Night Myst – Spotlight & Review
Night Myst by Yasmine Galenorn
Book Description:
“Eons ago, vampires tried to turn the Dark Fae in order to harness their magic, only to create a demonic enemy more powerful than they imagined. Having quietly amassed their strength for centuries, the Vampiric Fae are determined to enslave the world. Now Myst, Queen of the Indigo Court, is rising again-and a long prophesied war is about to begin…
Cicely Waters, a witch who can control the wind, has returned home to New Forest, Washington, after learning that her family is in danger. The Indigo Court holds the city in fear. People are vanishing, and strange deaths plague the town. And when she is swept into an unexpected and passionate reunion with Grieve, the Fae prince who taught her to how to harness the wind, Cicely finds herself with a fierce and territorial lover.
But Grieve has become enslaved by Myst’s court, and now, caught between two evils, the lovers must survive the machinations of the Vampiric Fae queen, even as Cicely untangles the hidden secrets to her own heritage.”
My Thoughts:
Anyone who has been following my blog for a while knows that I am a long time fan of Yasmine Galenorn’s work, and this first novel in the Indigo Court series did not disappoint! I was immediately drawn into Cicely’s world and led on a marvelous ride through it. Galenorn’s characters are always written with depth and richness that makes you believe that they could exist somewhere. The world that she crafts is so filled with atmosphere, it becomes almost like a character of its own.
Filled with characters that you fall in love with, some that you love to hate, and excellent plotting and pacing equals a page flipping / no sleep night. This book represents, at least to me, everything that makes an urban fantasy work. It’s also a perfect example of how to start a new series, as you don’t get lost in explanations of world-building. You get pulled right in and carried along for the supernatural ride of a lifetime.
Cicely is a strong lead and Grieve is a mouth-watering alpha who is the perfect match for her. Witches, vampires, fae and vampiric fae make for interesting conflicts and interactions. I am so looking forward to the next book in the series! Night Veil is scheduled to be released June 2011.
Buy Night Myst at:
Chapters, Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Book Depository
Find out more about Yasmine Galenorn and her books at her website!
Yasmine Galenorn – Winners
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WITCHYS WIKKED GRAPHIX
Congrats to all the winners!!
The RNG has picked numbers: 16 – Sue Brandes, 22 – Kimberly B, 33 – Sue A, 40 – Jackie B, 50 – Feuangel, and 72 – Elie!
Winners, can you please email me at: sidhevicious(at)shaw(dot)ca with your snail mail info. Please put “Yasmine Winner” in the subject line. If I don’t hear back from the winner/s in 7 days, I’ll draw new names from the qualifying comments.
Once again, a huge thanks to Yasmine for the wonderful interview and for supplying the books! I’d also like to thank everyone for your great questions and comments. I hope to hear from all of you again about your thoughts on anything. 🙂
Yasmine Galenorn – Interview & Giveaway
Today readers, we have the pleasure of New York Times’ Bestselling author, Yasmine Galenorn, stopping by for an interview! Her up-coming release, Bone Magic, will be out on shelves January 5th, so we’re launching her book promotions from here. Yasmine will be responding to comments today and possibly tomorrow, time permitting, so let’s be sure to give her a warm welcome. The details of the giveaway will be at the end of the interview, and it’s a big one, so be sure to read all the way to the end. 🙂
Welcome back to SVR Yasmine!
Sidhe – Bone Magic, book 7 in your Otherworld Series is out on January 5th. Congrats on writing such a successful and exciting series! Can you start things off by telling us a bit about the book?
Yasmine – Bone Magic marks a major turning point for several of the characters. Camille undergoes a drastic ritual at the hands of the Moon Mother and the Black Unicorn that will forever change her life; Chase faces an incredible shift in his life in a life-or-death situation, a significant portion of Iris’s past is revealed, paving the way for me to write a novella about her, and we say goodbye to a minor but recurring character when the demons do some permanent damage.
Sidhe – I recall from past interviews that you identify most with the character Camille. Do you find yourself sometimes putting characteristics of people that you know into your characters? Or are you just more of a people watcher and you utilize some characteristics from all over?
