Welcome The Debuts, a series of posts introducing you to brand, spanking new authors you really should get to know.

Meet Deborah Coates!

Byrt: If one of the top Hollywood voice-over guys was narrating your book trailer (in a hammy Hollywood way), what would he say?

DC: In a world where dead soldiers walk, ghosts rise, and magic draws on ancient powers as powerful as thunderclouds…a soldier wants nothing more than to find her sister’s killer. If she can’t find the truth in ten days, Hallie Michaels must return to Afghanistan and the man who murdered her sister will be free to kill again.

Action! Adventure! Romance! (No, really, it has all those things)

Byrt: So what’s the story behind your story?

DC:In the case of Wide Open, I started with a couple of characters – Hallie and Boyd – and a setting. I knew that I wanted to tell a story set in a part of the country that most people never see or pay much attention to, that I wanted it to be contemporary fantasy and that I wanted it to be about these two characters. In general I don’t outline. I have some specific scenes or images in mind and I write to those scenes or images. Once I have a draft, I spend a lot of time making all those scenes and images and bits and pieces cohere into a real plot that (I hope) makes sense.

Byrt: If you like ________, you’ll like my book

DC: If you like PUPPIES!!!, you’ll like my book. Because I mean who doesn’t like PUPPIES!!! Which have nothing to do with my book, by the way, but, hey, look, PUPPIES!!!

Byrt: The silliest/craziest author moment you’ve had so far?

DC:I’m afraid to say that I don’t think I’ve had either a silly or crazy author moment so far. Hmm… nope, I got nothing :)

Byrt: Book you own with the most tattered, scotch-taped cover, the most battered spine? (And why you love it)

DC: I used to read RA Lafferty’s Past Master every year from about 9th grade through college. I loved that book literally to pieces. It’s been long enough now and long enough since I’ve read it that I’m not even sure I can tell you why and I’m a little afraid that if I read it now I’d have no idea why I loved it so much. I just thought it was this great spectacular book and I loved it more each time I read it. It was odd and a little crazy and involved Sir Thomas More resurrected in a failing future utopia. It had programmed mechanical killers and sacrifices for causes one doesn’t quite understand and friendship and horrible poverty and, wow, now I want to read it one more time.

Byrt: Book you’re reading right now?

DC:Currently, I’m reading Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, and Entwined by Heather Dixon. I’m also listening to The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis in the car and A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie when I walk the dogs.

Byrt: Biggest Fangirl moment you’ve ever had?

DC: As I’ve known more published authors and as my own publication date approached, I began to realize how much most authors appreciate knowing that readers liked their books (because I know I like knowing when readers like something I write). I’d always kind of figured that buying the books was the important thing, and it’s definitely important. But I decided that if I really liked someone’s book, I should write and tell them so. I’m a big fan of Louise Penny who writes mysteries set in the small town of Three Pines in Quebec. A few months ago I sent her an email telling her how much I’d enjoyed the most recent book of hers I’d read (Bury the Dead - it’s really, really good!) She wrote me back a lovely note almost immediately. I was like – Louise Penny wrote to me. Louise Penny! To me!!

Byrt: The TV show/movie you feel guiltiest admitting you love?

DC: 27 Dresses.

Byrt: First song lyric that comes to mind right now. Go.

DC: “Clang, clang, clang went the trolley. Ding, dong, ding when the bell.” (well, you said the first thing…)

Byrt: What’s up next for you?

DC: I have two more books in the same universe/setting as Wide Open. The second book, currently titled Deep Down, is with my editor and should be coming out in March 2013. I’m currently working on book three right now and it should be coming out a year after Deep Down. I have several ideas for books to follow those two, probably also contemporary fantasy, but not in the same series.

Thanks again to Deb Coates for stopping by the Yurt!

For more on all things Coates, check out her website here.

And you can read an excerpt of Wide Open here.

Book Jacket:

A look into the action-packed origin of the original Batgirl, Barbara Gordon! This volume collects the 9-issue miniseries that uncovered Gordon’s transformation from average citizen into costumed super-heroine.

