Why did you decide to do an MFA in Creative Writing?

I thought, at the time, that I would never be published.  Yet I had no skills whatsoever except writing.  I thought a good compromise would be to teach creative writing.  Then, after my first year there, the administration took me aside and told me I wasn’t temperamentally suited to teaching and should probably drop out.  It turned out I was temperamentally suited to rejecting authority, so I finished the degree anyway.

Can you remember the earliest piece of fiction you wrote and how old you were?

I was six years old.  I wrote what I thought at the time was a novel—I believe it ran to sixteen pages.  The subject matter is unfortunately lost to time.  I’m sure it was quite brilliant.

Why did you decided to publish chapters from your stories on-line, what was the motivation?

I couldn’t get published—nobody wanted me.  I’d spent almost thirty years trying and was starting to get discouraged.  A friend had a website and he offered to let me post some of my writing there.  I thought it might be a way to let my friends and family see my stuff.  It turned out I had a lot more friends and family than I’d previously suspected.

How did you go from posting stories on-line to being a published author?

I was approached by a publisher who wanted to buy the books.  This is apparently unusual, but I fought back my fears of the unknown and took the plunge.  It worked out pretty well.  Honestly, that was all there was to it.  The website kept getting more and more hits, and I kept getting press attention—at the time, nobody else was doing what I was doing.  It must have been a slow news cycle.  I would feel like I had slacked my way into a book deal, if I hadn’t spent the thirty years before that diligently honing my craft day after day while everyone kept telling me to get a real job.

Why do you choose to keep the ‘old’ style for werewolves, zombies and vampires while the current trend is for urbanised fantasy?

I’m just not cut out to write romance novels.  I’m much less interested in whether a given vampire is married or not (and whether he takes his ring off when he leaves his coffin of an evening) than I am in how many bullets he can take to the chest before he winces in pain.  I’m a geek at heart—I love the source material far too much to treat it as more grist for the commercial mill.  So I write the books I’d like to read.

On your website you say you are an author of adventurous fiction rather than horror or thriller. Could you expand on why?

The genre categories started as a filing system.  It was so the clerks would know where to put the books on the store shelves.  The authors I admire most—people like Dickens and Edith Wharton—made no distinctions between horror and literature, they were just as happy to write ghost stories as they were to explore the human condition.  I like to think I could write anything, given a chance.  That I could write a gore-choked zombie book one year and a work of social realism the next.  So far I’ve mostly done the latter.  But I don’t think of myself as “just” a horror writer.  The “adventurous” part comes from my inspirations—the old pulp novels of the 20s and 30s, and the paperback revolution of the 50s, when people understood that a book should be entertaining before anything else.

Are you a fan of horror films and books yourself?

Yes, of course—I couldn’t do this otherwise.  My zombie novels are really one long love letter to George Romero’s movies, and I grew up reading Stephen King and Peter Straub, because my mother liked those books.  She would bring home a bag full of them from the library every week and tell me she didn’t think I should read them, because they were too scary.  She’s always believed in freedom of speech as the cornerstone of free society, however, so she never told me I couldn’t read them.  Which is really some of the worst reverse psychology I’ve ever seen.

As a published author your readership grew from a few dedicated readers to a cult following, did that make you feel more pressure to write what you thought people might like, or do you prefer to listen to your inner storyteller?

The inner storyteller always wins, but I definitely took input from my readers.  The great thing about serializing the books was that I could get feedback on a chapter-by-chapter basis, and I could see what was working and what people didn’t think was important.  I learned more about writing in the five months it took my to serialize Monster Island than I had in the five years before that.

I noted as your readership grew, so did the number of negative comments about aspects of your work. You manage to stay very polite to people even in the face of this, but how does it affect you?

I don’t take it personally.  No one ever tells me I’m ugly or that I have an offensive odor.  They tell me I got the details of a given gun wrong, or that they think a given character is boring and lifeless.  That’s the kind of thing I want to know, so I can fix it.  I could take offense, I suppose, but then I wouldn’t learn anything, and I would never get better as a writer.  To be a writer means to believe (despite all evidence to the contrary) that one has something to say.  You can’t get angry if people disagree with what you said in a public forum—well, of course, you can, but it’s just counter-productive.  When I tell a joke at a cocktail party, and someone says it wasn’t very funny, well, that’s when I break into a murderous rage.

You can read my review of the excellent Cursed here.

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Cursed is a book I would not normally have picked up.  While I might like to think my reading range is quite broad, the truth is I’m a bit of a wuss.  Blood, guts and gore don’t particularly bother me but emotions are what get me every time and horror is a very emotionally and psychologically charged genre.

Having said that, when I was directed to David Wellington’s online stories, I was intrigued and once I’d started reading one, that was it, I had to work my way down the list.  Cursed is the result of one of those stories being expanded upon and released as a novel; and it deserved to be.  David has a very easy to read style of writing but that in no way lessens the impact the story has.  It’s gritty, raw and at times disturbing but I had to keep reading, I had to know how it turned out.