Yasmine – Most of the characters have some aspect of me-Camille especially, but as far as putting aspects of friends and family in characters-well, that’s bound to happen, but in bits and pieces. And I do people watch-I shamelessly watch people when I’m out and so the characters evolve from every which way.
Sidhe – Do you listen to music while you write to inspire you? If so, are there any bands/singers who resonate especially while writing the D’Artigo sisters and the world you’ve created in your Otherworld Series?
Yasmine – Yes, about 70% of the time. And each book has a playlist which you’ll find on my website under the descriptions of the individual books. I’m also starting to add them into the books themselves so people can find them in the back. I do have some songs that appear over and over, and others that I connect with certain characters. The song Believe by the Bravery-that fits the overall series almost like a theme song. Other recurring songs on the playlists: When the Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin), Half-Light (Low), a LOT of songs from Gary Numan, especially his darker, newer material. I listen to bands like Seether, Saliva, Orgy, Oingo Boingo, Thompson Twins, Gabrielle Roth, and many, many more.
Sidhe – You’ve crafted an amazing world, how do you keep track of all the details when writing a multi-book series?
Yasmine – I have what I call my Research Notebooks from Hell for every series. After each manuscript is accepted by my editor, I go through and update the entire notebook. I’ve done workshops on this subject for writers, before-organizing when you’re writing a series. The notebooks contain everything from character development through the books to subplot arcs/major arcs, bestiaries, military entanglements, places/groups/shops etc. for each world I’m writing.
Sidhe – I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but Camille goes through some major experiences in this book, both personally and with her loved ones in their world. Do you have a hard time unwinding after writing, what must be very emotional for you, scenes involving your much-loved characters?
Yasmine – Yes, actually, I do. I’m usually so brain-fried that all I want to do is immerse myself in TV. I’m almost always too tired to read-I read on breaks between books. Exercise helps, sex helps me get out of my head, taking a drive and just sitting at Starbucks helps…but until I finish the book, I’m always immersed in it whether I’m writing or not.
Sidhe – How many more books do you have coming up in this series? (Enquiring fans want to know) 🙂
Yasmine – However many that my publisher and I can negotiate for me to write. There are so many ways I can take this world that I am by no means done. Once the spirit seals story arc is tied up (and it won’t be by book 9 but it’s getting there), I have other plans for the sisters.
Sidhe – Do you have any new books or series in the works that we can look forward to?
Yasmine – Yes, Night Myst, the first book in the Indigo Court Series, will be out late next June. Here’s the blurb for it:
Eons ago, vampires tried to turn the Dark Fae in order to harness their power. Instead, they created a demonic enemy more powerful than they dared to dream. Bent on enslaving the world, the Vampiric Fae have been quietly massing their strength for centuries. Now, Myst, queen of the Indigo Court, is rising again…and a long-prophesied war is brewing…
Born a witch, Cicely Waters can control the wind. When her Elemental warns her that her aunt and cousin are in danger, she packs her Pontiac GTO and returns home for the first time in twenty years. But the magical town of New Forest, Washington has changed. The Indigo Court holds the city in fear; people are vanishing, and strange deaths plague the town. Swept into an unexpected and passionate reunion with her trusted childhood friend Grieve, the Fae prince who taught her how to harness the wind, Cicely finds herself with a fierce and territorial lover. But Grieve has become enslaved by Myst’s court, and now both lovers must walk a fine line to survive the machinations of the Vampiric Fae Queen. Caught between two evils, both vying for supremacy, Cicely must fight for her family and her future. As she discovers the hidden secrets to her own heritage, will she lose her soul in the process?
Sidhe – How do you get yourself to write on days where you’re not feeling it? Or how do you keep at it when the going’s rough?
Yasmine – I remind myself of how bad the panic is when I’m on a hard deadline and behind. I also remind myself that this is my career-not a hobby-and whether I feel like it or not, the work I produce turns out tight and well-written. If this were a hobby I could just walk away, but my readers depend on me, I have legal contracts with my publisher that must be fulfilled, and this is how I make my living. You can’t just knock off work every time you feel like it if you have a ‘day job’ , and likewise, I can’t just fuck around when I feel like it.
Sidhe – Besides the awesome artwork that Tony Mauro does for your covers, do you have any pictures of people/celebrities who remind you of your characters to motivate or inspire you?