Review:

Honestly, I still miss Batman: The Animated Series. I grew up watching that show, and it blew my mind on a regular basis – it was dark, smart, edgy, and oh so very, very good. Thanks to Batman: TAS I developed a life-long love of animated Batman – from Batman Beyond to the more recent animated movies, such as Batman: Under the Red Hood - so you can imagine how my ears perked when I heard one of the directors who works on Legend of Korra mention in an interview how she wished Batgirl: Year One (the comic) could become the next animated Batman movie or TV series. So of course, there was nothing for it after that – I had to read it! And I’m so very glad that I did, because I really, really enjoyed this story.

Batgirl: Year One is a delight in many ways, but the way it treats its leading lady is what truly won my heart. Barbara is fiercely smart, but time and time again the people around her fail to take her seriously – because she’s a girl, because she’s beautiful, or even because she’s short. The ways Barbara finds herself patted on the head and told to be a good little girl, how she’s shunted out of the way, treated as if she can’t take care of herself, or condescendingly told to go home – oh, did it ever ring true, because it’s something I’ve seen, heard, and felt in my own life. I think pretty much every girl has probably experienced this at one point or another, that unconscious condescension of being called “just a girl” or a “good little girl.” God knows I’ve had to grit my teeth – or daydream about punching someone – more than a time or two, so watching Barbara take it in the teeth and then face it head on just made me absolutely love her – and oh could I relate! I loved Barbara’s courage, her determination, but more than anything else I absolutely loved how she was unsure of herself every step of the way. Even as she fought battles and won, even as she mastered new skills and survived hair raising situations, that small inner voice dogged her every move, that voice we all have in our heads, asking us if we’re really good enough, tough enough, smart enough to do this. That, I think, is the most important battle Barbara faces in this story, and watching her wrestle with and finally defeat the enemy of her own self-doubt was wonderful.

I also really, really liked how Barbara’s path to donning the Bat costume wasn’t a straight or narrow one – it all just kind of happened, and then snowballed. She had no mentor or Sensei guiding her on her way – though she did try her best to find one – and her struggle was all the harder for it. All in all, I just really loved how Barbara didn’t set out to wear the costume, but once she tried it on, she slowly discovered how well it fit her – and even that she was worthy of it. It was a fantastic origin story.

As for villain of the piece – he was fine. The Joker he was not, but as a first foe for Batgirl to face, he served his purpose. I did however very much enjoy how Batman and Robin – and even Alfred – flitted around the edges of this story without ever taking center stage or stealing the spotlight. This is Batgirl’s story, no doubt about it, and it’s a good one.

So yes, I did very much enjoy this series. It felt absolutely right, in spirit and tone, and I loved the opportunity to get to know the original Batgirl. So hey, Warner Bros, let’s do this thing – an animated movie of Batgirl: Year One would be pretty freaking fantastic. And if and when that Comic-con premiere rolls around, I will most definitely stake out a spot in line. 

Byrt Grade: A

As Levar Burton used to say – you don’t have to take my word for it…

Elementary, My Dear Reader says:

This is a brilliantly told story in every way. It’s funny, yet serious when it needs to be, and Babs’ characterization is solid. She’s strong and wildly intelligent, yet she hasn’t really found her place in the world…I loved it, and would place it high on my recommended reading for anyone getting into DC Graphic Novels or who cut their teeth on Batman: The Animated Series.

Ruhama on Goodreads says:

I really like that the short librarian is able to overcome everything and be the superhero she wants to be, despite Batman’s seemingly indifference, if not hostility.

Take a good long look – I actually kinda feel like I just saw the entire movie, and I liked it. Though I am wondering if the cgi is all going to be a bit too much…

The Amazing Spider-Man hits theaters July 3rd.

Links from the web jungle

WEB OF INTEREST –>

- Remembering Maurice Sendak

- Watch a Q&A with Sherlock‘s Benedict Cumberbatch, Steven Moffat, and Sue Vertue: 

.

<– AUTHOR TALK

- Libba Bray on why she believes love is the higher law (in response to North Carolina passing Amendment One)

- C.J. Redwine hilariously recounts the awkwardness of her first official author event

- Leigh Bardugo interviews Keith Thompson

- Justine Larbalestier on why you don’t have to read her books

WEB READS –>

- Read the first two chapters of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

- Check out an excerpt from The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

- Read an excerpt from A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix

- Check out an excerpt from The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

Book Jacket:

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her

You can read an excerpt here.

