If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern

Before I get on with the dish, let me just remind you to enter the contest for a chance to win one of two signed copies of CRAZY IN LOVE by Lani Diane Rich. The contest winners will be announced when I post my dish of the book on Friday. So scroll down to the next post to enter or click here. And now without further ado...


IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW by Cecelia Ahern
(BCC)

Everything in Elizabeth Egan's life has its place. Order and precision keep life under control - and keep Elizabeth's heart safe from dwelling on past hurts. Her role as a reluctant mother to her six-year-old nephew leaves little room for error - or any fun. Until the day Ivan comes into their lives. The mysterious Ivan in carefree, spontaneous, and always looking for adventure - all Elizabeth is not. But just when Elizabeth begins to trust him, she learns that Ivan isn't at all who she thought he was.


Playful and at times intensely moving, this is a novel about how seeing isn't always believing. Full of Ceclia Ahern's trademark warmth and poignancy, IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW is a story of enormous heart - and just a little bit of magic.


As far as the BCC goes, I really think it would have been better to cut out the entire last paragraph. That's nice and all that the pubs think this such a wonderful book but I would probably take that last paragraph better had it been a quote of some kind. I don't know, something about that just troubles me.

I debated long and hard about buying this book. I must have picked it up a million times over the course of a few weeks and put it back down. I kept thinking I had read P.S. I LOVE YOU and was disappointed, and didn't want to chance the same author again. I still can't say if I have indeed read the P.S. , but I can say that after reading this one, I will give the author another read.

IYCSMN is the story of Elizabeth Egan, a woman raising her nephew, dealing with an alcoholic sister, a distant father, the memory of a mother that abandoned her, and disappointments in love. Elizabeth needs order in her life. Everything has a place and each place is always cleaned to a shine. Never really getting the chance to be a child herself, Elizabeth is at a loss as how to handle her nephew Luke. So when the day comes that Luke comes home with an imaginary friend Ivan, Elizabeth finds herself irritated and scared. Irritated because she wants to keep Luke's feet planted firmly on the ground and scared because she feels that the imaginary friend may be the first step in Luke becoming like his mother and grandmother.


But, with the appearance of Luke's friend Ivan, strange things start happening in Elizabeth's life as well. Chairs spin of their own accord, noises coming from her couch, and the feeling that she's being watched.


Ivan doesn't understand it. Elizabeth can sense him. He's used to kids seeing him, that's all part of the job. But, adults? That can't be right. And when Elizabeth actually sees Ivan, things become even more confusing. Is he there to be Luke's friend or Elizabeth's.


I've blogged before about my own children and their imaginary friends. How I sometimes wonder if they are indeed real and this book, much like the movie DROP DEAD FRED, just serves to increase that curiosity.


IYCSMN really is a touching story like the BCC suggests. Written mainly in Third, Ahern does give Ivan First POV at times, and it really adds a playful touch. I enjoyed watching Elizabeth learn to laugh and I enjoyed watching the playful Ivan (who loves to speak backwards and every new thing is his favorite) get a dose of growing up as well.


Though the book was a tad hard to get into, with a lot of sitting and thinking info dump at the beginning, I soon found myself turning page after page without any irritation. If you're in need of a fun yet surprisingly touching and insightful book that will leave you at The End with a smile, I definitely recommend picking this one up.


Take Care

Crazy In Love - WIN A SIGNED COPY

Contained in this post you will find two very vital pieces of information. 1. You will lean how Lani Diane Rich is solely responsible for making my mailman crush hard on me. 2. You will learn how you can enter to win a truly wonderful book. So, let me be frank. Surely, you'll let me be frank? (Then you say, "Be Frank if you want, but please stop calling me Shirley." ba-da-boom) you really don't want to skip this post.

It all started when the mailman arrived today, and let me just say, this usually isn't a big event - I mean, basically the mailman (erm, person - sorry mom) brings me bills and on a few occasions a flier or two, so it really isn't a big celebration at my house. But note, I said usually. Today, my mailperson brought a package. Not just any old package either. A package from none other than a dee & Dee dish FAB author, Lani Diane Rich. Inside this package I found TWO signed copies of her new book CRAZY IN LOVE in which you, yes! you my dear Lovelies, will now have the chance to win. I was so excited that I grabbed the mailperson by the face and planted a big ole' kiss on their cheek and danced off, feeling the dazed look of my mailperson on my back the entire time. I imagine that mail time around here is about to get very interesting indeed. A small price to pay, having a mailperson think you're the bestest, to have this book to share you with you. Oh, the things I do for this blog.