Yasmine – I adore Tony-he’s the most incredible artist and he’ll be doing the art for my new series too. I’m so thankful for that and can hardly wait to see the art for Night Myst. As far as your question, some of the anime inspires me-both story and artwork. InuYasha and Bleach have really impacted me. Most celebrities don’t, but characters, series, movies do. Hellboy I & II, the Xmen movies, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the first couple seasons of Supernatural, Fringe, all of these spark off new ideas.
Sidhe – Do you have anything else you’d like to share with readers?
Yasmine – I’d like to invite people over to my blog this month -I’ve got a lot of contests and fun posts going up. And I’m Twitter-you can find me there. Please, sign up for my newsletter on my website because that is the easiest way, other than visiting my website, to keep up with updates and new releases. I hope you love Bone Magic and Inked-both of which are out on January 5, 2010. Bone Magic is the 7th book in the Otherworld Series, and Etched in Silver, my novella in Inked, is the story of how Camille and Trillian first met.
I’d like to thank Yasmine for taking the time to come by Sidhe Vicious Reviews. We wish you much continued success and can’t wait to read more of your captivating novels!
Thank you for having me-and for sponsoring this contest. I enjoyed it!
Yasmine
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Live Chat Info:
Before we get to the giveaway details, I have an announcement to make! If you’ve ever wanted to chat in real-time with Yasmine, then tomorrow, on December 6, you’ll want to join us for the online chat with Yasmine in the Moon Stalkers Forum. Yasmine will be sharing an excerpt from Bone Magic during the chat, that will only be available to forum members during the chat that evening. Here’s the info, “Chat: December 6th, 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time, my forums: http://www.galenorn.com/Bulletin (case-sensitive). You MUST register for my forums to join. The special excerpt will be posted right before and I’ll give the link to people in the chat. The excerpt will only remain up for 24 hours.” So head on over to register and get in on the chat!
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Giveaway Details:
Yasmine is generously providing not one, but 6 books to 6 winners!! 🙂 There are 2 copies of Demon Mistress, 2 copies of Night Huntress and 2 copies of Dragon Wytch.
For one entry: Please leave a comment telling us whether Witches, Vampires, Shifters or Fae are your favorite Paranormal characters and why. OR (for today only, the 5th, you can ask Yasmine a question in lieu of answering the original comment question).
For extra entries:
– Subscribe to my blog, Sidhe Vicious Reviews, through the links at the top right hand side of the blog, and let me know in your comment. Be sure you verify your subscription through the email you’ll receive or it won’t count. (+1 entry)
– If you’re already subscribed, you’ll receive an additional entry, but be sure to let me know in the comments. (+2 entries)
– Post a link to this contest on your Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, GoodReads, LibraryThing, or on your blog and send me the link either in the comments or by email and you’ll get an extra entry for each place you add a link to.
Contest is open to Canada and USA and will run through December 16th. The winners will be posted here on the 17th. Please leave your email addy in your comment for me to contact you if you’ve won. If I haven’t heard back from the winner/s in 7 days, a new winner will be drawn from the eligible comments. Winners will be chosen by a random number generator. Good Luck everyone! 🙂
Bone Magic – Spotlight & Review
Bone Magic by Yasmine Galenorn
Book Description
“We’re the D’Artigo sisters: savvy–and sexy–operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But being half-human, half-Fae short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times. My sister Delilah is a two-faced Were who turns into a golden tabby when she’s stressed. And Menolly’s a vampire who’s still trying to get the hang of being undead. As for me? I’m Camille D’Artigo, a wicked-good witch who’s learning death magic with my youkai-kitsune husband. Until now, the Moon Mother’s pretty much ignored me, but she’s about to take me on the Hunt of my life…
Another equinox is here, and life’s getting more dangerous for all of us. The past is catching up to our friends, Iris and Chase. Smoky–the dragon of my dreams–is forced to choose between his family and me. To top it off, there’s a new demon general in town and we can’t locate her. And when the Moon Mother and the Black Beast summon me to Otherworld. I think I’m just going to reunite with my long-lost soulmate. But once there, I’m forced to undergo a drastic ritual that will forever change my life, and the lives of those around me.”
