Some of you may already know Marla Mason from the books written by T.A. Pratt where as some of you won't know anything about the sorceress of Felport. Here is your chance to find out a little bit about the bad ass and if you enter this weeks contest you could even win one of the books T.A. Pratt has written about her.

Enjoy!

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Amber - I am sure alot of my readers have already met you in the books written about your adventures by T.A. Pratt but maybe you could tell my blog readers a bit about yourself?

Marla - Not much to tell -- I'm a sorcerer, I punch things that get in my way,
I have a few loyal friends and a lot of fair-weather sycophants on my payroll, and my one single sacred duty is protecting my beloved city of Felport from whatever might threaten it. Mainly supernatural things.

Amber - There are alot of people out there who would love to be a sorcerer. Do you have any advice for them?

Marla - Keep your eyes open, your ears open, and your mind open. (But not too open, or something nasty might move in.) And just remember you're never as good as you think you are.

Amber - Being chief sorcerer of the city of Felport is, from what I have read, hard work. What do you like to do to relax?

Marla - Hard work *is* relaxing.

Amber - Have you heard anything from Pelham lately? How is Rondeau doing?

Marla - Pelly is still enjoying his world tour, disposing of a certain something for me. Last I heard he was in the Himalayas. He'll be back in a year or two or three, when his business is done.

As for Rondeau... Rondeau hasn't been himself lately. If you read what happened to us in Spell Games, you'll see what I mean.



Amber - How are you coping after your brush with death last year?

Marla - I like the occasional brush with death. It helps me keep my edge.

Amber - If you could change something in your past what would you change and why?

Marla - Not much in my distant past -- there were bad things in my childhood, sure, but they helped make me the person I am today, and that's a person I'm happy with, so I wouldn't risk altering it. I did, recently, have a very dear friend die, and if there were a way to save him... Well, let's just say I'm working on it. (Surely you realize your question isn't strictly hypothetical? There *are* ways to change the past -- they're just almost never worth the trouble they cause.)

Amber - How is it working with T.A. Pratt on the books? Do you feel he writes about your adventures well? Were there any disputes?

Marla - Ha, "working with." I don't have a collaborator; I have a stalker who digs through my trash and makes up motivations for what he observes of my behavior (which is never the whole truth anyway). And he's not above lying to make a better story. I'm just glad everyone assumes the things he writes are fiction. Makes my life impler when nobody believes I really exist.

Amber - As chief sorcerer of the city of Felport I am sure you have alot of stories to tell. How many more books would you like to see out on the shelves?

Marla - I could do without the books entirely, but things keep right on happening to me, so I guess this could go on indefinitely. Certainly I'm going to have to deal definitively with some of my more persistent enemies someday.... and more immediately, I've got that dead friend I want to bring back to life. That's probably enough for a couple more books right there.

Amber - Marla, I heard your brother is visiting. Is that going to be a new story? Or is he just passing through?

Marla - Yeah, my brother was in town, for a while, but he's gone now. It... wasn't a very successful visit. I don't want to talk about it. My stalker T.A. Pratt wrote a book about it, called Spell Games, if you want more details on our happy reunion.

Amber - If the books were going to be made into a TV series or film who would you like to see playing you and your friends?

Marla - I don't really watch TV. I'm sure if you asked Rondeau he'd have some opinion. He'd pick somebody more handsome than he is though.

Amber - You are stranded on a desert island. What 5 things would you both hope to have with you?

Marla - Sometimes I think it'd be a nice break to get stranded on a desert island. Maybe a few hundred books, a lot of rum and fruit juice, a couple of willing servant boys, a grass hut... Nah. I'm allergic to that much fresh air ans sunshine. I'd just teleport or fly back home in such a situation.

Follow Marla on Twitter

Read a short story featuring Marla

Read my interview with T. A. Pratt (with links to my reviews)



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Contest Time

This week I am giving away one Marla Mason book to one lucky winner. If you win this weeks contest you get to choose which Marla book you would like. That means you can start at the beginning or get the book you are missing from the series.

To enter the contest post here saying who you would like to see playing you if your life was made into a movie or TV Show!

No actress or Actor = No entry!

