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Dear Reader,
July's fantastic new collection from Berkley is hot off the press and ready to make your summer season even hotter.
TRIBUTE is the latest novel from New York Times best-selling author Nora Roberts. Former child star Cilla McGowan is eager to move into her grandmother's old home. But when she stumbles upon a mystery involving her grandmother's death, she becomes the victim of a series of intimidating acts. She must turn to her neighbor, Ford Sawyer, to help discover who is targeting her or she maylike her world-famous grandmother be cut down in the prime of her life. And if you haven't read Nora's classic tale of romance and intrigue set in the shadowy world of art theft, be sure to pick up the new trade paperback version of HOMEPORT.
Fans of Catherine Coulter will be particularly excited this month as TAILSPIN, the twelfth book in her FBI Thriller, spins onto bookshelves. This time, married agents Savich and Sherlock investigate a mysterious p*** crash that has left the physician of many of Washington's movers and shakers comatose in the hospital. Also available for the first time in paperback this month will be DOUBLE TAKE, another exciting novel in Coulter's FBI Thriller series.
New York Times best-selling author MaryJanice Davidson is up to lucky number 7 in her hilarious series featuring Betsy TaylorVampire Queen by night, suburban wife by day. In UNDEAD AND UNWORTHY, Betsy must deal with an insufferable ghost, a pack of formerly feral vampires, and tragic consequences.
New York Times best-selling author Angela Knight has a new series called The Time Hunters, about temporal enforcement agents who police criminals through time. In WARRIOR, Galar Avid is an agent sent back to 2008 to prevent a murder. But despite his instant attraction to the would-be victim, will the three-hundred-year chasm separating them prove too much even for loveor does the greater danger come from the murderer on their tail?
What happens when an 11th century Viking stumbles into the 21st looking for his little boy and meets a woman who looks exactly like his cheating ex-wife? Make sure to grab Sandra Hill's VIKING UNCHAINED, to find out. And read Sandra's exclusive letter to readers for more information on this sexy Viking.
Readers have been anticipating new historical romance star Joanna Bourne's second novel, and with MY LORD AND SPYMASTER she doesn't disappoint. Just how exactly did Jess Whitby, on a search to clear her father of selling secrets to Napoleon, find herself naked in the bed of an arrogant merchant captain? To find out more, read Joanna's letter to readers.
Don't miss the SEA WITCH, the first of the Children of the Sea series by USA Today best-selling author Virginia Kantra. When a Selkie meets the police chief of a peaceful Maine island, the subsequent passion is undeniable, irresistibleand may change the fate of humankind.
Anyone who's ever thought that running after kids is sometimes a bit like running after little demons will sympathize with Kate Connora suburban mom slash demon hunter who must corral children for the local Easter party and defeat an army of the undead in DEJA DEMON, the second in USA Today best-selling author Julie Kenner's demon-hunting soccer mom series. Also available is the mass market paperback release of DEMONS ARE FOREVER.
Nina Blackman finds herself ACCIDENTALLY DEAD in Dakota Cassidy's new novel. When a patient, loopy on anesthesia, bites this dental assistant's neck, she wakes up to discover she is a vampire. Lucky for her, patient Greg Statleon is kinda cute...
The latest installment of Yasmine Galenorn's urban fantasy series, The Sisters of the Moon, is finally here. Camille is the wicked-good witch sister with faulty magic, living in an otherworldly Seattle filled with goblins, trolls, and Smoky, also known as the sexiest dragon alive. Not only does Camille have to worry about Smoky's sudden decision to stake a claim on her and make her the DRAGON WYTCH, but she can feel a dangerous new power rising...
SHOW AND TELL is not just for children. Jasmine Haynes' sexy new tale of learning to please oneself first is sure to please readers as they meet the passionate Trinity Green on her journey of self-discovery.
Indulge your RECKLESS side with a spicy novel by Saskia Walker. That's exactly what buttoned-up Katrina Hammond decides to do when she is whisked off to Spain by a dominant, sexy, and possessive man. But when she begins to play with his younger brother, she discovers that there may be more to the siblings' erotic games than she had imagined...
