Her heartfelt and sensual stories are known for taking readers on an emotional journey.
A RITA®-nominated author, Toni is the recipient of numerous awards for her books, including the National Readers Choice Award and the Booksellers Best Award. Her work has also appeared in Cosmo.
Toni's most recent and hugely popular Destiny series takes place in a small Ohio town where coming home means finding your true heart and maybe even your true love.



Sunday, 24 November 2013

(ARC) Book Review (275): Palace Of Spies (Palace Of Spies #1) - Sarah Zettel


Palace of Spies (Palace of Spies #1)

Publication: 5th November 2013
Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers
Pages: 368
Genre: Mystery/Historical Fiction
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
A warning to all young ladies of delicate breeding who wish to embark upon lives of adventure: Don't. 

Sixteen-year-old Peggy is a well-bred orphan who is coerced into posing as a lady in waiting at the palace of King George I. Life is grand, until Peggy starts to suspect that the girl she's impersonating might have been murdered. Unless Peggy can discover the truth, she might be doomed to the same terrible fate. But in a court of shadows and intrigue, anyone could be a spy—perhaps even the handsome young artist with whom Peggy is falling in love...

History and mystery spark in this effervescent series debut.
My Thoughts.
Palace Of Spies is the first book in The Palace Of Spies series by Sarah Zettel.
Set amidst the intrigue of King George I and his life in court, with the possibility of a Jacobite uprising, this book will keep you on your toes as you navigate your way through this deceptively, intriguing story of mystery and deceit, as we try to unravel the secret plots and plans of the spies in the King's court.
Young and poor orphan Margaret 'Peggy', is thrown out of her Uncle's house after she refuses to marry the man that she is betrothed to, luckily for her she is the spitting image of a Lady Francesca, lady in waiting of Princess Caroline, after the death of Francesca, Peggy takes on the identity of Francesca and resumes her place at court.
She soon discovers that Francesca may have been murdered because of something she knew, not knowing who to trust or who may or may not be a spy Peggy becomes friends with an artist's apprentice Matthew whom she soon develops feelings for, but is he secretly a spy, or could it be Francesca's secret lover Robert a footman soldier who may have fallen into the clutches of Francesca's enemy Sophy, who is out to get Francesca any way she can.
When she uncovers a plot against the current ruler who can she trust to help her?
Will she survive long enough to reveal this secret?
This was such an extremely well written historical novel, with enough heart pumping action to keep you turning the pages in a hurry to get to the thrilling end, Zettel has written an amazing story that I can't wait to continue on with in the next book.
I give this 5/5 Stars.



Sarah Zettel is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author. She has written eighteen novels and multiple short stories over the past seventeen years in addition to practicing tai chi, learning to fiddle, marrying a rocket scientist and raising a rapidly growing son. She is very tired right now.



Saturday, 23 November 2013

(ARC) Book Review (274): Pull Down The Night (The Suburban Strange #2) - Nathan Kotecki


Pull Down the Night (The Suburban Strange #2)


Nathan Kotecki lives in North Carolina. He is also the author of The Suburban Strange.


Sunday, 17 November 2013

Book Review (273): Lightbringer (Lightbringer #1) - K.D McEntire.


Lightbringer (Lightbringer #1)