My Thoughts:
Bone Magic was quite simply, A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I guess you all want to know why I think it’s so awesome huh? That’s going to be hard to do without giving away spoilers, which I do not do here on SVR. I’ve followed this series since book one, Witchling, and with each successive novel in the series, Yasmine manages to ramp up the stakes, the world-building, the tension, the relationships and the danger. I am totally wrapped up in these characters and their world!
Bone Magic is told from Camille’s perspective and some major, and I mean MAJOR stuff happens in this book. I could not put it down. I was seriously considering getting the toothpicks out to force my eyelids to stay open so I could keep reading when it got too late, lol. One snippet is that Camille is finally reunited with Trillion, woo hoo! Some more of Smokeys’ and Iris’ back story is told for those of you itching to know more about them, and Camille, as it says in the blurb, goes through a “drastic ritual” that forever changes her life. This book, this series and this writer get two enthusiastic thumbs up from me. I can not wait for the next book in the series, Harvest Hunting which will be out October 2010, though there will be an Otherworld novella in the up-coming Inked anthology, out on January 5th, 2010.
Pre-Order Bone Magic at: Chapters Amazon
Pre-Order Inked at: Chapters Amazon
Find out more about Yasmine Galenorn and her books at her WEBSITE
Dragon Wytch – Spotlight & Review
Dragon Wytch by Yasmine Galenorn
( From Website )
“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 claim – on 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 rising – a dangerous force from the past – one that intends to restore balance to the worlds… whether we like it or not.”
Holy smokes people, this book rocked my socks off!! OMG it was amazing! There were so many major plot twists and turns that I may have got whiplash or sprained a finger flipping the pages!
Dragon Wytch, the fourth book in the Sisters Of The Moon series, is told from Camille’s point of view. The urgency in the search for the remaining spirit seals escalates as well as the intensity of danger to the “key players” involved. Absolutely incredible story-weaving takes place in this book and I was completely drawn in to the lives, loves and major events in the world of the D’Artigo sisters, especially Camille’s, even more-so than before!
Make sure that you pre-order Dragon Wytch or get yourself to the nearest bookstore on July 1st to buy a copy because, trust me, you will not be disappointed and they are going to sell out fast. I highly recommend Dragon Wytch to anyone who is a Yasmine Galenorn, Paranormal or Urban Fantasy fan!
Also, in the ARC, the first chapter to the next book, Night Huntress, told from Delilah’s POV, is included, so I’m assuming it will also be in the mass market edition. Night Huntress is scheduled to be released January 2009.
( I like these better than my butterflies, lol, which do you prefer? )
( Moved over from original blog )
Yasmine Galenorn – Interview & Contest
Sidhe Vicious welcomes Paranormal Romance Author Yasmine Galenorn! We’re looking forward to getting to know you and all about your novel Dragon Wytch.
Y.G. Thank you. I appreciate the welcome.
S.V. Your paranormal romance novel, Dragon Wytch will be released on July 1st, 2008 by Berkley Books. Can you tell us about it and a bit about the main characters Camille & Smoky?
Y.G. Dragon Wytch is the fourth book in my Otherworld Series (aka: the Sisters of the Moon Series). The Equinox is coming, and mayhem rules. A crown-prince unicorn offers the girls a legendary gift, but it disappears, as does his servant, a pixie named Mistletoe, who was carrying it, and they have to get it back before havoc rules. Rogue portals are opening and goblins and trolls swarm the streets of Seattle. And now Smoky, the hottest dragon around, decides to stake his claim—on Camille. It’s time for her to pay her debt to him.
Overshadowing it all, the third spirit seal surfaces and, of course, Shadow Wing’s after it. He sends a dangerous demon general—a Rāksasa—after it, and the girls realize they may be outmatched. And then, they discover a secret: a new power is rising—a dangerous force from the past—and that power intends to restore balance to the worlds…whether the girls like it or not.
Dragon Wytch is from Camille’s point of view, and you’ll get to see the background of her initiation into the Coterie of the Moon Mother, and a better glimpse of what the magic she uses is like, and how her passion can include more than one man without diminishing the others. You’ll also have a chance to find out more about Smoky’s lineage and his life. I had a lot of fun writing the book—Smoky’s dragon nature really came through and showed me how he really is a dragon, not human, that he just can take human form. He plays by his own rules.
