The Radio station WVMP is "The Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll" and Ciara Griffin manages the unusual nocturnal DJ staff. Once a con-artist she is now running the blood drinking crew of vampires who are obsessed with the music from the era they died in. Ciara keeps the undead happy, the ratings up and the fan base expanding. Oh and she is having a relationship with one of the vampires.
Halloween is the only true undead holiday and WVMP is throwing a huge party. Loud music, great costumes and lots of drinks it is sure to be spoken about until next Halloween. However this is the evening that a religious fanatic takes over the WVMP airwaves. None of the listeners want to hear about their evil sins and going to hell. They just want to hear the cool tunes and party but what are the DJs and Ciara to do?
With no help from the authorities Ciara and the gang track down the illegal religious transmission but that is only the start of things to come. Ciara has to protect the station again while trying to keep her relationship with the hunky vampire Shane on balance. She also has a new pet to care for and a best friend who has decided that being bitten by a vamp isn't too bad. Throw in the fact that Ciara's blood has some strange powers and you will be left wondering if Ciara will make it to New Years Day in one piece and with her sanity still in tact!
Bad to the Bone, like it's predecessor Wicked Game, is an amazing read. Carrying on the unique storyline of a vampire radio station this book is the Paranormal Urban Fantasy equivalent to the best chocolate you have ever tasted. With a great plot, fantastic characters and that special musical touch this is a series I hope will be around for years to come.
Jeri Smith-Ready has become one of my favourite authors. Her Crow Trilogy took my breathe away, Requim for the Devil surprised me and Wicked Game gave me hope for the future of the genre. The author has yet to, and most likely can never, disappoint me and continues to astound me. With such a fresh look on things and a different angle on the world of vampires this series and anything else she writes is not to be missed.
If you haven't had the pleasure of reading Wicked Game then make sure you catch up on the WVMP vampires before trying out Bad to the Bone. If you are just waiting for Bad to the Bone to come out (due in stores in May) and you haven't yet tried Jeri's other books, I suggest you do.
The devil has had a busy ten-billion-year career and even though he has everything there is something missing in his life. Then he finds what he needs. Lucifer falls in love with Gianna O'Keefe and she drags him out of his depression. Confused about his feelings and confronted with problems from all sides the relationship shouldn't have even lasted past the first date. However there is something special about Gianna and Lucifer finds himself lying to his fellow fallen angels and loyal friends so he can keep seeing her.
Things are going well until both the divine and infernal forces start getting involved. Could it really be that Lucifer is heading toward salvation? As he sabotages his 'real' life and carries on his facade with Gianna things get more and more complicated until the inevitable happens. Someone dies.
I have now read every book by this author and she never fails to surprise me every time. With such a different pace than Wicked Games and the Crow Series, Requiem for the Devil is unique, uplifting and inspiring. I laughed and cried while watching the devil himself fall into an impossible situation and acting more human than most humans.
Requiem for the Devilis a spectacular novel and was not what I was expecting. I had to force myself to put it down and go back to my everyday life. As usual Mrs Smith-Ready sucked me into her world, entertained me and then left me yearning for another trip. If you know of this author then make sure you read all of her work and if you don't then get to know her because her writing is something that is not to be missed.
Sorry book lovers! I should have posted this yesterday but life gets in the way sometimes ;)
It is time for the randomizer to work some magic again and pick a winner! This time it is picking a winner for the Nancy Haddock contest and the winner will get a signed copy of Nancy's debut book, Viva La Vampire and also a $10 Barnes and Noble gift certificate!
And the winner is -
Kath Calarco!!!
Congratulations to the winner! Please email me your address and I will pass it on to Nancy for you! (Amberkatzes_Book_Blog at gmx dot eu)
If the prize isn't claimed within 7 days I will pick another winner!
Thank you to everyone who entered the contest and a huge thank you to Nancy for the great guest blog, contest and for stopping by so often! I hope she will be back when her new book is released!
Don't forget that the Jeri Smith-Ready and Lori Handeland contests are still open and close on Sunday!!! So if you haven't entered yet you better get to it! The links are in the sidebars!
I just wanted to remind you guys that there are still a few contests still open!
The Madelyn Alt Contest closes tomorrow. So if you haven't entered yet you still have some time to get your name in the hat!
The Terri Garey Contest also closes tomorrow! Which means you have only have a little under a day to get your name on that list if you aren't on it already!
The Nancy Haddock Contest closes on Thursday so be sure not to miss out on that one!
