Waking the Witch – out now!

Source: orbitbooks.net

Calling all Kelley fans! It’s official: Waking the Witch (UK | ANZ) has arrived in a bookshop near you and it’s looking fantabulously gorgeous. It’s the brand new title in the Women of the Otherworld series from international bestseller Kelley Armstrong, and it’s the first hardback to be whipped out with Kelley’s striking new cover style.

During the author’s recent tour to the UK we managed to steal her away from her hectic schedule, corner her in a tiny, tiny room with a camera and throw some questions her way.

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Book Club: Mysteries abound in Mary Downing Hahn’s ‘Closed for the Season’

Source: washingtonpost.com

“Closed for the Season,”

by Mary Downing Hahn

Published by Clarion Books

182 pages

Recommended for age 9 and older

The KidsPost Summer Book Club closes for the season, appropriately, with this spooky mystery by Maryland author Mary Downing Hahn.

“Closed for the Season” is as creepy as any of Hahn’s earlier spine-chilling ghost stories, but this one has a man-made, not supernatural, explanation. The story opens as 12-year-old Logan is moving to a new house in a new town. He almost immediately meets Arthur Jenkins, who is “almost 12″ and lives next door. Making a new friend on your first day in a new place may seem like a good thing — except that Arthur is the nerdiest, most-picked-on, least-liked kid at Oak View Middle School. In short, not the kind of kid Logan necessarily wants to be associated with.

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It’s Blaine As Day: Is Kat Richardson’s Greywalker Saga Paranormal Fantasy’s Best Series?

Source: bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com

Okay, this could get contentious fast, but with the recent release of Kat Richardson’s fifth Greywalker novel, Labyrinth, I have a hard time ranking any of the current elite paranormal fantasy series ahead of Richardson’s saga featuring Seattle based private investigator Harper Blaine who, after being clinically dead for almost two minutes, can now see into the Grey, the realm of ghosts and other supernatural beings.

Yes, I know… I absolutely L-O-V-E Kim Harrison and her Rachel Morgan novels not to mention the Mercy Thompson saga by Patricia Briggs, Stacia Kane’s Downside, Adrian Phoenix’s The Maker’s Song, and the Kayla Steele novels by Natasha Rhodes, to name a few, but as of this moment in time, the summer of 2010, I think the Greywalker saga is the very best paranormal fantasy out there – and here are a few reasons why.

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Apparat Chic: Talking with Gary Shteyngart

Source: omnivoracious.com

For a guy who has spent the past few years writing a corrosively funny and deeply horrified vision of our networked lives, in his new novel Super Sad True Love Story, Gary Shteyngart has certainly taken to the new media with aplomb. Starting with his cameo-crammed author video, the most chattered about of the year so far, and continuing with regular Facebook updates, it won’t be long until he can leave the smelly world of books behind and become a 24/7 show on the web, like the rest of the world.

Whatever he’s doing, it’s working: SSTLS has been solidly lodged in our top 100 since it came out. It’s also, for what it’s worth, one of my Best of the Month picks for August. I got to talk with Shteyngart when he was in Seattle back in May: the audio versions have been live on the site for a while now, but I wanted to post them here along with a (lengthy) transcript, which provides plenty of room for his standup act (I cut out all the “[laughter]” notes from the transcript, since they happened pretty much in the middle of every sentence), but also, as you’ll find in the book, some heartfelt sentiment too, especially about the loss of empathy that might result if we lose the habit of reading.

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Way of Kings ARC and audio giveaway on Facebook

Source: tor.com

Psst! Head over to the Tor.com Facebook page and comment on our wall for another chance to win an Advance Reading Copy AND (edited to add, sorry!) an audio copy of Brandon Sanderson’s Way of Kings! That’s a whole lotta audiobook, guys, so many thanks to Macmillan Audio.

(And as long as you’re on our Facebook page, you can “like” us and you’ll see each new post in your update stream. Just sayin’.)

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Eat, Pray, Adapt: Making a book into a film

Source:cnn.com

(CNN) — Screenwriter Jennifer Salt knows fans will be watching her work very closely.

Salt adapted the memoir “Eat, Pray, Love” for the screen and is keenly aware that there is a lot riding on the film based on the beloved book. After all, she too found herself pulled into the pages of the best-seller written by Elizabeth Gilbert.

“There were things in the book that I loved, things that Ryan [Murphy, the director] loved and the sense from the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, of things that the audience of the book really loved,” Salt said. “I think we felt a responsibility to try and include them all, but at a certain point, you can’t accommodate them all.”

It’s a fine balance for any screenplay writer adapting a work already in existence, but especially with a book such as “Eat, Pray, Love” which documented Gilbert’s yearlong odyssey abroad with stops in Rome, India and Bali after a painful divorce. Fans have had an immensely personal connection with Gilbert’s memoir and have eagerly awaited its translation to screen.