Lizzy Cross has been playing HARD TO GET with her ex, Ty, ever since she saw him (clad in nothing but a pair of leather chaps) at her sister's bachelorette party. Will Ty be able to convince Lizzy, who has sworn off all men, to take a chance on the pleasure a flesh-and-blood man can give her in the latest novel from Alyssa Brooks?
Anyone who didn't pick up Jennifer Estep's KARMA GIRL can now get the scoop on the superheroes of Big Step, New York from reporter Carmen Cole in mass market paperback. But when Carmen's latest and biggest story brings her life crashing down around her, even the city's sexiest superhero may not be able to save her.
Not only can you now get Emma Holly's FAIRYVILLE in mass market paperback, but the story of Zoe Clare, a medium extraordinaire but a failure at communicating her passion to the living, now includes a bonus chapter.
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This Month at Berkley Jove
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Homeport
Nora Roberts
The "marvelous" (Rocky Mountain News) novel from
the #1 New York Times bestselling authornow in a
French flap trade edition.
After an assault at her family home in Maine, Dr. Miranda
Jones is determined to put the experience behind her.
Distraction comes when she is summoned to Italy to verify
the authenticity of a Renaissance bronze of a Medici
courtesan known as The Dark Lady. But when the job nearly
destroys her reputation, Miranda has no one to turn to
except Ryan Boldari, a seductive art thief who offers her
both unnerving suspicion and intoxicating passion. And when
it becomes clear that the incident in Maine was not a simple
mugging, Miranda is forced to rely on herselfand
Ryan during a journey home that is filled with
deception, treachery, and danger.
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Double Take
Catherine Coulter
FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock are joined by
one of their own and a Virginia sheriff in an extraordinary
case that immerses them in the world of psychic visions,
mind benders, and communications with the dead.
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TailSpin
Catherine Coulter
From the #1 bestselling author, a stunning new novel of
secrets, mayhem, and murder.
FBI Special Agent Jackson Crowne is flying his Cessna over
the Appalachians, with a very important passenger: renowned
psychiatrist Dr. Timothy MacLean; their destination is
Washington, D.C. Upon their arrival, the FBI will protect
the doctorand ascertain just who wants him dead.
But they don't make it.
In San Francisco, married FBI Special Agents Dillon Savich
and Lacey Sherlock take an early morning phone call from
their supervisor, Jimmy Maitland. Maitland received a Mayday
from Jackson in the mountains near Parlow, Kentucky, and
sends Savich and Sherlock to see what's happened.
Agent Crowne is able to bring his p*** down in a narrow
valley and haul the unconscious Dr. MacLean from the burning
wreckage before it explodes. Their crash is witnessed by
Rachael Abbott, a young woman on the run after the
mysterious death of her father. When Savich and Sherlock
arrive on the scene, they find Jackson and Rachael in the
Parlow clinic and Dr. MacLean comatose in the local
hospital, prognosis unknown. What they do know frightens
them: Dr. MacLean was recently diagnosed with frontal lobe
dementia, and in the months prior to the crash his behavior
had become erratic and alarmingly uninhibited, his ability
to maintain doctor-patient confidentiality badly
compromised. With a patient list made up of Washington
movers and shakers, MacLean's role as a keeper of secrets is
jeopardized as well. Is there someone out there so desperate
that they'd kill the doctor for what he knows? It is up to
Jackson, Savich, and Sherlock to find outno matter the
cost.
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Fairyville
Emma Holly
Includes new bonus chapter never before in print.
Meet Zoe Clare, a medium who has no trouble communicating
with the dead. If only she could get her feelings across to
Fairyville's most eligible bachelor, Magnus Monroe.
Fortunately, a tryst with an old flame sparks jealousy in
Magnus, which gives Zoe satisfactionin so many naughty
ways.
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Undead and Unworthy
MaryJanice Davidson
Seventh in the hilarious New York Times bestselling
series featuring Vampire Queen Betsy Taylornow with a
hot new look.
The series New York Times bestselling author
Christine Feehan calls "DELIGHTFUL, Wicked Fun" is looking
hotter than ever...