My second author guest today also has alot to do with death. Well actually the main character in her Aspect of Crow Trilogy, Rhia, has alot to do with the dead or dying and her vampire DJ's are of course all dead! Please welcome, for the second time on Amberkatze's Book Blog, the lovely Jeri Smith-Ready!!!
Read to the bottom of the interview to enter the contest!!! (only open to people in the US! Sorry!)
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Amber - Thank you Jeri for coming back to Amberkatze's Book blog to celebrate the release of The Reawakened ! I loved the book and it was a perfect end to an amazing series. Maybe you can start things off by telling us a bit about the Aspect of Crow Trilogy?
Jeri – Thanks for having me, Amber—I love your blog!
The Aspect of Crow Trilogy takes place in a world where everyone has magic bestowed by their Guardian Spirit or “totem” Animal. I always say it’s sort of X-MEN meets CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR. ;-) The main confrontation throughout the trilogy is between the Animal Spirit people and those they call the “Descendants,” who have rejected the Spirits, built cities, and created their own pantheon of human gods. You could loosely compare it to the European invasion of the Americas and the conflicts with the Native Americans, or with any colonial occupation of a less “advanced” populace. Except this time the colonized have magic and the Spirits to help them fight back!
Eyes Of Crow is mostly a coming-of-age story (a “delightful” one, according to one of my favorite authors Charles de Lint). It’s told from the perspective of the main heroine Rhia as she learns to accept her powers as a Crow woman. She’s still the primary character in Voice Of Crow and The Reawakened , but those books are also told from the points-of-view of secondary characters.
It’s full of magic and action and romance, and it’s quite a bit darker and more serious than my vampire books. I really loved doing these two series simultaneously, because it let me bring out both sides of myself.
Jeri - I’ve always loved crows and ravens and wanted to write a book that featured them. Then I had the idea for someone who could predict when people were going to die. I put the two together, along with the shamanistic concept that everyone has a Guardian Spirit Animal, and that’s how the idea came together. Then it was a lot of sitting around thinking how the story itself would go and what kinds of conflicts the world would bring to the characters.
Speaking of Spirit Animals, my website features an interactive personality quiz (www.jerismithready.com/quiz) to show you which of twelve Animals from the book you'd be. E-mail me your results and you’ll automatically be entered into a prize drawing during your animal’s month. The drawings will continue until October 2009.
Amber - The Reawakened is the last book in the trilogy. Will we ever see Rhia or any of the other characters from the series again?
Jeri – A short story called “Storm Reaper” will be featured on my publisher’s site beginning November 17. There’ll be eight weekly installments for people to read online for free. I really enjoyed writing this story about Kiril and Filip and Alanka (from VOICE OF CROW) stirring things up in Ilios. It was an aspect of the world I’d wanted to include in The Reawakened but had to be cut so that the book was less than 800 pages long. ;-) “Storm Reaper” takes place about two years before The Reawakened, but it’s in a different area with different characters, so there are no spoilers if you read one or the other first.
Besides that, I think Rhia and her friends and family would like to be left alone with their happy ending.
Amber - Who are your favourite characters from the Aspect of Crow Trilogy? Are any of them like you or based on people you know?
Jeri – My favorite characters, not surprisingly, are the heroes. Marek in Eyes Of Crow , Filip in Voice Of Crow , and Lycas and Dravek in The Reawakened . Out of all of them, Filip was the most fun and in many ways the easiest to write. As an Ilion, he’s a lot more like us than the rest of the characters.
Some would say Rhia is like me, in that she loves to eat, questions everything she’s told, and, at the beginning of her life at least, is kind of a scaredy cat. But she’s a lot more selfless and focused on others than I am.
Jeri – I tried to be careful about keeping the books “ecologically correct,” i.e., getting all the biological/ecological/geographical details about the animals and plants right. As a former biology major, I try to do this with any book, but since the Aspect of Crow world is so deeply tied to nature, it was particularly important.
For The Reawakened , I did a ton of research on guerrilla warfare. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished by so few warriors, as long as they have the people on their side. I studied everything from the American Revolution to the French Algerian war to Vietnam to Cuba to China to the current conflict in Iraq. I learned that it’s nearly impossible to occupy a country when the population is determined to kick you out. You can’t overcome them with force alone—you have to win them over by other means.
Carol asked - Was this (Aspect of Crow Trilogy) your first series and do you find it is easier or harder to write a series than it is to write a single title?
