| If you are having trouble viewing this newsletter, click here to view it in a new browser. |
 |
 |
Being an author is like dressing up every day for Halloween. Write it and you can be it. A lovelorn werewolf, Superman Part XXX, FBI investigator...the sky's the limit. Sadly, in the real world we can’t tie on our Superman capes to make a brilliant presentation at work or place a tiara atop our heads when heading out on a date with Prince Charming (most likely a frog). We would look silly of course, and possibly someone would call the police. So how do we “dress up,” stretch our imaginations? The simple answer: books. They keep us young. That’s why we want to continue to support our readers and authors with more information on how to begin and sustain writing careers, as well as expose book lovers to new and exciting authors.
This month, we're debuting two new features -- The Watercooler and Sale Spotlight. The Watercooler will be a monthly feature wherein our agents share what they are looking for or what they've heard editors specifically asking to see. In Sale Spotlight, a recent deal will be highlighted. Also in this issue, check out Deidre Knight shedding light on how to find the perfect agent, and New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter giving tips on how to make it in the biz.
|
On the agency blog, we're kicking off several new items beginning in November, including First Impressions. Agent Melissa Jeglinski will randomly select a first page to critique every first Wednesday of the month. To get more info on how to send in your first page, check out the blog post.
Of course we couldn’t let Halloween pass by without throwing a little shindig in our chat room. This Thursday at 9pm ET, we're hosting a party with guest author Kalayna Price. Kalayna's GRAVE WITCH is the perfect book to get you in a spooky mood. Her heroine, Alex Craft, can talk to dead people. Not many things can give you the heebie jeebies like hanging around a morgue. Seriously. (Remember to brush up on your Halloween trivia for some great prizes!) |
 |
 |
 |
Kalayna Price wrote her first Alex Craft novel, GRAVE WITCH, during her lunch hour because that's the only time she could claim for writing. Skipping socializing at noon with coworkers paid off in a big way because GRAVE WITCH premiered at #6 on Barnes and Noble's fantasy mass market paperback list and was also the #10 bestselling fantasy mass market at Borders. She is also the author of the Haven series featuring ONCE BITTEN and TWICE DEAD.
TKA: Give us the skinny. What’s GRAVE WITCH about?
KALAYNA: Grave Witch is the first book in the Alex Craft series about a woman with the ability to question the dead. Alex raises shades—the memories of the dead given form by magic—for private clients, the police, and the district attorney’s office. She also talks with ghosts and even flirts with Death himself. In Grave Witch, Alex gets involved in a high profile case, but when her ritual to question the shade raises only more questions, she’s drawn into an investigation involving dark magic and political trappings spanning both the human realm and Faerie. |
TKA: What unique characteristics set down-and-out magic-eye for-hire Alex Craft apart from many of the “kick butt and take names later” sort of heroines prevalent in urban fantasy today?
KALAYNA: Alex really isn’t the kick-butt-and-take-names-later sort of girl (though she’s perfectly capable of waiting until after you’re dead to ask her questions, and shades can’t lie). Alex isn’t out to save the world. She just wants to make her rent on time and be able to feed her dog. If she can do some good along the way and her ability to speak to the dead helps the police catch a murderer, that’s even better. Her abilities make her perfectly suited to finding answers, though being in touch with the grave takes it’s toll, particularly on her eyesight. When pushed, she’s not the go in guns blazing type, but she can drag the fight across the chasm between the living and the dead.
TKA: From your research, what classic folk tales or ancient myths became the most influential in forming the framework of Alex’s world?
KALAYNA: There are a lot of snatches of Victorian era (and slightly older) folklore in the story. While world building, I played off the idea of what would happen if the fae of folklore announced that the stories were true and the ‘good neighbors’ of lore really existed. Of course, many of these tales can be found in various countries in different, and occasionally contradictory, renditions of similar lore, so I pulled elements from many different places. The Welsh and Irish lore were my main sources, but you’ll find bits from many other cultures.
|
 |
TKA: What attracted you to using Death, a.k.a. the ultimate bad guy, as Alex’s romantic interest?