"No one does humorous romantic fantasy better than the
incomparable MaryJanice Davidson" (The Best Reviews),
and nobody reigns over the undead with more savvy than her
heroine Betsy Taylor, back to rule the nights as Vampire
Queenand survive the days as a new suburban bride. But
it's not all marital bliss. Betsy's husband, Sinclair, has
been perusing The Book of the Dead, Betsy's being
hounded by a ghost who's even more insufferable in death
than in life, and a pack of formerly feral vampires has
decided to pay an unwelcome visit...
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Warrior
Angela Knight
The NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR launches the new
Time Hunters series.
In the 24th century, anyone can leap through time at will.
To police the time jumpers, the Temporal Enforcement Agency
has established a precinct in time. Galar Arvid is a
genetically altered warlord and agent who's been sent back
to 2008 to save a pretty Atlanta artist from a Xeran time
traveler who intends to kill her for profit. What Galar
doesn't count on is the powerful desire Jessica Kelly
ignites in him. But could a romance between them work? A
three-hundred-year chasm separates them and, even if they
dart through time, there's still a maniacal killer on their
tails.
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Sea Witch
Virginia Kantra
First in the new The Children of the Sea seriesfrom
the USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR.
Margred is a Selkiea legendary being of the sea, able
to shapeshift into seductive human form. And she has found a
human she desires...
Burned out from the big city, Caleb Hunter becomes police
chief on the peaceful Maine island of World's End. Then he
meets a woman who's everything he's ever dreamed of...
Their passion is undeniable, irresistibleand it may
change the fate of humankind.
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Deja Demon
Julie Kenner
From the USA Today bestselling author of Demons
Are Forever suburban warfare,
demon-huntingmom style.
Between attending gala fundraisers for her husband's
political campaign, training her teenage daughter to wield a
crossbow and a stiletto, pottytraining a toddler, and her
increasingly complicated personal life, Kate Connor hardly
has time to prepare for the impending chaos of a
neighborhood Easter party that has her enslaved to dying
hundreds of hard-boiled eggs.
Keeping the local kiddos in line will take all of Kate's
skills as a mother and demon hunter, just when she'll need
them the most. The High Demon Goramesh has returned to San
Diablothis time with a full-blown army of the undead
and a powerful demonic ally. Once again, it's up to Kate to
save the world. Good thing she can multi-task...
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Demons Are Forever
Julie Kenner
Kate Connor's acquired a preciousbut deadlyitem
that every demon within commuting distance is seething to
get hold of. And with husband woes (the dead one and the
living one) playing havoc with her emotions, an ambitious
teenage protégée (her daughter) at her heels, and hell to
pay, this stay-at-home mom's putting in a lot of overtime.
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Show and Tell
Jasmine Haynes
Passion first. Names later. This is what erotic romance
is all about.
Trinity Green dreamed of uninhibited passionsomething
she couldn't expect from her husband. Then she found him
getting down and dirty with another woman, and Trinity
decided to stop pleasing other people and start pleasing
herselfwhether with great food or sexy strangers. But
with true passion comes real connection, and soon Trinity
must admitand acceptwho she really is.
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Ink and Steel
Elizabeth Bear
On the heels of Hell and Earth...
Kit Marley, playwright and spy in the service of Queen
Elizabeth, has been murdered. His true gift to Her Majesty
was his way with words, crafting plays infused with a subtle
magic that maintained her rule. He performed this task on
behalf of the Prometheus Club, a secret society of nobles
engaged in battle against sorcerers determined to destroy
England. Assuming Marley's role is William
Shakespearebut he is unable to create the magic needed
to hold the Queen's enemies at bay.
Resurrected by enchantment in Faerie, Marley is England's
only hope. But before he can assist Will in the art of
magic, he must uncover the traitor among the Prometheans
responsible for his death...
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Dragon Wytch
Yasmine Galenorn
We're the D'Artigo sisters: savvyand
sexyoperatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency.