It’s not a werewolf story in the current and popular mold of wolf and human living symbiotically.  It looks back to the older stories of the wolf half being pure predator and the human side having to live with they find after they change back.

Wellington adds in his own twists to the lore which I found fascinating and he really manages to convey a heady dose of mixed emotions, from one end of the spectrum to the other.  By the end I felt a bit wrung out, but also that I’d read something different and really, quite special.

If you like your werewolves fluffy, funny and tamed by their human half then this book isn’t for you.  If you like a gripping horror/thriller that has a unique look at an ages old myth with some truly emotional scenes then read Cursed.  I don’t think you’ll regret it.

Cursed has been published in the US as Frostbite and you can also read more fiction by David Wellington on his website.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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After more experience of writing and thinking about what Tony had said I realised that no, in fact not all books I rated high reached that benchmark.  So I am going to go through the reviews I have done and re-rate them.  That is not to say books that might receive a lower rating were not enjoyed or really good, it’s more about a realistic view of them for me.

So if you come across a review you thought had a higher (or even lower) rating before, it probably did but with more experience under my belt, I have a better perception of how much I enjoyed a book in comparison to my benchmark.

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Best known for the epic Kushiel’s Legacy series, she has won several (and well deserved) awards for her work.  She currently resides in Michigan although she loves to travel. Surprisingly to me, she has no tattoos!

Jacqueline Carey’s Official Author Site

My Comments

If I had to choose just one word to describe Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series it would be ‘Breathtaking’.  It had been a while since I had read a fantasy series that was so smooth to read, absorbing and utterly engaging.  The world and characters she creates are wonderfully real and I just love them all.  I can’t recommend it highly enough and is always on my list of recommendations when asked by friends for something to read.

Bibliography

Kushiel’s Legacy

• Kushiel’s Dart
• Kushiel’s Chosen
• Kushiel’s Avatar
• Kushiel’s Scion
• Kushiel’s Justice
• Kushiel’s Mercy – Read my review

Naamah Trilogy

• Naamah’s Kiss
• Naamah’s Curse

The Sundering

• Banewreaker
• Godslayer

Santa Olivia

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I’ve hugely enjoyed the previous books in the Riley Jensen Guardian series.  They are easy to read, exciting, erotic and action packed yet Bound to Shadows takes it to the next level.  The emotions inherent throughout the book seemed more real, more tangible.  Fear, rage, lust, love and sorrow and the latter is what got me in the end.  It made me cry.  Without spoiling anything, the big kick in the gut was something I knew might happen and something I knew had to happen but the way that whole section was written was just perfect, right to the last word.

Riley is definitely up there as one of my favourite urban fantasy heroines.  Conflicted often by her half-vampire, half-wolf soul, she tries to do the best she can for each but also stay true to herself.  She’s fierce in everything she does whether it’s loving or fighting and while diplomacy might not be her best trait, she achieves what she needs to sometimes at the cost of herself.  Brilliantly and consistently written.

I loved that we saw more of Quinn in this book and the bond that is between him and Riley.  They are a great foil for each other and while you learn more of his history and how powerful he can be, I sense that there is a lot more to come and it won’t necessarily sit well with Riley.

I still love the interactions with her twin brother Rhoan and his mate Liander, they make a great couple and the big question they ask Riley, something she never thought would be possible brought a tear to my eye.

I can’t really say much more (and I really want to!) without spoiling it so I will just say this; Bound to Shadows – Read it… just read it.

If you are new to the series then get started as this is book 8,  Find ‘Full Moon Rising’ and get going!

Rating: ★★★★½ 

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Shades of Night is a worthy successor to Black and White.  It was good to be back with my favourite characters Jet and Iridium again and see how they cope in such a desperate situation.  They don’t disappoint and given how different their personalities are, their interactions understandably start off frosty.  However, there is a lovely moment at the end where you learn how Iridium really feels which really touched me.  The writing was really succinct and emotional and I really felt their bone weariness at what they were having to do, yet still having the courage and determination to see it through.  They are after all, Superheroes.

As in Black and White, the book switches perspective at certain points and also with ‘Then’ and ‘Now’.  It’s well done and never gets confusing as to where you are and who you are reading about.  You learn a huge amount of history about the Corps and the Icarus Project and really, those sections are what provide the twists for the story.

Jet and Iridium’s backgrounds are fully explored and I really felt for the two main characters as children who really, had no chance of normal lives thanks to the machinations of the Corps and even their parents.  I love that they turned out to be the Superheroes they are in spite of it all.  After learning her past, it’s no surprise Iridium became as conflicted as she is but she doesn’t hesitate to do what she feels is right.  Jet is the one who suffers most I think being less flexible and believing in the Squadron, the Corps and procedure.  Admirably, she still managed to pick up the pieces and help save her city.

Just to touch on the Latent Network, I felt this was a great addition and explained much about the way powers work.  Not everyone is powerful enough to be in the squadron but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their talents and I enjoyed seeing them get to work and what they were able to achieve.

