Interview with Heather Frost

I recently had the opportunity to interview Heather Frost. Heather is a new author and her first book Seers is coming out October 8th. It was a great read. The characters are some of the most developed of any YA I have read recently. This book does not read like a young inexperienced authors first book. Grab it up for a wonderful weekend read.

Me:  Tell us a little about yourself.

Heather:   I'm the oldest daughter in a family of twelve, and I absolutely love being a big sister. I'm a full-time student, studying English, and I work as a writing tutor. Seers is my first published novel, and becoming an author is a dream come true. If I could have a super power, it would be command over time. (I'm kind of a control freak, what can I say?) I love daisies and rainy days.

Me:  Do you think being home schooled helped your creativity?

Heather:  Absolutely. The curriculum my parents used encouraged lots of reading, so I was exposed to a lot of good literature. I also wrote a few short essays each week, on any topic I wanted, so I ended up flipping through the encyclopedias a lot as a kid. I learned a bunch, and much of that I've been able to use in my writing. My parents also encouraged us to devote an hour of our school day to some learning activity. For my brothers that involved spending time building computers, or working with the family mechanic. For me, it meant writing. Also, with home school I wasn't bogged down with all the extra homework my friends seemed to have. So if nothing else, home school gave me more time to write than I would have otherwise had.

Me:  I was surprised to see that you had grown up in one of the most conservative areas of our country. How has that helped, or hurt, your decision to write fantasy?

Heather:  The conservative atmosphere I grew up in directly led to my being home-schooled, which helped me with my writing, but I don't think it's had any real bearing on my decision to write fantasy. I write what I love, and so I'd be willing to bet that I would have turned to writing fantasy wherever I happened to be raised.

Me:  Having a large family can be hard. Was writing an escape, or was it more that you used your writing to entertain your siblings?

Heather:   A little of both, actually. I told silly stories to my siblings all the time, and even wrote some of them down. (That's what a big sister does, right?) But in the end, writing is an escape for me, and it always has been. When you write you can go anywhere, experience anything; live in any time, meet all sorts of people you would otherwise never meet. As Emily Dickinson wrote, “There is no frigate like a book.” I loved adventure and fantasy books as a child, but I soon found that when you write books, you feel even more a part of the story. How was I supposed to resist such an exhilarating call?

Me:  The characters, especially Kate, are so very real. Did you base them on people you know?

Heather:  Getting my characters to feel real is something I've worked hard at. Observing real people, seeing how they act and talk, has really helped me as a writer. So my characters have some traits that belong to real people, but for the most part my characters are unique. I've found that my minor characters have more of a habit of becoming people I know. For instance, the band teacher in Seers (who you never actually meet) is Mr. Walton. My awesome band teacher in high school was Mr. Walton. I use names of people I know all the time.

Me:  Lee is one of the greatest best friends I have seen in YA in a long time. I absolutely love that she was willing to hurt Kate to help her.  Do you have any plans for Lee in the next book?

Heather:   Lee is a definite favorite of mine. Who wouldn't want someone so outrageous and awesome as their best friend? I'm happy to report that I have some great plans involving her for the sequel. She'll be just as quirky and wonderful as ever, but she'll become an even more important character as the story progresses.

Me:  Do you have any other projects in the works or will you be concentrating on this series for now?

Heather:  I have a few other stories I'm working with, but The Seers Trilogy is my main focus for now. 

For more information on Heather Frost And Seers visit http://seersthebook.com/

Review: The Shadowing: Hunted by Adam Slater

Adam Slater has managed to take folk lore into a very scary direction. His demons are not pretty boys in need of rescuing. There is no teen angst, no love story, no "mush" to get in the way of the real story. I loved it! It is very well written, although many of our American readers may be distracted by the use of British slang. For me it added flavor, just that little bit of spice, and I am glad they chose to leave it instead of Americanizing it. This book series, unlike many other YA novels that have come out recently, is perfect for any gender. That in itself makes this worthy of a read.

From Amazon:
Once every century, the barrier between the human world and the demon realm begins to break down. Creatures gather, anxiously waiting to cross the divide, to bring death and destruction from their world to ours. This time is called The Shadowing.

Callum Scott has always known that there is a supernatural world out there—he’s seen ghosts for as long as he can remember. Lately, he’s had visions of children being brutally murdered by a terrifying creature. Then the visions start coming true, and Callum realizes that he’s being hunted, too.