But being half-human, half-Fae short-circuits our talents at
all the wrong times. My sister Delilah shapeshifts into a
tabby cat whenever she's stressed. Menolly's a vampire who's
still getting the hang of being undead. And me? I'm Camille,
a wicked-good witch, trying to juggle faulty magic, gorgeous
men, and the demonic war in which we're embroiled.
Sometimes, it's hard to know just who we can trust...
The Equinox is coming, and mayhem rules. A crown-prince
unicorn offers us a legendary gift, but it vanishes. Goblins
and trolls swarm the streets of Seattle. And now Smoky, the
sexiest dragon alive, decides to stake his claimon me.
Overshadowing it all, the third spirit seal surfaces and
Shadow Wing's after it. But I've discovered a secret that
could change everything. A new power is risinga
dangerous force from the pastone that intends to
restore balance to the worlds...whether we like it or not.
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Accidentally Dead
Dakota Cassidy
Nina always loved the nightlife.
It's a lousy first day on the job for dental assistant Nina
Blackman when a patient, loopy from the anesthesia, bites
her. At least he was cute. But for real drama she can't beat
the next morning. Nina wakes up with a set of razor sharp
fangs, bionic vision, super sonic hearing, and a taste for
blood. There must be a good explanation. There is. It's her
patient, Greg Statleon.
She just never expected to be the nightlife.
A visit to his Long Island castle hardly results in a cure.
Greg claims there isn't one. Unfortunately, Nina isn't wild
about her lifestyle changeor the danger that goes
along with it. She's determined to prove this infuriating
vampire wrong. It's a shame he's so irresistible. It's a
bigger shame that he's dead. On the other hand, they're
perfect for each otherif Nina's willing to commit to
one man for eternity.
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Reckless
Saskia Walker
Something very new and kinky from "one of the queens of
erotic romance."( Romance Junkies)
Buttoned-up collars. Comfortable routine. This is Katrina
Hammond's career at a London auction houseuntil she's
whisked off to Spain to evaluate the private collection of
dark and sexy Sergio Teodoro. He's dominant, commanding,
totally in control...and he sees another work of art in the
exquisite Katrinaone definitely worth admiring. And
possessing...
But another surprise awaits Katrina in the shadows of the
impressive Teodoro villa. It's Sergio's younger brother
Nicolas, a disinherited and passionate artist whom Katrina
finds equally irresistible. And she's more than willing to
risk a little sibling rivalry. But there may be more to
Sergio and Nicolas's erotic games than Katrina imagined.
Something dark, dangerous, and reckless.
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Viking Unchained
Sandra Hill
Sandra Hill unleashes her best novel yet.
Searching for his little boy, 11th century Viking Thorfinn
lands in modern times, where he stumbles upon a dead wringer
for his cheating ex-wife. Single mom Lydia Denton mourns the
loss of her SEAL husband. Then she meets a man who resembles
him. Despite Thorfinn's strange accusations, Lydia finds it
impossible to ignore the chemistry between them. And as she
gets to know this handsome Viking, she can't help but wonder
whether two souls, separated by time, have found their way
back together.
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Karma Girl
Jennifer Estep
Bigtime, New York is not big enough for both Carmen Cole and
the superheroes and ubervillains who walk its streets. An
intrepid reporter, Carmen's dedicated her life to unmasking
the spandex wearers, all because her fiancé turned out to be
a superhero, and a cheating one at thatsleeping with
none other than his nubile nemesis.
Exposing the true identities of the nation's caped crusaders
and their archenemies has catapulted Carmen from her sleep
southern hometown to the front pages of one of the country's
biggest newspapers, The Exposé. Hobnobbing with modelizing
millionaires and famished fashionistas is all in a day's
work for the woman hot on the trail of the Fearless Five and
Terrible Triad. But when Carmen gets the scoop of her
career, her life comes crashing down around her. And even
Bigtime's sexiest superhero, Striker, may not be able to
save her ...
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The Iron Hunt
Marjorie M. Liu
First in a stunning new urban fantasy series from an
author who "NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE." (BOOKLIST, STARRED
REVIEW)
Demon hunter Maxine Kiss wears her armor as tattoos, which
unwind from her body to take on forms of their own at night.
