Juno Books

Stephanie B. at Fallen Angles gives FIVE angels and a great review:

Chasing Silver by Jamie Craig is a marvelously inventive, time-traveling, suspenseful, steamy romance. The main characters are rough around the edges, distrustful, take the law as advisement, yet are loyal and caring deep down under their prickly skin if they choose to befriend someone. Their situation is impossible, how can someone from the future function in the present time frame and how can someone from now understand the differences inherent in the time differential? And yet, Ms. Craig makes the impossible seem obtainable. The story is non-stop action from page one and keeps the reader on their toes trying to figure out how Remy and Nathan can possible make this work if they even survive all the people who seem intent on harming them. Oh and when Remy and Nathan decide to take their relationship further their love scenes are steamy yet sensual. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is closure for most of the elements to this story and yet Ms. Craig has left a perfect set up for a sequel. And as hinted, at the end of the book, there is a teaser for a sequel. I can’t wait for the sequel to be released; it should be very good book too! I highly recommend Chasing Silver for fans of gritty and steamy romantic suspense, time-travel, or even science fiction!

This is sheer coincidence. I went looking for SF covers of women with guns. I found these four. All four seem rather jolly, don’t they? THE LAND OF ESA also exhibits a keen sense of fashion: pasties, loincloth, strange collar-capette-thing, and big yellow gloves. Mr Armpit there is sporting a mini-skirt and off-the-shoulder top; assembled spear-carriers wear phallic helmets. The lady on the TIME TRAP cover is obviously enlightened (see third eye in forehead) and wearing the latest in black chiffon breast-wraps. Her big blond do is a precursor to Thorn’s (is she the blond?) below. The triumphing Amazon isn’t quite as happy as the other girls, but she still has a look of vague satisfaction, not to mention a Flash Gordon Collection Space Tog. The Amazon is even happier on the GOLDEN cover. And who wouldn’t be? A ray-gun, red cowboy boots, and mass destruction!

Dig the Mohawk! If you read the blurb on this cover, you will understand why she doesn’t look happy and has a spear: SHE LEARNED ABOUT SEX FROM AN EARTH-MAN! Who can blame her?

Note, also, the symbolic detail of her feminine spear “thrust” across the shiny silver phallus…I mean Nebula Award…I mean SPACE SHIP…

Sylvia’s other needed illos:

The cover to FROSTFLOWER & THORN Sylvia’s mentioned. Note patent leather spike-heel boots and hot pants. Also another example of The Power of the Fingernail (see detail) and, of course, look at those girls’ make-up and hair — circa 1980 hair and make-up. I’m not sure about that baby, but, never mind… Oh and every serious fighter should wear large hoop earrings so what your adversary can yank them…

In all fairness, I must point out that Wildside Press has reissued this fine book. Unfortunately, its cover is even worse — in its own special way — than the original:

Sylvia Kelso (see comments on Cover Topic III) provides us with an example of “How To Look Hung Like a Fantasy Hero”…and I provide a couple more below:

I can now officially announce this: I will be Editor Guest of Honor at Context 21 Sept 26-28 in Columbus OH. I’m also doing individual critiques of novel submission packages for the con. (Fantasy, horror, cross-genre, and paranormal manuscripts will be accepted.)

As long as I am talking schedule — I will be at Romantic Times Booklovers Convention April 17-20. I think I am accepting one-on-one “meet the editor” appointments for that, but it is not finalized. I do know I am doing:
URBAN FANTASY 101: Friday, 11am - 12pm:
MEET THE EDITOR & AGENT PANEL Friday, 4:00am - 6:00pm

I will also be attending Wiscon May 23-24

That’s it as far as I know for the whole year con-wise. I usually go to World Fantasy Convention and sometimes to Worldcon, but won’t be going to either this year. No BEA or ALA either.

Glad you folks have stayed busy with the cover shots…

Sylvia — or others — with possible additions or needed illustrations for remarks — just email me the art or the URL and I’ll put them up — editor@juno-books.com.

And don’t think “Poses” is the last of the series I am now looking at “Legs”. This started as “Body Parts”, but was soon obvious we needed more definition. I may need to even further refine this down to “Boots” and “Non-Boots.” So let me know about any boot-cover suggestions.

Meanwhile, I am catching up on email and everything else. NYC was quite seductive this trip. Cool (cold for some of you) and clear and nice walking weather. Within a few minutes of orientation in Midtown Manhattan you ask yourself: “Why would anyone want to live anywhere else?” Luckily rationality prevails and you follow-up with (”…except for the bay area of San Francisco…”) moving rapidly back to reality: “How can anyone afford to live here!”