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Cover story: Open up to the reading and writing revolution

Source: thisisbrandx.com

Emma Teitgen, 12, thought the chemistry book her teacher recommended would make perfect bedside reading. Perfect because it might help her fall asleep. Then she downloaded “The Elements: A Visual Exploration” to her iPad. Instead of making her drowsy, it blossomed in her hands. The 118 chemical elements came alive in vivid images that could be rotated with a swipe of the finger.

Tapping on links, Teitgen was soon engrossed in atomic weights and crystal structures. Three hours later, she looked up to see that it was way past her bedtime.

More than 550 years after Johannes Gutenberg printed 180 copies of the Bible on paper and vellum, new technologies as revolutionary as the printing press are changing the concept of a book and what it means to be literate. Sound, animation and the ability to connect to the Internet have created the notion of a living book that can establish an entirely new kind of relationship with readers. Continue reading after the jump…

As electronic reading devices evolve and proliferate, books are increasingly able to talk to readers, quiz them on their grasp of the material, play videos to illustrate a point or connect them with a community of fellow readers. The same technology allows readers to reach out to authors, provide instant reaction and even become creative collaborators, influencing plot developments and the writer’s use of dramatic devices.

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Must be the season of the ‘Witch’

Source:Bill Castanier lansingcitypulse.com

Kelley Armstrong has been writing urban fantasy for only 12 years, but even so she was at the cusp of the genre’s development.

“I can’t tell you why I am attracted to the writing,” she said. “I have been writing some form of this genre all my life.”

Part of the attraction, she claims, may be growing up in Canada and listening to folk tales spiced with the supernatural. “I wanted to tell my own stories and they always had some element of the supernatural in them.”

However, her taste for the supernatural did not always draw positive reinforcement from teachers or other kids.

“Growing up, horror was something for guys,” she said. “I read Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, Stephen King.’’ When she was very young, she said, Grimm’s Fairy Tales and alternate versions of Cinderella — including the version in which would-be princesses cut off their toes in the hopes of fitting their feet into the glass slipper — caught her eye.

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brought to you by OBS Staffer kpic724

Kelley Armstrong
The Reckoning

Summary:

Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now, along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and to take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope. (Source: http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/aReckon.htm)

Review:

The Reckoning, by Kelley Armstrong, is the third and final installment of the Darkest Powers Series. We continue from where the kids are in a safe house and are debating their next move to rescue the others from the Edison Group. They join forces with adult supernaturals who rebel against the Edison Group, but complications arise when the kids find out how powerful they really are.

This book was the perfect ending to this series. Many questions were answered and relationships resolved, and the journey was spectacular. In this book, Chloe’s skills were becoming more powerful and more difficult to control. I enjoyed getting a deeper look into the world of a necromancer. There were great uses for the gift but being inexperienced did not help matters of raising the dead. There were some instances that everything went right for Chloe and I wanted to jump up and down with happiness for her, she is truly one of a kind. The love triangle with Derek and Simon was explored and resolved. I think fans of this series will be pleased with the result.

One of the more enjoyable parts of this book was Derek’s transformation and first Change. I am a big fan of Armstrong’s Otherworld series and my favorite characters are the werewolves. I enjoy the human qualities that she gives to the werewolves in her books and this one was no different. The support that Chloe gives to Derek during this time is incredibly sweet and kind.

This book had a lot of action and suspense. These troubled kids were not given any guidance throughout their time at the Edison Group so they were left to explore their talents on their own with consequences. The situations that they faced from the supernatural adults were dangerous and thrilling. This story will definitely keep you gripping the pages for dear life.

Overall this was a great ending to the series, and I look forward to the next young adult series involving other supernatural kids and another project from the Edison Group.

Discuss this book (and more) on our forum!

Written by OBS Staff Member Kate

Book synopisis: When a young witch tells Elena that a group of humans are kidnapping supernaturals, Elena ignores the warning.  After all, everyone knows there’s no such thing as witches.  As for the thought of other ‘supernaturals’, well, she’d just rather not dwell on the possibility.  Soon, however, she’s confronted with the truth about her world, when she’s kidnapped and thrown into a cell-block with witches, sorcerers, half-demons and other werewolves. As Elena soon discovers, dealing with her fellow captives is the least of her worries. In this prison, the real monsters carry the keys. Source: kelleyarmstrong.com

Review: After reading and reviewing “Bitten” by Kelley Armstrong I had high hopes for this novel. I can honestly say I was very pleased! Although this story did not revolve around a love story as the first one did, it was action-packed and nail biting. The true test of Elena Michaels as a character occurred when she was totally separated from her Pack and her love. She fought against her instinct and human nature to survive in captivity along with other dangerous “monsters” and the humans who put her there.

Many other “races” were introduced in this book and it was interesting to gain some insight on them. I really felt that I was going along for a ride with Elena into the world of supernatural instead of just werewolves. The fact that she might not be the most dangerous creature out there made this journey very real and scary. The workers at this facility were so varied it made me wonder about their initial reason for creating this compound. The money behind the facility was a greedy, cruel, and evil man who thought money could do anything, but in the end that did not become the case. These human characters who differed severely from one another in personality kept me on the edge wondering who were the good guys and who were the bad guys.