Publication: 15th November 2011
Publisher: Pyr
Pages: 319
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
A YA urban fantasy/romance set in a world a breath away from our own. Similar in tone to Tithe and Unleashed, this story tiptoes down the line between love and horror as Wendy discovers herself and the darkest parts of the afterlife. Wendy has the ability to see souls that have not moved on-but she does not seek them out. They seek her. They yearn for her . . . or what she can do for them. Without Wendy's powers, the Lost, the souls that have died unnaturally young, are doomed to wander in the never forever, and Wendy knows she is the only one who can set them free by sending them into the light. Each soul costs Wendy, delivering too many souls would be deadly, and yet she is driven to patrol, dropping everyone in her life but her best friend, Eddie-who wants to be more than friends-until she meets Piotr. Piotr, the first Rider and guardian of the Lost, whose memory of his decades in the never, a world that the living never see, has faded away. With his old-fashioned charms, and haunted kindness, he understands Wendy in ways no one living ever could, yet Wendy is hiding that she can do more than exist in the never. Wendy is falling for a boy who she may have to send into the light. But there are darker forces looking for the Lost. Trying to regain the youth and power that the Lost possess, the dark ones feed on the Lost and only Wendy and Piotr can save them-but at what cost?
My Thoughts.
Lightbringer is the first book in the Lightbringer series By K.D McEntire.
Lightbringer started out very slow for me, I struggled to initially wan to pick it up again once I'd set it down, but I persevered and it did get better, onfortunately not as good as my high expectations were, I'd had this book on my wihlist for a very long time and I guess I built it up in my head.
I guess what really annoyed me most about this book were the characters, our main heroine Wendy and her younger twin siblings Jon (he was the most normal of all three) and Michelle (chel for short) were totally messed up and that's because of their parents or lack thereof, with their Mother in some kind of coma and their Dad away working more than being at home, and Wendy stuck having to deal with the task of not only going to school and reaping but having to take care of all the household chores and pretty much having to raise her younger siblings as well, even when her Mother was well she was stuck with all of this, while her Mother who is also a Lightbringer would spend her time doing just that while taking away her eldest child's childhood to do the job that she was meant to be doing.Their was no redeeming features in her Mother whatsoever, their Dad isn't that great a parent either.
I did however like Piotr, a Rider tasked with looking after the Lost (spirits of children) and keeping them safe from the Walkers (souls that have gone bad whom feed on the Lost) and when some of his and his fellow Riders charges go missing he sets out to find and rescue them, eventually crossing paths with Wendy who hides her true identity from Piotr who blames the Lightbringer for his troubles.
These two have an attraction towards each other as impossible as it seems with Wendy being alive and Piotr well..not, Wendy's best-friend Eddie has been in love with Wendy for some time now but his feelings aren't reciprocated as much as he'd like them to be but he's still there for her whenever she needs him regardless of how often she turns him down.
And then there's the evil White Lady, who I had guessed her true identity about halfway through the book but I still thought was a pretty good twist regardless.
I'll still continue on with the rest of the trilogy, I'm intrigued now to see how this series will end, I'll get to it sooner or later.
I give this 3/5 Stars. 


About the Author

K. D. McEntire is a mom and animal lover currently living just outside of Kansas City with her husband, sons, and two cats. KD spends her miniscule free time reading, writing, and battling her Sims 3 addiction. She loves Wil Wheaton, Stephen King, Joss Whedon, gaming, comic books, and all things geeky.


Book Review (272): The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire #1) - Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith.


The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire #1)

Publication: 18th November 2010
Publisher: Pyr
Pages: 301
Genre: Paranormal/Steampunk
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon Barnes & Noble The Book Depository
Vampire predators run wild in this exciting steampunk adventure, the first in an alternate history trilogy that is already attracting attention. In 1870, monsters rise up and conquer the northern lands, As great cities are swallowed up by carnage and disease, landowners and other elite flee south to escape their blood-thirsty wrath. 

One hundred fifty years later, the great divide still exists; fangs on one side of the border, worried defenders on the other. This fragile equilibrium is threatened, then crumbles after a single young princess becomes almost hopelessly lost in the hostile territory. At first, she has only one defender—a mysterious Greyfriar who roams freely in dangerous vampire regions.
My Thoughts.
The Greyfriar is the first book in the Vampire Empire trilogy by the husband and wife duo, Clay and Susan Griffith.

You know how they say not to judge a book by it's cover, well I'm guilty of it, including this book, I'm not a big fan of the cover and so I wasn't in any kind of hurry to read it although the synopsis sounded really good, but I was given the chance to review it and I'm incredibly happy to say that I loved it!

I very much enjoyed immersing myself in this world that Clay and Susan have created, the perfect combination of paranormal (I love my vampires), steampunk and action all thrown together into an alternate history set in 1870.

We have a strong heroine in Princess Adele of Equatoria, engaged to be married to a man that she has never met, all for political reasons, her fiancée Senator Clark who also happens to be a vampire hunter sets out to rescue Adele after she is kidnapped by the vampire Prince Cesare, who hopes to discover the secret war plans that Equatoria have planned against the vampire race.

But on their tail is Greyfriar who originally rescued Adele before she was captured, Greyfriar who is a secret identity of a character in the book, and whom I had pretty much guessed  who it was before it was revealed to the reader.

Held in the Tower Of London for quite a bit of time, she finds herself associating a fair bit with Prince Gareth, Cesare's brother and heir to the vampire throne, Gareth is very different to all the other vampire's around and Adele finds herself not fearing him as much as she should.

After escaping she finally reunites with Greyfriar and they make their way to Scotland where Adele discovers she has powers that could potentially destroy all vampire's forever!

An extremely enjoyable read that I hope to continue on with at some point.

I give this 4/5 Stars.


Clay and Susan Griffith are the authors of the Vampire Empire trilogy -- The Greyfriar, The Rift Walker, The Kingmakers.

"Vampire Empire is transforming genre fiction." Paul Goat Allen, B&N Explorations.

