Today's Friday Five consists of the last five books I read:

(Click the images to find out more on each book)

1) Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland



2) TTYL by Lauren Myracle



3) Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink



4) Elfland by Freda Warrington



5) Uninvited by Justine Musk



All of these were new-to-me authors (as in, I knew who they were but hadn't read their work yet), apart from Justine Musk who we all know I fangirl over on a regular basis. *g* And Freda Warrington has been on my radar for many years, but this is actually her first major US publication. I think Elfland should win an award for Best Cover here - I love Kinuko Y Craft's beautiful artwork.

I enjoyed each of these books, even though they are a hugely eclectic bunch (one YA contemporary, two YA paranormal, one adult contemporary fantasy/saga, one adult urban fantasy). If you want to know more, you can follow my mini-reviews on Goodreads! ;) But I don't say much really, apart from that I'd recommend all of them. Uninvited was a re-read and I think I got even more out of it this time around; truly a chilling narrative. I hope that Justine revisits this world one day. You haven't lived until you've met Archie...

I've been busy in Real Life lately, catching up with some old friends (which has been brilliant!) and running the usual errands. Not to mention keeping my eye on the flat-rental situation. It's looking more and more like I'll have to wait until the New Year to move. So, in lieu of a meaningful update I give you...

3 Things/People I ♥ Right Now:

♥ True Blood, which finally came to Channel 4. Love, love Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse. Yes, I'm aware this might be a controversial opinion, but I'm not afraid of a bit of controversy. ;) I actually think she does a great job with the role, bringing something new to Sookie while still retaining much of the quirkiness that Charlaine Harris gave to the character in the original Southern Vampire Mysteries. Please, no spoilers as I've only just started Season One.



♥ This new book cover (click to view larger version):



How beautiful is that? :) Check out Nicole Peeler's blog for more information about the second book in her brand new series.

♥ Totally lovin' Jordan Summers for sending me an ARC of this:



It's the final book in the Dead World trilogy, and I can't wait to see how it all ends up for Gina, Morgan, and of course Raphael Vega (who I confess is my favourite character *g*). Thanks, Jordan! The book officially releases next month, so there's not long to wait for everyone else...

I can't afford to buy any books for the whole of October, so I quickly ran down to Forbidden Planet at lunchtime. This is what I bought on the last day of September (just in time! *g*):



ZOMG! I'm so happy, I absolutely love Elizabeth Bear(matociquala)'s work. *beams*

This is the mass market edition of All the Windwracked Stars. It received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Here is the blurb:

It all began with Ragnarok, with the Children of the Light and the Tarnished ones battling to the death in the ice and the dark. At the end of the long battle, one Valkyrie survived, wounded, and one valraven - the steeds of the valkyrie.

Because they lived, Valdyrgard was not wholly destroyed. Because the valraven was transformed in the last miracle offered to a Child of the Light, Valdyrgard was changed to a world where magic and technology worked hand in hand.

2500 years later, Muire is in the last city on the dying planet, where the Technomancer rules what's left of humanity. She's caught sight of someone she has not seen since the Last Battle: Mingan the Wolf is hunting in her city.

How cool does that sound? And no, I am not sad that it's another Norse book that might make my own shiny idea based on Norse mythology any less worthwhile. As the wise Jackie Kessler always reminds me: "Kaz, this just proves the market exists!" ;)

Anyway, I am going to read this Very Soon Right Now. It only came out at the beginning of the month, but I've been waiting for the paperback for ages...

Banned Books Week runs September 26 - October 3, 2009. Because I believe in the freedom to read, and to mark this important week, I am going to read one of the most 'frequently challenged' titles of recent years and then blog about my impressions. I've chosen a contemporary YA novel that has made the list of the top ten most frequently challenged books two years running (2007 & 2008, quite an achievement!):



TTYL (along with the other books in the series, TTFN, L8R, etc.) by Lauren Myracle was the 3rd most challenged book of 2008 for the following reasons:

offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

I will let you know what I think! I'm looking forward to it as I liked Lauren's story in Let It Snow, but haven't read any of her novels yet. Meanwhile, please take a look here and here for more information, statistics and ways in which you can help bring awareness to Banned Books Week.

Books are not made to be banned, people; they are made to be read.

