Poll: How will you be purchasing EVER AFTER (The Hollows #11) on or after this Tuesday?
It’s no secret that we’re all Hollows nuts around these parts. I’ve actually been noticing a bit of a calm before the storm when it comes to the interwebs. Though I didn’t have time to hold a proper giveaway (though I hope you’ll like the consolation prize), I am a little curious about evolving buying habits and want to know how you all plan to get your mits on your copy. I’ve been pre-ordering hardcovers since my closest bookstore closed down, and same day delivery means it works out pretty well.
Ever After Chapters 1-6! You want it, You got! And a note to followers…
It’s taking a slightly different approach than the usual Harper Voyager link, but it’s easy to access all the same to read chapter 3:
Of course if you’d rather read through part of chapter 6, then by all means go here:
http://www.harpercollins.com/browseinside/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061957918
Enjoy!
P.S. And forgive me for being a little slow on the posts lately. Assassin’s Creed has pretty much occupied all of my free time! Ezio Auditore is just that amazing (and hott). And this is why I’m glad I’m not a big gamer. But I’ve finished his trilogy and things should return to normal soon (because I doubt Assassin’s Creed 3 will be as addictive)!
2012 Year in Review!! My top books and series of the year!
If you have any favorite reads for this year please share! 2012 has been quite a year for me. I’ve read some incredible books, some great books, some not so great books, some terrible books. But overall it contributed to read count of over 131 stories this year. It’s kind of funny because I feel like a slacker compared to some other Goodreads friends who I’ve seen read over 400+ books; one even read over 900. But good or bad, I’ll take it as a victory. Communiting to and from my job takes a good 2 hours of my day, which allows me to and dedicate most of that to reading. A broken iPod has helped quite a bit too, but Christmas kind of rectified that so I’ll have to see how my read count in 2013 compares. But in the meantime, I want to narrow things down and present my favorite urban fantasy/paranormal books of 2012.
1
Ever After ARC (The Hollows #11) by Kim Harrison
I debated listing this one because it technically doesn’t come out until 2013, but it rocked my personal socks this year, and I’m sure it will rock yours in January, so I’m going to list it.
2
All Dorina Basarab novels, including Fury’s Kiss by Karen Chance
Though I was fairly familiar with its original sister series, Cassandra “Cassie” Palmer, I was really surprised to find that I love this series infinitely more. It’s got all of the pluses, none of the annoyances. Dory is a riot, but she kicks ass too. It just pains me that it take 2 years between books.
3
Wicked as They Come (Blud #1) by Delilah S. Dawson
Early on in the year this was my favorite book. The world was new, interesting and exciting. And Criminy was awesome! I definitely can’t wait for the next book featuring him and Tish, but much like Karen Chance, this author alternates from book to book.
4
A Perfect Blood (The Hollows #10) by Kim Harrison
Yes, the Hollows takes two spots on my list. In addition to the Ever After ARC, with all of the different publications this year from Into the Woods to Blood Crime to Trouble on Reserve to Trent’s POV from the paperback of A Perfect Blood, two spots can’t be surprising. However, while good, this book wasn’t quite in the same class as Ever After, but I did love it. And like most Trenchers out there, Trent’s POV left me speechless! Oh and it’s also pretty awesome anytime I can meet Kim Harrison!
5
Kingmakers (Vampire Empire #3) by Susan and Clay Griffith
This was another fantastic finish to a wonderful trilogy. I was fortunate enough to read the ARC for this series and I loved it! If only there was more!
6
Dead Morning Sky (Experiment in Terror #3) by Karina Halle
I wanted scary and I got scary! Just a little more than I bargained for with the weird crap that was happening OFF the pages while reading it. And funny enough, there was no repeat of that peculiar activity after I was done. I have since stopped here, but there are definitely more books with Dex and Perry’s adventures. I plan to get to them after catching up with the Night Huntress series that I’m currently reading.
7
Ashes of Honor (October Daye #6) by Seanan McGuire
I read this book at a pretty difficult time. I started reading it and then I got my hands on the Ever After ARC. I was riding too much of a high for anything else to compare, including this. But in hindsight, this book rocks and I bet the next book will be my favorite of the series!
8
Tale of the Vampire Bride by Rhiannon Frater
I was gripped from beginning to end on this one. It’s not an easy read, and do not mistake this for a romance. It’s more like one of those train-wrecks that you can’t look away from. Unfortunately the sequel was nowhere near as good, but I hope this series continues eventually. I would love to read a third book if it could get back to the level of book 1.