Driven by a dark destiny, he must stand against the demons that threaten our world.

And The Shadowing is almost here. . . .

Five stars!

Review: Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon

When a series has as many books as the Dark Hunter has, they can get stale and repetitive. Luckily for us Sherrilyn Kenyon keeps her books fresh. This book incorporates the legends and stories of the American Indians, bringing in new gods and allowing Jess his story. I really enjoyed falling back into this world. The new characters brought a breath of fresh air. Kudos to Kenyon for giving us one more reason to fall in love with myths and legends.

From sherrilynkenyon.com:

Harm no human…
A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.
Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters...
Four stars!

Review: The Evil Inside a Krewe of Hunters book by Heather Graham

I love Heather Graham. Not only can she crank out the books, but she does it so well! I enjoy everything I have read by her and The Evil Inside is no exception. Well written, fabulous romance with that twist of the paranormal we have come to enjoy so much. The only thing I really missed from this book was a more present ghost. It may be, of course, because the main character does not have the ability as much as others from the older books, but I miss it none the less. With a publication date of September 30th, it comes just in time to snuggle with on a cool fall evening.

From the eheathergraham.com website:

For as long as it has stood overlooking New England’s jagged coastline, Lexington House has been the witness to madness…and murder. But in recent years the inexplicable malice that once tormented so many has lain as silent as its victims. Until now…

A member of the nation’s foremost paranormal forensic team, Jenna Duffy has made a career out of investigating the inexplicable. Yet nothing could prepare her for the string of slayings once again plaguing Lexington House—or for the chief suspect, a boy barely old enough to drive, much less kill.

With the young man’s life on the line, Jenna must team up with attorney Samuel Hill to pinpoint who—or what—is taking the lives of those who get too close to the past. But everything they learn brings them closer to the forces of evil stalking this tortured ground.

 

Review: The Maker's Song Series (so far) by Adrian Phoenix

Holy moly are these books good. First off, I would like to say gobuythesenow!!! Second, give yourself some nice quiet alone time to devote to these books. Adrian has taken paranormal and urban fantasy to a whole new level of cool. Goth vampires, fallen angels, government conspiracy theories, mental illness, a hot younger man and the sexy older woman he falls for. This has a little bit of something for everyone...including some really sexy sex! Go buy the books, read them, and then get mad as hell when you reach the end of the fourth book, just like I did. (Yes, horribly suspenseful cliffhanger. Made me very antsy!)  I will attempt to console myself in the Hoodoo series, but I am watching you Ms. Phoenix!

Review: Deeper Than Midnight by Lara Adrian

No upcoming releases to review so I have chosen the latest in the Midnight Breed series for your reading pleasure. I really like this series. It brings to mind the Dark Hunter series and the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. This particular book was one of the best in my opinion. It goes beyond the paranormal to bring in conflicts many women could face. Of course, we wouldn't have a handsome vampire to save us!

From the back cover: At eighteen, Corinne Bishop was a beautiful, spirited young woman living a life of privilege as the adopted daughter of a wealthy family. Her world was changed in an instant when she was stolen away and held prisoner by the malevolent vampire Dragos. After many years of captivity and torment, Corinne is rescued by the Order, a cadre of vampire warriors embroiled in a war against Dragos and his followers. Her innocence taken, Corinne has lost a piece of her heart as well--the one thing that gave her hope during her imprisonment, and the only thing that matters to her now that she is free.
Assigned to safeguard Corinne on her trip home is a formidable golden-eyed Breed male called Hunter. Once Dragos's most deadly assassin, Hunter now works for the Order, and he's hell-bent on making Dragos pay for his manifold sins. Bonded to Corinne by their mutual desire, Hunter will have to decide how far he'll go to end Dragos's reign of evil--even if carrying out his mission means shattering Corinne's tender heart.
This one gets 4 stars!

Review: Sacred Evil by Heather Graham

Heather Graham is a powerhouse. The third installment of her Krewe of Hunters books is already coming out. It is due to by released July 26th, and I got to preview an ARC. The writer is giving us exactly what we want, book after book in a series without the typical year wait in between. The best part is, they are still high quality reads.

