Australian Romance Readers Convention - ARRC2015 - 'Young Love'

Hello Darling Readers!

This is just a little note to *squeeeeee* that next year I'll be attending the Australian Romance Readers Convention ... and moderating the young adult romance panel 'Young Love'. 

I'm really excited to discuss YA with these fabulous authors: 

Jen Kloester, Kaz Delaney, Kelley Armstrong and Maggie Gilbert!

'Wild Justice' Nadia Stafford #3 by Kelley Armstrong

 Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

Wild Justice: the dramatic finale to the Nadia Stafford trilogy.

Ex-cop Nadia Stafford has a dark secret. After taking the law into her own hands she was kicked off the force. . . and entered the shadowy world of guns for hire. She has her own strict code - works only for one crime family, only kills the really bad guys. But when a hit goes tragically wrong, Nadia is devastated. Is it time to leave the business for good?

Before she has time to decide, Nadia discovers that her own life is under threat. And worse - that terrifying events from her past may have triggered the attacks. With the help of Jack, her enigmatic mentor, Nadia is forced to upon a dark path - towards the truth and towards her final destiny.

Nadia ‘Dee’ Stafford is a hitman. After a disastrous career move as a cop, that saw her shoot an unarmed criminal and get kicked off the force, Nadia took herself into the wilds of Canada where she bought a lodge and started a B&B. But to keep her new life afloat she started taking jobs as a gun for hire. Early in her side-career she was taken under the wing of veteran hitman, ‘Jack’, and the two of them have been through a few near-misses and gruelling assignments together. 

But never far from Nadia’s mind is the truth of why she became a cop in the first place, and maybe why killing comes so naturally to her . . .  when she was just 13-years-old, Nadia and her cousin Amy were kidnapped. Nadia got away, Amy didn’t. After a botched trial, her murderer walked free. 

Drew Aldrich and the memory of Amy’s death have haunted Nadia ever since, but when Aldrich resurfaces (under a new alias) finding him sets off a chain-reaction in the murky underworld of hired assassins and puts Nadia in grave danger.  

‘Wild Justice’ is the third and (long overdue) final book in Kelley Armstrong’s ‘Nadia Stafford’ thriller trilogy. 

The first book in this series was ‘Exit Strategy’, released back in 2007. Armstrong introduced readers to disgraced but gutsy Nadia Stafford; gun for hire and ex-cop whose name and reputation had been dragged through the mud after she shot an unarmed criminal. That was a few years ago, and when we first meet Nadia she’s a lodge-owner moonlighting as a hitman. In that first book, Nadia joined forces with her older hitman mentor, Jack, to hunt down a serial killer by using herself as bait. Teaming up with Nadia and Jack were his own mentor, Evelyn, and US Marshall with a vigilante gig on the side, Quinn. 

The second book came out in 2009, ‘Made to be Broken’ teamed the foursome up again, this time to look for a vanished teenage girl and her baby. The second book teased out the relationships which were hinted at in ‘Exit Strategy’ – mainly a flirtation between Nadia and Quinn, a deep dislike between the two men and the realization that Nadia would like something more with her mentor, Jack . . . 

And then came the long, long, long wait for the final book. For a while it seemed that Kelley Armstrong was either too busy with ‘Women of the Otherworld’ and its spin-offs to ever feasibly write Nadia’s conclusion, or none was ever planned. This, despite ‘Made to be Broken’ having ended on an emotional cliffhanger that left fans reeling.

Well, it’s been four long years but finally we have ‘Wild Justice’ – the third and final book in Nadia Stafford’s story that addresses a traumatic and defining event from her childhood, and provides fans with some satisfying closure in our favourite hitman’s private life.

When the book begins Nadia is reeling after an assignment goes horribly wrong. Coming to pull her out of a guilt-spiral, Jack arrives with more than just words of wisdom to comfort his young protégé . . . he has something more, better – Jack’s located the man who murdered Nadia’s cousin, and got away with murder. 

I stiffened, “I know it’s going to bring back memories, Jack.” 

“Do you?” He glanced over. “Really?” 

I glared at him. “Yes, really.” 

He said nothing more until he turned off into the city. “I’m not a shrink. Never been to one. Shot a couple. Don’t think that counts. Point is, I don’t know how this works. Memories and shit. Better off confronted? Or buried?” 

But finding Drew Aldrich sets off a chain-reaction in the criminal underworld, and Nadia finds herself needing protection and help from Jack, Evelyn and Quinn once again.

This book snuck up on me, I've got to admit. I'd wanted it for so long that when it finally arrived, I was totally blindsided because I'd long ago convinced myself the day would never come and Nadia’s story would forever be open-ended. But from the very first page it was easy to slip back into this story alongside Nadia Stafford – once again picking up the thread of her traumatised childhood and searing vengeance that so determined her initial career as a cop, and then her decision to keep on killing as a hitman. 