Earn another entry for each place you link this contest on the net. Make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries!

You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.

The contest will stay open until Sunday 3rd of May 2009 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.

If you are claiming a prize, have emailed me and have not heard back before the 7 day limit is up then post a comment here on the blog. Your email may get sucked into my spam filter.

Have fun!

Labels: Author Interviews, Contests, T. A. Pratt

Sunday is contest winner day and this week there is one winner to be annouced. If you entered Angie Fox's contest you had the chance to win a copy of The Dangerous Book of Demon Slayers. Did you win?

The randomiser has spoken and the winner is -


Catslady!!!


Congratulations to the winner! Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. I will pick a new winner if the prize isn't claimed. If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter.

Coming up there is an interview with Marla Mason from the books by T.A. Pratt.

Also tomorrow Amberkatze's Book Blog is getting a Revamp (which includes a some special guests and a contest) and will be moving! Make sure you pop by to find out more tomorrow!

Labels: Angie Fox, Contests, T. A. Pratt, winners

Don't forget to enter the Angie Fox contest! See the sidebar for details or scroll down and read her guest blog post. The contest closes on Sunday so there are only a few days left to enter!

Also don't forget to enter the monthly draw! This month you could win the new Riley Jenson book by Keri Arthur. See the sidebar for more details or scroll down and read all about it!

Monday is the blog birthday party and we are having a Revamp!

Sunday we have a special guest coming by. Marla Mason from T.A. Pratt's wonderful books is stopping by. I hope you will all come by and meet her.

Have a nice weekend all!

Labels: Angie Fox, Contests, Monthly Giveaway, T. A. Pratt

Marla's past has come back to haunt her in the shape of her brother Jason. As Felport's chief sorcerer, Marla would usually want to get rid of such a con artist but blood is thicker than water and she decides to see what he really wants before tossing him out of her city. It soon becomes clear that Jason is up to no good. He has a scam going and has already used Marla's name to get his foot in the door. However Marla sees no harm in him having his fun with the filthy rich wannabe mage that Jason has targeted and even lets Rondeau, her business partner, join in on the fun.

Although some people have got wind of the scam and don't realise it is a scam. Things start to become dangerous and nobody can really see what is about to happen. Even Marla's new apprentice is getting mixed signals about the whole thing. Death, destruction and deception are all against Marla and as usual it is up to her to save everyone and put everything back in its place.

Book four in the Marla Mason series showed a different side to my favourite sorcerer. Having family pay a visit, and after such a long time, plays on Marla's usually good instincts and pulls her to make decisions she most likely wouldn't have made. This book was not only made interesting due to the appearance of Marla's long lost brother and the story behind it but also the arrival of Marla's apprentice.

A big huge mushroom as one of the main baddies makes for tasty reading but this series is just delicious anyway. There is nothing else out there remotely similar to this series but Marla is a female Harry Dresden (Jim Butcher) mixed with a bit of John Taylor (Simon R. Green).

So when is book five out? I don't know but you can be sure that I will be pre-ordering it asap. I love this series and wouldn't mind swapping places with Marla and seeing some of the action she sees. Paranormal, fast-paced and fun this is a must read series.

Labels: Books Read, New Releases, T. A. Pratt

Sorry guys! I have been so tired from work that I totally forgot to announce the winner of the Monthly Giveaway!

So without any further delay here is the winner of 'Jailbait Zombie' by Mario Acevedo!

Congrats to the newsletter subscriber with the email address that starts with -


yellowsummer!!!


Please contact me within 7 days and send me your mailing info. I will pick a new winner if the prize isn't claimed. Email address to use is - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu.

There will be a new monthly giveaway coming soon! Until then don't forget to enter the Molly Harper contest and look out for interviews and contests coming up over the next few weeks with -

Paula Brackston
Devon Monk
Angie Fox
T.A Pratt

Labels: Angie Fox, Contests, Devon Monk, Monthly Giveaway, Paula Brackston, T. A. Pratt, winners

It is time to announce the winner of this weeks contest!

The winner of the T. A. Pratt contest will get a signed copy of the first book in the Marla Mason series. Blood Engines is an amazing read and I am really loving the series. I hope you all are too!