9
Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee
I have a bit of an aversion when it comes to the Young Adult genre, but this is an exception. I LOVED this book and I often find myself wondering how long it’d be until the second book is released. That’s definitely a sign of a book worthy of this list. Even better, it’s probably the best $0.99 I’ve spent on a book!
10
Love is Fear (Valerie Dearborn #2) by Caroline Hanson
Though this trilogy arc is complete, this book is probably my favorite of the three. I finished wanting more, more, MORE!
Honorable Mentions
Iced (Dani O’Malley #1) by Karen Marie Moning – I definitely didn’t inhale this one as fast as the original Fever novels, but it did leave an impression. Honestly though, I just want more Mac and Barrons!
At Grave’s End (Night Huntress #3) by Jeaniene Frost – The review is pending right now because I wanted to post this year in review first, but I did enjoy it the most of the three novels thusfar. This series isn’t really among my favorites, but it seems to be positioning itself in the tier of series that are right below my favorites. Not a bad place to be. There’s Bones to thank for that.
Fire Baptized (Habitat #1) by Kenya Wright – I inhaled this book as well. This fresh take on the urban fantasy genre was just what I needed at the time and unlike some series where the sequels don’t measure up, its sequel certainly did and I look forward to book 3!
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion – I enjoyed this book quite a bit, as well as the movie. It presented a different take on the genre that I found refreshing.
A Blood Seduction (Vamp City #1) by Pamela Palmer – an alternate Washington, DC gets some bonus points! This book introduced a pretty intriguing world. I read it in a day and enjoyed it, so that’s why it gets a mention. Just beware that this isn’t true romance. If you go in with those expectations you’ll likely be disappointed.
The Fire Lord’s Lover (The Elven Lords #1) by Kathryne Kennedy – I read this particular book in one day and I loved the world building and build up to the eventual romance. Unfortunately the sequels never really struck the same chord.
So all in all it’s been a good year! This blog has been good to me. YOU guys have been good to me. And I hope 2013 is even better!! The great thing about books is that there’s something for everybody. I wish you all a very Happy New Year!
Hollows Alert! Ever After Chapter 2!
Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a Happy Holiday Season! Kim Harrison has certainly tried to make it better for us by posting Chapter 2 of Ever After! If you were able to hold out from downloading it with a Fistful of Charms, you can now see it on her website. Just check it out here:
Blood Crime – Felt like familiar territory
I.S. cops Ivy Tamwood and Rachel Morgan were having a pretty good week, working their beat, busting brimstone street dealers left and right. That is until they realize someone may be gunning for them directly. That’ll put a damper on anyone’s week. Fortunately dodging risky attempts on their lives, it’s up to Ivy to figure out whose targeting them and why. Could it be Piscary? Does he want to eliminate Rachel to get Ivy back in his clutches faster? Or could it be a new big bad with something else in mind entirely?
My favorite format of The Hollows will forever be in written novel form, but I’ll take it any way I can get it. Ivy fans will enjoy this book as much as the last, Blood Work. It’s told from her POV even though Rachel maintains a consistent presence. It’s not a requirement, but it will help to have read the short story told from Ivy’s POV, Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil, because certain characters and events become relevant again.
Considering that this is a graphic novel, I’ll start with the graphic part. The cover is actually a bit disappointing. The cover of Blood Work was one of my favorite parts about the novel. The colors and badassness really made it pop. This one? Not so much. It’s dark and vaguely mysterious, but it’s not interesting. I feel like the model should be wearing a more sinister expression.
It’s no secret that I’m not particularly fond of the artwork. Even though there’s a new illustrator, they implemented the original artwork so the overall style is unchanged. After reading this one, I’m still not a fan but it is definitely improved over the first one in a few areas. For one, the coloring is more professional. It’s more vibrant and saturated, giving it an all around better look. Interestingly enough, I think Ivy looks better in this one than in Blood Work. But on the other hand, I thought Rachel looked prettier in Blood Work than she does here. Piscary looked pretty spot on to how I envisioned him in my head, and a new character, Celeste, actually had a pretty cool design. The artist definitely does better work with her own original creations.