I did get to visit the infamous KGB bar monthly readings hosted by Ellen Datlow and Gavin Grant. Now I dealt personally with Ellen’s pictures for a long time on her Web site and still post the links, so I felt like I already knew the place. Smaller and dimmer than photos suggest, of course, but still I knew a goodly number of people there, so I was comfortable. I caught some of Dan Braum’s reading and all of Marly Youman’s. (Junoites will especially like Marly’s work, I think.) Chinese for dinner with many regulars after. [Rick Bowes was very informative about NYC history on the walk to the restaurant and how cow ponds shaped a street route and cemeteries and the like. (I love that sort of stuff.)]

John Klima and “Electric Velocipide” were being informally honored. Tempest Bradford-”brand” T-shirts had been created and were worn. Click here if you can’t read the T-shirt to the right. (And I just note on T’s LJ she did not make it to the airport for a flight to Detroit and ConFusion. Oh dear.)

(And, yes, Ellen DID take pictures. As with everyone else’s camera these days, these photos make me look exceeding old, saggy, and obese. I don’t know what is wrong with them. Aliens. An enchantment. A conspiracy. Who knows? This one looks ferrety and evil, but Marly does not seem threatened.)

After the meeting yesterday with Jim Killan (the sf/f buyer at Barnes & Noble) Sean and Steve and I had lunch (nice Italian if a little tardy with service) with Stefan Dziemianowicz and Ellen. (Ellen and I have, in a dozen years run out of things to talk about exactly once, I think.)

S&S and I then perused a nearby B&N store ourselves. (Yes, our books were there. Yes, we checked out the competition. Yes, we always look at covers.) Then it was to the airport 24 hours after I left Cleveland. There was a rock jam going on in the basement at my house when I got home (no school today), but son and friends had left my parking space open. The cats had some complaints, but this is typical. [No one here to let them in and out 14 million times during the day (aka my exercise regime) and the son had not topped off food dishes properly that morning, but they allowed him to live.]

Now…catching up to do…

Since we’ve, perhaps, launched some grad student on a dissertation somewhere due to our “hand cover” exploration and stimulated discussion with the butt covers, we might as well do a little more cover analysis. (Oh, I have more topics…)

Besides, I have to make a quick trip to New York City. (Yes, we powerful editors have to lubricate the wheels and gears of publishing at times. Ahem.) You folks need something to keep you amused.

At World Fantasy Nick Mamatas said something about the pose on the cover of CHASING SILVER — impossible or difficult or at least uncomfortable or the like. Sean pointed out it was a real woman in a real pose. (This in no way infers that Mamatas can’t tell a real woman when he sees one. He is a known enthusiast, admirer, and supporter of such.)

Thus our topic today: WOMEN IN UNCOMFORTABLE ACTION POSITIONS. Perhaps Profs. Pagliasotti and Kelso shall lend further cultural analysis (well, Dru may still be in India…), but from a completely commercial p.o.v., an “action pose” — the person *doing* something — is supposedly a stronger cover. In the cases of these books, they are action-oriented women doing, well, something. Our cover is not very action packed. We assume these others are. How many poses can convey “action” anyway? How can we best convey “thrilling action!” visually? Do such poses make your joints ache? Can you duplicate these poses? Should you consult your doctor first? Can you save the world while remaining comfortable?

When Tellurith, head of one of the ruling Houses in the matriarchal city of Amberlight, shelters an outlander left for dead on the city’s streets, she opens herself to a world of trouble. Unable to remember his name or his past, the stranger presents Tellurith with both danger and opportunity, even as war threatens a city famous for its qherrique mines that produce the pearlescent rock that is the world’s greatest source of power. Australian fantasy author Kelso (Everran’s Bane; The Moving Water) mimics the flavor and feel of her homeland in the rhythms of her prose, the descriptions of the landscape, and the tough, resilient nature of her characters. This series opener belongs in most fantasy collections.

The Smart Bitches Trashy Books allegations that novelist Cassie Edwards has inserted large chunks of unattributed material into her work has hit the New York Times which reports Signet Books, one of Edwards’s publishers, is now examining all of her work that it has published. Signet initially denied any wrongdoing on the author’s part.

Smartbitchestrashybooks.com’s Candy Tan and Sarah Wendell posted excerpts from Ms. Edwards’s novels alongside passages from other sources to show the similarities, which the site’s authors said they had discovered by plugging some of Ms. Edwards’s writing into Google. A typical discovery was, for example, passages from “Shadow Bear,” published by Signet in 2007, that appear to have come, with little or no modification, from novel “Land of the Spotted Eagle” by Luther Standing Bear and an article about black-footed ferrets from Defenders of Wildlife magazine.

Of the seven novels examined by the bloggers, three were said to come from Signet, one from Topaz, two from Dorchester Publishing and one from Zebra.

Ms. Edwards told an Associated Press reporter earlier this week that she did not know she was supposed to credit her sources. “When you write historical romances, you’re not asked to do that,” she said.