Something that really shone for me in this book (and was a big reason I fell in love with the series to begin with) was how many tropes Armstrong avoids. Much like loyal and strong Elena in ‘Women of the Otherworld’, Nadia Stafford is not your typical heroine – and she’s definitely not like the female assassins of Hollywood. Forget Angelina Jolie, stiletto chases and cocktail murders – Nadia Stafford has girl-next-door looks and a down-to-earth disposition. She’s self-determined and clever, lets very few people get close to her and prefers her quiet life in the Canadian wilds. She’s a great dichotomy of perfectly ordinary woman leading a quietly extraordinary and deadly double-life.

I was so grateful that Armstrong addresses Nadia’s love life in this book, and gives readers a most satisfying conclusion. I won’t give anything away, but Armstrong beautifully balances the heat and built-up tension with the furiously paced whodunit. 

And the mystery at the heart of ‘Wild Justice’ is a doozey. Armstrong planted this way back in ‘Exit Strategy’ – setting up Nadia’s childhood trauma and survivor’s guilt over her cousin’s death. That long arc story really pays off in this book, as it’s intricately linked to Nadia’s personal barriers and killer instinct. 

‘Wild Justice’ may have been a long four years in coming, but it was well worth the wait. Here is a fine farewell for everyone’s favourite hitman, Nadia Stafford, in a conclusion that has far-reaches to the beginning of the series and roots in our heroines’ psyche. And brilliantly plotted and satisfying farewell to one of my favourite thriller series.

5/5

'Thirteen' Women of the Otherworld #13 by Kelley Armstrong

From the BLURB:

War is coming to the Otherworld. A sinister cult known as The Supernatural Liberation Movement is hell-bent on exposing the truth about supernaturals to the rest of the world. Their violent, ruthless plan has put everyone at risk: from werewolves to vampires, from witches to half-demons.

Savannah Levine - fiery and unpredictable - stands at the heart of the maelstrom. There is a new, dark magic inside her, granting her the power to summon spells of terrifying strength. But whether this magic is a gift or a curse, no one knows.

On the eve of battle, all the major players must come together in a last, desperate fight for survival - Elena and Clay; Adam and Savannah; Paige and Lucas; Jeremy and Jaime; Hope, Eve and more... They are fighting for lives. They are fighting for their loved ones.


They are fighting for the Otherworld.

This review contains spoilers for all previous 'Otherworld' books

‘13’ is the thirteenth and final book in Kelley Armstrong’s epic urban fantasy ‘Women of the Otherworld’ series.

This is the all-star final showdown, slow-clap finale to Armstrong’s much loved series. This is the book fans have been waiting for, but I’ve got to say … I was not impressed. Much as it pains me to admit.

Savannah Levine is again narrating, rounding out her POV books to a nice trilogy – ‘Waking the Witch’, ‘Spell Bound’ and now bringing it all together with ‘13’. But even though this is, again, Savannah’s book, every previous female protagonist gets one chapter devoted to them, so throughout the book we’re switched to Elena, Hope and Paige’s point of views.

Armstrong certainly has made ‘13’ an epic finale (maybe a little too epic?) with supernatural in-fighting between all supernaturals. The Supernatural Liberation Movement want to ‘out’ supernaturals (and presumably take over the world?) but they have a fight on their hands, against those who would prefer to keep their secrets. So all species are drawn into this one – vampires, werewolves, witches, psychics, necormancers, angels and most especially demons (many of whom are watching over their human offspring, and hedging bets on which side will come out victorious). Savannah Levine seems to be in the middle of it all – a powerful witch with a demon grandfather, deceased witch mother and warlock father who now have ties to the otherworld.

If it sounds like there’s a lot going on, that’s because there is. And that was actually a real problem for me – the helter-skelter plot really detracted from the characters and turned this into a rather cold, impersonal ‘sayonara’.

This feeling of detachment was particularly prevalent with the ‘romance’ aspect of this final book, between Savannah and Adam Vasic. It’s partly the fact that the groundwork for them really hasn’t been there in previous instalments. In Savannah’s other two narrated books, Adam was a bit player, and it was Savannah’s feelings for him (even in his absence) that were the focus. They literally came together in the last few pages of ‘Spell Bound’, and now we jump into the very chaotic events of ‘13’, when they really don’t have time to reconcile their newfound feelings and it just generally makes for a jumble. But, like I said, that’s partly due to the groundwork not being there for these characters in previous books . . . and you realize that maybe Savannah’s previous narration turns were a little too plot-heavy and not focused enough on her relationships. Really, the two books Savannah narrated followed similar storylines of Savannah going solo on an investigation into a small country town. We’ve really only got to know her on her own, and what we know of her in relation to other characters (Paige, in particular) we’ve only garnered when she was a secondary character in their books or short stories.