S.V. What about vamps, witches, weres, etc. inspired you to write about them?
Y.G. I grew up cutting my teeth on fantasy, SF, and horror—from the beginning I gravitated toward Bradbury, Clarke, Asimov, Lovecraft, McCaffrey, MZB…all the greats. I watched Dark Shadows when I was five, Star Trek when I was…I dunno…I think I first saw re-runs but I was very young. Every Saturday afternoon I’d watch the SF double feature monster matinee on TV. My life has always been steeped in the paranormal—both real and the fantasy versions. For me, writing non-fantasy oriented fiction is very hard—it just does not compute. ~laughing~ And vamps, witches, Weres, etc., are all part of the milieu.
S.V. Will we be seeing more of Camille, Smoky, Delilah and Menolly in the future?
Y.G. Oh yes, there will be at least nine books and one novella in the series. I’m just about ready to start Bone Magic—book 7—which is back to Camille. If the series continues to do well, I’d be happy writing it for quite a long time. There are a lot of places (as well as secondary characters) I’d like to explore with this series.
S.V. How did you get your start in writing? What, if anything, lit the “spark” to get you started and keep you motivated?
Y.G. The spark came when I was three (~smiles~ I’ve told this story a hundred times, I think). I was learning to read and one day—and I remember this particular incident—I was holding one of the books I loved and something clicked. Maybe someone said something or maybe I just put two and two together but I suddenly “got” that people make books, they don’t just appear out of thin air. People actually made books…and right then, I knew I was going to grow up and make books. And I never lost sight of that goal.
S.V. What was the path to publication on this novel like? Highlights? Pitfalls? Or because you’ve had so many novels published, does any one stand out for you?
Y.G. The road to publication is a long and winding one and would take a long time to cover. Leave that to say, it wasn’t easy, it took a lot of sweat and practice (I have seven novels in the closet from before I ever got my very first contract. I call them the ‘in the closet gang’ and they will never see the light of print because they simply weren’t good enough. I plunder from them, though), and that I paid my dues.
The highlights: of course, holding my first contract in my hands (it was for a nonfiction book) and crying because somebody was willing to pay ME to write books. Another highlight—holding my first contract for a novel in my hand and realizing I’d actually broken though. A third—hitting the USA Today list with Witchling—and then the NYT extended with Darkling—those were HUGE jumps for me.
And Dragon Wytch will be my 20th book on the shelves. I think that’s a highlight in itself. J
Pitfalls: signing my first eight contracts without having a literary lawyer look them over, since I didn’t have an agent for my nonfiction. Not realizing early enough that nowadays it’s really up to the author to do a lot of self-promotion. Not being prepared for the sting when people trash your books and you in the same breath (I can handle rejection just fine, but people can be vicious!).
S.V. Who or what was your inspiration for the characters of Camille, Delilah, Menolly and Smoky, if any?
Y.G. Out of all the characters, Camille’s most like me, though I have touches of Delilah and Menolly in me too. But they’re really not ‘based’ on anybody I know. My subconscious works on a level all its own and I just let it chug along. One night, the three girls just showed up and introduced themselves to me (in my mind, of course), and bingo, they were there. I guess I’d been mulling over ideas for awhile and suddenly they emerged, like Venus rising from the seafoam. Of course, they’re not quite so gracious as Venus. ~grins~ Smoky just showed up in the book; I had no idea there would be a dragon in the story but there he was and he wouldn’t go away and so, yes, there was a dragon in the story. They evolve through the books—I don’t force them into molds or actions, everything evolves organically in my writing of this series. It wasn’t quite the same with the mysteries, but this series definitely has a life of its own.
S.V. Did you find it harder or easier to write subsequent novels in this series because of already having created this world?
Y.G. Easier on many levels…the world is intact and vibrant and thriving, so I already know what’s there so far. And I love the world that I’ve created—it’s so much fun to write in. But I don’t want to get complacent. I want each book to be different, though a link in the chain, with its own flavor and story. The hard part is dealing with how much backstory to put in—I have to introduce them in each story but it’s getting trickier to find ways to do it that isn’t boring. ~grins~ I rely on my editor to tell me if I haven’t included enough.