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Of course the Times article leads with the derogatorily “cute” intro: “Who says romance novel fans care only about ripped bodices and manly men?” You know, if reporters are going to deride a genre, you’d think they could come up with something clever?

Yes, the post below was “below-er” earlier today. There are also two links missing I’ll put here:

[More about MASTER OF SHADOWS]

[ Buy MASTER OF SHADOWS direct from publisher]

There’s a new interview with Janet Lorimer at FANTASY DEBUT. Tia Nevitt reviewed MASTERS OF SHADOWS there earlier. (Posted below, too.)

BREENIBOOKS has a review, too:

Lorimer incorporates mystery into the novel with skill. Nothing is as it seems and just when the puzzle seems to be coming together, she propels the story with another twist. Master of Shadows contains a magic of its own, transporting the reader to childhood, where being a princess is not an impossible dream and chivalry is alive and well. Ariel flits back and forth between fantasy and reality, but neither is absolute and eventually the two will coalesce. Creating her own reality and rejecting the one she has been given is part of Ariel’s journey. Patience and courage will carry her through.

Rambles.net has also weighed in with a MASTER-ly review:

Master of Shadows is a lyrical novel that draws heavily on its folkloric roots. Consequently, it never feels entirely real. Even the places are vaguely identified; the action takes place in the village, the city or the forest, none of which are ever named or described in much detail. Lorimer’s adjectives are reserved for the hidden estate in the forest, its mysterious owner and his quirky staff.

There are hints of magic as the story unfolds, but nothing that cannot be explained away in purely rational terms.
However, I did feel a little let down by the end of the tale. Not only is it a little too fairy-tale neat in its conclusions, but Lorimer saves the final chapter for exposition that drags on far too long. All secrets will be revealed, but the closing narrative is fairly dry and comes only after all action has been resolved. She should have saved some final plot twist or resolution for the end of the book.

Best known as a children’s author, Lorimer has made a good first step into a more adult field. I look forward to her next novel, and hope she irons out a few stylistic glitches in the meantime.

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Comment: Whether everything is rationally explained is an arguable point. And why shouldn’t a fairy tale end — neatly — like a fairy tale? As for the final exposition — I felt it was more fascinating than “draggy”, but that is a matter of individual emotional response. One person’s “stylistic glitch” is another’s artistic choice. There is, however, a fine literary tradition of revelatory exposition.

From Brenda M. Lisbon of R.A.W.Sistaz:

Carole McDonnell has written a powerfully, absorbing tale on the culture, race relations, tribal traditions and religious customs of an African society. Deeply entrenched in the entire epic is not only a love story, but also a search for the one true God. WIND FOLLOWER is told from the point of view of both Satha and Loic, whom I might add are well-developed characters with equally commanding stories to tell. McDonnell’s writing is so masterful, even the spirit beings command your attention. Witnessing Satha’s painful betrayal and her feelings of impurity as a result was truly heartbreaking. Living Loic’s battle for the Truth served as a personal reminder of how devious and destructive Satan can be and how we should strive to let nothing separate us from the love of God. McDonnell creates a mystical world that speaks volumes about issues prevalent today. Emotionally charged and thoroughly entertaining, WIND FOLLOWER will leave you looking forward to more from this talented author.

From Write Black:

This was so good that I almost wished I didn’t know the biblical stories McDonnell was drawing from; I might have enjoyed the story even more if I hadn’t understood what she was getting at and where she was going. Still, she creates a universe of her own here, with a landscape, language (there’s a helpful glossary in the back, although you’re likely to pick up most words in context) and customs that are simultaneously familiar and foreign.

Where McDonnell is super clever is in creating the people from whom we don’t hear much: the Angleni. Loic and Satha find themselves confronting the fact that the most important spiritual truths have come to them via people who are violent, have enslaved others and generally have few redeeming characteristics (or do they?).

It’s that conflict — and the warfare Loic and Satha wage against the spirit world — that make this yet another Juno Books hit. I like that neither of these characters are saints; Satha’s actually got a touch of bloodlust.

I’ve been so happy with everything I’ve picked up by Juno’s authors (also, I’m madly in love with the cover of this book — if I could get away with eyeliner like what’s pictured on the cover, I’d totally do it).

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Comment: I’ve been very personally gratified with the reviews Carole’s getting. First, a great many of them are due to her own savvy and effort. She’s not only a dynamo, but she is very knowledgeable about fantasy, Christian fiction, and black and other minority fiction. (She’s been generous with her networking and Web talents and is always ready to help a fellow author.) Secondly, only Carole knows all the work she put into it from the version I first saw to what was published. Finally, this probably isn’t a book that would have been published elsewhere. It falls into no neat category, there’s no handy way to promote it, there’s a good chance that some Christian readers will hate it, some fantasy readers will hate it, and some minority readers will hate it. Probably a lot of my fellow feminists hate it. And, frankly, the chains weren’t/aren’t too enthused. No, it is not a perfect book, nor is it a best seller and no, Oprah hasn’t called. Sometimes I wonder, “What if some heavyweight powerful press/editor with marketing clout HAD published this book?” After all, the “next big thing” is almost always something unexpected that no one thought had a chance.