It’s actually reiterated a few times that Savannah and Adam are kind of testing the waters – this will be the first major relationship for both of them, and they’re wary about losing a friendship if the romance doesn’t work out. Then there’s the age-gap (Lucas, creepily, points out that Adam is only one year younger than him). But Savannah maintains that if it’s a mistake, she’ll have to make it on her own terms. Now, I completely understand that fast-tracking Adam and Savannah’s relationship from ‘childhood crush’ to ‘soul mates’ would have been disingenuous and would have had readers scoffing. But at the same time, this is the last book, and for that reason I would have liked more fireworks and epic love, as opposed to the rather ho-hum ‘let’s just see how it goes’ and ‘we’re taking things slow’ route. All in all, Adam and Savannah were a fizzle, not a sizzle. I was actually more invested in the small snippet scenes between werewolf, Karl, and his pregnant psychic wife, Hope because they had that deep, connected love story between them – and it just added more weight and meaning to all of their scenes. Karl and Hope actually ended up highlighting the hollowness of Savannah and Adam.

I did spend a bit of ‘13’ thinking this felt more like the book before the last book. Like Armstrong was still laying a lot of breadcrumbs and setting up her long-game ending … maybe because the many character reappearances, near-deaths and open-ended relationships felt more like build-up than finale.

There’s ‘a word from Kelley Armstrong’ at the beginning of the book, where she acknowledges the fact that many fans would have preferred that this final book finish with Elena narrating (and coming full-circle in the series that she started, with ‘Bitten’). Armstrong acknowledges that, but says she’s had the idea for Savannah to be the final narrator for a while now – since she’s the character we’ve seen grow from teenager, into young adulthood. Nevertheless, it just so happens that some of the most interesting exchanges and moments in ‘13’ are concerned with the Pack, and involve Clay and Elena anyway. It’s these moments that far outshine the rest of the goings on with Savannah, demons, angels and Adam. I feel like Armstrong inadvertently touched on this in one particular scene. . .

I grinned. “Yes, typical five-year-olds – playing Metallica and learning French for fun. As for the bunnies, I’m not going there.”
“Don’t. Anyway, sounds like situation normal at the Lester house tonight. The kids fighting, while Mom’s telling them to stop bickering before their dad comes down to chew them out.”
“Except at our place,” Clay said, “it’s me saying ‘Cool it before Mom comes down.’”
“Because I’m much scarier than he is,” Elena said. Now if I could just convince every mutt in the country to see it that way.”
Adam said, “So Lester’s upstairs?”
“Oh, sure, bring the conversation back on track,” I said. “Spoilsport.”

My sentiments exactly.

But I think Armstrong must have been more swayed by readers clamouring for Elena’s POV than she let on, because there’s another note from her at the end, followed by an Elena short story called ‘From Russia, With Love.’ In this ‘final note from Kelley’ she admits that ‘13’ didn’t wrap with the ‘Otherworld’ characters going quietly into the night, their stories neatly tied up.

“God, we’re getting responsible,” I said.
He smiled. “Being careful just means we’ll live long enough to have more adventures.”

If readers feel like this universe is still expanding, that’d be because it is – with Armstrong planning three short story anthologies (the first of which is slated for 2014) and she’s also not saying ‘no’ to a possible revisit to the ‘Otherworld.’ I certainly hope she does, particularly because a certain basement discovery in ‘13’ has great impact on the Pack, and the short ‘From Russia, With Love’ reminds readers that there are still some interesting, untapped werewolf secondary characters to be explored – like suave Nick Sorrentino and Australian wolf, Reese.

All in all, I was really disappointed with this book. It felt like Armstrong was so laser-focused on the big, grand, sweeping finale plot that all those characters we’ve come to know and love fell by the wayside. Clay and Elena, as always, were the most interesting aspect of the book – and their short story at the end was perhaps the major highlight of the whole thing. The romances of Lucas and Paige, Karl and Hope, heck, even Cassandra and Aaron all really highlighted what was missing from the ‘we’re testing the waters’ fledgling romance with Savannah and Adam – and made me realize that if you’re going to write about the end of the world, maybe don’t focus on a first-date couple, rather go for the epic love story of soul mates? Just a suggestion.

I certainly hope Armstrong continues to write ‘Otherworld’ short stories, and revisit a few characters, because ‘13’ was not how I envisioned this thing ending. Not at all.

2.5/5

'The Calling' Darkness Rising #2 by Kelley Armstrong

 Receive from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents including local bad boy Rafe, with whom she shares a dangerous, powerful secret.

Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. After a terrifying helicopter crash, they find themselves stranded in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home.

But can Maya really trust her friends? And can she learn how to control the frightening new gift she has discovered before it controls her?

 This review contains minor SPOILERS from first book 'The Gathering', with spoiler-hints about Armstrong's 'Darkest Powers' trilogy and 'Women of the Otherworld' series.