Kelley Armstrong was very smart in the creation of this novel. Opening my eyes to different characters and races, she was able to expand her “Otherworld” series into many books with the main characters being different in each. I cannot wait to continue reading this series and see how these characters progress.

More from Open Book Society

• BOOK REVIEWS: KELLEY ARMSTRONG – THE AWAKENING
• BOOK REVIEWS- KELLEY ARMSTRONG: BITTEN
• BOOK REVIEWS: KELLEY ARMSTRONG – THE SUMMONING

THE WORLDS INSIDE R.A SALVATORE

Fantasy author R.A. Salvatore is best known for creating Drizzt Do’Urden, the star of a series of books set in the Forgotten Realms setting of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. He is, however, a longtime gamer — both pen and paper and MMO. In 2008, baseball player Curt Schilling, an avid MMO fan and lover of Salvatore’s books, recruited him to help found a company.

Now, Salvatore is one of the key creative figures at 38 Studios. Along with EverQuest and Elder Scrolls veterans, Salvatore is working on an MMO code-named Copernicus that promises to deliver an ambitious and densely realized fantasy world.

And now that 38 Studios has acquired Big Huge Games, the Copernicus setting will also be home to a single-player game code-named Mercury, to be helmed by Elder Scrolls designer Ken Rolston.

Gamasutra recently sat down with Salvatore to find out what goes into the creation of believable, emotionally resonant fantasy worlds.

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NEW TITLES FROM KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Source: orbitbooks.net

Following Kelley Armstrong’s very successful trip to the UK, during which she had fans from as far as Germany queuing up to meet her, we thought we’d remind you just how busy she’s been on the writing front.

Last month saw the release of The Reckoning (UK /ANZ), the third book in Kelley’s Darkest Powers young adult series. This is definitely one to look out for, considering that the second book in this series was a No. 1 New York Times children’s bestseller, and that Charlaine Harris claimed about the series that ‘there’s never a slow moment in their journey or a false line in Armstrong’s writing’.

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TERRY PRATCHETT GUEST EDITS FUTURE’S SFX

Source: booktrade.info

Discworld supremo kicks-off “Summer of SF Reading” literary campaign

26/04/10 – SFX – the world’s bestselling sci-fi and fantasy magazine, celebrates the launch of its “Summer of SF Reading” literary campaign next month by enlisting top novelist Terry Pratchett to guest edit its July issue – on sale Wednesday, 5th May.

A bestselling author and national treasure, Terry Pratchett is a celebrated enthusiast of sci-fi and fantasy, as well as a figurehead for fans of the genre around the world. Having written over forty novels, he shares his personal sci-fi passions and helps SFX kick-start its summer reading campaign.

Published by Future, the special-interest media group – the next three issues of SFX will promote its Summer of SF Reading initiative (which sees the popular magazine and SFX.co.uk website significantly increase their monthly book coverage), celebrating the literary scene in style, whilst encouraging sci-fi fans who love genre film and TV to visit their local bookshop.

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Brought to you by OBS staffer kpic724

Kelley Armstrong
The Women of the Otherworld Series #1: Bitten

Summary
Elena Michaels is the world’s only female werewolf. And she’s tired of it. Tired of a life spent hiding and protecting, a life where her most important job is hunting down rogue werewolves. Tired of a world that not only accepts the worst in her— her temper, her violence—but requires it. Worst of all, she realizes she’s growing content with that life, with being that person.

So she left the Pack and returned to Toronto where she’s trying to live as a human. When the Pack leader calls asking for her help fighting a sudden uprising, she only agrees because she owes him. Once this is over, she’ll be squared with the Pack and free to live life as a human. Which is what she wants. Really.
Source: http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/aBitten.htm

Review
This book was a great read! Not just because of the awesome “GIRL POWER”, but the internal struggle of heart and mind, which all females can relate to. Elena’s character has a great mind, and it was a joy to be able to accompany her on the journey to find where she really belongs.

The struggle to live in a life that was forced upon her was a major factor in this story. She was not born a werewolf, she was an orphan who really only wanted a family. She did find a family, but not the kind she would have ever imagined. I don’t believe there is another equal to her strength to survive and fight.

The relationship between Elena and Clayton was very fun to read. The love/hate relationship that they endured throughout the story made it more realistic. The fact that Elena was trying to have a normal human life outside of her “curse” created tension between the two lovers. Clay didn’t understand human ways because he was changed at a very young age, but his love for Elena made him want to do anything to make her transition easy.

There was quite a bit of action in the story as well. Elena was forced back into her hunting duties against the mutts that threatened the Pack. The finesse that these characters created in the disposal of the mutts was very inventive.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to take a closer look at what types of creatures can exist in our seemingly “monster-free” human world.

Come discuss the book in our forum!

More from Open Book Society

• BOOK REVIEWS: KELLEY ARMSTRONG – THE AWAKENING
• BOOK REVIEWS: KELLEY ARMSTRONG – THE SUMMONING
• BOOK REVIEWS: BECCA FITZPATRICK – HUSH, HUSH