The story itself was pretty good, if a bit short. It’s natural to feel that way when a usual Hollows entry is over 400 pages. Though I’m pleased with the direction the later books have taken, I do miss the old I.S. runner days when they had to solve mysteries and tag bad guys. This book brings a little bit of that back. I liked how it continued the plot lines from Ivy’s short story because it expands the vampire world just a bit more when it comes to their politics, connections, and the domino effect that comes with certain actions. There’s a lot of inner turmoil with Ivy, fighting her attraction to Rachel, fighting her vampiric nature, fighting Piscary’s mind games. That’s pretty much all the poor girl does! Not to mention actually physically fighting the bad guys. Piscary was pretty scary at times, especially when pulling auras. He’s certainly one you love to hate. Kisten’s role is even smaller here than in Blood Work, but we do see enough to know how strong of a bond he and Ivy shared. Rachel wasn’t quite as funny as she was in the first novel, but she still felt like Rachel, kicking butt, taking names. And seeing her cherry red splat gun in action again was pretty cool too.
All in all, I don’t think these are the best that The Hollows has to offer, but it is worth a read and fans will appreciate the story.
*Review copy provided by the publisher
Who is my favorite Author? Kim Harrison, that’s who! Ever After ARC is MINE!!
Though I gave my copy away last year, this one is priceless for this very reason: 
But don’t worry! I will be holding a giveaway for the official release!!
NEW and EXCLUSIVE! Hollows Short Story – Trouble on Reserve
Hi Hollows fans! Ms. Harrison certainly surprised us today (or yesterday for those of us in the know) with the new Hollows short, Trouble on Reserve. The good news? IT’S NEW HOLLOWS MATERIAL!! The bad? It’s only available to iPad, iPod Touch (with the later iOS), and iPhone users who download the Sony Reader App.
While I am typing this blog from my beloved MacBook Pro, I happen to be a Droid girl with an outdated iPod touch *Le Sigh*. But knowing me, that certainly wasn’t going to get in my way. Thanks to a WONDERFUL coworker, I was able to read the story on her iPhone. It. Is. FABULOUS! Our favorite elf and demon witch team up once again with a wonderful twist. While great, I noticed a few significant spoilers from Ever After, so beware!
Book Release day! Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond – A little bit of old, a little bit of new
Just a friendly reminder to you guys that Into the Woods was released today! Below is my review that was previously posted. While the anthology was awesome and I loved Trent’s short story, Million Dollar Baby, I have to say that I liked the bonus chapter from A Perfect Blood even better.
Review
Even being the Hollows snob that I am, I admit a couple of stories have slipped through the cracks for me over the years. That’s why I was quite pleased to hear that the stories would finally be included in an anthology! I’ll be honest and say that when I opened it I immediately skipped to “Million Dollar Baby”, the story centering on Trent and Jenks’s elf quest in Pale Demon, and it didn’t disappoint! Everything else for me was a bonus, but it was all worthwhile. Here’s a breakdown of the stories and my general feelings:
“Million Dollar Baby”– this was easily the premiere story for this publication. It was essentially priceless getting into Trent’s head and learning quite a few things that we never knew before. It makes him so much more “human” this way. Trent and Rachel fans eager for anything to support development of these two may be disappointed a smidgen (though not entirely), but I think it’s important to remember when this story took place and what it’s about. While I loved reading about Trent, I admit that I missed Rachel. I’m really attached to the itchy witch and they play off one another so well. No worries though because the bromance that blooms between Trent and Jenks is plenty entertaining. We see why pixies and elves get along so well. Overall, I thought this was a well done story and I wish we could get more stories from Trent, though I know that won’t be happening much.
As for the reprinted Hollows short stories:
“The Bespelled” – a short story focusing on Al and how he ensnared Ceri of 1,000 years ago. I always enjoyed this read. But it has Al so that makes it pretty easy…
“Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel”– a Robbie/Rachel/Pierce novella going back in time to when Rachel was 18 and struggling with her decision to join the I.S. This story was new to me. I was not the biggest fan of Pierce in the main novels, but I must admit that he is a little better here.
“Undead in The Garden of Good and Evil”– a novella focusing on Ivy in her earlier I.S. days. Another entertaining novel with excellent doses of Kisten. If you thought he and Rachel were hott together, you should read this to see vamp on vamp action. I read this some time ago, but I forgot how hott he and Ivy can be together.
“Dirty Magic”- short story about Mia, the banshee from Book 7. While not my favorite I found it interesting to read about her and her complex thought processes.
“The Bridges of Eden Park”– a Kisten and Rachel short that no doubt makes you miss him all over again.
“Ley Line Drifter” – a novella focusing on Bis and Jenks. It introduces the character Daryl who we meet again in the later Hollows novels. I will say it’s sort of weird to read A Perfect Blood and then go back to reading this. My favorite parts were the moments between Jenks and Matalina since we never get to see that first hand.