In just a few weeks, Maya Delaney’s entire world was turned on its head. The arrival of temptingly dangerous new boy, Rafe Martinez sent Maya’s world spiraling. Her small, idyllic town of Salmon Creek was already starting to show a few cracks – after the mysterious drowning death of her best friend, Serena, Maya was already questioning a few things about Salmon Creek, and it’s ties to the St. Clouds drug company that own and populate the town with researchers. Then an out-of-town snooping reporter went missing, and was later found dead.

At the same time, Maya had a run-in with an old witch, and drew closer to Rafe and his funny little sister Annie… eventually gaining their trust, and learning the truth about their appearance in town.

Salmon Creek is not a town of scientists and researchers – it is a town in which the children are the experiment.

Rafe revealed to Maya that they are both shifters – wildcat skin-walkers with healing abilities. The entire town is populated with supernatural kids – born and bred with special powers, for reasons unknown. The town’s youth are in fact a mixture of shifters, demons, witches and God knows what else.

Now the St. Cloud Company are bringing their experiment to an end. Having just set a forest fire surrounding Salmon Creek, their goal now is to flush out Maya and her friends that managed to escape.

Maya and her friends have just leaped out of the fire and into the frying pan, literally.

‘The Calling’ is Kelley Armstrong’s second book in the ‘Darkness Rising’ paranormal YA series, a spin-off of her original ‘Darkest Powers’ trilogy, which in turn is set in her ‘Women of the Otherworld’ universe.

Kelley Armstrong hits the ground running in her second ‘Darkness Rising’ installment. We left Maya and her friends in a helicopter, being airlifted from the middle of a forest fire where they were ambushed by mysterious St. Clouds’ armored men – and after Maya came face-to-face with her biological father.

When ‘Calling’ begins we are back in the helicopter; on-board is Maya’s best friend, Daniel, her loyal dog Kenji, unconscious Rafe and Maya’s old friends and classmates; Sam, Corey, Nicole and Hayley. The mayor of Salmon Creek is also being taken to safety … but it doesn’t take long before it all goes horribly wrong. Maya and Daniel’s suspicions about the danger they experienced on the ground are reignited mid-air, when the pilot starts veering off-course and a tussle ensues. Now Maya and Daniel are convinced that the St. Clouds drug company is out for their blood – and they can trust no one from Salmon Creek. Not even their parents?

The first two chapters of ‘Calling’ concern a helicopter crash with devastating consequences and body-count. It’s an impressive, heart-thumping opener that is sure to leave fans reeling and second-guessing everything they thought about the trajectory of this series. In true Armstrong fashion, she comes out swinging and throws her young protagonists between a rock and a hard place.

After the explosive, helicopter-crashing first chapter though, things take a turn for the slightly more sedate… After surviving the crash, Maya and her remaining friends find themselves in yet another forest, and they are not alone. St. Cloud employees are hunting them – and as their trek to safety unfolds, they discover another group of players – the Nasts are also hot on their trail.

‘The Calling’ is set entirely in the forest, and follows Maya & Co. as they make the long, dangerous trek back to Salmon Creek, with bad guys on their tail. Readers learn a lot about the St. Cloud drug company in this book – and we are privy to recent wheelings and dealings in the ‘Otherworld’ universe. Cluey readers who have made the journey from the first ‘Darkest Powers’ trilogy, by way of ‘Women of the Otherworld’ will know that the Nasts are a cabal of male-witches, who hold a lot of sway in the supernatural world. When we discover that they now have a hand in the Edison Group/Salmon Creek experiments, savvy readers will predict that Ms. Armstrong has a few curveballs up her sleeve … and she might just be setting up for a longer haul in her ‘Women’ universe and young-adult spin off series.

For those readers though, who are coming into ‘Darkness Rising’ completely cold, I do wonder how much of ‘The Calling’ went unknowing overhead. Readers unfamiliar with ‘Women of the Otherworld’ who did read the ‘Darkest Powers’ trilogy will be slightly more clued-in, particularly towards the end… but I still think this is a book where the uninitiated will find themselves lacking. Particularly because this is a book of little character/relationship development; it is almost solely concerned with pushing the larger arcing conspiracy story forward, sometimes at the plot’s expense.

In ‘The Gathering’ Rafe and Maya’s romance was set-up – beginning with loathing and mild flirtation, and progressing to animal magnetism (literally). But the explosive beginning of ‘Calling’ means that Maya and Rafe’s relationship is put on hold. Armstrong tentatively sets up a maybe-kinda-sorta romance between Maya and her best friend, Daniel, but at this point it’s still in the walking-on-eggshells, looks of longing stage and not particularly riveting. And even though Maya is surrounded by a supporting cast of friends, none of them get the same interesting character development that Maya does in this book…

In ‘Calling’ Maya feels her skin changing. She is hearing the call of the wild and succumbing to her shifting instincts. She has also just met her biological father (who happens to be apart of the team hunting her down), not to mention she suffers a great loss early on. ‘The Calling’ really is Maya’s time in the spotlight – but she does tend to hog.