KALAYNA: I don’t know that I’d consider Death an ultimate bad guy. As a whole, death is one of the inevitabilities of life. Mysterious? Yes. Feared? Often. But I wouldn’t say evil or necessarily bad. In Alex’s world, I would classify Death as neutral.
As far as what attracted me to using Death as a character, when I decided I wanted to write a story about a woman who could question the dead, I realized early on that I’d need to explain what happened to a character’s soul after they died. I chose to go the route of soul collectors who ferried the soul from the realm of the living to their next destination. As Alex interacts with ghosts and shades, it made sense she’d also be able to interact with this grim reaper type character, and even logical that she would have met him at some point. Once Death started to define himself as a character and scenes came together, I realized he and Alex had an amazingly dynamic chemistry. They have a history and they flirt, but he’s Death. He’s secretive, he comes and goes as he pleases, and when he appears, Alex never knows if he is there for a cup of coffee or a soul. It is a lot of fun to write the scenes between them, and I hope readers enjoy my different twist on Death.
TKA: When it comes to magic in our world, are you a skeptic or a believer?
KALAYNA: I’ve never decided. Magic has never been disproven, but I’ve also never seen any proof it influences reality.
TKA: After being an attendee at various conferences for more than a decade, you were finally able to participate as a panelist this year at RavenCon and Dragon*Con. How did it feel to be on the other side of the table?
KALAYNA: I attended a total of four cons this year, and I had an absolutely wonderful time. It was rather nerve-wracking being on the opposite side of the table, especially the first few panels when I stumbled over my own introduction: “Uh, I’m Kalayna and I write books?” Yeah, no. But at every Con I attended I met amazing and interesting people from both sides of the table—a big difference for a girl who usually sits in the back of the room and keeps her head down!
|
TKA: You have a diverse list of interests, including; photography, painting and hoop dancing with fire. What is the relationship of your interests to your writing? For instance, does painting inspire your writing or vice versa?
KALAYNA: I would say that my visual art hobbies continually remind me to observe my surroundings. When you study a still life, a figure, or a landscape, or you look out at the world searching for frames and compositions, you start noticing details. Before I started painting, I glazed over small nuances like the way shadows fall in the definition of a muscle or the color of a blade of grass backlit by sunlight, but it is much easier to describe the world if you really look at it. As far as the hooping . . . well, it keeps me in shape and gets the blood flowing, but that’s about as much influence it has on my writing life.
TKA: What’s the story behind you becoming a Knight Agency client? |
|
KALAYNA: I probably have a rather unorthodox story. The first book in my first urban fantasy series, the novels of Haven, sold to a small press and it was released, the press offered me a contract for more books in the series. I immediately queried my top five agents, but I got nervous sitting on the contract and ended up negotiating it myself. Lucienne contacted the very night I dropped the signed contract in the mail. I was sure reality hated me. But Lucienne liked the voice demonstrated in the pitch I’d sent her, and when I told her I had another, completely unrelated book in the works, she had me send her a copy. That was Grave Witch, the first Alex Craft novel. The call from Lucienne came in around the end of August, and not long after was the frantic excitement as Grave Witch went to auction and was picked up by Roc. It was a rush!
TKA: What new projects can we expect from you in the coming year?
KALAYNA: The second Alex Craft novel, GRAVE DANCE, will hit shelves next fall. The third and fourth novels of Haven will also be released. It’s going to be a busy year! |
 |
Halloween is upon us, and we've got the best online "costume" party planned in cyberspace with GRAVE WITCH author Kalayna Price. Don you scariest moniker, and join us for a rocking party. Kalayna will be sharing details about her upcoming projects, as well as publishing advice. And of course, we're planning some special Halloween trivia and prizes!
When:Thursday, October 28th @ 9pm ET
Where: TKA's chat room**: http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.php?id=115545
How To Chat: Enter any combination of username and password. Login.