They stand between her and her enemies, just as Maxine
stands between humanity and the demons breaking out from
behind the prison veils. It is a life lacking in love,
reveling in death, until one momentand one
manchanges everything.
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Hard to Get
Alyssa Brooks
Who needs boys when a girl's got toys? The author of
Come and Get Me has the answer in her sizzling new
novel.
Lizzy Cross has given up on men. When it comes to
fulfillment, they don't come close to a night alone with her
fantasies and a wide variety of immensely pleasurable
substitutions. Then on the night of her sister's
bachelorette party, Lizzy finds herself staring at the very
naked and very familiar torso of her ex...
Cockier than ever as a cowboy stripper in leather chaps (and
nothing else), Ty is determined to win Lizzy back by taking
his act off the stage and putting it back between the
sheets. But will he be able to get past the kink that stands
between them and show her the true pleasure a
flesh-and-blood man can give her?
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The Cold Minds
Kristin Landon
New in the "excellently crafted" (LINNEA SINCLAIR)
series from the author of The Hidden Worlds.
Renegade jump pilot Iain sen Paolo and Linnea Kiaho know
that the Cold Mindsruthless machine
intelligenceshave returned. And if they don't find
allies to oppose the Cold Minds, humanity itself will become
extinct.
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Plain Jane
Laurien Gardner
Continuing the story of Henry VIII's wivesfrom the
author of The Spanish Bride and A Lady Raised
High.
With a face better suited to a nun's habit than a wedding
dress, Jane Seymour has no suitors and few hopes. Then, her
prospects brighten when she is granted a position at court
as maid of honor to Queen Catherine. There, Jane watches as
King Henry VIII ignores his aging wife, showering favor on
the beautiful Anne Boleyn, the woman he would make his new
queen.
But soon he tires of Anne and his wandering eye falls on
Jane. Though she has feelings of affection for Henry, she
cannot let herself be swept away by his attentions if she is
to win not only his heart, but also the greatest prize of
allthe Crown.
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The Guy Next Door
Carol Culver
Spring has officially arrived at Manderley Prepand
lust is in the air...
Ethan Andrews is the one guy that Maggie has always wanted
but never had the courage to go for. With her shortage of
funds and Ugly Betty looks, she's not even a blip on his
radar. That's all about to change when Maggie gets the
makeover of a lifetimeand a little help from her
friends. The perfect opportunity to get noticed by Ethan
comes on the class trip to Hawaii. Could there be a more
ideal setting for a little romance? Now Maggie just has to
figure out if she has the guts to make her move...
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My Lord and Spymaster
Joanna Bourne
After her father is wrongly accused of selling secrets to
Napoleon, lovely Jess Whitby infiltrates the London
underworld for the real traitoronly to end up naked in
the bed of a rude merchant captain. Not only is she falling
in love with him, but he may be the scoundrel she's looking for.
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The Sinner's Guide to Confession
Phyllis Schieber
From the author of Willing Spiritsa novel of
three women, their deepest longings, and their most profound
secrets.
Barbara, Kaye, and Ellen, longtime friends, are
inseparablebut each nurtures her own secret. As a
widowed mother, Barbara hides her persona as a writer of
erotica. Kaye is having an extramarital affair that
reawakens her passion but fills her with conflict. Ellen has
lost her husband to a younger woman who is now
pregnanta painful blow, since Ellen and her husband
were never able to conceive. But she is not childless...
Ellen is still haunted by the memory of the baby girl she
had at sixteen and was forced to relinquish at birth.
Estranged from her family, Ellen realizes that if she is
ever to find her lost daughternow a grown woman
herselfshe will have to confront her shame and rely on
her dearest friends.
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Tribute
Nora Roberts
Virginia's Shenandoah Valley is a long way from Hollywood.
And that's exactly how Cilla McGowan wants it. Cilla, a
former child star who has found more satisfying work as a
restorer of old houses, has come to her grandmother's
farmhouse, tools at her side, to rescue it from ruin. Sadly,
no one was able to save her grandmother, the legendary Janet
Hardy. An actress with a tumultuous life, Janet entertained
glamorous guests and engaged in decadent affairsbut
died of an overdose in this very house more than thirty
years earlier. To this day, Janet haunts Cilla's dreams. And
during waking hours, Cilla is haunted by her melodramatic,
five-times-married mother, who carried on in the public
spotlight and never gave her a chance at a normal childhood.