I have finally replied to all the amazing comments from Thursday. Dudes... I am in awe of the outpouring of support and friendship. You have no idea how much it means to me that SO MANY PEOPLE are happy for me and wanted to share my good news. Srsly (tm). O.o I really did get all teary-eyed. THANK YOU!! Okay, I'm still pretty scattered, but here are Six things for Saturday:

1) First of all, the winner of my BBAW giveaway is:

unpissenlit!!

Congrats! You win the UK edition of SKINNED. Please email me (kaz dot mahoney at gmail dot com) with your full name and mailing address and I'll get that out to you next week. (Keep in mind that we are facing a potential national postal strike here in the UK, so that could affect how quickly you receive your prize.)

2) Second of all, and really I should've done this first... It is sora_blue's birthday today!! Chandra (for that is her name) was the very first online friend I made, and I am forever grateful to her for making me feel less freakish in my geekdom. In fact, there is really no one who is as much of a geek as Chandra, and I mean that as a sincere compliment. ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Chan! *hugs* This one's for you:



3) I'm having a major Nina Kiriki Hoffman crush. Loving her books! Just gave Ana my spare copy of A Fistful of Sky because it was so brilliant. In fact, I'm thinking of making this an 'official' reading challenge for her... *g*



4) I have also read A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. I honestly thought this book was gorgeous. Like a tiny, perfect little gem - I can't think of a single thing that I would've changed or wanted to be any different.



5) Currently reading her latest book, Fall of Light:



6) Other Nina Kiriki Hoffman books I have lined up to read (yes, I am obsessed):



There are a few more, plus about 200 short stories to track down... Should keep me busy for a while. ;)

...I just can't help myself. ;)

I have cut down lately, I really have. But I was back at the Day Job today and accidently went to Forbidden Planet at lunchtime.

Something might have leapt off the shelf and begged me to buy it. I honestly couldn't do anything about it. I had to do what the book told me to, right?!

*has shifty eyes*


             Paperback                         Hardback

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

I've been waiting for this one to come out in paperback (I have a strict no-buying-hardbacks rule at the moment) but I much prefer the paperback cover to the original hardback anyway, so it was worth the wait.

Which one do you like best?

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents beside her. And she has Zach, whose strength amazes her more each day. Do they have enough love and resolve to overcome an age-old evil?

Inspired by the ballad "Scarborough Fair," Impossible combines suspense, fantasy, and romance.

It sounds brilliant, can't wait to read it! *looks at TBR stack* Um... I might bump this one up a bit...

While I was sick I was horribly unable to read - I just felt too ill. But once I started to feel a little better, I could at least re-read a couple of books. Sort of a comfort-thing, I think. (Though one of the books is a strange choice of 'comfort' read. Heh.)

Here are the last five books I read, starting with the couple I devoured pre-sickness:

1) The Red Tree by Caitlín R. Kiernan. I absolutely loved this book. If you've always wondered about trying Kiernan's work but thought: "Oh, doesn't she write horror?" Or, on the other hand, "Isn't she all literary and hard to read?" then this is the book for you. Trust me. But don't read it late at night, all alone... ;) Creepy and clever, the book has an engaging narrator who draws you ever-deeper into the growing strangeness and mystery that surrounds the red tree of the title. It made me cry in more than one place. Wow... is about all I can say.



2) Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Beautifully written, this just carries you along with the flow of story. Touching, exciting, filled with passion and a romance that will warm your heart (despite the icy setting!). I loved the dual-POV of this book, which gave it a completely new dimension compared to a lot of YA fiction. The overwhelming sense of yearning jumps off every page.


       US Hardcover                    UK Paperback

3) The Good Neighbors by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh. Finally got around to reading this graphic novel and now can't wait for Book 2! It ends on a cliffhanger which, while it wasn't unexpected, was certainly beautifully executed. The black & white artwork is filled with shadows and sharp angles, while still giving a lovely sense of realism to another great tale of Faerie.



4) Bloodangel by Justine Musk. This was a re-read. There's just something about Musk's debut novel that I love; the writing is amazing, for sure, but more than anything the characters draw you in. Told from various POVs, the three main story threads all come together beautifully for the dark & apocalyptic finale. I'll definitely re-read the second book, LORD OF BONES, as soon as I can.



5) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I re-read this one, too. I love this series - Richelle is a clever, clever writer, and reading the first book in the VA series again after all this time shows just how talented she is. I've yet to read the new (4th) book, BLOOD PROMISE (can't wait!), but right from the start you can see how events in the third book are foreshadowed... *shakes head in awe at the authorly cunning* The worldbuilding is brilliant, as is the unique interaction between Rose and Lissa. And yes, Dimitri is hot. ;)


        Old US cover                      New cover

So a little while back I said that I wouldn't buy any new books until I had read 12 books from the stacks I already have lined up.

How did I do?

Um... Well, today I cracked under the pressure and bought two new books. But that's not bad considering I've read almost 8 since that post. I've been on a crazy reading binge! Partly, that was due to joining Goodreads (which I have since un-joined for various reasons, mostly involving time & procrastination), but also because I've been dedicating more time at night to reading. I consider reading eight books from my TBR pile before adding anything new to it to be pretty good going, at least for me! ;)

These are the two books I bought today. First up:



How fabulous is this cover? I love it! The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King has been getting rave reviews all over the place, and I was very happy to see a book published by Flux stocked in one of my favourite London bookstores. Amy King has a great website and blog, by the way. Here's the blurb:

In the late 17th century, famed pirate Emer Morrisey was on the cusp of escaping pirate life with her one true love and unfathomable riches when she was slain and cursed with the dust of 100 dogs, dooming her to one hundred lives as a dog before returning to a human body—with her memories intact. Now she's a contemporary American teenager, and all she needs is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica.

I also got this YA Science Fiction anthology:



The Starry Rift edited by Jonathan Strahan. (You can check out the first few pages using Amazon's 'Look Inside' feature, which is why I am linking to them.)

I've been waiting for what feels like ages for this one to come out in paperback, and it has since won an Aurealis Award for Best Anthology. To be honest, my main reason for buying it was because it feels extra-cool to hold a book in my hand that has a YA science fiction story written by my good friend triciasullivan. Her story is called, 'Post-Ironic Stress Syndrome' - isn't that a cool title? :)

The full list of contributers is:

Stephen Baxter
Cory Doctorow
Greg Egan
Jeffrey Ford
Neil Gaiman
Kathleen Ann Goonan
Ann Halam
Margo Lanagan
Kelly Link
Paul McAuley
Ian McDonald
Garth Nix
Alastair Reynolds
Tricia Sullivan
Scott Westerfeld
Walter Jon Williams

I made good progress on my revisions today. I didn't get started as early as I'd hoped, due to being up so late last night reading Caitlín R. Kiernan's wonderful new novel, The Red Tree. It is certainly the best novel of hers that I've read, and I've read all but one of them so far. I always enjoy Caitlín's writing - her beautiful, dark, poetic style - but this book is just so... real. I think a big part of that is because the main part of it is written as a journal (I love books written as diaries/epistolary novels). I'm only halfway through, but I feel excited to continue with it tonight.

Anyway, I have just one brand new chapter to write for BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS, and then I need to go through the entire ms one more time to add a few bits and pieces. I have also discovered that the novel probably needs an epilogue, so it looks like I won't finish this second draft for a few more days. I keep forgetting that I switched the entire novel from 3rd-person to 1st-person POV, and that is part of the reason for the amount of time these revisions have taken.

Tomorrow I am meeting a new online friend thanks to daphnegrab hooking us up. Looking forward to a chat about writing & reading & YA books over coffee. And then it'll be back to work on the revisions for the rest of the day.

...since I did a reading post. And as I can't sleep, I might as well do something useful.

So, I made a decision re. books. It's a biggie, and as with all of my Best Laid Plans there is a good possibility I won't achieve this one. But here it is: I am going to endeavour to clear some of the books from my shelves before buying any more. I'm aiming to read at least 12 books that I already own or have borrowed before I buy anything new. Even if there's a book coming out that I really, really want. Or if it's something by one of my few auto-buy authors. Even then, I have to wait. Due to various life & writing things I'm reading pretty slowly at the moment, so we're talking about a minimum of 12 weeks without making any new book purchases. *bites nails*

But I need to save money and I have so much to read already. So much AMAZING stuff. :)

Currently, I'm reading this:



Really, really enoying it. So far I've only read Ms. Hoffman's short fiction, but after this book I know I'll be picking up a lot more of her novels.