And I wish I could get away with eye-liner like that, too.

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[More about WIND FOLLOWER]

[Buy Direct from Publisher]

Harriet Klausner for The Midwest Book Review:

This time travel romantic thriller is filled with hot sex, action-packed drama, and a heroine who kicks butt. The tag team battles of two chicks paired with two modern day adversarial hunks are fun to follow as the tough guys seem soft compared to the future femme fatales. Team Jamie Craig creatively combines elements from mystery, romance, and sci fi to entertain readers with an exciting cat and mouse thriller.

…and fromDARQUE REVIEWS:

Chasing Silver is an intriguing time-travel romance. Remy’s silent wish is answered when she lands at Nathan’s feet, and Nathan may have finally found a woman who doesn’t come with ulterior motives. Jamie Craig is a fantastic writing team, and while this isn’t their first book together, it is their print debut. The storyline is fun, brimming with action and well-paced. Remy and Nathan are characters whose strengths compliment each other while on the job and adds to the sizzling sex scenes. I look forward to more from these authors in the future.

[More about CHASING SILVER]

CHASING SILVER is currently stocked by Borders, B&N, Amazon and other bookstores, or you can
[Buy the EBOOK]

Harriet Klausner, MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW:

The Dark Folk, the Ancient people, the Witch People have all been subjugated to the horse-lords. Those not enslaved hide deep in the hills out of fear of captivity. Naeri of the House of the Lady Ashton of the Albur clan hid in the mountains and caves alone foraging for food from the enemy. Eventually she is caught and brought before Chief Ricca to be punished for theft.

She is saved by the smith Gwi, who takes her on as his apprentice though he wants much more form her. The minstrel of the tribe is hers cousin Daui who helps her find a magician who teaches Naeri how to use the stones and earth magic. Once she becomes proficient with its use, Daui directs Ricca and his men to construct a stone circle as a memorial to him at a place where the leylines are numerous and power is stored like a battery. After it is built, Naeri will use her prowess as a geomancer to bring down the horse lords and their tribes. Although frightened Naeri feels obligated to her kin, but believes no good will come of her mission.

THE SARSEN WITCH is a mesmerizing reading experience that depicts life in the Bronze Age of what will eventualy become Britain. Naeri is a survivor who will allows herself to be pushed so far before she goes her own way. It is fascinating to observe how Ricca holds the various horse tribes together using threats and gifts (today we call it an earmark) to keep everyone in line; he is not a bad leader just a product of his time as he is not interested in the welfare of those he conquered (today we call them democrats).

[More about THE SARSEN WITCH]

[Buy THE SARSEN WITCH direct from the publisher]

The ever observant CHRIS HOWARD reports in from the wilds of a B&N with book sightings!

Jamie Craig’s Chasing Silver and Carole Nelson Douglas’s Dancing With Werewolves–both with front facing placement on the shelves in Newington!

I foolishly thought things would be back on an even keel shortly after the first of January, but either I’m in a time warp with less than 24 hours in a day or Life is, well, Life. I’m even behind on posting reviews and replying on email. Not that I haven’t been putting in full days on Juno, it’s just all I have to publicly show for it is that three ebooks now available (just click the link to go directly to Fictionwise):
DANCING WITH WEREWOLVES
CHASING SILVER
WIND FOLLOWER
…and another four that should soon be available (republications of UNVEILING THE SORCERESS, MATTERS OF THE BLOOD, and THE ETERNAL ROSE plus BLOOD MAGIC).

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You can also now find all our ebooks by using “JUNO BOOKS” as a keyword at Fictionwise. Which is why the previously published books disappeared for a bit and had to be republished. We are now under Juno Books as the publisher (as it should be).

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Further proof I need more brain cells: I thought I posted this two days ago.

‘My first word for the New Year was “exsanguinate.” This was probably not a good omen.’ — Charlaine Harris, Dead to the World

My first word — if you mean this morning after I awoke — was regalia:
(Quoting Merriam-Webster)
Etymology: Medieval Latin, from Latin, neuter plural of regalis
Date: circa 1540
1: royal rights or prerogatives
2 a: the emblems, symbols, or paraphernalia indicative of royalty b: decorations or insignia indicative of an office or membership
3: special dress; especially : finery

That was on my screensaver. But I *think* the REAL first words — like at a second after midnight — may have been “Iggy Pop”. I like that rather more, don’t you?

So, “Lust For Life”, Paris 1991 (with, of course, inappropriate language, gestures, and portions of anatomy):

Here’s hoping your lust for life is renewed for at least another year.