Review:

The word that best describes this book is: lush.

Picture this: a city-scape of decadence and despair. A pervasive miasma of fear envelopes it, as those who live within the city daily face the horrors of a lethal plague that has devastated their world. In this city, the wealthy hide – behind the protection of their masques, the only way to ward off infection, and the ropes of their exclusive clubs, where they do their best to forget why they wear them. Among the poor, carts travel the streets daily, carrying off the bodies of those who have succumbed. Crumbling high-rises are all that remains of what was once a gleaming testament to science and progress, and as the dark end times stalk the streets, people cling to or turn their faces from the only two sources of hope they have left: science and religion. In other words, what a strange, dark and gorgeously twisted landscape for us to explore – and therein lies the brilliance of this novel. This world Griffin has created (based on the short story by Poe) is lush, hypnotic, and terrifying, and I could not look away.

As for the characters themselves, they are uneasy, strange, repellent and fascinating. I can’t remember if I ever read the original short story, but there is an undeniable air of Poe about this story, from the depression of its leading lady, with her careless, self-destructive tendencies, to the unstable streak of darkness that inhabits Elliott, who is the first to admit he should not be trusted. As you’d expect of any tale of Poe, every character has something ugly lurking within, and it makes things terribly, terribly interesting – if not always comfortable. At the beginning of this book Araby actively repelled me with her indulgent self-destruction, but I also could appreciate her unique imperfections. It did take me a while to warm up to her – about the first third of the book, to be honest – but slowly I came to enjoy her voice, and her gradual awakening to life. Overall I really, really liked how the characters of this story were all broken in some way or another, and how it made them all so very human. These characters are riddled with flaws, and therein lies their strength.

Now yes, this story does have a love triangle – and you know me, if I never read another YA love triangle it’ll be too soon – but this threesome is actually, dare I say it, interesting. I really, really liked the radical differences between Elliott and Will, the different hopes they represented for Araby’s future, and how the dynamic between the three of them shifted over the course of the story – and I REALLY liked how it all ended up. Trust me, this is not your stereotypical YA love triangle.

Honestly the thinnest part of this novel was the plot – frankly it meandered, and at times clunked. I particularly thought the reasons Elliott “needed” Araby’s help were kind of ridiculous – the first reason I believed, but then the way he kept sending her off on idiotically simplistic missions that “only she could pull off”- yes, climb those stairs! I can’t do it, it’s too dangerous for me, but you, having no idea what you’re doing or why, will be able to do it so much better than I! – it was just silly. As a whole, the plot kind of staggered into place, and it was overpowered by the world at every turn – but this book’s atmosphere is so glorious that it was more than equal to the task of carrying this story. The world, the mood, the feel of this book hypnotized me, never mind how slow the first half of the story was – and it admittedly was rather slow, but happily the book does pick up quite a bit of momentum towards the end. And while everything is left far from resolved, enough is revealed to make for a satisfying conclusion.

So in the end, this story is not perfect – the plotting could have used a bit more oomph – but it is gorgeous, lush, and unique. Masque of the Red Death teams with shadows, fear, ruin and decay, and its strangeness is downright wondrous to behold. If Poe was a teen girl, he would have loved this book. 

Byrt Grade: B+

As Levar Burton used to say – you don’t have to take my word for it…

Publishers Weekly says:

Griffin (Handcuffs) delivers a seductively dark, decadently disturbing look at a society crumbling from within and without, infused with a romantic, steampunk air and Poe’s own morbid sensibilities.

Wendy Darling on Goodreads says:

…The story pays homage to the original story but doesn’t adhere to it too slavishly, instead expanding on the world and imagining what would happen if it were a teenage girl that was caught up in the baroque madness. This strange mix of dystopian-steampunk-gothic-romance works really well here, in no small part because the author does such a beautiful job in creating a decadent, imaginative world for the characters–and us–to lose ourselves in.

Welcome The Debuts, a series of posts introducing you to brand, spanking new authors you really should get to know.

Meet Jennifer Bosworth!

Byrt: If one of the top Hollywood voice-over guys was narrating your book trailer (in a hammy Hollywood way), what would he say?