All in all, a good, fast paced and exciting read about true Superheroes, Supervillains and those caught in between.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

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A wrong turn in the snow led Maura and her companions to Kingdom Come, a place of questions and mystery.  A town abandoned, seemingly in an instant and no evidence of the occupants other than a few unsettling clues.

Will Rizzoli find her friend alive and uncover the truth behind Kingdom Come?

It was great to see a new ‘Rizzoli and Isles’ book.  I’ve definitely enjoyed the re-releasing of Gerritsen’s romantic thrillers but she creates something very special when she gets these two characters together.  Their shared history makes them very good friends and I love how that closeness was portrayed when Jane Rizzoli realised her friend was in trouble, possibly dead.  Two such different personalities yet they work very well together.

As to the story, well I read the whole book in one day and couldn’t put it down.  It was gripping, absorbing, emotional and kept me on the edge of my seat hoping that things were not how they seemed.  After the initial build up, the shocks kept on coming in Gerritsen’s usual style yet they were all natural progressions, nothing forced or out of line with what I thought the characters would do.

The pace worked really well, starting at an easy flow then increasing until I had to take breaks to have a reality check before diving back in again.  The twist at the end was outstanding and I was completely oblivious to it until it arrived, although I did have the sense that all was not right, I just couldn’t put my finger on why.

It’s always hard to know how much to say without spoiling it for others but there were a few moments that really got to me, and I’m sure you will know exactly what I mean when you read The Killing Place for yourself.

And you really need to, it’s a good one!

Rating: ★★★★½ 

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Silent truth is the fifth book in the B.A.D. series and I was really happy to see this book return to the excellent form of Bad Attitude.  That’s not to say the others weren’t good, they were, I just felt there was something lacking that made the first book such an exciting read.  Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love make a brilliant team and their love and pride of this series really shines through.

It was great to go deeper into the character of Hunter.  When he appeared in previous books, he came across as a bit of an ass and that  made me a little wary when I found out that he was the central male character.  When I learned what made him become so, I realised there was so much more beneath the detached surface.  Dangerous and highly trained yet hiding a compassionate heart behind his ruthless exterior.  Very hot and definitely a character to fall in love with!  Abbie was a solid and believable character as well, I loved her naivety despite what she had been through and given how strong and feisty she was, she was more than a match for Hunter.

The pace of the book was really good, well written action scenes and at times it was very tense.  Of course that meant I HAD to keep reading to find out what happened which I can only count as a good thing.  The way the sexual chemistry and heat was built up worked very well and left me almost as breathless as the characters.

The plot was actually quite intricate, several threads coming together that had been building up over the series and I got to see just how widespread the Fratelli organisation really was.  I thought Linette’s character worked really well within it and I feared for her at every turn of events.

Now for the OMG NO! moment.  I am still in denial and hoping for a miracle in the next book but as it stands, much kudos for it being so well played and emotional.  It really got me.

I can’t say more than that without spoiling it but you will just have to read Silent Truth and find out for yourself.  Enjoy!

Rating: ★★★★½ 

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So why should you read J. R. Ward?

The characters Ward creates are just phenomenal.  The main cast are the Brothers and their individual stories are the focus for each book.  What makes the series truly outstanding is the presence of the other major players through each one.  You can’t have one Brother without having them all!  Sometimes those appearances are brief and often they are integral to another’s story.

The series begins with Dark Lover and you are introduced to a world of vampires living alongside humans in secrecy.  The Black Dagger Brotherhood are a group of elite vampires, engineered by breeding to be the most powerful and best warriors to protect the race not only from exposure to the humans but also from their unnatural predators – the Lessening Society.  I love Ward’s slant on the vampire mythos, that the traditional view is mostly hogwash spread by the human media with a few truths hidden within the fiction.  The truth is humans have nothing to fear from vampires.  They can’t sustain themselves from human blood so basically, they are just another race that share the planet but in ever decreasing numbers.  There is a war on, between the lessers and the vampires and the Brothers fight night after night to keep the remaining vampire population safe, often at personal cost to themselves.  They are powerful, larger than life and very very hot!

While the plot of each book might mainly be about a character unexpectedly finding their true love (they are romance novels after all), it’s the characters that make them as engaging as they are.  J. R. Ward has such a clear and vivid way of writing that you get to know them so well and the mere mention of a name conjurs up their image in your mind and how they might act and react in certain situations.  I also have to say not once in ten books have I read a scene and thought hang on, he wouldn’t do that!.

You can feel the love and sometimes exasperation Ward has for her Brothers and in turn, shares those things with the reader.   They are all so fundamentally different and you just can’t help falling in love with them, cry for them and your heart bleeds at the sacrifices they have to make for the good of the race.

The females of the series are just as much of a revelation and again so very different from each other.  Each has their own strengths and weaknesses that make them the perfect foil for the jaded and battle-weary Brothers.  Sassy, fierce, loving and brave, each one finds her way into your heart just as easily.

So if you love amazing and emotional stories with flawed yet solid warriors (did I mention they were also hot?) and the females that are more than a match for them then you should read J. R. Ward.  I dare you not to fall in love with them!

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