Next up is this:



I have to read it because Ana tells me I must. She said, "Do it for me, please?" And how can I deny her that? *g*

And then I shall finally read a book that has sat on my shelves unloved and unread for over a year:



I think it's cool that my latest three books will be a lyrical, offbeat fantasy; a children's fantasy with, I hear, a massive twist (PLEASE DO NOT SPOIL IT FOR ME!); and then a military science fiction novel, but one that brings Aboriginal mythology into the science - I've heard wonderful things about this and can't wait to try it. I'd forgotten how much I used to love space opera!

And then nine more from the many, many books I have lined up. I wonder what will be next?

The weekend flew by, and I realise that I haven't posted here for a few days. Very unusual for me, what with my LJ addiction and all...

But it was a busy weekend. Family stuff (mostly good) and then the Wimbledon final on Sunday (nail-biting!), with an outing today with my mum to top things off. Revisions on BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS have been slow, but I did get some done on Sunday and I intend to get on with it tonight and tomorrow - before the Day Job kicks in again.

So not much to report, really. Except that I bought this:



and this:



[Click on the images for more info. Also, a quick note to say I'm going to link to The Book Depository from now on, rather than Amazon, for the books I mention here. Not saying I won't use Amazon again, but I'm giving TBD a try thanks to their promise of 'Free worldwide delivery' and the fact that you don't have to register to order.]

Although the HUNTRESS anthology has a novella in it by Marjorie M. Liu (who I am currently loving), I mostly bought this for the Caitlin Kittredge (blackaire) novella, 'Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go'. It's a Black London story, and I really can't get enough of the dark and delicious mage, Jack Winter. ;)

I can't believe how quickly this year is passing. Does anyone else feel that way, or is it just me? Half the year is gone...

Life is very busy for me right now. The Day Job in particular is taking a lot of time/energy, but at least I managed to start revisions on BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS. I've changed a lot of it from 3rd to 1st-person POV (though I've stuck with the more traditional past tense) and it's working. I really like it. Maybe this book needed to be written in 3rd-person - I think I write best that way - but now I'm seeing how I can drop deeper into Moth's head with the POV switch. It's good. Although I still have a lot of work to do, especially on the ending.

Yesterday I posted a giveaway at the Deadline Dames. It ends on Saturday.

I've been reading a lot of Marjorie M. Liu stuff lately. I'm loving her prose; she writes so beautifully, while still telling kick-ass stories. Looking forward to getting my hands on her new release, Darkness Calls.

Other new releases I can't wait to read? Prey by Rachel Vincent, and City of Souls by Vicki Pettersson. There are many more... July is a great month for fantasy, urban or otherwise.

I've been very busy with the Day Job, so am a bit late with the update on my recent question about short stories. So! I had some amazing answers to the question: What's your favourite short story of all time? If you want to see the answers in detail, I suggest you go through the comments to that entry (and thanks to all the people who contributed) - there's some great feedback and it's worth a look. Some people included direct links to where stories can be read, for free, online.

But for easy reference here's the list of the individual stories that were recommended. I am going to make it my personal challenge to read every single one of these before I die. Um... hopefully that won't be for a while, but I am going to start soon just in case! ;)

( Short story goodness under the cut - in no particular order... )

Several stories came up more than once, for example: 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson (which was my choice), 'Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand' by Vonda McIntyre, 'The Veldt' by Ray Bradbury & ‘Roman Fever’ by Edith Wharton. This certainly wasn't a scientific survey, but it was a lot of fun and very informative. I've only read a handful of the stories on this list, although I've heard of at least half of them.

I know that people who read my ramblings over here love to give recommendations, so tell me... what's your favourite short story of all time? Yes, it's a TOUGH question, but nobody said life had to be easy - right? ;) You're not allowed to name a collection (unless the collection is linked and has to be read all together), just a single short story in any genre. I'm looking for recommendations and am also just curious.

Mine is this:



'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson is utterly chilling; a story that is timeless and encourages us to look into the dark heart of humankind. I could read those few pages every week and not get bored.

What's yours?

ETA: I'm getting some great suggestions already (keep 'em coming!), so I'll put up a list of them tomorrow for anyone who's interested. Thanks!

I'm loving writing BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS so much - I really hope I can keep this up all the way to the end. Um... Having my doubts about that now, as I already have a huge plot hole that I know needs filling. ;) I had an epiphany re. the Big Bad, though, and let's just say... s/he isn't quite what I expected. But I think that's a good thing, as long as I make it surprising-but-ultimately-logical.

BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS:

40135 / 60000 words. 67% done!