S.V. Do you have any funny writing quirks or habits that you do when you’re in the “zone” writing?
Y.G. Oh gods, yes. Actually, it’s more incidents. Like for one of the mysteries that I was writing during March a couple years ago—the mystery was set in November and I was writing about Thanksgiving, and the dinner scene sounded so damned good that I ended up cooking a mini-Thanksgiving dinner because I was so hungry for turkey by the time I finished that scene! Or writing a scene set in a thick snowstorm and looking out the window and being very confused for a moment because it was around 75 degrees and—for once—sunny.
If I’m not writing enough, I can’t sleep, the characters and stories churn in my thoughts and keep me awake. And I always clip my fingernails before I start a new book—an odd habit (and one I’ll have to break if I get the nail gels I want).
S.V. Have you ever met a vampire, werewolf, demon, fae?
Y.G. LOL…well, you know that I’ve written metaphysical nonfiction and that I’m a shamanic witch. I do believe in the Fae, but not as I’m writing them and not as the Victorians portrayed them. To me they’re less human, very feral and not very friendly toward mortals. I’ve seen some interesting things in my lifetime, I believe and have encountered ghosts and spirits…we have a guardian elk spirit who watches over the household and I’m a pledged priestess to Mielikki and Tapio. My life is very magical, and I mix tidbits of the ‘real’ magic that I encounter into the fantasy magic of the series—it’s one big blend on the pages, though quite separate in my personal life.
S.V. What supernatural power or creature would you most like to have or be?
Y.G. You know, this is hard. I’d love to have some of the powers of Neo in the Matrix. I’d like to have the power to heal up from anything at extremely fast rates—not to heal others, but to heal up…super health and agility, I guess.
S.V. Who is your favorite paranormal or urban fantasy fictional character and why? (Not counting your own of course) 
Y.G. Aww gee, you mean I can’t pick my own? ~grins~ Okay, let me think here. This is a hard question. I think I’ll have to give you a list because I can’t pick just one:
There are others. I could give you a huge list. But I can’t give you just one name in particular. ~smiles~
S.V. Who’s your favorite author? TV show? Movie?
Y.G. This is easier, but again, it’s hard to give just one name because my moods change so rapidly.
Favorite author, overall: Ray Bradbury. He makes prose sing like the sweetest music. Favorite top three books: Watership Down (Richard Adams); Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier); and Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien).
Favorite TV shows: InuYasha, Supernatural, Medium, Reaper, Bleach, The Deadliest Catch, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Desperate Housewives, Bones (except for the season 3 finale—I’m so ticked at them for making Zack into the bad guy), Spongebob Squarepants, Buffy, Forensic Files, Cold Case Files (nonfiction), City Confidential, Food Network Challenge, Iron Chef Japan, The Next Food Network Star, Project Runway
Movie: Favorite movie of all time: Rebecca. Favorite movies: SF/Fan, mystery, suspense, some comedy, classic, Hitchcock, cult favorites. Favorites: Tremors, Pitch Black, Chronicles of Riddick, Queen of the Damned, Terminator, Terminator 2, Alien, Aliens, Andromeda Strain, All About Eve, Mommie Dearest, Matrix, Harry Potter movies, musicals like Chicago, All That Jazz, Moulin Rouge, Into The Woods, Earth Girls Are Easy, Eight Legged Freaks, The Mighty Quinn, Andromeda Strain, Fargo, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, LOTR movies, Labyrinth
S.V. How have the books you’ve read influenced the books you write?
Y.G. Primarily by teaching me what I don’t like and what I do like in a book—as a reader. I learn from my reaction to the books—what bores me, what engages me, what I find implausible (and I can buy the most implausible storylines if its done right). It’s all subjective of course. I’m writing the books I’d like to read—I think most writers are doing so. We love other books but we want the storylines tweaked, the characters a bit different, so we create our own worlds to meet those needs and desires.
S.V. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever gotten inspiration from?