Jeri – It was my first published series. I had a stand-alone novel (Requiem for the Devil, 2001), for which I wrote half a sequel that was never published (which is probably a good thing). Everything else I’ve written has been part of a series. I think particularly with fantasy, when you build a world and create compelling characters that continue to grow, a series is almost inevitable.
Jeri – Imaginary world fantasy is more difficult for me, even though the Aspect of Crow Trilogy takes place here on earth in the same part of the country in which I live (the mid-Atlantic region). The most challenging part is the dialogue—while my characters don’t talk in high-falutin’ “fantasy-speak” with lots of thou’s and thy’s, certain modern colloquialisms would sound very jarring coming out of their mouths. To put it bluntly, when I write contemporary fantasy, I can use all the words I know (including cuss words, of which there is only one in the entire AOC trilogy).
ddurance asked -
What brought on the aspects of music and radio in your book Wicked Game? What importance is music to you and in your own life?
Jeri – Music has always been a part of my life. There was constantly a radio or stereo on in the house when I was growing up. My family was an early influence in my musical tastes, but by the time I got to high school, it was usually friends and/or boyfriends who had the most influence. Now I pretty much find music on my own. I just couldn’t live without it, and I feel extremely lucky to be able to share that love of music in my work with the vampire DJs. Not only in the book, but also on my website (www.jerismithready.com/books/wicked-game/music.htm) and that of the WVMP radio station (www.wvmpradio.com/).
Amber - What is next? More fantasy? More paranormals? Upcoming projects?
Jeri – Bad to the Bone, the second in the WVMP series, will be out in May 2009, and I have high hopes that there’ll be more of those coming down the pike in future years. *fingers crossed* I also have a young adult urban fantasy in the works, so let’s hope it finds a home with a publisher who loves it.
Oh, and there’ll be more vampire DJ turning stories coming soon! Monroe’s (www.jerismithready.com/books/wicked-game/monroe.html) and Spencer’s (www.jerismithready.com/books/wicked-game/spencer1.html) are already on my site. Jim’s should be up by Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to that one—should be deliciously weird. ;-) Then I’m planning for Noah’s around New Year’s, Regina’s mid-February, and finally Shane’s at the beginning of April.
Michelle asked -
How is your progress on Bad to the Bone!? What is this story about & where did you get your inspiration from for the story?
Jeri – Heh. My deadline is next Wednesday. I’m in the final polishing stage right now, and I’m really happy with where I’ve taken the story in the rewrite—more action, more conflict, more vampire DJs!
The story focuses on a new threat to the station—this time from a religious broadcaster who pirates WVMP’s signal and claims that anyone who glorifies the occult (by, for example, pretending to be vampires) is going to hell. It also features a stray dog named Dexter who turns out to be a lot more than meets the eye.
I got the idea for the story from the real-life so-called “culture warriors,” who always seem to rear their heads this time of year railing against the evils of Halloween. Dexter was based on a foster dog I knew and loved, whose name was Foots. We wanted to keep Foots for our own, but he wanted to eat our cats, so there was a basic conflict of interest. ;-) He went to live with another foster family who adopted him the next day.
Amber - What have you been reading, watching or just enjoying lately?
Jeri – I’m a political junkie, so most of my tiny spare time has been absorbed by reading, watching, and talking about the upcoming election here in the States. I’m looking forward to getting past that event, finishing this book, and returning to reading and movie watching. I am nowhere near my goal of fifty books and fifty movies for 2008!
Our current Netflix DVD is the final season of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, possibly my favorite show ever. I’m in the middle of two very funny books right now: Chuck Klosterman’s DOWNTOWN OWL and Beth Ciotta’s ALL ABOUT EVIE. They are keeping me sane through the crazy times.
Amber - Thank you again for stopping by Amberkatze's Book blog! I hope you will come back again when Bad to the Bone comes out!
Jeri – I absolutely will! Thanks so much for having me, and thanks to you and your readers for the great questions. Please feel free to ask me more questions in the comments, and good luck in the book drawing!
You can visit my website at www.jerismithready.com. Also, I have signed bookplates for anyone who wants a quick-and-easy way to get an autographed copy of the novels. Just e-mail me at jeri AT jerismithready DOT com and tell me which ones you want. (Please include your mailing address with your request.)
Happy Halloween, everyone!
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Contest Time!
Jeri has kindly said that she will send the winner from this contest a signed set of the Aspect of the Crow trilogy!
That means you get all 3 of these amazing books in the trilogy!
This contest is only open to US mailing addresses!
To enter the contest go to Jeri's site and fill in the interactive personality quiz (www.jerismithready.com/quiz) and then post here which of twelve Animals from the book you are!