And share this book with you is exactly what I plan to do. In fact, Lani has made it possible for me to share this book with two lucky readers! All you need to do is leave a comment on this post that has the recipe for your favorite mixed drink and why it's your favorite. OR, tell us your least favorite mixed drink and why. That simple.

Winners will be announced Friday when I post my dish of CRAZY IN LOVE.

Good Luck and Take Care

Something Wicked by Catherine Mulvany

Couple of things before I dish this here book: 1 - We will be kicking off a contest tomorrow, so please check back to find out how you can win yourself a signed copy of CRAZY IN LOVE the newest book from Lani Diane Rich and 2 - if you enjoy the gushing dishes I do most of the time, this is not the dish for you. It won't be cruel, I just won't be gushing. And now, without further ado...

SOMETHING WICKED by Catherine Mulvany
(BCC)

Investigative reporter Regan Cluny is in hot pursuit of a reclusive philanthropist who is financing a mysterious archaeological dig in the California desert. Attempting to convince Charles Cunningham Nash to grant her an interview has proven impossible long distance, so Regan sets off uninvited for his dig to woo him in person. Instead, she meets with deadly trouble: a biker gang corners her at a remote rest stop, sabotages her car, and leaves her for dead on a country road. Miraculously, Regan survives with only one strange memory of her attack...and the man who comes to her aid is Nash himself. Strongly attracted to her handsome protector, Regan can't know that Nash is a vampire tied to her attackers by a vicious blood feud that dates back to the Civil War - or that he has hungered for the life and soul of a mortal for nearly two centuries. With the local sheriff determined to nail Nash for the violence perpetrated by his dire enemy, Regan must decide whether the dark secrets of a lover she can't live without are something wonderful...or something wicked.

First things first - The BCC. Well, to be honest it's a tad on the melodramatic side of things, and the tone of the BCC suggests the book within is going to be dark and edgy, when in reality - it's just not. But all of that aside, the BCC does sum up a good deal of the story so I'd give it a fair to middlen' rating.

Regan Cluny, as the BCC says, is an investigative reporter, doing stories for major magazines, that go in-depth and route out the truth in sensationalized stories. When she reads a tabloid article about space ships and aliens being found in the desert, and the dig that discovers them is funded by the mega rich and reclusive Charles Nash, something doesn't sound right to Regan so she goes in search of the real story. But, Nash isn't so willing to talk to her, or anyone it seems, and the mystery surrounding the story is just too much for the reporter in Regan to ignore.

So, setting off to the desert to get her story is just what Regan does, if Nash doesn't want to return her calls she'll just have to get her story face to face. But getting there doesn't happen as easily as Regan thought it would, and before she even reaches the dig site she is confronted with a group of scary, nasty bikers. When one of the bikers, Harper the leader, mistakes her for a woman names Katie and freaks Regan out, she fights back and finds herself getting away. But her get-a-way is short lived, the bikers catch up to Regan and after brutalizing her, leave her for dead in the desert.

As it turns out, Harper and Nash have a very long history. A history that dates back to the Civil War, when both Harper and Nash became vampires and fell in love with the same woman - Katie. But where Harper has reveled in the blood lust that is vampirism, Nash has despised it, and that's why his dig is so important. Nash believes that an old stream is hidden in the desert that can heal any sickness and he's banking on finding it so that he can live a normal life. Regan Cluny showing up is not what Nash had planned on and he is less than thrilled to have her around, even if the attraction and sexual energy they both feel is enormous. Because Nash falling in love is the last thing he wants, especially since Harper has made it his life long goal to destroy everyone and everything that Nash has ever cared about.

But Regan isn't going anywhere until she gets her story, and now finding the spring has become even more important, and time is of the essence, because both Nash and Harper see a resemblance to Katie (one no one else can see), and Harper has finally discovered that by using Regan, he may actually be able to kill Nash, something he has never been able to do, since Katie cast a spell upon her death that protects them both from killing one another.

Normally, a book that sounds like the one of above is one that I would love. Unfortunately, WICKED was a huge disappointment to me. I've mentioned before that one of my most favorite things about paranormals that include vampires is the unique way in which authors come up with the origins. And I have to say, that the explanation for the existence of vampires in this one just fell short for me, and unfortunately that is the first of many things that bothered me about the book.

The characters had no real substance to them, and the dialogue seemed forced. Regan Cluny seemed shallow and while the book tells us that she is really a strong woman, her actions and thoughts say different. Regan's also suffering from a disease, and the way it is brought to light was through some of the aforementioned forced dialogue. There were several threads in the story, but instead of being tightly woven, they were left loose and brought together in a very sloppy knot at the end.