**Your computer must be Java enabled to chat. |
 |
|
FINDING YOUR AGENT SOUL MATE
When you’re looking for an agent for the first time, it can be difficult to figure out what agencies might best represent you. Like doctors, we all have specialties. Some are strictly pediatrics (middle grade and young adult) or cardiologists (romance); others are skilled general practitioners (well versed in selling several different genres). So, how are you supposed to know which doctor to visit? It’s important to your mental health that you do the necessary research before submitting your manuscript. Why invite more rejections during the already grueling process of querying? Agent A might roll their eyes and fire off a terse, “Thanks, but no thanks,” upon reading your sci-fi/fantasy query set in the Ayiitre 959-XOXO galaxy. Agent B, however, might have an autographed poster of Captain Jean Luc Picard taped to his wall and would love to see more pages.
There are several ways to figure out what certain agents are looking for. First, I’ll give you the scoop on how to find your agent soul mate, and then I’ll give you the low down on what I’m personally looking for right now. See, you don’t even have to do any research on me (but you should).
|
STEP #1: Take a field trip to the local bookstore. Pick up a copy of the GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS or JEFF HERMAN’S GUIDE TO BOOK PUBLISHERS, EDITORS & LITERARY AGENTS. Both books are updated annually. Flipping through those pages will familiarize you with hundreds of agents, what they’re looking for, and the proper way to send in your query.
STEP #2: Before you leave the bookstore, look in the acknowledgement section of books that have a similar style to yours. More often than not, the author has thanked their husband, children, dog, the coffee pot that got them through some very long nights, oh, and the agent who sold their book. Plug the agent’s name into Google. If they have a strong online presence, everything from their company’s website to a personal blog or Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts might show up. Some agents even share pub tips daily on Twitter. In fact, you might even encounter a Twittering agent letting off steam about why oh why in the world did someone send them a children’s book submission when their website is filled to the brim with sci-fi/fantasy authors (Paging Ayiitre 959-XOXO!).
STEP #3: Subscribe to Publishers Marketplace. It is a fabulous resource for both agents and writers. You can get daily updates of deals happening in the industry right now. There’s a free update, which publishes select deals of the day, and a paid service that gives you free reign to pull up all the deals that EVER existed in Pub Marketplace's extensive databases. You’ll be able to pinpoint specific agents that have successfully sold books just like yours.
Okay, so you don’t have to Google me or look at www.KnightAgency.net (but, again, you really should). I’m most interested in finding new nonfiction, literary or commercial fiction, romantic suspense and middle grade authors. From this, you can safely say that I’m a general practitioner.
I’ve always been open to a variety of non-fiction projects, which range from my past forays with a book focused on music careers to women’s surfing and beyond. I also have a strong track record with memoirs, such as five-year New York Times list veteran 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN. I’d love to infuse my non-fiction list with some new blood. What I want are strong writers who have the credentials/experience to back up their proposals (a.k.a. the all-important platform). Topics I’m looking for right now include, but are not limited to, a parenting book or a cat memoir in the vein of Marley & Me.
So, what do I mean by a parenting book? Well, I don’t have any specific requirements, but as an agent I realize the perennial value of a well-informed parenting guide. People are always having babies, and they are always looking for guides on how to best raise those babies into healthy, well-adjusted adults. And I’m a mom, so you might say I’m well versed on the subject. Makes sense, no?
As for the cat memoir, an editor told me she was interested in seeing something Marley & Me-esque of the feline variety over lunch in NYC. Now did I jump all over this just because she said it? No. I really do like cats. Like a lot. I have three. Plus, I instantly had a hundred ideas flood into my brain of the different directions such a book could go in, which means I’m extremely motivated to find and sell it. You might be thinking, kids are germy and gross and I’m a dog person. No worries. These are just examples. As far as non-fiction is concerned – my arms are wide open.
On the women’s fiction front, I’d love something reminiscent of Kristin Hannah -- a strong voice that effectively builds compelling female relationships. I’d also welcome literary fiction with a unique perspective such as LITTLE BEE by Chris Cleave or ROOM by Emma Donoghue. In the romantic suspense category, well there’s no one who does it better than Suzanne Brockman. If you can hook me in to a thrilling storyline with a captivating romance thrown into the mix – well then I’d love you forever.