Stories beyond The Hollows:
“Pet Shop Boys” – I admit that every time I see this title I just want to sing “West End Girls”. Though I promise that the story is completely unrelated. It’s actually about vampires, but they are completely different from our Hollows vamps. I think she could have had something going, but The Hollows vamps are better and more developed, not surprisingly. They have an unfair advantage of having novel after novel of development. I would like to see this become a full novel or two to even the playing field. This was my favorite entry of the non-Hollows stories.
“Temson Estates” and “Spider Web”-a short story and novella focusing on dryads. I don’t think they are my favorite supernatural creature, but I would have liked to have seen a little more regarding the Spider Web story.
“Grace” – novella introducing new powers relating to people who hold special energy capable of destroying electronics. Their powers can be intense enough that, if left unharnessed, they can be a danger to society. This one is more borderline Urban Fantasy to me. It could be categorized as something else.
Overall, I enjoyed this book but normally I don’t enjoy anthologies very much simply because I prefer to read a whole novel as opposed to several novellas (just a personal preference). I found myself putting the book down more often for this reason, but I was definitely engaged enough to read the old stuff all over again along with the new stuff.
I follow Kim Harrison’s work more closely under the Rachel Morgan series than anything else, but the non-Hollows stories give the reader a taste of her skills as an author. It’s a good way to test yourself as a fan, determining whether you plan to follow Rachel Morgan or Kim Harrison in general. The beginnings of the stories were sometimes a little hard to get into because I didn’t always want to switch gears from story to story, especially going from Rachel Morgan to something totally different. But if you stay the course, each read is quite rewarding and interesting, even with such a short window of opportunity to tell the story. I see myself following Harrison throughout The Hollows and beyond.
A Perfect Blood Paperback is out! And OH-EM-GEEE!!
“When this is over, can I fix that?”
My fingers, he realized, shivering when she brushed his palm. She’s talking about fixing my fingers. “If you like,” he said with a false calm, then pulled away, stifling a spun-sugar feeling as her hand slipped from his. It’s the adrenaline, he thought, not meeting her eyes.
Yeah, that. just. happened. Now READ!!
EDIT: I got it for my kindle, but those who already have the book and don’t want to purchase it again can read the whole thing in the browse feature on B&N. It’s free and all you have to do is click the first “Teaser Chapter” link:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/sample/read/9780061957901
Thanks to our very own VirginiaHouston for bringing this link to my attention. The Harper Browse doesn’t offer it at this time.
As you may or may not know, the mass market paperback was released this Tuesday and Kim added a special bonus which included a change of POV from a previous chapter. She decided to use Trent’s POV for the office scene where (spoiler ahead)……………Rachel takes off the demon bracelet that he put on her in Pale Demon. I just read the excerpt and well…
I’m about to go on a Goodreads quoting spree. Who wants to join me?!
It’s been a pretty good week for me. I scored front row tickets to the Madonna concert this past Sunday (I’d never been to one of her shows before), and now I read this MIND BLOWING excerpt from this book! Honestly, I’m speechless. If you want to read it yourself (and believe me, you’ll want to), you could stop by your local bookstore and read the MMP, you could buy the ebook like I did. I like having ebook and hardcovers for this series, so I purposely held out for the ebook until now. Kim NEVER goes for the jugular like that. She’s usually way more subtle. That last paragraph was just… As I said, I’m speechless right now and that NEVER happens with The Hollows.
HOLLOWS ALERT!!! Excerpt of Ever After (Book 11) is here!
If you guys purchase (now for 99 cents though before it was free) the Pet Shop Boys short story, it includes the first excerpt of EVER AFTER! See, I love you guys so much I told you before reading it myself 😛 *now rushes off to read*
Edit: I just finished the excerpt. Bah! There’s NEVER enough Hollows! And I honestly was thinking about Carew towers recently so it’s right on time that Kim brings it up again.
Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond – A little bit of old, a little bit of new
Even being the Hollows snob that I am, I admit a couple of stories have slipped through the cracks for me over the years. That’s why I was quite pleased to hear that the stories would finally be included in an anthology! I’ll be honest and say that when I opened it I immediately skipped to “Million Dollar Baby”, the story centering on Trent and Jenks’s elf quest in Pale Demon, and it didn’t disappoint! Everything else for me was a bonus, but it was all worthwhile. Here’s a breakdown of the stories and my general feelings:
“Million Dollar Baby”– this was easily the premiere story for this publication. It was essentially priceless getting into Trent’s head and learning quite a few things that we never knew before. It makes him so much more “human” this way. Trent and Rachel fans eager for anything to support development of these two may be disappointed a smidgen (though not entirely), but I think it’s important to remember when this story took place and what it’s about. While I loved reading about Trent, I admit that I missed Rachel. I’m really attached to the itchy witch and they play off one another so well. No worries though because the bromance that blooms between Trent and Jenks is plenty entertaining. We see why pixies and elves get along so well. Overall, I thought this was a well done story and I wish we could get more stories from Trent, though I know that won’t be happening much.