--
Thanks to the lovely lilifae, I am reading an early UK copy of this:



Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters is everything I'd hoped for in the sequel to Generation Dead. I'm already almost halfway through and am totally in love with a new POV that has been added for this book. Oh, I can't say anything because of the huge spoilers for Book 1, but I think Mr. Waters might just be a genius. *g*

I absolutely love my AlphaSmart Neo. I really, really love it with an unhealthy love. You know why? Because today, I WROTE ON THE TRAIN FOR AN HOUR and that made me so happy. I didn't care that people were looking at me and clearly wondering: WHY IS THAT GROWN ADULT PLAYING WITH A SPEAK 'N' SPELL ON THE TUBE?

Who cares, because I wrote words. On the TRAIN! Did I mention that? I don't know how many words because I haven't figured out if there's a word count thingie on here yet (I don't think there is), but never mind. I'll upload it all on Tuesday and then see where I am.


Pic taken from Thinking on the Margin

Apart from the new love of my life, I am supremely envious of all those lucky people at BEA in New York. I wish I lived in the US. *sigh*

I am comforting myself by re-reading this:



In preparation for book 2:



Generation Dead and Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters. Kiss of Life is due out in the UK on 6th July 2009 and I CANNOT WAIT. Srsly(tm), Generation Dead was without doubt one of my top reads of last year. Like there aren't already enough great books to read, now I'm RE-reading the best ones.

While sitting in the sun yesterday afternoon, trying to recover from the Migraine of Doom from Friday night, I had another Super!Shiny! idea for a novel. At least, I think it's a novel. It could be a short story which would be unusual for me. But either way it's one of those ideas that definitely wants to be written. I wrote down a few points and then forced myself to put it aside. It needs some research and I have to focus on the draft of BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS. Nice to know I'm maturing as a writer. ;)

Okay, I'll stop rambling for now and get on with catching up with emails. Then... more writing! On my AlphaSmart. Which I love. *g*

...buying this:



It's the TPB collecting Laurell K. Hamilton's prequel to the Anita Blake series. It was Anita Blake's adventures - combined with Buffy the Vampire Slayer on TV - that showed me the kind of stuff I wanted to be writing, many years ago now. I might not love the recent direction of Hamilton's work (the novels, I mean), but I remain hopeful that I'll one day return to the series with fresh eyes. :)

Here's a sample page. I like it; makes me tempted to check out the other comics, now:


[Click twice for full size]

Has anyone else read the comics/graphic novels? What do you think?

But before that, don't forget you have until the end of today to enter my giveaway for Sherwood Smith's brilliant new book.

And now onto those other books...
( ...under the cut because this is looong and image-heavy! )

Keep an eye on things over here. I suspect there may be another giveaway or two. ;)

As I didn't post a Friday Five yesterday, here are six kinda random things for you.

1) Great quote by agent Jim McCarthy (via azhure):

“If you think you can give up writing, then give it up. If you can’t … if you know that no matter how much stress or rejection or frustration you face, that you can never stop writing? In that case, never give up. Publishing is too hard to face if you aren’t in it for the right reasons. But it’s not too hard to break into if it’s what you need to do.”

I needed to hear this today, and I know a lot of my friends feel the same right now. This is from an interview that Jim did here.

2) It's been a fab week at the Deadline Dames, finishing up with a bonus post today by Dame Jenna. Please check out our donation to romance author Brenda Novak's auction to support diabetes research. The Dames have contributed a basket filled with signed books and other goodies. Yes, it's true... Keri Arthur has even donated Tim Tams - the national biscuit of Australia*. You don't want to miss that! ;)



3) SciFiGuy has a great guest blog by debut author Diana Rowland. I met her at RT and she's awesome - I'm really looking forward to her urban fantasy novel, Mark of the Demon, which is due out next month.

4) I am now working on THREE projects. *sigh* I know, I know, project-hopping isn't always a good thing. But! I justify myself by saying that while I still don't have a book deal, I can play around with various things until I hit on the one that sticks. Right? Right?! BND still needs an outline, OUW (the adult sekrit project) is in its very early stages, and now I am being lured away by the siren call of a book I've wanted to write for...oh, about a year now. I've resisted it this far for what I thought were sensible reasons, but a few things that've happened lately make me want to dive in. I've run it past Agent M so we'll see. I might write it on the side, anyway, just for fun. Those are sometimes the best projects - no pressure, no deadlines, but mad love for the protagonist and concept.