If you're on Facebook, please think about going to www.facebook.com/vampireempire and clicking LIKE. If you done it already...Thank you.

Clay & Susan Griffith are a married couple who have written and published together for more than a decade. Their credits not only include two novels for Bantam Doubleday Dell in the mid-1990s and another novel for Pinnacle Entertainment Group in 2002 but also numerous short stories published in many anthologies, some featuring noted genre characters like Kolchak the Night Stalker and The Phantom. They've also written scripts for television and published graphic novels. The authors have attended many cons multiple times over the years, including World Fantasy, WorldCon Science Fiction, ComicCon (San Diego), DragonCon (Atlanta), HeroesCon (Charlotte), and other smaller conventions.


Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Book Review (271): Long Live The Queen (The Immortal Empire #3) - Kate Locke.


Long Live the Queen (The Immortal Empire #3)

Publication: 12th November 2013
Publisher: Orbit
Pages: 320
Genre: Paranormal/Steampunk
Age Appropriate: Adult
Buy It: Amazon Barnes & Noble The Book Depository
Xandra Vardan thought life would be simpler when she accepted the goblin crown and became their queen, but life has only become more complicated. Everyone -- vampires, werewolves and humans -- wants the goblins on their side, because whoever has the goblins - wins. 

Queen Victoria wants her head, Alpha wolf Vex wants her heart, and she still doesn't know the identity of the person who wanted her blood. What she does know is that a project from one of the 'secret' aristocrat labs has gotten free and she's the only one who can stop the perfect killing machine -- a sixteen year-old girl. With human zealots intent on ridding the world of anyone with plagued blood and supernatural politics taking Britain to the verge of civil war, Xandra's finding out that being queen isn't all it's cracked up to be, and if she doesn't do something fast, hers will be the shortest reign in history.
My Thoughts.
Long Live The Queen is the third and final book in The Immortal Empire trilogy by the fantabulous Kate Locke.
Unfortunately Kate's writing is so incredibly fantastic that I'd finished this book in no time. the house could have burned down around me and I wouldn't have had a clue, but it means no more of this unbelievably good series set in a richly detailed world with extremely likeable characters and a completely original and addictingly, intriguing plot.
So this is it, we've finally come to the bittersweet end, I really didn't want to have to say goodbye, I'm so invested in these books, this series and although I feel that the series ended perfectly, I still want more!

Maybe a spin-off, short stories or something, I need my fix!

Everything came to a close so well with no unanswered questions left for the reader to sit and wonder about. 

I think that the addition of Ali was a stroke of genius on Kate's part, I thought that  something might come out of Vandra's captivity in the labs, in the second book 'The Queen Is Dead', but not that, never in a million years would I have guessed that it would be a road that Kate would go down,  but I'm so glad that she did, I feel that Vandra's needed an opponent who was worthy and at her level.

I was also very surprised by the reveal of the mastermind of all the experiments taking place in the labs, I really had no clue myself so it was a very good shock and totally unexpected on my part.

All of my favorite characters made their appearance in this finale, it should set a benchmark of how exactly to end a successful and popular series.

I implore all of you that haven't yet picked up these books to get on it because you are missing out!

This series is definitely one of my favorites and I will be eagerly awaiting whatever Kate releases in the future.

A huge and very well deserved 5/5 Stars.


Kate Locke has always enjoyed making things up — a trait that often got her into trouble as a child, but by which she enjoys making a living. Before writing fiction full time she worked as cook, a journalist and in a photo finishing lab where she saw enough pictures of naked people to rival Hugh Hefner. A guy once asked her out after giving her a role of film that he expressly requested she develop and print. The entire role was images of him stark naked in the woods. And no, that’s the kind of thing you just don’t make up.

In her late 20s Kate sold her first book and enjoyed a 10 year career writing under a different name. Her love of fantasy and the paranormal refused to leave her alone, and one day, while sitting on the couch thinking of making a very scary career move, she started jotting down notes for a book she wanted to write just for the pure enjoyment of it; a book just for herself. That book became God Save the Queen. Her agent thought they could sell it — Kate wasn’t certain. Then, the day after having her gall bladder removed (again, can’t make this stuff up), Kate got the call that Orbit books — her dream publisher for God Save the Queen — had made an offer. And it’s been more exciting than she ever imagined.

Like Xandra Vardan, the heroine in God Save the Queen, Kate values those she loves above all else, and has hair a color not typically found in nature. Unfortunately, Kate’s comes from a bottle. She’s married to a fabulous man who doesn’t seem to care what she does to her hair, puts up with her occasional* craziness, helps her plot, and treats her like she’s the best thing since lipgloss.

Kate Locke is pseudonym for Kathryn Smith aka Kady Cross.