I’d also send you chocolates every week if you wrote the kind of middle grade novel that sticks with a child well into adulthood. Who could imagine life without CHARLOTTE’S WEB? More recently, books like Shannon Hale’s PRINCESS ACADEMY or SAVVY by Ingrid Law have been making the grade. I’d love to sink my teeth into something with a "long tail" as we like to say in pub-speak (meaning something that librarians, teachers, etc. will continuously recommend to kids year after year).
So, now I’ve told you what I'm looking for, and you realize it's not what you have. Say, you wrote a paranormal YA project. Do you pass me up and keep looking? Ummm, no. I have amazing clients like Diana Peterfreund (RAMPANT and ASCENDANT) and Gena Showalter (INTERTWINED and UNRAVELED, a New York Times bestseller) that have done extremely well in the young adult arena. Clearly, I have a place in my heart and on my list for YA. Just because I’ve got my ear to the ground for something in particular, doesn’t mean I’m not willing to stand up and take notice of a talented writer. Any agent will tell you that talent wins out every time. Just make sure not to go the extreme polar opposite and send your fanciful children’s book to someone who prefers to read about alien takeovers. Do your research. |
 |
 |
HOW TO SUCCEED IN PUBLISHING
The only way to fail for sure is to quit. I’ve said that a lot, and I believe it with all of my heart. Why? Two years before I sold my first manuscript, a publishing house was interested in my work. They were going to buy it. I told everyone. Then they decided not to buy it. I was humiliated and upset, and almost gave up. But by the grace of God, I picked myself up and wrote another book. Except, no one wanted to buy that book either. So, I kept writing. Fast-forward two years. HQN opened their doors, and they picked my work to help launch their entire line. Had I given up, that would not have happened, and my career would not have taken off.
Over the ensuring years, I’ve learned a few things key things about perseverance, and the obstacles in our way. Here are the top ten:
#1. Write what your heart tells you to write. Incorporating suggestions from everyone—the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker–will lead to disaster.
|
#2. Or, on the opposite end of that scale, not listening to anyone at all (stupid butcher, baker and candlestick maker, what do they know?) and taking every criticism like a knife to the heart.
#3. Watching Desperate Housewives instead of writing about your own desperate housewives.
#4. Letting your creative genius be spoiled by so many grammatical mistakes your high school English teacher would have a seizure.
#5. Remember a day or two can stretch into a month or two, and you don’t want to look back and wonder where the time went and why you didn’t get
|
 |
anything done.
#6. Know that what one person loves, another will hate. Opinions are subjective. Just because one person doesn’t like what you’ve done doesn’t mean your work is garbage.
|
|
#7. To get to the top of a mountain, you have to climb. A lot. So put your hiking boots on and keep slogging, even when you’re tired.
#8. Just because a method of writing works for your friend doesn’t mean it will work for you. Find the process that best suits your strengths and run with it.
#9. Keep your eye on the prize.
#10. Sometimes you have to swing at the ball a few times before you get a hit. Keep swinging, because you never know which one will be the right one.
Numbers 7 and 9 really came in handy as I was writing my latest novel, ECSTASY IN DARKNESS. The vampire hero is grumpy, possessive, a wee bit savage, and one good days, only slightly unhinged. He had a mind of his own, and writing him was a struggle. I wanted my way, he wanted his. Guess who won? Him. BUT. I kept my eye on the prize – watching his wily agent-in-training heroine bring him to his knees – and felt like a winner in the end. Their love story is one of my sexiest yet, and their sizzling interaction my favorite that I’ve ever written.