Y.G. When I was sitting on my exercise ball watching TV with friends and it exploded beneath me, dropping me to the hardwood floor below. Jarred me up and hurt my lower back. The ball was defective—it should never have ripped in that manner. I sat there, stunned, thinking, “I shouldn’t be looking at the room from this angle.” I went on to include the event in one of my mysteries. Hey, you have to get mileage out of freak events like that—I ended up in pain, I might as well get an amusing incident out of it!
S.V. What do you do when you’re having writer’s block to “shake” it off?
Y.G. I don’t get writer’s block. ~smiles~ I do have days where it’s harder than others and if I find I just can’t plow through the rest of the day, sometimes I’ll just go watch TV or cook or something and the next day I’m fine.
S.V. What can a new reader expect from your book/series?
Y.G. Dark mayhem and warped humor. If you dumped Buffy, Charlie’s Angels, I Love Lucy, and a good AD&D game into a blender, add a book on mythologies of the world, a book of fairy tales, and a soupcon of explicit erotica, well…there you go—my series.
S.V. You write about various types of supernatural creatures. Do you do a lot of research or do you prefer to take what you already know and use your imagination for the rest?
Y.G. I’ve studied mythology over the years to the point that I’m familiar with most of what I’m writing about, but I’ll stop and do the research if I realize I’m lacking in information. And I also create my own creatures/mythos and blend them all together. Apparently, I do a good job—people find it hard to pick out what are my creatures and what exist in folklore.
S.V. Are any of your characters particularly fun or easy for you to write? Any that are more difficult?
Y.G. Of the three sisters, Delilah’s the most elusive—just like a cat. Camille’s easiest to write, Menolly’s in-between but getting easier. I love writing about Camille’s three men—Smoky, Morio, and Trillian. And I adore Maggie the gargoyle. Iris is taking more of an active role as the books go along. I find Chase and Zachary the hardest to write—they’re men I wouldn’t normally be pulled to, and they don’t fit my view of the ‘ideal male’ so it’s a bit of a challenge letting them be the way they are.
S.V. Do you have any tips for aspiring speculative fiction writers?
Y.G. Be prepared to work your butt off. I work 50-70 hours a week and the more successful I get, the harder I work. Just because you can find your way around the keyboard doesn’t mean you can write a book. If you want to be a writer—especially a career writer—you have to put in the hours pounding the keys, doing the research, studying the markets.
Don’t go into the work expecting to become rich and famous—if that happens, great, and there are things you can do to promote your work—but go into it wanting to write the best stories that are suited for you to write. Go into it for the love of writing, for the passion of creating worlds on paper.
Be prepared to pay your dues—in patience, in accepting criticism, and accepting the inevitable rejection that’s fraught in the business. Don’t expect instant acceptance at the publishers—this is not a business for someone who requires instant gratification.
Learn how to approach agents and editors—do the leg work yourself, it’s part of the job. Don’t expect people to hand you answers on a silver platter. Get used to research.
And lastly I leave you with this: nobody can guarantee you success as a writer. But I guarantee that if you quit, you will fail.
S.V. Is there anything else you’d like to share with us at Raves & Rants and with your readers?
Y.G. My favorite quote is from Ursula Le Guin: Those who refuse to listen to dragons are probably doomed to spend their lives acting out the nightmares of politicians. We like to think we live in daylight, but half the world is always dark; and fantasy, like poetry, speaks the language of the night. ~ Ursula K. Le Guin “The Language of the Night”
You can find out more about my work and me on my website: www.galenorn.com and I’m on MySpace: www.myspace.com/yasminegalenorn and to some degree, Live Journal (though my blog at this point is mainly on MySpace).
S.V. Thank you Yasmine! It’s been a pleasure spending some time with you and getting to know more about Dragon Wytch and the rest of your books. We wish you every success with your Sisters Of The Moon Series, and look forward to many more of them.
Tomorrow I’ll have my Spotlight & Review of Dragon Wytch up, so be sure to come back!
CONTEST
Yasmine has graciously offered a signed copy of Darkling to one lucky commenter, so get your fingers busy and start commenting. 
Only one entry per person, or if you want to get an extra entry in, you can blog about this contest and send me the link. I’ll draw a winner on June 30th. Good Luck everyone!