I'll be honest here though and say that I have had a run of bad luck with PR lately. I have a couple of books to dish, but I have yet to be able to do that because I was so angry with them that it will be hard for me to do it in a fair way. So, perhaps I went into this with an expectation of being disappointed. Paranormal Romance has been such a big genre lately, and so many, many books are flying off the shelves simply because they have that label, that I'm starting to feel too many authors are simply writing to the current market, instead of writing the best story they can. This could very well be my problem and not the books at all. I just don't know.

What are your feelings toward some of the paranormals that have been hitting shelves? Is it getting to be too many? Is the genre suffering from a case of overplayed like songs on the radio? Have you read this one? What did you think?

Take Care



Nash

Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker

I love YA books. And yes, before you say it, I do love all books, BUT, YA books hold a special place in my heart. We all remember that one book, the one that catapulted us into the realm of reading or cemented the "I Am A Read-a-holic" button on our shirts and more often than not it is a book we read in our younger days. THAT is why I love YA. I'm especially digging what YA authors like, Carridad Ferrer, MaryJanice Davidson & Anthony Alongi, Ann Brashares, Serena Robar, Richelle Mead, and my newest find Melissa Walker are doing for the genre - writing books that span the age barrier. In a nutshell, these authors (and many more) are to books what Shania Twain was to county music. And it is with great pleasure that I get to tell you about another such book today, so without further ado...

VIOLET ON THE RUNWAY by Melissa Walker
(BCC)

ON THE DAY MY LIFE CHANGED,

THE LADY IN GIANT CHANEL SHADES

STARED ME UP AND DOWN...

"Gorgeous, I've got fall castings coming up and I think you could IT. And I mean IT. Are you busy next weekend? I can have you on a flight to New York Friday night. If it's up to me, I'd say you're the next Kate Moss - but, you know, taller and without the PR problems...I hope!" Then she threw her perfectly highlighted hair back and laughed, which gave me a good look at her straight, white veneers.

So that's how I happen to have this business card in the front pockets of my jeans as I start my senior year of high school. The card of Angela Blythe from Tryst Models in New York City, who wants to put me on a plane this weekend and whisk me into her world of high-heeled boots and oversized sunglasses. Me, Violet Greenfield, who's been P-L-A-I-N practically forever.

And you wanna know a secret? I'm going...

It's a YA BCC, so you know what I'm gonna say already. This one especially hits the nail on the head seeing as they took it right out of the book itself, and I think I actually prefer that. I realize that that would be impossible with a lot of books, but I think whenever appropriate, editors need to take note of this.

Violet Greenfield starts her senior year with the promise that she could actually be going to New York to become a model. Being tall all her life has been some what of a cross to bear for her, in grade school they called her Jolly Green Giant, and that was about as far as most people came to even knowing who she was. It may be hard to be invisible when you're over six feet at seventeen but Violet has spent most of her life perfecting the ability to be just that.

And then one day while at work, Angela Blythe spots Violet, "This woman was, like, unabashedly staring at my awkwardness..." and offers her the opportunity of a lifetime - the chance to be a model, to be seen as something other than average, over-tall, shy Violet and it is just too alluring to give up. Written in First Person, Violet takes us through her foray into the modeling world. Filled with jealous best friends, cutthroat models, playboy partiers, and adoring fans, Violet learns that sometimes the most glamorous things in our lives are the ones we've always taken for granted.

The cast of characters that make up Violet's life are so very endearing. There are her parents, her pot smoking aunt, Julie and Roger her two best friends, a nutcase manager, and some nice, some not so nice models.

Walker managed to meld humor, a touch of Romance, and a heavy dollop of teenage angst into an endearing, cannot put down book that will have readers clamoring for more. I can tell you, I've already read it three times, and will do so again, I'm sure. This is a book for every teen aged girl that dreams big but feels small. This is a book for every woman who looks back and remembers how it felt to be seventeen and awkward. This is a book that needs to be on everyone's shelf.

If I had any complaints about VotR, it is only the pathetic little excerpt in the back of the book for the next installment of Violet's life. Come on. Can we say tease much? So what are you waiting for? Go. Get. This. Book. Now!

Take Care

Because We Love Lani Diane Rich

And because she has a new book coming out on October 1st, and becuase I love Lani's books, and because she is having a contest to win a free copy, and because I LOVE FREE BOOKS - I'm entering the contest. So, gear up Lovelies, because the FAB Lani Diane Rich is getting ready to rock our worlds with yet another wonderful book.