In New York City someone is killing women in the style of Jack the Ripper. Lead Detective Jude Crosby is resigned to having the F.B.I. come in on the case, but how can Agent Whitney Tremont help him catch a flesh and blood killer? The "special team" talks to ghosts, and he is sure it will take real police work to find out who is taking out women this way. Whitney was very excited to be first on the ground. Her orders were to play nice with the locals and wait for the rest of the team. How can she deal with this handsome man that mocks her at every turn? Does the answer to the killers identity come from the past, or will they find the answers within their own ranks? A great read that will keep you wondering until the surprising conclusion.

4 1/2 Stars!

Review: Wicked Lies by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush

This combination of authors is dynamite! Lisa Jackson is one of my "must read" favorites for thrillers. The suspense was engaging, the romance believable, the plot twisted. All of this made for a great couch session of reading.


Laura Adderly has enough to worry about. She is pregnant...with her ex-husbands child. When her brother escapes from the hospital for the criminally insane, she knows he is coming after her. Justice Turnbull can sense her whereabouts, and her pregnancy. The last thing she needs is to be hounded by a disgraced reporter bent on finding redemption in her families story. No one would believe the telepathic link she shares with Justice, until Harrison Frost witnesses first hand the danger she puts herself in taunting him. Now he must protect her from a madman whose only focus is killing Laura and her sisters. Riveting and powerful, this story will definitely keep you reading long into the night.
5 stars!

Review: Blood Reaction A Vampire Novel by DL Atha

First I would like to say that for a first novel, this was really pretty good. It starts a bit slow, and there were several places in the beginning I really wanted an editors red pen. I blame that on my OCD literary heart. Now for the good news! The story became much more captivating as I continued to read. Also good was that the holes in the story became less and less. I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from this author, and can't wait to see how she matures as a writer.

We see through Annalice's eyes as she goes through the terrifying experience of being held hostage by a soulless vampire. Held by threat to her daughters life, Annalice must must come to terms with her rage at being helpless, protect the vampire to keep her daughter safe, and deal with her feelings toward her captor. Being a Doctor she has her own ideas about his condition and what she must do to stop him from hurting anyone else.

A very quick review of a YA novel I read for fun.

I was looking for something quick and easy to try out the Nook and the Kindle. After reading a review by fellow bloggers Christy and Danielle I decided to try Amy Plum's Die For Me. It was very Twilightesque, but with...Zombies! It was very well written for fluff romance. It was just intriguing enough to keep a grown woman interested. I felt that having the scene set in Paris was wonderful, and there was enough detail to tell the author was not using Google to get ideas about the city. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone 10+.

If you are wondering, I will also give you my ideas on the readers I was trying in my next blog.

Review: Heart of Evil, a Krewe of Hunters book by Heather Graham.

Heather Graham does not disappoint in her newest Krewe novel. Jack Mallory (from Phantom Evil) has newly been inducted into the FBI as part of a special unit started by Adam Harrison. While waiting for the big move to Quantico he begins dreaming of his ex girlfriend Ashley Donegal. Ashley lives with her grandfather at Donegal Plantation, a bed and breakfast and site for a yearly Civil War reenactment, just outside New Orleans. When the man playing her ancestor disappears, Ashley knows there is something bigger happening than it seems. With several more familiar faces, and a few helpful ghosts, Ashley and Jake must find out who is behind the evil shadowing Donegal Plantation. I really enjoyed Heart of Evil. It was a fairly quick read for me, as I was kept wondering “whodunnit”. I give this one 4 ½ stars!

edit for clarity- Release date for this book June 28th, 2011

Review: Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton

This is my first book review, I hope you enjoy it. Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series has evolved through the years. She has come back full circle with Hit List. Her writing style, as well as the story line, feels more like the earlier books. More thriller than erotica, this book is sure to please her legion of fans and bring the wayward back into the fold.
Now that Anita has learned to manage the arduer, she can get back to fighting crime with the kick ass style we first fell in love with. Along with Edward, Bernardo, and a host of weres at her side (and watching her back) she must face some of the best trained and most dangerous killers in the world. The Harlequin and their animals to call are out to capture Anita alive at any cost. Marmee Noir needs to possess her body. Olaf just wants her to be his girlfriend, or his torture victim. Will he get to her first? Or will The Mother of All Darkness finally find a way in to the Necromancer and be that much closer to taking over Vampire kind once again? This thriller is sure to keep you turning the pages until you find out.