As for the reprinted Hollows short stories:
“The Bespelled” – a short story focusing on Al and how he ensnared Ceri of 1,000 years ago. I always enjoyed this read. But it has Al so that makes it pretty easy…
“Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel”– a Robbie/Rachel/Pierce novella going back in time to when Rachel was 18 and struggling with her decision to join the I.S. This story was new to me. I was not the biggest fan of Pierce in the main novels, but I must admit that he is a little better here.
“Undead in The Garden of Good and Evil”– a novella focusing on Ivy in her earlier I.S. days. Another entertaining novel with excellent doses of Kisten. If you thought he and Rachel were hott together, you should read this to see vamp on vamp action. I read this some time ago, but I forgot how hott he and Ivy can be together.
“Dirty Magic”- short story about Mia, the banshee from Book 7. While not my favorite I found it interesting to read about her and her complex thought processes.
“The Bridges of Eden Park”– a Kisten and Rachel short that no doubt makes you miss him all over again.
“Ley Line Drifter” – a novella focusing on Bis and Jenks. It introduces the character Daryl who we meet again in the later Hollows novels. I will say it’s sort of weird to read A Perfect Blood and then go back to reading this. My favorite parts were the moments between Jenks and Matalina since we never get to see that first hand.
Stories beyond The Hollows:
“Pet Shop Boys” – I admit that every time I see this title I just want to sing “West End Girls”. Though I promise that the story is completely unrelated. It’s actually about vampires, but they are completely different from our Hollows vamps. I think she could have had something going, but The Hollows vamps are better and more developed, not surprisingly. They have an unfair advantage of having novel after novel of development. I would like to see this become a full novel or two to even the playing field. This was my favorite entry of the non-Hollows stories.
“Temson Estates” and “Spider Web”-a short story and novella focusing on dryads. I don’t think they are my favorite supernatural creature, but I would have liked to have seen a little more regarding the Spider Web story.
“Grace” – novella introducing new powers relating to people who hold special energy capable of destroying electronics. Their powers can be intense enough that, if left unharnessed, they can be a danger to society. This one is more borderline Urban Fantasy to me. It could be categorized as something else.
Overall, I enjoyed this book but normally I don’t enjoy anthologies very much simply because I prefer to read a whole novel as opposed to several novellas (just a personal preference). I found myself putting the book down more often for this reason, but I was definitely engaged enough to read the old stuff all over again along with the new stuff.
I follow Kim Harrison’s work more closely under the Rachel Morgan series than anything else, but the non-Hollows stories give the reader a taste of her skills as an author. It’s a good way to test yourself as a fan, determining whether you plan to follow Rachel Morgan or Kim Harrison in general. The beginnings of the stories were sometimes a little hard to get into because I didn’t always want to switch gears from story to story, especially going from Rachel Morgan to something totally different. But if you stay the course, each read is quite rewarding and interesting, even with such a short window of opportunity to tell the story. I see myself following Harrison throughout The Hollows and beyond.
Into the Woods (The Hollows Anthology) Excerpt is Available
I gotta say I’m loving all of the new Hollows updates these days. While the pull of the upcoming anthology’s release has motivated me to finally finish the ARC of this novel (I’ve had it since June, I’m a terrible Hollows snob, I know), I figured you guys would love to get a taste of the premiere story, Million Dollar Baby, that showcases what happens during Pale Demon as Trent and Jenks go on their bromance-filled quest. To read it, just click here.
I’m finishing up the whole thing myself (I’m about 70% done now, made good progress today), but I made sure to read Million Dollar Baby the second I got my paws on it. Priorities are priorities. Either way, I can guarantee Hollows fans are in for a rare treat and some pretty interesting insights.
So, how are you liking the excerpt so far?