JB: In a world ravaged by natural disasters . . . a girl addicted to lightning . . . must defeat a
fanatical cult leader . . . to prevent the ultimate APOCALYPSE.

Byrt: So what’s the story behind your story?

JB: A few years ago, I learned some interesting factoids about lightning, and that got me obsessed with the strange things that happen when people are struck by lightning. The aftereffects are unpredictable. Some people walk away without a scratch. Some people have holes burned through them, or lose their memory. Sometimes it leaves Lichtenberg figures on the skin of the person struck, so it looks like they have red lightning etched on their skin. And then there are the human lightning rods, people who attract lightning for no discernable reason. That’s how I came up with my main character, Mia Price, who is one of these bizarre human lightning rods.

Byrt: If you like ________, you’ll like my book.

JB: If you like Stephen King’s The Stand, the British TV show Misfits, or the movie 2012, you’ll like my book.

Byrt: The silliest/craziest author moment you’ve had so far?

JB: A blogger went after me on Goodreads for reviewing my own book and giving it 5 stars. This was back when the book had first sold, so no one had read it, and I just wrote the review for fun. But I managed to anger this blogger with my silliness, which taught me a very important lesson early on: don’t piss off bloggers!

Byrt: Book you own with the most tattered, scotch-taped cover, the most battered spine? (And why you love it)

JB: The Drawing of the Three, by Stephen King. The copy is over twenty years old, but it has the original illustrations, so even though it looks like it’s been dropped in a garbage disposal, I’ll never replace it.

Byrt: Book you’re reading right now?

JB: Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake. It’s fantastic! Spooky, great writing, great voice.

Byrt: Biggest Fangirl/boy moment you’ve ever had?

JB: A librarian contacted me on Goodreads to let me know she had made the cover of STRUCK the backdrop on her computer, and that she spent a lot of time wondering what it felt like to be my character. She hadn’t even read the book yet, so I hope she still likes it once she’s read it.

Byrt: The TV show/movie you feel guiltiest admitting you love?

JB: I got hooked on The Voice this season. I’m so ashamed! I’ll make up for it by watching every episode of Game of Thrones twice.

Byrt: First song lyric that comes to mind right now. Go.

JB: Oh, it’s a good one. I have the song “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” by a new band called Father John Misty stuck in my head. “Jesus Christ, girl. What are people gonna think, when I show up to one of several funerals I’ve attended for Grandfather Sweet? Someone’s gotta help me dig. Someone’s gotta help me dig.” The music video for this song will explode your mind with its twistedness.

Byrt: What’s up next for you?

JB: I’m working on three different novels and a screenplay (oy). The first is a ghost story set in southern Utah, a mashup between Big Love and The Ring. The second is a post-apocalyptic fantasy western. Third, a supernatural thriller that features a hippie commune gone horribly wrong. The screenplay is based on a short film my husband and I produced called Followers, which we want to adapt to feature length. You can view the short film on my website, but I warn you to watch it with the lights on, and prepare for nightmares.

Thanks again to Jenn for stopping by the Yurt!

For more on all things Bosworth, you can find her website here.

And you can watch the book trailer for Struck here.

Here’s a peek at Longmire, the new A&E drama based on Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire series.

Longmire premieres Sunday, June 3 at 10 PM on A&E.

Book Jacket:

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

You can read an excerpt here.

Review:

On the one hand, yes, this book is exactly what you’d expect – plucky, gorgeous heroine caught between brooding, bad boy hottie and good guy bestie in a love triangle that threatens to tear them apart, yada yada yada. If you, like me, take one look at that sea of angst and want to drown yourself in it, I can offer you this one hopeful buoy – Peacock does actually bring something interesting to the table in terms of her world building.

I grant you it’s not terribly unusual for an author to use the paranormal as a way to explore our prejudices, but Peacock touches on some interesting issues – ideas of safety versus security, the dehumanizing nature of prejudice, and how hate and politics collide – which are all very relevant in our post 9/11 world. All in all it was more than enough to resuscitate my interest every time it flagged in the face of yet another slog through the angst mire, and while yes, it may not all have added up to anything terribly deep or revelatory, I still really, really liked it. I very much enjoyed how Peacock explored the forces of hate and fear, and forced her characters to take sides – I just wish that story could have taken center stage, instead of the overwrought love triangle.