Crazy In Love by Lani Diane Rich

She’s on the rocks.

Flynn Daly needs a drink. Under the crush of family guilt, she’s agreed to move out of her dangerous South Boston neighborhood and join the family business. Her first assignment: running the inn left by a deceased aunt Flynn’s never even heard of. The problem? It’s in the middle of the country where there’s nature and bugs and no public transport; her dead aunt is haunting her dreams; and the hotel’s bartender is making her lose her mind… in more ways than one.

Make it a double.

When bartender Jake Tucker’s beloved boss meets an untimely end, he intends to find out who’s behind it. If cozying up to the eccentric niece gets him the information he needs, so be it. But once he gets close to that wild hair and captivating smile, he decides that some things are more fun with a partner… even if she sees dead people. After all, for a woman like Flynn, he’d be nuts not to go for it.

Crazy In Love: Last call on sanity.

I think the books sounds FAB, and even if I don't win the copy, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll have it in my hot little hands as soon as possible.

Take Care

The Eternal Rose by Gail Dayton

Last week was, for the most part, not a good week. However, dee and I were pumped to get one piece of most excellent news, and that is Dee & dee will be quoted in Kristan Higgins next book, CATCH OF THE DAY. If you'll remember I picked Higgins' debut novel FOOLS RUSH IN as my Best Book of 2006. I have lost count of how many copies of FRI I have actually purchased and sent to people, and how many people I've recommended the book to that I saw buy it. It's that good. So, to be quoted in the next book from such a talented author is just...well, it's just too darn cool. And finally, before I get started, Sewicked, I still have not heard from you with your address for the contest win. Please e-mail me your addy so that I may get that to Michele. If I don't hear from you by weeks end I'll have to pick a new name. And now, without further ado...

THE ETERNAL ROSE by Gail Dayton
(BCC)

Six years ago, the demons behind the rebellion in Adara were defeated, and Kallista Varyl was named the new Renine. Now, finally, word has come that her abducted family members might be found in the homeland her mate Obed abandoned. She packs up the family for a state visit, but disaster strikes: One of the godmarked is murdered, leaving Kallista devastated. But there are children to rescue, slaves to free, and the wicked working of demons to set aright. A ninth godmarked must be found to make the magic whole - but Kallista will need more than magic to heal her this time.

This is the final book of The Compass Rose Trilogy, so when I sat down to read it, I was nervous that I would be lost (as I had not read the other two books). Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised that that was not the case. In fact, Dayton's writing is so solid that I fell immediately into the story and lost myself in the world.

It was another pleasant surprise to find that the fact I read the BCC and the publishers literature that accompanied the book did not take away from the story in any fashion. The BCC is spot on and not at all misleading and for the first time in a long time I promptly forgot it while I read.

Kallista Varyl is the Reinin, Ruler of all Adara and she is also Chosen by the One, Godstruck. With her nine godmarked, all members of her ilian, she rules the country by day and searches for demons at night. Unfortunately, since peace has been the order of the day for so long, Kallista has let her magical muscles relax, so that when trouble comes calling, Kallista is not expecting it.

When a demon escaped them last, he rode out of town in the body of one of their ilian, and she was pregnant with child. Now, it appears, the demon is ready to toy with them again. Just after death spells are found in the palace, a messenger arrives from Obed's homeland, and brings a picture of a boy who could only be the child of their lost family member.

Kallista, the rest of her ilian, all of their children, and several guards set off to make the long and dangerous trip to Daryath. A place where ilian are unacceptable, and the offense of belonging to such a family is an offense that could be punishable by death. Once there, they find the town riddled with demon stink, and know that first and foremost they want to rescue their missing family, but then they will have to do battle with the demons.

But, the demons aren't quite that easy to find, and when negotiations for the child and mother end in murder, Kallista and her ilian find themselves one ilian and godmarked short, and with his loss comes the lessening of their magic and without a ninth godmarked they stand no chance against the very old, very evil demon that is polluting the city with hate.

The Eternal Rose is a fast-paced page turner, and I found it almost impossible to turn away from Kallista and the rest, as they try to free their lost son who has been serving as a slave, in a court that bring an entire new meaning to the term "custody battle", fight demons, try to free slaves, protect their children, and try to deal with the loss of a very beloved ilian.