Wishing you all the best with your own stories! |
Marjorie M. Liu received a Publishers Weekly starred review for her latest Dirk and Steele novel, IN THE DARK OF DREAMS.
|
SOME GIRLS BITE by Chloe Neill won the 2010 Nebraska Book Award for best young adult title. |
Jade Lee's WICKED SURRENDER received a review in the Chicago Tribune, which said, "Lee's beautifully nuanced characters and impeccably crafted historical setting are guaranteed to cast their own seductive spell over readers."
|
Cecil Murphey, New York Times bestselling co-author of 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN, can add radio host to his resume. On October 5th, Cec and Me premiered on www.Toginet.com. The show is cohosted by Twila Belk and airs on Tuesdays at 8pm ET. Last week Knight Agency young adult author Jonathan Friesen was the featured guest. You can visit the website to listen to archived shows and check out the upcoming schedule.
|
| DEATH BY BIKINI and DEATH BY LATTE by Linda Gerber have been nominated for the ALA’s 2011 Popular Paperbacks list. |
| Deidre Knight will be the keynote speaker at the Pocono Lehigh Romance Writers 'Retreat at Sea' next August. The event takes place on a Carnival cruise ship and is open to both RWA an non-RWA members. For more info, visit PLRW's website. |
We will highlight a special sale bi-monthly in the newsletter as it was announced in Publishers Marketplace. This month, we're excited to spotlight a new deal for Marley Gibson, author of the acclaimed GHOST HUNTRESS series.
Marley Gibson's RADIATE, a fictionalized version of her battle to overcome cancer as a teenage cheerleader through humor, humility, and perseverance, again to Julia Richardson at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for publication in Spring 2012, by Deidre Knight at The Knight Agency (NA). |
 |
 |
QUESTION: What advice would you give to an aspiring author who is weighing the pros and cons of attending an MFA program to further his/her writing career?
Elaine Spencer: I think that if an author feels like their writing needs technical improvement a formal instructional setting could be great for them. However, great storytellers aren’t made in a classroom, and innovative novels don’t come from how-to manuals, they come from the imagination. Formalized training can help give you better tools to work with, but they’re not going to do the work.
Melissa Jeglinski: I think this is really a matter of personal choice. If a writer feels this will aid their |
writing skills, by all means it can be something to pursue. But I feel strongly that writing is a gift and one either has the ability or one does not. There's always room to improve and grow as a writer. But the talent has to be there to begin with. It does not make a difference to me if I see an MFA degree on the writer's bio. It's what's on the page that matters.
Lucienne Diver: If you’re entering an MFA program because you want to teach writing or something similar, then I’d say go for it. Aside from that, though, you really learn by doing—writing, getting critiques, revising, rewriting, reworking (similar, but not necessarily the same things). There’s no substitute for experience, in either writing or life. I think a really strong critique group or intensive workshops will probably help you as much as an MFA program, particularly if you write genre fiction, which is often marginalized in university studies.
|
|
 |
Each month, we will list what our agents are currently looking for and/or a particular type of book they've heard editors are asking to see. The watercooler items will be adjusted as agents receive new information or develop new interests. Therefore, some items may be repeated from the previous month's watercooler item if interests have not changed.
Also, pleased be advised that this is not a complete listing of the types of books TKA will represent. For a listing of the types of titles we rep, please visit www.KnightAgency.net.
Melissa Jeglinski: I am currently looking for middle grade (all types), young adult (contemporary or historical but no paranormal), women's fiction (would love to see a real weeper or a multi generational novel), romance (contemporary with a more serious twist, no paranormal at this time), inspirational (contemporary or historical but no non-fiction), mysteries (historical or a cozy series with a cute premise) and category romance.
|
Elaine Spencer: I’ve heard from a handful of editors in the last week that they’re looking for Erotica with ménage situations. Spicy!
I also just read Diana Peterfreund’s MORNING GLORY, based on the upcoming movie featuring Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, and Rachel McAdams, and it again has me really wanting a fun contemporary fictional story about a sharp and endearing mid-twenties woman taking on her life – something funny, witty, intelligent.
Pamela Harty: I am always looking for romance, but in particular romantic suspense and contemporary. I am also interested in women’s commercial fiction. I love my YA authors and would love to see more of this genre. Additionally, I haven’t had many nonfiction queries lately and would like to see more including parenting, self help, motivation and health.