Cover Reveal – Ever After (The Hollows #11) by Kim Harrison
Can’t really find a larger graphic quite yet, but there it is! It reminds me a bit of the cover for The Outlaw Demon Wails (the last Ever After focused novel). This one is cool, but I think I like the previous one better because it seemed a little more mysterious. And if you want a synopsis:
The ever after, the demonic realm that parallels the human world, is shrinking. If it disappears completely, so does all magic. It’s up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to avert catastrophe and keep life from changing… for the worse.
While saving the world is important, it isn’t Rachel’s only motivation. There’s also the small fact that she caused the ley line to rip in the first place, setting off a chain reaction of unfortunate events. That little mistake has made her life forfeit unless she can fix it. It’s also made her more than a few enemies, including the most powerful demon in the ever after—a terrifying entity who eats souls and now has an insatiable appetite for her. He’s already kidnapped her friend and goddaughter to lure her out, and if Rachel doesn’t give herself up soon, they’ll die.
But Rachel has more than a few impressive and frighening skillls of her own, and she isn’t going to hand over her soul and her life without one hell of a fight. She’s also got a surpise: elven tycoon Trent Kalamack. With this unlikely ally beside her—a prospect both thrilling and unnerving—she’s going to return to the ever after, kick some demon butt, rescue her loved ones… and prevent an apocalypse before it’s too late. Or, at least that’s the plan…
I want it now! I want it now! I WANT IT NOOOOOOW!!!
So who do you suspect gets kidnapped? Ceri and Rae or Lucy? Maybe it’s Quinn this time? I am SO curious. I know I’m not the only one super relieved that the novel is out one month early this time! I guess it’s time to update my side panel! Maybe I’ll hold out…at least until I hopefully get my paws on an arc.
No Jenks for The Hollows CW adaptation?
http://kimharrison.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/so-i-wrote-a-little-fan-fic-this-morning/
Kim Harrison posted her own little piece of fan fic this morning with a bit of a cryptic message for those of you with your brains turned on. It looks like there’s a big chance there won’t be a Jenks. I can’t say I’m surprised since this is a new show; if you look up the definition of “cheap” you’d see the CW logo, but it’s still pretty disappointing.
I will watch this anyway to support Kim and The Hollows. She is just as good, if not better than the handful of authors that have made it big. I know The Hollows is my Urban Fantasy drug of choice compared to Twilight and The Vampire Diaries for sure, and we all know how big they are. But it’s just really hard not to imagine the Hollows without our staple foul-mouthed, but loyal-as-all-getout pixy. What are your thoughts?
Update from Cheri:
Okay folks, Erika asked me to post this update.
I tooled around all the comments on FB and on wordpress. That’s over 300 comments, lol, anyway, Kim’s hubby Guy made a comment with hints as to what Kim meant on her fanfic. I took the hints, ran with it and came to the conclusion that the deal with the CW on the Hollows show is over. In other words it sank. She was disappointed of course, her rabid fans- not so much. She was describing what the writers were going to change from the series. First, Kisten would have been a witch and still dating Ivy. No Jenks whatsoever. Trent a crazed Rachel stalker and you can see what this would have done to the fans! Needless to say we are all sad for Kim and Guy and what this would have meant for them in financial gains not to mention a much wider future fan base. Would we have been supportive of her book-based show? Of course. Maybe sometime in the future someone with a better brain than the producers/writers with the CW will come along and make this great for the Harrison’s!
My thoughts: I just don’t get why they can’t do it how it is in the books. They have clear guidelines that keep them from needing to think too much. Even if they took out or modified Jenks’ character, what is wrong with what we already have? I just don’t get it…
The Hollows makes me bipolar, and tsk tsk Linda Larsson!!
So while I’d been whining a little bit a few days ago about The Hollows getting a 13th book, my biggest harp was that I thought it’d mean we had to wait yet another year for Rachel’s HEA. But if we still get it in 12 and 13 is a bonus, then I’ll take it! Though Kim could change her mind, if she sticks to this then I’m totally on board now :-D. She also confirmed for me that book 12 won’t be a cliffhanger so that’s another plus!
But yeah, Linda, being a resident Your Urban Fantasy follower (yes, I’m calling you out, missy) didn’t shout this info from the rooftops! Our other fellow follower, Diva, actually showed it to me. Still, thank you both, Linda for asking the question and Diva for sharing the answer!
And while I was there on Kim’s Facebook page I found this…
So it looks like there will be 13 Hollows books after all. *SIGH*!! I may be in the minority but I was really hoping she’d cut it off at 12 since we HAVE to wait until the last book for her HEA. I’m a little bummed, I gotta say. And now with her being more tight lipped about everything from here on out, it’s going to be nearly impossible to listen to her now, lol.