There was only one thing that made me stop and say "hmmmm" in the entire book, and that had to do with a very, awwww, steamy part that left me scratching my head at the impossibility of the act. Other than that, Kallista and her family touched me deep with the amount of love they held for one another. I felt as if I knew these people, and I, for one, very much enjoyed my time spent in their world.

If you are an inspiring Fantasy writer, The Eternal Rose, is a must read. Dayton is a master at world building and she does it without ever breaking pace. She managed create a world so very different from our own, but also make the people in it so real. Or if you are just a reader looking for a great book to take you away for a while, this book is for you. I'm going to have to order the first two books in the trilogy now, as I did not want to leave Kallista and the Adarans behind and I'm willing to bet you'll find yourself doing the same!

Take Care

AGNES AND THE HITMAN, by Crusie/Mayer CONTEST WINNER

A few of you really wanted this book. Your blog posts were beautiful. If I could, I would send signed copies to every single one of you. Alas, my budget does not allow such things, so only one of you gets the prize. And the oldest girl child has chosen.

The winner of the signed copy of AGNES AND THE HITMAN by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer is.....


BRANDY !!!


I'll be having coffee with Jenny and Bob on the morrow. Just a few hours away. I can hardly stand it! I'll have them sign a book just for you, Brandy. When you see this announcement, you need to:

1) Stop Squealing!
2) Send me your address. (deeanddeedish at sbcglobal dot net)
3) Get ready for a FANTASTIC read!!


Congrats, Brandy. Thanks to everyone else for playing "Blog This Book" with me!

Keep Turning Those Pages!

FAB Winners Announced

The FABulous Michele Bardsley has now met her deadline for the next installment of the Broken Hearts Vampires, BECAUSE YOUR VAMPIRE SAID SO and is hard at work on the forth book WAIT 'TIL YOUR VAMPIRE GETS HOME and since I am such a slave driver, she is also working on the interview questions I sent to her (yes, I had a lot of questions!). In the meantime, Michele e-mailed me and said go ahead and announce the winner, but I want to give THREE signed copies away.

So, THANK YOU to all of you for your patience, and keep checking back for the interview. And a big CONGRATS to our three winners:

Karen

Lori Chapman

Sewicked

If you three will please send an e-mail to dee and dee dish @ sbcglobal.net (minus the spaces) I will forward those on to Michele and she'll get the books out to you!

Miss Beautiful started kindergarten today, and while I cry my eyes out today, I will also be planning the list of books to dish in the coming days!

Take Care

AGNES AND THE HITMAN, by Crusie/Mayer

Raise your hand if you're actually surprised that I'm reviewing this book the very day after it was released. Hmmm. No hands. You guys know me pretty well. :)

I've been waiting for this one for a while, just like many of you. I've got friends the world over (Quite literally. No, I'm not bragging, settle down over there. Yes, I mean you!) that have followed this book since before it was born. We've waited for it, and hoped for it, salivated for crumbs from it, celebrated over outtakes, even basked in the glow of drippings from it as very special holiday gifts. Some of us have met the authors and will be seeing them next week. (Yes, I KNOW it's ONE WEEK from tomorrow. I can't wait either!) And finally, finally, at a little after nine last night, my oldest girl child snuck into the Borders with me and helped me get my hands on my very own copy - soon to be one of YOUR very own signed copy.

Have you ever arranged your very hectic life around a book? Some of you are shaking your head in the affirmative, I can feel it. I did that with this book. My life has gone haywire this past six weeks, with friends passing away and friends giving birth and friends losing lots and gaining lots and me taking on a new more-than-full-time job and renters from hell and fighting spouses and so much more, and my only slice of sanity has been the thought of the new Crusie/Mayer book and my imminent departure to Ohio, of all places. It makes me laugh to think that I'm looking forward to Ohio, but you'd have to really know me, or read my personal blog often, to know why that's such a big deal. Knowing that (1)Agnes and the Hitman, the new (2)Romantic Adventure with the beautiful (3)Ta-Da! cover, by (4) Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer was finally going to be (5)on shelves August 21 (see, I got FIVE talking points in!) had me willingly working nine days straight, so I could have today all to myself, to be shared with only Agnes and Shane, Lisa Livia, Carpenter, Joey, Brenda, Maria, Palmer, Wilson, and, obviously, with Princess.

Of course, all good plans can go awry, as I learned early this morning. I sat on my front porch, book in hand, trying to read. I read the same sentence four times, not getting a word of it, while child number four yelled and child number six squealed, and dogs barked and horses whinnied and the goat made a racket almost as loud as a flamingo. I finally got through the sentence and just busted up laughing... It was hard concentrating with all the distractions... (AATHM, page 76). Truer words were never spoken.