Trekking through the forest with Maya is Daniel, her loyal bestie who is starting to throw her looks of longing. Her frenemy Hayley is quick with the snipes, and party-boy Corey is limping along with a bad knee. Cousins Sam and Nicole are the wildcards – one of them blows hot and cold, while the other seems to know more about the St. Cloud company than she initially let on. This is quite a big bunch of secondary players (especially when you think that ‘Darkest Powers’ concentrated on the main foursome; Chloe, Tori, Simon and Derek). I feel like Armstrong gave us too many minor players, so that by the end of ‘Calling’ I really didn’t feel like I’d gotten to know any of them (save Maya) any better. And, as a result, I wasn’t particularly caught up in their plights or side stories. Sure, the kids are quick and good for a laugh, but Armstrong writes them in such broad brush strokes that I feel we missed out on the minor details that are meant to endear them to us;

"You're cute," Hayley said. "Well, cute enough."
"Fun to be around," I offered.
"So I'm ... a clown?"
"At least you're a cute clown," Hayley said. "Not a scary one."
"You're a good fighter," Daniel said.
"And you're a good drinker," Hayley added. "You can hold your liquor better than anyone I know."
"Uh-huh," Corey said. "So Maya will grow up to be an amazing healer who can change into a killer cat. Daniel and Sam will roam the country hunting criminals and demons. Hayley and Nicole will divide their time between recording platinum albums and winning gold medals in swimming. And me? I'll be the cute, funny guy sitting at the bar, hoping for a good brawl to break out."
"In other words, exactly where you were already headed," Hayley said.

‘The Calling’ really didn’t feel like a book about the characters, it felt far more focused on the BIG story;

"We have the upper hand here," Daniel said. "If you're going to give us some crap about turning ourselves in because we're a danger to society? Don't bother."
"Danger to society?" Moreno pursed his lips as if considering it. "Not really. A danger to yourselves? Absolutely. You're going through a lot right now, but it's nothing compared to what's coming. You need help." He looked at me.

It wasn’t until about page-250 (of this 288-page book) that I felt my heart begin to race and knew my interest had been piqued. Towards the end of the book, sleights-of-hand are revealed and Armstrong beautifully sets up her ‘long game’. The ending is exactly what I, and many fans, have been hoping for since ‘Darkest Powers’ ended. I just wish that ‘The Calling’ had started from that point – when the action and drama coalesce, and the entwining of two stories hints at great things to come.

Even if I wasn’t overly impressed with the majority of ‘The Calling’, Armstrong’s stellar ending has ensured I’ll be anticipating the third book in this series (and crossing my fingers that it’s not the finale!).

3/5

What advice do you have for young writers?

Thomas Mann hit the nail on the head when he said:

"A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people."

Amen to that!

Every writer stumbles and hits roadblocks. What can help pick yourself up and trudge on is advice from authors who have been there, and overcome the very same roadblocks. 

Below are a few writers I have interviewed over the years, and their answer to my question: "What advice do you have for budding young writers?". Some are wacky, others are practical. All are worth thinking about.

 If you have a good piece of advice, then please share it in a comment. Every little bit helps, after all :)

 

Alison Stewart 

Don’t be afraid to write and keep writing, but also don’t be afraid to edit. Don’t be put off by rejection – easier said than done! It goes without saying that you should read widely and when you come across something you love, take note of how the author has achieved this. And as I said earlier, enter your writing in competitions. You never know your luck!

Kelly Gardiner 

Read. Write. Read. Write. And again. That’s all. Just keep being as good as you can be. On a more practical level, read passages out loud so you can hear if they ring true – and if something makes you hesitate or wonder, then it needs more thought. I learned that the hard way.

I’m currently writing in 25 minute bursts with a five minute break in between, just about chained to the desk so I can’t get distracted. It really works, especially for rough drafting. If I can’t think of the right word or I don’t know some historical fact, I just write “something” and go back to it later. Otherwise I can spend twenty minutes looking up the etymology of one word or the price of boat hire on the Thames in 1640 and not write any more for hours.

 

Margo Lanagan 

Read as much and as widely as you can - not just in the areas where you're already a fan but in new genres.

Don't just focus on "being a writer" and living in your own imagination - have another life, another career, that feeds into your writing by connecting you to the real world.

Write a lot, and again, write widely. Try lots of different ways to tell the stories, or communicate the impressions, that you carry around inside you. That way you'll find the forms that suit you.

Doug McLeod

Get a really terrible job first. I worked on a building site for a short time and it was horrible. When I find it hard to write or just don't feel like it, I remember how it felt holding those bricks around. If you really want to be a serious writer, don’t get married or have kids.

 Laura Buzo

Get a wife.

And also, don’t try to do it all on a laptop. Even is all you have is a laptop, buy a separate keyboard that you can set up to reach ergonomically. Seriously. Look after those tendons. You only have one set.

