Christine Pope's UNQUIET SPIRITS

Christine Pope, the USA TODAY bestselling author, has just released the first in a new series and it's a bit more urban fantastic than her usual PNR. Unquiet Souls: Project Demon Hunter book one is a great introduction to a new set of characters running around Southern California, a landscape the California native knows well.

The premise is simple--a demon hunter teams up with a psychic for a reality television show that gets just a little too real--but the characters are complex. Both Audrey and Michael harbor secrets underneath the incendiary sexual attraction they have, and the revelation of those secrets leads to a terrific finale that leads right into the next book.

Pope has clearly done her homework when it comes to demonic infestations, hauntings, and things occult, and there are some genuinely creepy moments as the heroine and hero confront the forces of darkness. The pair are a refreshingly non-cliche cople. He's not an alpha-hole and she's no shrinking violet. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

Witchy Book Giveaway

The weather is gray and drippy where I am right now, which means it's a perfect day for reading. (Let's face it, most days are perfect for reading as far as I'm concerned.) If you're looking for something to read without spending any money, check out this giveaway of urban fantasy and paranormal fiction. A little magic, a little mayhem, a little romance. There's something for everyone. Click here to start downloading books.

Summer Solstice is here!

Nicole Morgan's limited edition romance collection SUMMER SOLSTICE is now available for pre-order at all your favorite ebook retailers. Click here to snag yours for just 99 cents. This is paranormal romance with the sensuous summer solstice as a focal point. My fairy romance novelette, Soul Kiss, is in the collection and I'm excited to read everyone else's story.

February Book Fair

Celebrate the month of love by going to a virtual book fair. Click here to see what's on offer, including the upcoming boxed set GUARDIANS. (My novelette REZSO is in the set.)

Stephen King Giveaway

Click here for your chance to win a paperback copy of The Gunslinger (first in the Dark Tower series) and a $10 Amazon gift certificate. I don't know about you, but I can do a LOT of damage with a $10 gift certificate.

Interview with Berkeley Hunt

Photo by Joanne Renaud

Berkeley Hunt is a freelance writer and story analyst specializing in horror.  She has 15 years' worth of experience under her belt working on such films as Looper, The Reaping and Ocean's 11.  She is based in North Hollywood, California, home of the Academy Of Television Arts And Sciences and the infamous Circus Liquor, home of the towering neon clown.   Her story "Camel Jockeys'" appears in Strangers in a Strange Land: Immigrant Stories, published last week by Down and Out Books.

.        What inspired your Strangers in a Strange Land story “Camel Jockeys?”    I stumbled across a documentary while surfing YouTube and was enthralled by the subject.  I described it to my editor, who immediately told me to write it.

      Did you do a lot of research for it?   Oh, yeah.  Everything from camels’ names to one sheik’s announcement that from now on, only robotic jockeys would be used in racing.  Additional research showed that hasn’t been the case, as natives of and tourists are still reporting seeing child jockeys. 

Thank you Gillette!!

I was brought up by a father who was way ahead of his time. A fifties father, he celebrated and supported me in every way possible. My younger brother turned into a really good guy himself. My best friend is the kind of man every mother would be proud to have birthed and every person would be proud to know.

I know that a lot of people--a LOT of people--have not been as lucky. The Gillette ad that's runing? That's got people talking boycott? What are they afraid of? It really doesn't bash men--there are positive images of men and boys throughout. That ad made me cry. there's a moment where a guy puts his hand on a wman's shoulder and "mansplains" her views to a room full of people. I have so been there. And out in the real world, I've heard "Boys will be boys" used to explain all sorts of behavior.

If you haven't seen the ad, take a look at it now. This is a transformative moment and Gillette has nailed it.