Take one food writer named Cranky Agnes, add a hitman named Shane, mix them together with a Southern mob wedding, a missing necklace, two annoyed flamingos, and a dog named Rhett, and you've got a recipe for a sexy, hilarious novel about the disastrous side of true love...


Agnes Crandall's life goes awry when a dognapper invades her kitchen one night, seriously hampering her attempts to put on a wedding that she's staked her entire net worth on. Then a hero climbs through her bedroom window. His name is Shane - no last name, just Shane- and he has his own problems: He's got a big hit scheduled, a rival trying to take him out, and an ex-mobster uncle asking him to protect some little kid named Agnes. When he finds out that Agnes isn't so little, that his uncle has forgotten to mention a missing five million bucks he might have lost in Agnes's house, and that his last hit was a miss, Shane's life isn't looking so good , either. Then a bunch of lowlifes come looking for the money, a string of hitmen show up for Agnes, and some wedding guests gather with the intent to throw more than rice. Agnes and Shane have their hands full with greed, florists, treachery, flamingos, mayhem, mothers of the bride, and - most dangerous of all - each other.

Sounds good, eh? Well, duh! It's a Crusie/Mayer. Of course it's good. And I don't want to hear a single word about how it isn't really a Crusie, because of this or that. I'm telling you, it's a Crusie. A Crusie on speed maybe. A Crusie that has embraced the dark side of the soul for sure. But a Crusie nonetheless. It's got a lot of Mayer in there too, naturally. But a softer, gentler Mayer. Humor. Har. Indeed. Yes, it is fast paced. Yes, Agnes and Shane have a limited amount of time to finish off a To-Do list that includes finding a hitman, renovating a house, solving a twenty-five year old murder, staging a huge Mob wedding, and figuring out what love is really about. Less than a week to accomplish some pretty big things. Of course, their nights are pretty free. Or not. Depending on how you define "free". I define "free" as less distractions, enabling them to concentrate on the more important things in life. You'll probably agree, regardless of how long they may have technically known each other. That's not a criticism. The short timeline really works for me with Agnes and Shane. Really, really works.

Major differences between Agnes and the Hitman and the previous Crusie/Mayer collaboration, Don't Look Down? The body count is up, the laugh count is higher, and the food? Oh Lord, I would just about roll over on a Don for one plate of food from the kitchen at Two Rivers. There's trust and jealousy, revenge and redemption, loyalty and betrayal, flamingos and alligators, and cold-blooded murder to go with sex as hot as raspberries simmering in sugar in a heavy nonstick frying pan. Do you really want anything else when you open the pages of a book?

So take a hint from Agnes. Eat. As in - gobble up this book. Whatever. Just go out and grab this one as soon as you can.

Thank you, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer, for bringing fun and laughter and love back into my life, when I needed it the most. It's been a long, hot summer, and this book arrived just in time.

Now be quiet out there. I've got a book to re-read.

Keep Turning Those Pages!

PS- Want the book? Blog for it! Copy/paste the cover .jpg and the highlighted Cover Copy onto your own blog, and link back here, or post me a comment. I'll list your blogs over on our sidebar. Next Wednesday, the night before I head out to Ohio, I'll have the oldest girl child pick a winner. You'll get my (slightly read) copy of AATHM. To make up for it being slightly read, I'll ask Jenny and Bob to sign it, just for YOU, when I see them on Thursday. NOW BLOG THIS BOOK ALREADY!

Dish With Paula Guran Editor for Juno Books

I've been thinking for quite some time that I would like to start doing interviews with various people in the publishing world. dee and I already do interviews with authors, but I wanted to take a look at the other aspects of getting books out there as well. Since we at dee & Dee are big advocates of new authors, I thought it fitting to do an interview with a new imprint. So, I e-mailed Juno Editor Paula Guran to get the dish on starting up a new imprint, challenges that may have been faced in doing so, and what they look for when considering a book for publication. So read on for my dish with Paula Guran.

Chari-Dee: Could you tell us a little about Juno Books?

Paula Guran: Juno Books, although very new and still evolving, publishes fantasy
fiction featuring strong female protagonists. We've published thirteen books in the last nine months, all in trade paperback format. We are now moving into a mass market paperback format.

CD: JUNO hit the shelves in November of 2006 as an imprint of Prime Books/Wildside Press, why did they decide to launch such an imprint?