Kelley Armstrong

Keep writing. It’s boring advice, but it really is the most important thing, I think. You need to love writing and keep at it, always practicing and writing new things, even if you don’t get published quickly (most authors don’t)

Interview with Kelley Armstrong

If you're a fan of paranormal then you have undoubtedly read Kelley Armstrong - one of the Urban Fantasy pioneers. Her series is epic and extraordinary, and currently standing at 12 books deep (with a final 13th slated for 2012)

In this interview I ask some tough questions, about the future of 'Otherworld' and the reappearance of Chloe!

So, without further ado, I present to you - Kelley Armstrong!

★

Q: How were you first published - agent or slush pile?

I've been writing all my life. In my twenties I started working on novels, and would sporadically send out query letters and sample chapters, but never got anything more than a form letter rejection. When I finished Bitten, I had an instructor look at it, to see how well I was progressing. He offered to recommend it to an agent, and things happened very quickly from there. Within a couple of months I went from being unpublished to having multiple book contracts. Definitely agent for me then. I don’t think I could ever have been plucked from the slush pile!

Q: ‘Bitten’ was first released in 2001 – which means you’re one of the pioneering supernatural authors who really got the ball rolling with vampires and werewolves! Were you already a fan of all things paranormal, or did you start reading in the genre after you got the idea for ‘Bitten’?

I've been interested in the paranormal since early childhood. I often jokingly blame Scooby Doo for setting me on the path, but that was probably my first exposure to werewolves, vampires and things that go bump in the night.

Q: Why ‘Women of the Otherworld?' I know you released the wonderful ‘Men of the Otherworld’ anthology in 2009, but what was it initially about the women’s supernatural stories that held more interest for you over their male counterparts?

It was more of a natural decision than a conscious one. With first person narrative, I'm most comfortable writing it from a woman's point of view. I've always been wary of taking on the "voice" of someone too different from myself--in gender, age, socioeconomic background etc--so when I started this series, I didn't consider using a male voice. I've done it since--with other works—and have for years just called it “The Otherworld.” The official title changed with the latest contract, though it was a quiet change :)

Q: With each new ‘Otherworld’ installment the universe grows. From werewolves to vampires, demon to necromancers. Are there any supernatural species that we haven’t met yet, but are still waiting in the wings?

With only one Otherworld book to go, I've hit the point where it really is too late to add more supernatural types. Instead, I’ve begun to explore that in the spin-off YA series (with a plot about resurrecting “extinct” supernatural types.)

Q: ‘Otherworld’ is one of the best ensemble paranormal series. Apart from your protagonist narrators, the books also offer a plethora of beloved secondary characters, and quite a few of them have strong fan-followings. What’s the likelihood that you’ll ever give Nick or Antonio a full-length book? Or even newest pack members, Reese and Noah?

The Otherworld will end (or go on hiatus) with book 13. I do hope to write more stories—and maybe even a future novel or two—but I’m ending the book-a-year schedule. If I do write more, though, you can be sure I’d do more with the secondary Pack members.

Q: Savannah Levine is a veteran of the ‘Otherworld’ series – having first appeared in book #2, ‘Stolen’. But you let her ‘cook’, so to speak. You didn’t pull a soap-opera time lapse and have her suddenly grow up in order to narrate. How hard was it for you to keep putting off writing her story and wait for her right moment?

I’ve long planned to end the series with a Savannah trilogy. I wasn’t sure exactly how old she’d be, though. At one point, I figured 19 or so, but as I drew closer to that age for her, I realized she wasn’t ready.

Q: ‘Spell Bound’ ends on such an emotional and drama-packed cliff-hanger. Things are stirring in the Otherworld, and Savannah is certainly gearing up for a showdown! Can you give us a little itty-bitty hint about what’s to come in the next book?

I’m going to answer that with a quote from the book that one of my editors pulled out as a good summation. “Anything you thought you knew about our world? Forget it. Someone has tossed out the rulebook. Ghosts can cross the divide. Hell-hounds can manifest. Demi-demons can possess living children And it’s not going to get any better until it’s over.” As you might guess from that, 13 is my Otherworld upheaval book, when everyone comes together to fight the biggest threat they’ve faced.

Q: You are currently contracted through to book thirteen (to be released next year). And you’ve said that three factors will determine whether or not you continue beyond the thirteenth installment – the readers, your publisher and whether or not you’re willing to write more. How are those factors looking at the moment? What’s the likelihood that we’ll get a book fourteen, or more?

I’d always planned to end at 13, but when I did my last contract, I’d begun to think maybe I’d go farther—hence that comment. I later realized that I really should end it when I’d planned to. Better to end on a high note rather than several books after I’m out of ideas.

Q: In 2008 you released the extremely popular ‘Darkest Powers’ YA trilogy. What prompted you to cross-over into the Young Adult market, and what has been the biggest challenge in changing your audience?