By coming east, rolling up her sleeves, and rehabbing this
wreck of a house, Cilla intends to find some kind of
normalcy for herself.
Plunging into the project with gusto, she's almost too busy
to notice her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford
Sawyerbut his lanky form, green eyes, and easy,
unflappable humor (not to mention his delightfully ugly dog,
Spock) are hard to ignore. Determined not to perpetuate the
family tradition of ill-fated romances, Cilla steels herself
against Ford's quirky charm, but she can't help indulging in
a little fantasy.
But love and a peaceful life may not be in the cards for
Cilla. In the attic, she has found a cache of unsigned
letters suggesting that Janet Hardy was pregnant when she
diedand that the father was a local married man. Cilla
can't help but wonder what really happened all those years
ago. The mystery only deepens with a series of intimidating
acts and a frightening, violent assault. And if Cilla and
Ford are unable to sort out who is targeting her and why,
she maylike her world-famous grandmother be cut
down in the prime of her life.
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SEA WITCH Q&A (with Virginia Kantra)
1) Your newest series begins with the novel SEA WITCH, in which your female protagonist is a Selkie. What made you decide to choose these mythical creatures as the children of sea?
Selkies are sex and magic. The children of the sea have to embody all the mystery and magic, power and passion of the ocean itself. ("Warm-blooded" is good, too.)
From the isles of Orkney to the coast of Cornwall, you can find stories and songs about mythical creatures who take the form of seals in the sea and strip off their pelts to come ashore as beautiful, naked men and women.
The legends endure not only because they appeal to our imagination, but because they have their seeds in our human experience: the lonely sailor, the woman who loses her love to the sea, the farmer searching for a wife beyond the local girls he knows, the village maiden who can't name her babys father. I wanted my contemporary stories to straddle that same line between myth and the human heart.
2) Speaking of choices, your story is set on the fictional Maine island of World's End. Was there a particular inspiration for the location, something about Maine that really drew you to it as opposed to other coastal settings?
Long before the continents drifted apart, the mountains of Maine and the highlands of Scotland were one great ridge. You could say that in its bones, the land is the same. It was also heavily settled by the same people. So setting the Old World legend in this part of the New World made sense to me.
Besides, Maine is magicrocky and wild. My husband and I were all over that coast last summer, and you can feel the dramatic tension between land and sea.
3) Your story mentions children of air, children of earth, and children of fire as well as the children of sea. In SEA WITCH, we meet children of the sea and of fire. Do you plan on any other immortal beings appearing in future stories?
In two earlier novellas I wrote for Berkley (Man of My Dreams and Over the Moon), I wrote about the children of earth, the fair folk. But obviously in a series called The Children of the Sea, I'm going to concentrate on the sea folk.
The "elementals"children of earth, air, sea, and fireco-exist in an uneasy peace with humankind. In my stories, that balance is shifting, so in addition to the human drama, you can definitely expect more of the elementals struggle for power and even survival.
4) In a similar vein, you created some especially fascinating secondary characters, including Dylan, the Selkie born of a human father and a Selkie mother; and Lucy, who seems to have a mystery around her. Will readers get to meet them in future novels?
Absolutely.
I used the Orkney ballads about the selkiewhich are haunting and beautiful, but nearly always tragicas the basis for the books. But I used another sea shanty from the 1700s to connect the stories:
"My father was the keeper of the Eddystone Light
And he married a mermaid one fine night.
Of that union there came three . . ."
In the Children of the Sea series, the father is a lobsterman in contemporary Maine. And the "three" are the grown up Children of the Sea:
- Caleb, the soldier, who returns from the desert to fall in love with a woman from the sea (Sea Witch, Berkley, July 2008);
- Dylan, the loner, who must choose between the freedom of his mothers kind and the bonds of mortal love (Sea Fever, out next month), and
- Lucy, the dreamer, whose heart and fate are tangled with the sea kings son (in the upcoming Sea Lord).