More Hollows Fun! A Kim Harrison podcast interview
Check out Kim’s interview with the Agony Column where she shares a ton of insight about the series overall, it’s development, the future, and more.
http://bookotron.com/agony/news/2012/03-19-12-podcast.htm#podcast031912
If you don’t want to listen to the entire thing (I myself was multitasking in the process so it wasn’t a big deal), I took a few notes and noted the approximate time if you want to skim to that point yourself. Sorry if it’s not perfectly formatted:
15 minutes – very good insight on Al and his evolution.
21 minutes – we have Kim’s editor to thank for Bis’s creation
22 minutes – how she crafts the plot. Kim has an idea of Rachel’s HEA and she thought it was going to be during Book 3. She only plots the book she’s working on, not a whole long story arc across books. She just picks up threads in the next book from the previous book.
24 minutes – Because she works so far ahead of schedule, she can work in some things that the fans want to see.
Kim NEVER dreams about her characters!
27 minutes – the richness of Urban Fantasy, chicklit, mysteries, crime scene, etc. Very good insight.
29 minutes – great discussion on her vampire development. We will see Nina again.
30 minutes – Trent discussion and his history with Rachel. Nick getting his comeuppance in the next book!
35 minutes – she discusses her research in developing the spells.
Still doesn’t know is Kal (Trent’s dad) saved the demons by accident or on purpose!
38 minutes – brought in kids to flesh out Trent’s character and background. And Rachel is seeing him differently now. She didn’t want to give Rachel kids herself because she feels like the series is over once that happens. Giving supporting characters kids allows her to push this envelope.
41 minutes – If Kim did a spin off series, she would do it with Glenn! He has a lot going on.
42 minutes – Ivy is rebelling against her vampire responsibilities.
47 minutes – Her editor suggesting using humans for APB
48 minutes – Discusses her process for writing action and sex scenes. She uses the same approach for both, wanting to know where everybody’s hands are at all times and she wants an action and reaction from both parties.
49 minutes – romance readers helped Kim get her work out there. Again notes how some UF are heavier on romance, some of heavier on mystery. Romance readers like a lot of things UF is known for. With a strong-willed heroine. She didn’t know her romance following was so large until she killed Kisten. She felt she lost a lot of readers for a book and the readers told her she was breaking the rules.
54 minutes – new book is will be UF because that’s what she loves. She tries to write a chapter per day. It takes 8 hours.
58 minutes – the idea to do a GN was her agent’s idea. She was worrying that her writing was getting stale. If there are other GNs someone else will be scripting them. It’s too limited.
59 minutes – the show won’t follow the books. It will follows what’s *between* the books.
Into the Woods (Rachel Morgan) by Kim Harrison – Cover Reveal
Please excuse the Technocrati token 8TCRFGW463NP.
Anyway, ain’t she a beaut! Honestly, I was searching online for this like…yesterday and saw that this picture was posted on another site, but since Kim Harrison hadn’t announced it I wasn’t sure that it was official (though I had a feeling it was).
If you didn’t know, Into the Woods is a Hollows anthology that will be a compilation of all short stories, old and new. It will also include the new “Million Dollar Baby” story which shows us what Trent and Jenks were up to during Pale Demon when they went on their mission to get Lucy. I, for one, am soooo looking forward to this BROmance! I’ve already got it pre-ordered myself.
Dead Witch Walking eBook Sale – Get it now for 99 cents!
Pick an ereader, any ereader! The deal is across the board!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/spotlight-featured-author-nook-books/379002742/
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Dead-Witch-Walking/book-GtTYhS4zyU-69smhFJixEA/page1.html
This is great for new potential readers or even us well established Hollows fanatics who just want it as an ebook. I can personally say that I love the the text search feature.
Kim Harrison at her lovely Drama Box also notes that the book is highlighted.
Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison Signing Seattle Q&A – In case you missed it…
You can still watch Wednesday’s hour long but very entertaining and funny Q&A for both of these wonderful authors. I’m not sure for how long Harper Voyager will keep this available, so make sure you catch it ASAP! And if you’ve already seen it, any thoughts?
The Hollows (Rachel Morgan) Digest – News and spoiler answers revealed!
Hi guys, since there’s a lot of new info with the book release, I decided to compile some Hollows updates. First, Kim Harrison has posted an interiew about the book and the series. I thought it was quite insightful:http://www.livestream.com/harpervoyager
It starts at 7pm PST so don’t be late!