The randomiser does the picking and the winner is -


macbeaner!!!!

Congratulations to the winner! Please email me your mailing address so I can pass it on to the author. (Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu)

Thank you to everyone who entered! It was great to see what places you all picked.

Another author interview and contest will be posted very soon so don't forget to check in at least once a week to see what is on offer here on Amberkatze's Book Blog!

Labels: Contests, T. A. Pratt, winners

Just to remind you all that the T. A. Pratt contest is still open!

This is a great opportunity to win the first book in the amazing Marla Mason series and the book will be signed by the author!

The contest is open until Sunday so don't forget to put your name in the hat!

Labels: Contests, T. A. Pratt

This week my guest on Amberkatze's Book Blog is author T. A. Pratt. Author of the Marla Mason series. T. A. Pratt's third book in the series called Dead Reign was just released and the fourth book in the series will be out in April. If you haven't already come across this amazing series then shame on you! ;)

Here are my reviews of the series so far -

Book #1 - Blood Engines
Book #2 - Poison Sleep
Book #3 - Dead Reign

Get to know Marla by reading this short story!

Read the interview and get to know the author and then if you feel like winning a prize enter the contest!

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Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! I have been following your Marla Mason series and love it! To start things off could you tell my readers a little about the series?

T. A. - The series follows the adventures of Marla Mason, chief sorcerer of the East Coast city of Felport, whose job is perhaps best described as a cross between mob boss and superhero. She protects her city from assorted supernatural dangers --including but not limited to dogs from hell, nightmare kings, and the god of death -- and, in exchange, gets to make a nice living off various business interests,
legal and otherwise. She's also in charge of keeping the 99.99% of the citizens who don't believe in magic deceived about the real nature of the world.

Amber - Dead Reign is the third book in the series has just been released. What does Marla get up to this time?

T. A. - The essential premise is "Marla vs. Death." One of Marla's most valuable tools is her dagger of office, a mystical blade passed down from chief sorcerer to chief sorcerer over the years, a weapon capable of cutting through anything from steel to concrete to ghosts. Unbeknownst to Marla, the blade once belonged to the god of Death himself -- it was the Grim Reaper's scythe, Sammael's terrible sword -- and now... Death wants it back. He comes to Felport and rather rudely demands Marla return it. Marla refuses. Death attempts to force her to comply... and things get very messy very fast.

Amber - I know that the fourth book Spell Games is due out in April 2009. How many more Marla books can we expect?

T. A. - At the moment, things are a bit unclear. I've finished and turned in Spell Games, which is the last book on my current contract. I've talked to my editor about the possibility of doing more books (I have firm ideas for at least two more), but the wheels of publishing turn slowly, so I don't know yet whether the series will go forward. I hope so! But nothing is certain.

Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the Marla Mason series? Did it just come to you or was it something that took time to put together?

T. A. - Marla herself was inspired by various beloved fictional heroines including Sonja Blue (star of a gritty vampire series by Nancy Collins) to the iron-willed witch Granny Weatherwax (from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series). I first started writing about her in the late '90s, and even published a couple of stories about her, but those early works were much darker and more horrific than the fast, funny (if still occasionally dark) novels you've read. Developing Marla's world and her complex network of friends, allies, enemies, and family has definitely taken time to put together! My essential premise was a world where every conceivable form of magic works, from chaos magic to tea-leaf reading to nature magic to anything else I can think of... but it's all very, very difficult to do correctly. That allows me a free hand to pursue any weird ideas I have, without having a world overrun with magicians.

Amber - Are you anything like Marla or any of the other characters? Are any of your characters based on friends or family?

T. A. - None of them are directly based on friends and family, but certainly everyone I've met goes into the giant compost heap in my mind, the pile of story-stuff from which all fiction grows. As for whether I'm like Marla, well, I like to think I'm just as loyal to my friends, if rather less ruthless with my enemies. I also like to think I have an easier time admitting I'm wrong than Marla does... but perhaps my family would dispute that!

Amber - Are you working on any other projects or are you just sticking with Marla?

T. A. - I'm always working on short stories -- some about Marla, most not -- when time allows, and occasionally still dip back into poetry, which was my first love. I just finished the first draft of a young-adult science fiction novel, basically because the idea demanded to be written, and I've sent it off to some first readers for critique. If they think it works, and I think it works when I re-read it, I'll see about selling that, too!