So the larger tension between land and sea, magical and mundane, plays out within their family and in the loves they find as well.
Visit Virginia Kantra at http://virginiakantra.net

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VIKING UNCHAINED (by Sandra Hill)
Dear Reader,
There are Vikings. There are Navy SEALs. But then, whoo-boy, there are Viking Navy SEALs, and the combination is be-still-my-heart lethal.
VIKING UNCHAINED, a contemporary time travel, is the latest in my Viking Navy SEAL series, and is by far the funniest, sexiest novel I have ever written. The opening scene alone is enough to make your eyes go wide and your blood heat up. Although the book contains my usual brand of wacky humor, it takes poignancy to a new level. Tears and laughter, the best of all combinations...that's what I hope to engender in you readers. I'm also hoping that, when you finish the book, you'll sigh and wish you had your very own Viking. If you laugh along the way, that's even better.
Still unconvinced? Go to my website, www.sandrahill.net, and check out the short book video. That burial scene at Arlington Cemetery, followed by the flag-draped coffin with the rose on top, will surely pull at your heart strings.
In VIKING UNCHAINED, Thorfinn is a fierce Norse warrior grieving for his lost son, Miklof. Lydia is a modern woman grieving for her dead Navy SEAL husband.
Somehow, Thorfinn shoots through time, one thousand years, and is convinced that Lydia's son Mike is his own Miklof. Lydia thinks Thorfinn, who claims to be a time-traveling Viking, has one oar missing from his longboat.
Thorfinn is tempted by the odd woman...especially when she chains him to her bed and proclaims him the ghost of her dead husband. Lydia is tempted by Thorfinn when he teaches her that there are some tricks only a Viking male has in his repertoire.
The question in the end, though, will be: Is it really time travel, or a miracle? Is it be possible that sometimes God, or the gods, meddle in the lives of mankind and help time-crossed lovers fulfill their destiny.
I would love to hear from you readers, shill733@aol.com. Tell me what you think. As always, I wish you smiles in your reading.
~Sandra Hill

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MY LORD AND SPYMASTER (by Joanna Bourne)
Dear Reader,
The very first Romances I read were Georgette Heyer's magnificent stories of Regency England. I fell into that wonderful world and I don't think I've ever really crawled my way out. Here is wit and fashion; women in beautiful clothes, flirting; arrogant, heroic men, behaving badly.
But the more I read about the historical Regency period, the more fascinated I became with another sort of character, hanging around the edge of the backdrop in Regency Romances. The 'Cits.' The rich London merchants with their bumptious and threatening new power.
The merchants don't dance at elegant, glittering balls. The men don't ride in the park in the afternoon on glossy horses. For these women, Almacks isn't even a distant dream.
The hero and heroine of MY LORD AND SPYMASTER are self-made merchants. Their London is a wilder, hard-edged, more dangerous city. The heroes of this London are the master traders and international shippers, the men, (and a few women,) who risk everything for profit. They're a new aristocracy in the making passionate, adventurous, and powerful.
Jessamyn is the daughter of a fine rogue and sometime smuggler. Her father's canny trading and her brilliant management built them a fortune. For Jess, though, wealth is a thin veneer over the slum brat within.
It was a long hard climb to respectability. Now she finds all their money won't protect her father from a false accusation of treason.
Sebastian, bastard of a English Lord, had his own battles to fight, founding his shipping company. There's a core of hardness and anger in a man like Sebastian. When his best friend is murdered, Sebastian sets out to find the traitor responsible, and destroy him. The evidence points to Jess's father.
What happens when they fall in love the man hungry for vengeance and the woman who's going to save her father at all costs?
In MY LORD AND SPYMASTER, I wanted to tell a story about the 'other' London. Jess's quest leads her from trading company to intellectual salon, from merchant warehouse to soup kitchens, from Sebastian's mansion in Mayfair to a thieves' den in the heart of the London's slums.
There's just a bit of espionage thrown in ...
~Joanna Bourne
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