Feel free to post your comments here, but I’ll be on Twitter and Facebook as well. I may also open up a Goodreads thread if we want to make it a real party. I’m open to suggestions. I hope you guys can tune in!
Guess who’s going to San Diego Comic Con yet again?! It’s me! W00T
This means tons of coverage on TV series, movies, games, and AUTHORS. I met Kim Harrison and Patricia Briggs last year and we made the news!! That was a lot of fun. Kim won’t be there this year unfortunately, but there is so much to do there with so little time. I had an absolutely fabulous time and I’m looking for this year to be even better!
While last year’s ticketing experience was an absolute 3-hour DISASTER and I only got my tickets out of luck, this year they’ve implemented a new system that had me on my way in 10 minutes. Of course the whole thing sold out in under 2 hours, but at least it was better organized.
Next up is the hotel lottery. I won’t even get into the issue last year…okay I totally will. Being the Comic Con virgin that I was, I had no clue about waiting until their hotel lottery, so I tried to be an eager beaver and book a backup room in December with hopes that the significant con discount could be applied later after badge sales (because I sure as hell wasn’t trying to pay the whole unreasonably inflated price). I booked by phone and specifically confirmed with the associate that my room would not be charged right away and I could cancel up until 2 days before the con. I asked her several times and she said “YES”. One month later, I see a $2,200 charge on my credit card. I’m of course scratching my head and looking at my calendar because I could have SWORN that the con wasn’t for another 6 months! So I called them up and they give me the spiel that when I booked I agreed to paying the full non-refundable rate. HA!! So getting that straight (because I refused to take that laying down) took up the better half of my January. Moral of the story…book everything online where you can read the fine print and you have written proof >_>. SDCC 2012 here we come!
If any of you guys plan to go, please keep me posted! I’d love to meet even more of you.
Soooo I tried those Hollows waffles! Yup, I added the mayo!
To round out Hollows week, this past Sunday I decided to crack open the Hollows Insider and put that waffle recipe (on page 134) to good use. If you don’t have that book yet, you should get it, but all is not lost if you still want the recipe; Kim has posted it here on her website. If you don’t remember, back in Every Which Way But Dead (Book 3) Rachel and Trent end up eating waffles at his house after that boat explosion. That was a pretty entertaining scene. I wish we saw more of his cook, Maggie, in future books. She seemed like a good judge of character, but I digress…
However, if my memory serves me right Rachel is supposed to be allergic to eggs. It didn’t hit me until I started making this post. That’s a major ingredient for the waffles. I shall inquire about that with Ms. Harrison as I am now curious. Maybe it’s okay because it’s not purely egg? Kind of like how some people can still have dairy products (ie: ice cream, cheese, or yogurt) while not being able to tolerate milk directly. I’m like that, though Silk Almond is delicious so I don’t miss milk at all. Here was a snapshot I took after mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately. I combined them afterwards per the instructions, but I thought that adding the mayo sort of made the wet ingredients look like egg drop soup…
I used vitamin D milk and extra virgin olive oil. I am not sure if that makes much of a difference, but the end result was very delicious and light waffle. Probably the best waffle I’ve ever had. I plan to make more and toy around with different cooking oils. Maybe I’ll even try Silk instead for a batch.
So if any of you have a waffle maker on hand (or you’re fine just improvising and making Hollows pancakes), you should definitely give it a try. On the rare occasion that I’ll eat a waffle (I average maybe 1-2 times per year) I normally get ready-made waffle mix; “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is my motto. But I’ve always been curious about the mayo aspect and after one of our members, Kat, asked me about it, I figured this was the perfect time to experiment. If any of you have tried it or plan to, please let me know! I was quite pleased with the final product. 
As for what’s next, I’m sort of curious about those brimstone cookies myself…
Kim Harrison Signing Part 2 – Autumn Leaves saved the day! (Pics, video, and sound bites)
Though I got to meet Kim on Friday, one of our fellow members, Autumn Leaves, met Kim yesterday! If any one else will be attending a signing and would like for me to make a post about it I’ll be more than happy to do it.
As for Autumn’s signing. This was held in Atlanta. Thankfully they held the Q&A session this time. She was able to record a couple of sound bites and I have uploaded them here. She was able to address the questions about elves being able to feel cold (they can after a while). A few facts not on the recording (quoted from Autumn):
- When she was signing my book, I asked her the question about Trent being able to read Rachel’s mind – she said it is not so much that he can read her mind, it’s just that he knows her so well. (more…)
Your Urban Fantasy 