PG: Prime/Wildside had signed up with Diamond Book Distribution to nationally distribute their books. Wildside does mostly classic reprints; they also do a line of SF mass market paperbacks for Dorchester. Prime is critically well regarded for literary fantasy. There was also an imprint then, PointBlank, that did a few crime novels.

In discussion of what they might consider doing as far as books (other than what they were doing) with commercial appeal, the idea of "paranormal romance" came up. I wouldn't say anyone discussing it at that point really had any idea of what "paranormal romance" meant, but they knew it was popular. So, I don't think they really meant Juno Books to be what it is now, but they also didn't mean for it to be what they thought they were saying it was at the beginning.

CD: As the editor for Juno, could you tell us a bit of what your job entails?

PG: I read submissions, acquire books, and edit the books. I sometimes work with an author a little bit more than just "editing." I work with the cover artist to come up with art and with the cover designer. I write cover copy and other marketing copy for catalogs and the like. That is pretty much a normal editorial workload. Beyond that, I also do the Web site, newsletter, and some other promotional work. I do a little more with contracts than most editors. And I do some of the typesetting for
Juno Books titles.

CD: Were you already working for Wildside when they decided to start the
imprint?

PG: No. They decided to do the BEST NEW PARANORMAL ROMANCE anthology early on and were contracting me to edit it. I was informally giving Sean Wallace a few ideas and trying to explain a little about paranormals.

This was around late March/early April 2006. They wanted to launch right away starting that fall. At that point they had acquired only three or four books. Then I suggested Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's A MORTAL GLAMOUR and, since Quinn is a friend of mine, helped set the deal up. I also suggested Sean look at Lorelei Shannon's RAGS AND OLD IRON. (Turned out Wildside had already done a hardcover of it.)

When it became obvious they needed someone to do the line they still weren't ready to commit to hiring anyone full time person. They hired me then on a per book basis. I would acquire books for them and oversee editing for a ridiculously low fee. That was something of a stopgap measure until I went full time on January 1 this year.

CD: What (if any) have been some of the challenges you have faced in
finding new authors and spreading the word?

PG: We've been fairly lucky in finding authors because we wanted a variety of titles and wanted books that weren't necessarily what the bigger publishers wanted. We also picked up some books to reprint from the 1980s that had been overlooked for the most part when first published. I called on writers I knew, as had Sean.

Then there's the writer-to-writer network. We've really benefited there. Catie Murphy, for example, spoke to me at a convention and then told Gail Dayton about us. Lillian Stewart had been published by Wildside and after I spoke to her, she mentioned us to Carol Nelson Douglas and
Sylvia Kelso...etc.

CD: Were there any surprises you encountered when starting the project?

PG: There are *so* many things I wish had been done differently at the beginning. Starting at least a year in advance to develop and research a line would have saved us from at least a few surprises that could have been avoided. Overall we were too wildly optimistic about a great deal including our ability to literally make that many books. It was a surprise to discover we were human and there are only so many hours in a day you can stay awake and work.

We've learned a great deal in the last year, so that may be another surprise -- how much we still had (and probably yet have) to learn.

One very nice surprise was the "Juno team." Stephen Segal, initially hired to manage Wildside's magazines, became Juno's cover designer. Sean Wallace, handles the production and business end of Juno. They are both in Maryland. I'm in Ohio, but we work very well together as a team. Tim Lantz, our cover artist is another integral part of the effort.

CD: What specifically are you looking for when you consider a book for
publishing?

PG: Well, a guarantee it would sell a gajillion copies would be good. :-)
Otherwise...

The givens are great characters, solid writing and plot, good dialogue,etc., but I think you probably want to know something more specific as to what I, personally, look for. One thing I look for is what makes the book distinct. What sets it apart from other books? What does the book offer a potential reader can't find elsewhere? Another important factor is plausibility: the fantasy world the author has created has to have internal integrity.

As for what *type* of book --

In the beginning here was no focus on what constituted "a Juno Books book," so I took my cue from what they had already acquired -- a variety of fantasy with strong female protagonists -- and went from there. Juno was afforded the luxury of experimentation.

We have a much better idea of what we want now, but I still don't want to slam the door on anything. SF, for example, is not high on my "most desired" list simply because it is not selling well right now, but I don't want to say "no SF" because there may well be something very special along those lines I'd be losing out on if I did.

Similarly, I am looking for more contemporary fantasy with kickassitude heroines, but I hate to stress that because folks may then think that is *all* I am looking for.