5) I've been reading a LOT of good books. To match my writing works-in-progress I am reading three novels at once. Why yes, I am a Gemini... How did you guess? ;)



6) suzannemcleod has an awesome contest to win a signed proof copy of THE COLD KISS OF DEATH, Spellcrackers.com Book 2! Check it out. And make sure you check back each week, as she's hosting weekly giveaways for 11 weeks until the book is released!

And finally, don't forget there's still plenty of time to enter yesterday's giveaway.

*I made up the "national biscuit of Australia" part, but who knows? It could be true...

Once a Princess: Sasharia en Garde Book One. Buy it here!

Description:

Warning: This title contains a kick-butt mother-daughter team, a wicked king, a witty pirate with an unfortunate taste for neon colors, inept resistance fighters, a dreamy prince who gallops earnestly hither and yon, and a kick-butt princess in waiting.

Swashbuckling in a magic world—L.A. style!

Sasha’s mother, Sun, was once swept away from a Ren Faire to another world by a prince—literally—but there was no happy ending. Sun’s prince disappeared, and a wicked king took the Khanerenth throne. In the years since, Sasha and Sun have been back on Earth and on the run. Mom and daughter don’t quite see eye to eye on the situation—Sasha wants to stand and fight. Sun insists her prince will return for them one day; it’s safer to stay hidden.

Then Sasha is tricked into crossing the portal to Khanerenth. She’s more than ready to join the resistance, kick some bad-guy butt, and fix the broken kingdom. But…is the stylish pirate Zathdar the bad guy? Or artistic, dreamy Prince Jehan?

Back on Earth, Sun is furious Sasha has been kidnapped. Sun might once have been a rotten princess, but nobody messes with Mom!

--

To begin with, I have to say that this is the first book I've read by Sherwood Smith - and it certainly won't be the last. I need to get hold of Book 2 (Twice a Prince) Right Now! Luckily, it's out very soon. After some research, I discovered that the whole Sasharia en Garde tale was originally released in e-book format by Samhain as a complete book. When it moved to print publication, the story had to be split into two parts due to its size/publishing constraints. I'd say that releasing the book in two halves, very close together, works pretty well - although you'll read the first book and wish you had the second one to go onto immediately. :)

The thing I admire most about Sherwood Smith is her worldbuilding. Actually, I admire lots of things about her and her work (I've read her blog for a long time, and she always has thoughtful things to say about writing and life - she's here on LJ as sartorias). But there is something incredible to me about a writer who has been gradually building and deepening a world since childhood. The world, Sartorias-deles, strikes me as rich and very real. After reading ONCE A PRINCESS I really felt like I could hop over there and hang out with the wonderful characters. Although I occasionally got the feeling that I was missing out on some things by not having read anything set in this world before, I mostly think that Smith does a good job of making this story standalone for new readers.

This is a cross-world story: Sasha and her mother fled Sartorias-deles and crossed back over into 'our' world to live in contemporary Los Angeles. Of course, they can't stay hidden for long. As soon as they're discovered Sasha crosses the World Portal and returns to the kingdom of Khanerenth, and is caught up in a swashbuckling adventure with the sexy pirate Zathdar. I absolutely loved the chemistry between these two, and I have to say that all of their scenes were my favourites. Of course, the rest of the book is great fun too, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Sun in the second half of the story. Whenever Sasha's mother does appear in ONCE A PRINCESS, she pretty much steals the show - I wanted more of Sun!

Sasha is a wonderful heroine - she's a tough (but not too tough) young woman in her mid-twenties. It's nice to see a book that stars a twenty-something character that could also appeal strongly to teenage readers, just as much as adults.

There is a quite a twist in this tale, so I'll say no more about it - at least until I've read Book 2. ;) A highly recommended romantic fantasy, with lots of humour and adventure. I can see this appealing very widely, so if you find the cover too 'girly', please don't let that put you off.

Contest:

I'm giving away one copy of Sherwood Smith's ONCE A PRINCESS. I loved the pirate Zathdar in this book, so to enter all you need to do is leave a comment telling me who your favourite pirate character is - whether in books, comics, TV or film. Closing date is end of the day (anywhere) Wednesday 6th May 2009. I'll announce the winner sometime on Thursday. This giveaway is open to all.