I had an idea inspired by my second adult novel, Stolen, but it was about supernaturals just coming into their powers, which in my world happens at puberty. That wouldn't work for an adult series. That idea was in the back of my mind as I began receiving an increasing number of emails from readers I considered too young to be reading my other books! So I decided to give my YA idea a try.

The biggest challenge was that I'm a whole lot older than my main character. As a teen, I hated it when adults tried to write in a teen voice and it was painfully obvious that they were on the wrong side of thirty. Having a daughter in the right age group made that easier--I had a built-in focus group.

Q: You’ve given a very good reason for not having much overlap between the ‘Darkest Powers’ and ‘Otherworld’ series’ (even though they’re based in the same universe and minor references have been made). You don’t want the adult ‘Otherworld’ characters swooping in and saving your ‘Powers’ kids. Why do you think that it’s so important for children to be their own saviors in the YA genre?

It’s important for any protagonist in any book to be their own saviors. They can have help. In fact, I prefer it if they do have help, which is more realistic. Ultimately, though, the protagonist should be instrumental in solving their own problem, regardless of whether they are a child, a teen or an adult.

Q: You’ve hinted on your website that you might not be done with Chloe and Co., even though her ‘Darkest Powers’ trilogy concluded and you’re now in the thick of ‘Darkness Rising’. Are you thinking of pulling Chloe, Derek, Simon and Tori out for a cameo – or another full-length book?

They will definitely get another book. They’re reintroduced in the last book of the Darkness Rising trilogy (book 6 overall) and I’m contracted for 3 more after that.

Q: You’ve also written a fantastic non-supernatural series in ‘Nadia Stafford’ – about a hit woman. The second book came out in 2009; do you have any plans to write more?

I’m planning to write the third one soon, probably as a direct-to-ebook project. My current schedule is so jam-packed that I’m reluctant to add another traditionally published book, but I do want to finish the story and character arc. Self-publishing in e-book might be the best way to do that.

Q: You’re one paranormal author whose really embraced the graphic novel extension of your book series, with ‘Becoming’ and ‘Hidden’. What’s the appeal of graphic novels for you and your storytelling?

Of all the forms of storytelling I like novels the best, because it's the least restrictive. But I'd go nuts if I couldn't write anything except novels. I have to mix it up with other forms, because it keeps me challenged and keeps things fresh. Graphic stories give me a rare chance to see my world come to life visually.

Q: 2013 is shaping up to be a very interesting year for you and your readers! You have two new books slated for release – ‘Omens and Shadows’ and ‘The Blackwell Pages’ (with the incredible Melissa Marr). Are these both serials or stand-alone? Are they YA or adult? And most importantly – can you tell us a little bit about the plot for one or both?

Omens & Shadows is a cross between the Otherworld and my Nadia Stafford books, which means the plots are more heavily mystery, but unlike Nadia, there are some paranormal elements. They are lighter elements, though—omens, portents, second sight rather than werewolves and witches.

The Blackwell Pages is a middle-grade trilogy based on Norse mythology. The main characters are pre-teens, distantly descended from the dead gods.

Q: Favourite book(s) of all time?

I usually say that my favourite is Pride & Prejudice, but only because I have so many that it's hard to choose one! Others include Watership Down by Richard Adams and anything by Stephen King.

Q: Favourite author(s)?

Like favourite book, my favourite writer changes all the time, but the one who was my favourite for the longest length of time is Stephen King. I've been reading him since high school.

Q: What advice do you have for budding young writers?

Keep writing. It’s boring advice, but it really is the most important thing, I think. You need to love writing and keep at it, always practicing and writing new things, even if you don’t get published quickly (most authors don’t)

'Spell Bound' Women of the Otherworld #12 by Kelley Armstrong

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

Savannah Levine is in danger. That's not usually a problem. But, caught in the grip of a disturbing and violent murder case, Savannah swore to give up her unique gifts if it would save an innocent young girl. Little did she know that someone - or something - was listening... Now she has no idea how to restore her powers, just when she needs them the most.

In this compelling, fast-paced new thriller, Savannah has to face a host of deadly enemies bent on destroying not only her, but the very fabric of the supernatural world. As dark forces gather, Savannah isn't just fighting for her life, but for everything and everyone she loves...

Savannah Levine has always defined herself by her genetic reputation (Cabal father, dark witch mother) and her lethal magical ability. That’s who she is – it’s why she was kidnapped as a child, and why she had to be raised by the witch, Paige Winterbourne and her Cabal-connected husband, Lucas Cortez. It’s why Savannah is such an intricate part to their supernatural PI business, and how she found a place for herself in the larger paranormal community.

So what happens when the very thing that defines Savannah is taken away?

‘Spell Bound’ is the twelfth book in Kelley Armstrong’s superb supernatural saga, ‘Women of the Otherworld’.