Past that . . . One practical issue: I took on a lot of unwritten or incomplete novels for the first year. It was the only way to get as many books as they wanted. Right now, I want completed or near-complete novels if at all possible. So, keep that in mind.

CD: Anything special an author should do when submitting to you?

PG: Read the guidelines. Sounds simple, but too many people don't -- or at least they don't follow them. Some other practical tips:
1) Make sure your name and eddress are on whatever documents you have
attached.
2) I like to know something about you as an author, but please don't
send me a lengthy biography or vitae.
3) Be patient. I am the only person reading and I do read everything,
so you may have to wait three months for a reply.
4) Please don't argue with me. If I happen to mention some reasons I
don't feel the ms. is suitable when I reply, please don't write me and
tell me I am wrong and that I should see such-and-such angle differently.
I may very well be wrong. Allow me to be so.

CD: Can you tell us a little about future books that will be
coming out from Juno soon? Any that you are really excited about?

PG: I'm excited about all of them! In trade paperback, you'll soon be seeing WIND FOLLOWER by Carole McDonnell and Gail Dayton's THE ETERNAL ROSE.
This is Carole's first novel and it is unique in many ways, it is a
fantasy that considers race, class, religious, and cultural divisions.
Carole considers it a Christian fantasy, but both of us are afraid to
call it that because it is *nothing* like what people usually consider
Christian fiction.

Gail's book is the final book in a trilogy. The first two volumes
gained many fans when they were published by Luna, but they dropped the
third book. We were thrilled to "save" it. Fans of the first two volumes
will be more than satisfied; new readers will be astounded.

Our first mass market is BLOOD MAGIC by Matt Cook (see, we DO publish
guys). It is written in first person with chapters alternating between
the "now" in and the past providing the back story. The heroine is an
anti-heroine in some respects -- she possesses a dark form of magic she
doesn't completely understand herself. After her twin sister is murdered
she uses that magic to avenge her death and flee. We know from the
first page she's a warrior involved in a bloody war against an inhuman foe
and as that plotline develops we learn simultaneously how she gained
her skills and evolved from a protected, well-bred girl to an
extraordinary women. There's no "romantic" element in the traditional sense, but
a relationship with a fellow soldier and a relationship she develops
with another woman is part of the story.

DANCING WITH WEREWOLVES: What happens when an intelligent veteran
author with a crackerjack sense of humor and a notable talent for mystery
asks herself, "Hmmm. What is it that make these paranormals tick?" Carole
Nelson Douglas figured it out and let her imagination go wild. There
are four or five themes going on here that might each have been
satisfactorily developed as a novel. Carole delivers it all and then some. Her
heroine Delilah Street is addictive. I honestly think this series could
be a best-seller, but we need people -- readers, booksellers, reviewers -- to spread the word.

With AMBERLIGHT by Sylvia Kelso, we have a fight on our hands. This
is a beautifully written feminist fantasy set in a fabulous city with
an unusual matriarchal society built around the women's control of a
unique mineral called qherrique. But one of our major retail channels
has decided, after reading a sample, not to stock the book. We don't
know why. The literary style -- which I find to be quite accessible
although it is a bit more challenging than, say, JK Rowling -- might
not have set well. The feminist aspect might have been problematical
but, again, we don't know if that is true.

Quite bluntly: not every book suits every taste and this is not
particularly a book meant for the average genre fan. It might even
make some males rather uncomfortable. This is a book that deserves to
be published and allowed to find its own audience. We want to publish
it in mass market format because more people will take a chance on a
book costing $6.99. So we are doing some unusual things in order to
get attention. We haven't the money to do a huge campaign, but we
have a firm belief in the book and a willingness to try our damnedest
on its behalf.


We also have some exciting debut novelists being published in early
2008 and I could catch you up on books we've already published...I really
could go on forever...

CD: Any last thoughts on your work so far for Juno?

PG: It's been very satisfying working with Juno Books on a very personal
level as well as professionally. I've been hired to do what I've
discovered I'm good at doing -- or at least I've confirmed to myself I can do
it. It's as if much of what I've been doing the last thirteen years --
and I've done a variety of publishing-related jobs both paid and unpaid
-- has value and meaning. (And that's not something I have always felt
was true.) Plus, I'm mature enough to know that you always have to
learn more. At this point in my life all that is particularly important.
Not everything we hoped would happen so far with Juno Books has happened,
but Juno has a huge potential; I hope I'll be able to help achieve at
least part of it.

I want to thank Paula for taking the time to answer my questions. If you have any you would like answered, feel free to post them here or visit the Juno Editor Blog.

Take Care