Contest & Review: Jane Slayre

Jane Slayre
Authors:

Sherri Browning Erwin
Charlotte Bronte
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Gallery

First, let's start off with a confession. I do not generally like literature from the 1800's. I know this will shock many of you, but I wanted you to know before I review Jane Slayre. Many of the reviews out there will be from fans of the original book that may have read it over many times. They love the characters and go into it with an eye towards what was changed. Not me. I opened the cover and thought "This should be interesting." It's my first literary mash-up as books such as Jane Slayre are being called. I had no idea what to expect.

Things started out a little slow, but I think it was just me adjusting to the style of the writing. I was surprised that it was written in a first person POV. I've heard so many negative things about books written in the first person, but I thought it worked well and made the story more personable. I was stunned to find that Jane was only 9 years old at the start of the book, living in a house of vampires, except for the servants. All I could think of was "Run, Jane, Run!".

The story moved from that house of horrors to a new one where Jane discovers a group of Zombie children, but also makes a friend and ally in one of the teachers. I rarely have nightmares, but I'll admit this part was creepy enough that I had one the night I read it. I thought Ms. Erwin did a wonderful job of working the paranormal and horror aspects into the story. The style of writing flowed smoothly, and I never had a feeling of something new being mixed with the old. It was rather obvious to me that she loved the original book, and was very careful in merging her ideas with Charlotte Bronte's.

Jane Slayre has a very clear cut sense of what is wrong and what is right. Vampyres are evil. Though they may come to regret their choices, they will never be redeemed except by death. The descriptions of the monsters and their mischief were eerie and horrible, as they were meant to be. There was no softening of the details.

I also learned to appreciate the humor of Charlotte Bronte and Ms. Erwin. It's not a snarky, in your face wit, but is instead subtle. It made me smile more than once throughout the book, as I'm sure it was meant to. I loved this statement from Jane:

"It happens when one stakes them too. Poof! They turn to dust. It's fascinating, really. Even a little pretty in the moonlight."

This happens later in the book, as Jane slays a vampire lurking behind her and Mr. Rochester:

"Fortunately I had sharpened that stake just this morning and my aim was true as my love for Mr. Rochester, for I would not have had a second chance."

Jane does not brag of her slayer accomplishments nor does she whine about having to resort to violence. She goes about sharpening stakes and hiding daggers as if it's as normal as needlepoint.

I really like Jane Slayre and hope many of you will give it a chance, whether you are a fan of Charlotte Bronte, literary mash-ups or not. The book was obviously written with care and much thought on the part of both authors. Then there is the ending. The. Best. Ever.

Learn more about Sherri Browning Erwin:
Visit the author's website
Follow Sherri on Twitter
Visit Jane's Publisher Page which includes a reading!

THE CONTEST

The publisher has graciously allowed us to give away one copy of Jane Slayre! As usual, I ask a question, and you leave me some wit or wisdom in the comments.

Have you read any literary mash-ups yet? Is there a classic book you think would make a cool paranormal mash-up like Jane Slayre?

Leave a comment as an entry to the contest, which will end on April 30th, 2010 and I'll use the random number generator to pick a winner and post the results on May 1st. If your email is not associated with your profile then please leave it with your comment, so I can reach you.

~Moonsanity

Review: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever
The Fever Series
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Kindle Edition
Print Length: 382 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Summary: As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands. . . .

I have been getting recommendations from friends and fellow book bloggers to read Darkfever for almost a year, and I finally decided to pick it up on my Kindle. I started reading it one night on a whim, and I could not put it down. I kid you not. I was surprised at how laid back, and personable the author comes across writing in the first person POV. I loved the main character, MacKayla, because she was so normal. She travels to Ireland to find out more about her sister's death. She's stressed and frightened, yet determined. She doesn't gain martial arts skills overnight. She is bright, and perky and she lives in Denial Land, a place I am well acquainted with. It's a place normal people go to when they can't believe things have become so chaotic and out of control.

Darkfever was a surprise for me in many ways. Though there are scenes of sexual "magic", there isn't actual sex. The cover gave me the impression of an erotic romance. I'm not complaining because Jericho, the other main character, is dark, brooding and challenging to Mac at every turn. Attraction is there, but trust isn't. It makes for a fun read as they bantered. The build up can be just as good as the couple finally giving in to each other.