Amber - Did you always want to be an author? What are some of your most memorable moments as an author so far? What aspects of being a writer aren't fun?

T. A. - I've been writing since I was in third grade, at least -- that's the earliest I still have stories from, anyway, though there could be earlier lost things! I've simply always made up stories, and once I figured out I could write them down, I started doing that. (At various times I've wanted to be a musician, a chef, a teacher, and other things, but I always came back to writing.) There have been so many memorable moments as a writer, most involving meeting OTHER writers at conventions and readings and such. I'd have a hard time singling out any one of them, but sitting on a panel with Michael Chabon was a highlight, and having the opportunity a few years ago to introduce my best friend Dawson (to whom Blood Engines is dedicated) to HIS favorite writer, Neil Gaiman, was a huge happy thing. I didn't just make Dawson's day, I made his YEAR.

Amber - What books do you like reading when you have time? Any favourite authors or series that you must have?

T. A. - How much space do I have? :) Longtime favorites include Charles de Lint, Lisa Tuttle, Jonathan Carroll, Kathe Koja, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, and my favorite writer of all time, Theodore Sturgeon. I'm privileged to have many friends who are also talented writers, many of whom are lately publishing stories and books and winning awards -- people like Benjamin Rosenbaum, Jenn Reese, Greg van Eekhout, Sarah Prineas, David Moles, Steph Burgis, Heather Shaw.... I really could go on and on and on, but that list should keep anybody busy reading for a while!

Amber - A lot of authors have music that influences their books. Do you have any songs or bands that you like to listen to while writing or for inspiration?

T. A. - I listened to a lot of Cake and Rilo Kiley while writing most of the Marla books, with some Radiohead and The Mountain Goats and Modest Mouse in the mix, especially for Dead Reign. (My tastes are Modern Rock Eclectic, I guess.)

Amber - If you were stranded on a desert island which 5 things would you hope to have with you?

T. A. - Oh, I dunno -- Flares, water purifier, hunting knife, first aid kit, tent? :)

best,

T.A.

Amber - Thank you for the great interview! I hope you will be back again ;)






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Contest Time!

This week you can win a signed copy of T. A. Pratt's first Marla Mason book - Blood Engines!

To enter the contest post on this thread answering the following -

Marla is the chief sorcerer of the East Coast city of Felport. Which town, city, village or place would you like to rule over?

No answer = no entry!

You can earn a second entry to the contest by posting about this contest somewhere on the web. Make sure you post a link so I can confirm your entry!

The contest will close on Sunday 16th of November at 4pm CET. Entrants are advised to check in to see if they have won. I do not track down winners and will draw a new winner if the prize isn't claimed within 7 days.

Enter away!!!

Labels: Author Interviews, Contests, T. A. Pratt

Marla Mason is the chief sorcerer of Felport and she has faced all kinds of magical enemies and evil. This time though she is dealing with the worst of the worst. A killer who is dark, handsome and doesn't play fair. Death himself has arrived in Marla's town and until he gets what he wants she has been evicted and has no contact with her beloved city.

The last thing Marla wants is to go to war with Death himself but he leaves her with no other options. With her friends and partner Rondeau still on the inside trying to save the city and Marla on the outside with her trusty new servant Pelham there is some hope. However it could take time to get rid of Death and Marla will have to visit her past and confront some people she thought she would never see again to end the Dead Reign of Felport.

This third book in the Marla Mason series was just as amazing as the first two books. Dead Reign grabbed me right from the beginning and I couldn't let go until I got to the cliffhanger ending. I love the feisty sorcerer Marla and her servant Pelham was a fun addition to the cast in this new release.

Dead Reignplays in a very exciting, fast paced magical world that I can't wait to visit again. Spell Games, the fourth book in the series, is due out in Spring and I am off to pre-order it so I won't miss it. Marla rocks the Paranormal Urban Fantasy scene and any lovers of this genre who haven't met her yet should make an appointment to get to know her sooner rather than later!

Labels: Books Read, New Releases, T. A. Pratt