When we left Savannah in her narrative debut, ‘Waking the Witch’, she was feeling forlorn and guilt-ridden in the little town of Columbus. Having just helped to convict a grandmother and ensure her granddaughter would run the foster care merry-go-round, Savannah made an impulsive and remorseful wish – that she would sacrifice her magical powers to help this family.

The wish came true, and now Savannah is a witch without powers.

And just as Savannah has wished herself defenceless and rudderless, the supernatural world is beginning to stir, with murmurs of discontent threatening the peace and privacy of the paranormal community.

A group called ‘The Supernatural Liberation Movement’ is an underground network of revolting supernatural’s with one disastrous motive – to reveal themselves to the human world. They want to rise up and claim their rightful, Darwinian-appointed place at the top of the food chain. Sick and tired of lurking in the shadows, they are calling on all witches, vampires, werewolves, necromancers and any other paranormal being to come forth and step into the light.

Curious though, that right when Savannah loses all her powers, these paranormal crusaders want to come forth and wave their freak flag?

In ‘Spell Bound’ Kelley Armstrong flips the entire ‘Otherworld’ story on its head and offers up a very interesting plot. The powers of the ‘Otherworld’ characters have, in the past, been a burden, blessing, and desire. . . but always they have been a given. Apart from some poisonous side-effects or dampening spells, readers have always been calm in the knowledge that Clay can defeat the bad guys with his werewolf strength and Paige can call on a spell to get out of a bind. So, for Armstrong to strip Savannah of her powers is both unheard of and a wonderfully complex game-changer.

Simply by making Savannah ‘normal’, Armstrong changes her entire persona. Savannah has always walked a fine line between apathetic and certifiable. She doesn’t bat an eyelash at gruesome decapitations, and she only feels protective and sympathetic to those people she knows and cares about. Otherwise, Savannah is a fairly dry-eyed character; having lived a tough childhood full of death, captivity and guilt. As a result she has a tough outer shell and little remorse or compassion to spare for strangers.

When her powers are taken away Savannah becomes emotional. She queries her self-worth and loses her hardened edge; she becomes a completely different person with the loss, and is far more interesting for it;

I took a step away.

“Don’t, Savannah,” he said softly. “Please don’t run.”

“What am I going to do?” I whispered. “Without my powers, I’m –”

“Exactly the same person you are with them. Just a whole lot less dangerous.”

He was trying to make me smile. Instead, fresh tears filled my eyes.

I was Savannah Levine, ultrapowerful spellcaster. Daughter of a Cabal sorcerer and a dark witch. Without my powers, I'd be a human PI working for an agency specializing in supernatural cases. As useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle.

Savannah has always been one of those prickly characters who readers will either love, or hate. She’s cocky and beautiful, certain of her powers and impeccable magical breeding. She has, in the past, come across as bratty and self-important. So to read such a complete character flip is both disarming and refreshing.

Savannah’s change in personality also seems to bring her private feelings to the fore . . . regarding her adopted parents, Lucas and Paige, but particularly where her best friend, Adam Vasic, is concerned. Savannah has been in love with Adam since she was 12 and he helped rescue her from a supernatural detainment facility. Regardless of their age-difference (he is 33 to her 21); Savannah has loved Adam with a private but unwavering devotion for most of her life. Adam, of course, is none-the-wiser and seemingly content in his big brother/best friend role. But when Savannah starts questioning her life as a mere human, she also starts thinking on her own mortality (so much more precious now that she can’t defend herself with magic) and what it would mean to never tell Adam how she feels about him.

Readers of ‘Waking the Witch’ will be familiar with Armstrong’s meandering pace where Adam and Savannah are concerned . . . well, expect much of the same (with some heated promises) in ‘Spell Bound’. Again, Savannah and Adam cannot be rushed. Their friendship has been meticulously built over the previous eleven books, so to bring it all crashing down with a big romantic reveal would feel cheap and convenient. I’m glad Armstrong is easing readers into this romance, and I look forward to more slow-burning chemistry.

‘Spell Bound’ is an all-stars ‘Otherworld’ instalment. Everyone comes out for the wind-up to book thirteen’s grand finale. Jeremy, Jamie, Hope, Paige, Lucas, Elena, Clay, Karl, Cassandra, Aaron. . . you name them, and they’re in here. The whole cast come out for the ‘Spell Bound’ book because the central mystery is B-I-G. It affects the entire, fragile Otherworld universe and has its roots reaching back to the beginning of the series. To give anything away about this central, mystery plot would be an absolute crime because Armstrong has plotted it beautifully and intricately.

Kelley Armstong is not contracted beyond book thirteen (again, to be narrated by Savannah, and slated for a 2012 release). Whether she continues the series beyond #13 is unknown. . . but what readers do know is that the Otherworld is rumbling. Armstrong is winding up for an epic ending that pulls all of our beloved characters together and throws them into a free-for-all finale. I can’t wait!

5/5