The fae Mac runs into at every turn are deadly, mysterious and can't be trusted. Some are gruesome, some are beautiful, but all are dangerous. It will be fascinating to discover more of their factions in the next book.

Darkfever takes place in modern day Ireland, which is fascinating to me. I love all things Celtic, and have always dreamed of visiting Ireland. Though Mac is visiting under stressful circumstances she also appreciates the beauty of Ireland that her sister must have seen before she died.

I thought Ms. Moning's writing was similar to Kim Harrison's where she uses humor and snark, even in dark situations. There are four books in the series, and a fifth coming out in December of 2010.

The Fever Series
1. Darkfever (2006)
2. Bloodfever (2007)
3. Faefever (2008)
4. Dreamfever (2009)
5. Shadowfever (2010)

~Moonsanity

Smashing Pumpkins Do Steampunk

My son, Pseudo Emo Teen, insisted I share this Smashing Pumpkins video because of it's steampunk elements. So, in honor of The Book Smugglers' Steampunk Week I give you Tonight, Tonight:




Visit Book Smugglers this week here. Steampunk goodness for all:)

~Moonsanity

YA Week Winners!

Last week was SO much fun! I just picked the two YA Week winners. We had 55 comments overall. I wrote them out and assigned them a number in the order. The first winner receives these YA Books:

Bite Me! by Melissa Francis
Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz
Evernight by Claudia Gray
Poison Ink by Christopher Golden
Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Number 39 is the winner picked by the random number generator...which is Melissa from My World ... in Words and Pages! Congrats Melissa:) You can visit Melissa here: http://melissa-melsworld.blogspot.com/


Our second winner will receive:

Cart and Cwidder by Diana Wynne Jones (Book 1)
Drowned Ammet by Diana Wynne Jones (Book 2)
Daughter of the Sea by Berlie Doherty

The number chosen was 28, which belongs to Emma! She doesn't have a blog, but stopped by to comment during YA Week to comment.

I've emailed the winners, and will ship their books out later this week.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, contributed and commented last week. I had a blast and will do this again:)

~Moonsanity

More Authors on Writing Young Adult Books

Georgia McBride is a young adult author, a mom, and founder of #YAlitchat on Twitter. She has written Praefatio, a YA urban fantasy series. Learn more about her on her blog. I follow her on Twitter, and on the blog, so I asked her about writing YA books.

Why did I choose to write YA?

I didn’t. YA chose me. Every single character that has every come to me with a story to tell has been a teen.

Are you more careful as far as sex, violence etc. because it is a YA book?

I am mindful that I am writing YA and I think about what I would want my daughter to read (she is now 6) or not. But I’m careful to stay true to my characters regardless. My characters are emotional, vulnerable, sensual, human beings--well not all of them are human. But, I can't censor them in one area and expect them to be fully realized in another. It simply wouldn’t work.

SANDRA COX
Sandra Cox is the author of Vampire Island and Grounded, both YA paranormal novels. I asked her about writing YA novels:

As to why I decided to write a YA series and why it appeals to me: Basically, because its fun:) I love writing YA/YAH (young at heart). Its like writing anything else, except your heroine is younger and the energy level is higher.

Visit Sandra here.

LINDA PALMER

Linda Palmer currently writes YA paranormal romances including her series, Wolf of My Heart. She gave me some insight into why she decided to start writing for teens. You can visit Linda and get more information on her books here.

I wrote category print books (specifically Silhouettes) for 10 years, 21 books in all. The reason these books are called "category" is because they fulfill specific reader expectations. So I wrote cowboys, brides, grooms, wedding and babies until I coudn't write one single more, much less read one. I burned out totally. In search of something else to read, I stumbled across Meg Cabot's paranormal teen series, 1-800-Where-R-You? and The Mediator (the basis for Ghost Whisperer). These reads were so refreshing after the rut I'd been stuck in that I actually wanted to write again. So I made a list of everything in them I loved: feisty heroine, inappropriate boyfriend (ghost or on probation for some crime), messy family (bipolar illness, step-siblings, half-siblings, divorced parents, etc.), a hint of mystery and a paranormal aspect. Based on my list, I began writing exactly what I wanted to read.