As for the murder mystery, it was solidly interesting. I did get miles ahead of it – as I suspect everyone will, because honestly there’s no real doubt about who the bad guy  is – but I still enjoyed Mac’s sleuthing and how it made her question the people she trusted. Mac pokes in dark corners and falls into peril with enough regularity to keep things moving along nicely, and it all comes together at the end in a satisfying way – I just wish there had been more to the puzzle, and less angst mucking up the works. 

And now we’ve come to the heart of the matter – the love triangle quagmire. Now don’t get me wrong, our three Love Interests are all perfectly likable: Mac is tough and sarcastic in a pleasant, if not terribly surprising, way, and Kyle and Jason are at least easy to tell apart, with Jason being the jerk Mac just keeps on forgiving, and Kyle the sweetie she starts to feel more for – but I will give Peacock this; she does give us believable reasons for Jason’s behavior, and by doing so keeps alive a thread of sympathy for a character who otherwise could easily have become just one more jerk who treats his girl like crap (and yet somehow the girl falls for him anyway…) Oh for the love of all that’s holy, enough with the Love Triangles already! Hemlock was a story that had so much going for it, yet the best parts kept getting ignored or trampled in favor of the painfully familiar Love Triangle. Honestly towards the end of this story the angsting became so over-indulgent and overwrought that it actively started to sour my feelings towards the book as a whole. True, it never quite overpowered my desire to finish the story, but it did at times make me want to throw the book against a wall – or at the very least yell at all the characters to shut up and get back to solving the murder. But if you’re a fan of brooding and sighing, there’s certainly plenty of it to be found here.

In the end, Hemlock did keep my interest, which actually says a fair bit given my general desire to drop-kick all paranormal YA love triangles. There’s enough here, in terms of social tensions, opposing forces, and a climate of fear, to make this book worth reading, even for the angst-fatigued such as myself – and the fact that Peacock managed to land squarely on some of my greatest pet peeves and yet still kept me reading is actually kind of impressive. So yes, as far as paranormal YA goes, you could do a whole lot worse than to read this one.

Byrt Grade: B+

As Levar Burton used to say – you don’t have to take my word for it…

Publishers Weekly says:

Jacob fans rejoice: Peacock’s debut is loaded with werewolves both creepy and hot.

Hanah Cobb on Goodreads says:

This book inches toward the stereotypical normal-girl-pursued-by-two-(possibly nonhuman)-guys syndrome, but Mackenzie is a delightful and satirical enough narrator to compensate for the overt teen drama, and the thriller plot is both intense and intricate enough to provide a good read.

Kirkus Reviews says:

…because this is a teen paranormal romance, the dominant plot is, surprise, a love triangle…As Mackenzie says to herself, “It was official: my life belonged on the CW.” It’s this ironic self-awareness that keeps the book at all palatable.

Two short but sweet little spots. This movie is intriguing me more and more…

Snow White and The Huntsman hits June 1st.

Links from the web jungle

WEB OF INTEREST –>

- The 2012 Locus Award Finalists

- A Publishers Weekly rundown of what children’s galleys to grab at BEA 2012

- Given the recent plagiarism scandal, here’s a breakdown of how to discover content theft 

<– AUTHOR TALK

- A lovely interview with Mary Robinette Kowal (by Patrick Rothfuss)

- A Q&A with Mariah Fredericks, author of The Girl in The Park

- Sarah Rees Brennan shares the story of her visit to the Team Human cover shoot

- Stephen King says, Tax Me, for F@%&’s Sake!

WEB READS –>

- Check out the prologue and first chapter of Railsea by China Mieville 

- Read the first chapter of Team Human by Justine Larbalestier & Sarah Rees Brennan

- Check out an excerpt from Prodigy (Legend #2) by Marie Lu

- Read sample chapters from six upcoming Penguin titles in the latest Breathless Reads sampler (Fall 2012), which includes excerpts from: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes, Black City by Elizabeth Richards, Venom by Fiona Paul, The Innocents by Lili Peloquin, and Origin by Jessica Khoury