To get an extra entry post about this interview & contest somewhere on the internet and leave the link here so I can confirm your entry!
The contest will stay open until Sunday 9th of November 4pm CET and all entrants should check in to see if they have won! I will draw another winner if the prize isn't claimed within 7 days!
A couple of days ago I made this post asking for people to submit questions for author Jeri Smith-Ready. Now I have been told by Jeri that she is busy finishing off Bad to the Bone. Now I know we all want her to do that more than answer our questions so I will be extending the entry date till Friday 17th of October.
So if you want to ask Jeri anything then post your questions here on this thread or here. Questions about all of her books are welcome but I will be focusing on the Aspect of Crow series.
I will choose the best questions to send off to Jeri and the answers will be posted when The Reawakened is released and Jeri has time off from Bad to the Bone!
After my Aspect of Crow experience I have invited Jeri Smith-Ready to be a guest again here on Amberkatze's Book Blog. Jeri was here a while ago talking about her book Wicked Game and this time she will be here in time for the release of the third and last part in the Aspect of the Crow trilogy, The Reawakened.
I know some of you out there have been following the series and I am sure there are others out there who would like to get to know the author better. So I am giving you all the chance to ask your questions!
Post your questions on this thread and I will pass them on to Jeri. Of course if there are alot of questions I will have to pick the best but I will try and send them all. You can post as many questions as you like but Aspect of Crow questions will go to the top of the pile.
The questions and answers will be posted in a few weeks time and you have till Thursday to post your questions here.
Rhia has been bound to the Spirit of Crow and for the last 20 years she has been helping the dead cross over. With the continuing war plaguing Rhia's people their only hope of peace is the Spirit of Raven to come and and The Reawakened. So far Raven has not shown itself and the Descendants are not only just killing Rhia's people but also preventing them from using the magic they possess. Keeping her family, friends and people safe is just as important to Rhia now as it always was but this time there is more to lose. Will Rhia be strong enough to get through everything life is about to throw at her?
Sura and Dravek are spirit brother and sister and they both know that the heat they feel when they are together is something special. A romantic relationship is out of the question and they both have to go their own way even if it hurts to do so. Although they end up being too close for comfort and making bad decisions as well. Things could get deadly for both of them if they don't control themselves and their powers. Will they manage to find a way of being together without hurting everyone they care about?
The Reawakened had twists and turns that kept me guessing till the end. I always thought I knew what was coming but the author kept surprising me all the way. The characters and story are just captivating and just like the previous two books I found it hard to put this down. When I did have to put The Reawakened away my heart ached for the moment to come when I could pick it back up again. The world is magical, mystical and fantastic but also so realistic. I loved this original idea and only wish it wasn't over.
Being the third and last book in the Aspect of the Crow Trilogy I did have a few tears in my eye when I got to the end of The Reawakened (I was on the bus so I managed to contain myself!). Everything came together and it was the perfect ending to what has been the best reading experience I have had this year. I can only continue to praise this trilogy and recommend it to anyone who will listen to me! Even if like myself you aren't usually into fantasy and romance I would highly suggest giving the first book in this trilogy a try. If you have been following this series you will not be disappointed and I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.
Aspect of Crow Trilogy has really blown me away. I feel like any other book I read now will never make up for this experience. I am going to treasure all three books and I will definitely be reading them again and again.
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Previous Author Interviews & Guest Blogs!
Thank you to all the authors who have just popped in to comment, guest blogged or stayed around for an interview!
Here are all the previous author interviews & Guest Blogs!
The Radio station WVMP is "The Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll" and Ciara Griffin manages the unusual nocturnal DJ staff. Once a con-artist she is now running the blood drinking crew of vampires who are obsessed with the music from the era they died in. Ciara keeps the undead happy, the ratings up and the fan base expanding. Oh and she is having a relationship with one of the vampires.
is unique, uplifting and inspiring. I laughed and cried while watching the devil himself fall into an impossible situation and acting more human than most humans. 
, Rhia, has alot to do with the dead or dying and her vampire DJ's are of course all dead! Please welcome, for the second time on Amberkatze's Book Blog, the lovely 
! I loved the book and it was a perfect end to an amazing series. Maybe you can start things off by telling us a bit about the 
, 
, the second in the WVMP series, will be out in May 2009, and I have high hopes that there’ll be more of those coming down the pike in future years. *fingers crossed* I also have a young adult urban fantasy in the works, so let’s hope it finds a home with a publisher who loves it.
by Kelley Armstrong