Lucienne Diver: I’m looking for a story that blows me away with characters I truly care about in any of the genres I represent: fantasy, romance, mystery/suspense, young adult…. That said, I have a very full list right now, so I’ll have to be really impressed! |
 |
 |
|
BLOOD SPELLS, The Novels of the Final Prophecy
Jessica Andersen | Harlequin Historicals
Being a prisoner of the Sioux Indians has scarred Lucie West inside and out. Just when she’s starting to overcome the demons of her past, Sky Fox, a former captive himself, takes her hostage. Determined to escape, Lucie is equally determined to deny her attraction to the rugged outcast.
Sky needs Lucie’s help to save an innocent man from the hangman’s noose. Seeing past her scars to the brave beauty beneath, Sky is increasingly drawn to her. Can he endanger the woman he loves? |
 |
 |
|
GHOST TOWN, Morganville Vampires Book 9
Rachel Caine | Penguin
While developing a new system to maintain Morganville's defenses, student Claire Danvers discovers a way to amplify vampire mental powers. Through this, she's able to re-establish the field around this vampire-infested Texas college town that protects it from outsiders.
But the new upgrades have an unexpected consequence: people inside the town begin to slowly forget who they are-even the vampires. Soon, the town's little memory problem has turned into a full-on epidemic. Now Claire needs to figure out a way to pull the plug on her experiment- before she forgets how to save Morganville...
|
|
 |
|
THE BRIDE'S BODYGUARD
Beth Cornelison | Harlequin
Hired by the groom-to-be, former SEAL Jake McCall must make sure beautiful bride Paige Bancroft stays safe. When gunfire shatters the wedding, he discovers that the threat to Paige is hovering close. Now the country's national security depends on keeping her and a mysterious "bead" in her possession out of the wrong hands.
Paige Bancroft never had control of her privileged, sheltered life until she finds danger on her trail and a larger-than-life bodyguard at her side. Realizing her almost-wedding was a mistake, she's determined to fight for her survival…and start a new life with the sexy SEAL—for better or worse. |
|
 |
|
ONE IN A MILLION
Abby Gaines (and Marisa Carroll) | Harlequin
NO ORDINARY MAN by Abby Gaines
Race car driver Eli Ward is happiest behind the wheel…when he isn't being pursued by too many eligible females. But ever since he asked Jennifer Ashby to pose as his girlfriend, the happy-go-lucky racing star has eyes only for her. Except Jen's no starry-eyed fan. If Eli wants to win this race, he'll have to show her that their fantasy romance is the real thing….
DAISY CHAIN by Marisa Carroll
Billionaire businessman Quinn Parrish is used to women falling at his feet. But when pregnant hairstylist Daisy Brookshire faints right in front of him, his life changes overnight. Getting the wary mother-to-be to trust him will take some fancy footwork…especially if he wants to convince her that he's the husband she needs. |
|
 |
|
TRANCE
Linda Gerber | Penguin
Ashlyn Greenfield has always known when bad things are going to happen. Each time that familiar tingling at the back of her neck begins, she knows what's to come -- a trance. She's pulled in, blindsided, an unwilling witness to a horrible upcoming event. But she's never been able to stop it --not even when the vision was of her mother's fatal car accident. When soulful Jake enters Ashlyn's life, she begins having trances about another car accident. And as her trances escalate, one thing becomes clear: it's up to her to save Jake from near-certain death.
|
|
 |
|
WHEN THE COWBOY SAID "I DO"
Crystal Green | Harlequin
Thunder Canyon golden-girl Holly Pritchett had come home—abandoned, alone…and pregnant! The last thing the mother-to-be wanted was for her condition to be broadcast all over town. That's when sexy rancher Beauregard Clifton made her an offer she should have refused….
Now that he was running for mayor, Bo needed a wife. And Holly needed a husband and daddy for her baby. But from the moment he said "I do," Bo was finding Holly—and her impending motherhood—absolutely irresistible! Stay tuned, loyal readers, and find out whether Thunder Canyon's former playboy will turn a temporary arrangement into a permanent union—and an instant family. |
|
 |
|
HER PRIVATE TREASURE
Wendy Etherington | Harlequin
Malina Blair went from rising-star FBI agent to… er…cold-case officer in the backwoods of South Carolina—not exactly a hotbed of action. But when a smuggling investigation leads her to tranquil Palmer's Island, Malina inadvertently discovers one of the region's best-kept secrets: sexy, gorgeous attorney Carr Hamilton.