( Moved over from my origional blog )
38 Comments. ( Edited July 4th, you can click on the “38 Comments” to view them, but this contest is now over )
Darkling – Spotlight & Review
Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn
( From Website )
“Meet the D’Artigo Sisters-three half human, half-Faerie, wild and sexy members of the OIA-the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Camille, a witch, Delilah, a werecat, and Menolly, an acrobat extraordinaire turned vampire, are sent Earthside to keep them out of trouble by their superiors, but the girls find themselves smack in the middle of Demon-Central when Shadow Wing, the leader of the Subterranean Realms, decides to attempt a coup on both Earth and Otherworld. Now, with their erratic powers, the sisters must use their collective talents to prevent the demons from taking over and to save two worlds, one monster at a time.
Menolly:
“All over Seattle, humans have been going missing, only to turn up as newborn vampires–the sure sign of a rogue vamp on the loose. It looks like Dredge is to blame. The same sadistic Dredge who gave me my scars, and who may well be in cahoots with the demon Shadow Wing. If so, Otherworld and Earth are screwed. The only way we can hope to defeat Dredge is for me to travel home to Otherworld, where I must face my own demons. Because unless I sever the ties that bind me to Dredge, all hell is going to break loose…”
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Darkling, the third book in the series, is told from Menolly’s point of view. She’s the youngest sister, an acrobat turned Vampire, and owns the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Menolly has inner-demons to contend with, but manages to deal with them in an admirable way. I love her kick-ass attitude and deep loyalty to who she really is and her family.
Darkling brings another mystery, more danger, some extremely hot romantic elements, answers to some of the questions raised in previous books, and non-stop action. The sister’s go up against Dredge, the vampire who turned Menolly against her will. They also have to deal with the on-going threat of the demon, Shadow Wing and his minions. Several key characters return and new intriguing characters are introduced.
Ms. Galenorn does an amazing job at telling each book from a different sister’s point of view while still managing to include them all in each story. She advances each separate plot-line while also advancing the whole. Very intricate and impressive story-weaving and world-building IMO. I Love This Series!
Make sure to come by tomorrow, I’ll have my interview with Yasmine up and there’s a contest too!
( Moved over from my original blog )
Changeling – Spotlight & Review
Changeling by Yasmine Galenorn
( From Website )
In this second book of the Sisters of The Moon series, Changling, the story is told from Delilah’s point of view. She’s a P.I. and a werecat, only not the kind of werecat you’d expect. She turns into a golden tabby cat and at the most inconvenient times! I really liked this character’s growth in this novel from the character portryed in Witchling. She really comes into her own and develops in so many ways.
She’s built a relationship with Chase, a FBH (full-blooded-human), and then meets Zachary Lyonesse from the Rainier Puma Pride, and sparks fly! Again, a great mystery, lots of action, danger, and inner and outer conflicts arise as Delilah, Camille and Menolly go up against Shadow Wing’s henchmen, some evil were-spiders, and their own desires. Smoky makes another intriguing appearance as do so many of the awesome characters from Witchling. Delilah has an encounter with The Autumn Lord which leaves her changed and with even more potential.
These books are just simply amazing in my opinion, and I am extremely grateful that I had the next book, Darkling, to pick up and read immediately after finishing Changeling!
( Moved over from my original blog )
Witchling – Spotlight & Review
Sorry I’m off to a late start! 
It’s officially Yasmine Galenorn week here at Sidhe Vicious Raves & Rants!! 
And I’m kicking off the countdown to the release of Dragon Wytch on July 1st with reviews of the first 3 Sisters of The Moon books: Witchling, Changeling and Darkling. I’ll also have an interview with Yasmine and then my review of Dragon Wytch! So if anyone out there hasn’t read these awesome books, then right here is where you’ll find out all about them and the wonderful lady whose talent brings us this series!
( Moved over from Original blog )
About Me
I read Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Light Fantasy, Young Adult and Graphic Novels in said genres. I’ve also been known to read the odd historical romance if they involve uber-sexy highlanders, vikings or knights & if they involve some time travel and a lot of humor. Heh! 😀 If any Authors, Publicists or Publishers would like their books reviewed or would like to schedule a Guest Blog or Giveaway please contact me at sidhevicious@gmail.com
Please see the BIOS page for more info on our reviewing style and for other info.
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