As for the YA aspect, Jacob Black says it best in New Moon: "Age is just a number, baby." Twilight is a YA book, and what 9 to 99 year old female (or male) can resist reading it? The same goes for Harry Potter. I like YAs because I don't have to deal with adult issues such as past marriages, children (either the hero's or heroine's), or sex. Instead, I can write a book that's young in tone, but has an "adultness" (according to one of my editors) that makes it ageless. I still deal with life issues, of course, sex included, but with a younger approach. The YA market is growing in leaps and bounds thanks to some saavy writers. I'm glad to have gotten in on the ground floor of YA e-publishing.

Thanks to all of the authors that shared their opinions and experiences with me during YA Week! ~Moonsanity

Why Write for Middle School Age Readers?

Bonnie J. Doerr has taught students from kindergarten to college in eight states. Her degrees in reading education, combined with a brief post as a science teacher, led her to write ecological mysteries. I asked her about writing YA books:

Why did you decide to write a YA series?

Let me begin by saying my books are for the younger teens. So my series is more tween than what readers usually think of as YA.

I didn't start out to pen a series. But the characters got so involved in their environmental passion that they wouldn't quit after one success story. When they saw injustice they simply had to do something about it. I must admit, it was also a great excuse for Angelo and Kenzie to spend time together. Alone. In remote areas. In the sun, sand, and water.

Why do you write for this age group? Do you have a certain mindset when writing for teens?

Well, first, this is the age (middle-schoolish) when kids often lose interest in reading. Let's face it. There's a great deal of competition for kids time and energy out there.So I wanted to write fast-paced, fun reads that could hold their attention and that might actually get into their hands via the gatekeepers. By this I mean, most books for middle schoolers are still being vetted by adults: teachers, parents, mentors, etc. So, I write about topics and an area I feel passionate about--ecology, nature, and the Florida Keys. And I know that there's nothing objectionable about those topics. They're even educational subjects. Yet, I hope when my books are read, the fact that learning is taking place is secondary to readers losing themselves in the story.

And no, I don't have a different mindset when I write. I deeply care about my topics, and I research them carefully through travel and personal experience. My writing actually allows me to further pursue lifelong goals and enrich my life.

Bonnie's book Island Sting is out now, and her next book Stakeout will be published in January 2011. You can visit Bonnie at her website here.

Dana Davis Talks YA vs. Adult Fiction

Dana Davis is a four time award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. She writes both for adults and young adults. I asked her why, and what she feels the difference is when writing for teens. You can see all of Dana's books here.

Why did you decide to write Young Adult books?

Actually, I began writing science fiction and fantasy for young adults because I wanted to have girls as the main characters. I wanted girls to have the same adventures as boys. And I want my readers to have fun. As a kid, I loved these genres but had difficulty finding books that featured girls, especially in sci-fi. While I have boys and men as important characters in my young adult novels, a girl always has the main role. At least, so far.
In fact, when I was shopping The Mask of Tamirella around, one editor suggested I change the main character Caitlanna to a boy to make the book more marketable. This was when Harry Potter had come onto the scene and everyone seemed to be looking for that type of novel. I declined to make those changes. And I’m very glad I didn’t give up on Caitlanna. I’ve been very lucky to have only positive comments from girls who have read my books. Many adults have picked them up and told me how much fun they had reading.

Do you have a different mindset when writing YA rather than your adult books?

I don’t censure my thoughts and let my muses have free rein, just as I do with my adult novels. But there are things those in the young adult field frown on, like excessive cursing, graphic sex, and too much violence. There is violence in my young adult books, you might see a mild curse word from an older character, and my adolescent girls can and do lust after boys, but I don’t put anything graphic into the books. Sorry kids.

I don’t preach in my writing because I don’t like being preached to. I write for enjoyment and want my readers to read my books to escape whatever might be going on in their lives. Though my main characters have problems, get into heaps of trouble, and don’t always make the best decisions, I want them to learn from their mistakes. I don’t want them to be afraid of asking for help when they need it, though some have more trouble with that than others. Just as in my adult works, I have to like and trust my characters. If I don’t like them, then my readers certainly won’t.

You can visit Dana at her website which is www.danadaviswriting.com. Her publisher is www.synergebooks.com.