But even as their chemistry goes from fizzy to red-hot and explosive, Malina wonders if maybe she isn't getting in over her head. After all, she's just visiting—and the island's main attraction is also her prime suspect! |
|
 |
|
HIS DAKOTA CAPTIVE
Jenna Kernan | Harlequin Historicals
Being a prisoner of the Sioux Indians has scarred Lucie West inside and out. Just when she’s starting to overcome the demons of her past, Sky Fox, a former captive himself, takes her hostage. Determined to escape, Lucie is equally determined to deny her attraction to the rugged outcast.
Sky needs Lucie’s help to save an innocent man from the hangman’s noose. Seeing past her scars to the brave beauty beneath, Sky is increasingly drawn to her. Can he endanger the woman he loves? |
|
 |
|
BESPELLING JANE
Susan Krinard and Janet Mullany (as well as Mary Balogh and Colleen Gleason) | Harlequin
Four romance novellas put a paranormal gloss on elements from Austen's work. Bestseller Balogh (A Precious Jewel) turns in the plodding "Almost Persuaded," wherein Jane Everett and Capt. Robert Mitford realize they're reincarnated soul mates. Gleason makes reference to her Gardella Vampire series with "Northanger Castle," in which pert Caroline Merrill, lover of vampire novels, suspects handsome Mr. Blanchard of being a bloodsucker. Krinard (Bride of the Wolf) sets "Blood and Prejudice" in New York where bookstore staffer Elizabeth Bennet encounters pharmaceutical CEO Charles Bingley and an unusual variety of vampires. Mullany (Jane and the Damned) gives us a witchy Emma Woodhouse running a dating service for Washington D.C.'s supernaturals in "Little to Hex Her." Though none show Austen's gift with character, humor, or irony, all but Balogh's are lively, and Mullany's sparkles with genuine wit.
|
|
 |
|
MISS BRAMBLE AND THE LEVIATHAN
Kristin Painter | Samhain
The last thing she planned to steal was his heart.
The Company. Military institution, protector of Praeton and the nation of Grand Isle. Dirty rotten thief.
When Pandora Bramble steps aboard the Company's premiere airship Daedalus it's not for the exclusive VIP tour. It's to secure proof that the Company stole the regulator valve her father designed-even if it means tearing the engine apart. Foiled by the unexpected appearance of a handsome crew member, she despairs of ever getting another chance-until he kisses her.
Captain Theolonius Hatch, sentenced to engine room duty for refusing to take part in the Company-s fleet week activities, never dreamed a woman like Pandora existed. Her brains match her beauty, a combination that adds up to more trouble than he ever expected.
As Pandora allows Theolonius to sweep her into a whirlwind courtship, her wildest dreams come true. As do her greatest fears, leaving her to decide what matters most. Loyalty or love.
The clock is ticking. |
 |
|
ECSTASY IN DARKNESS
Gena Showalter | Pocket Books
He is McKell, a half-blooded vampire warrior able to manipulate time in short bursts. She is the human AIR agent - Alien Investigation and Removal -- sent to capture him. Hide-and-seek ensues, and the game has never been so sexually charged. While they should have been enemies, they become lovers. And together, they must discover the truth of his origins -- his other half - before they are forced to part . . . forever...
|
|
 |
|
PROFILE FOR SEDUCTION
Karen Whiddon | Harlequin
The clock is ticking…
Every minute means another woman may die. The Cowtown Killer is free from prison and stalking the very woman who helped put him away—FBI Special Agent Lea Cordasic. She's determined to see this grisly murderer who held her captive locked away forever. She just doesn't know if she can do it on her own.
Texas cop Marc Kenyon had been there before…he'd seen Lea brutalized and left for dead. He'd fallen for the feisty beauty instantly, and loves her still. Now that the madman is back for her, he'll do anything to thaw her heart…and keep her safe.
. |
| Want to know what The Knight Agency is up to right now? Click Here to check us out on Twitter! |
|
|
|
