Author Spotlight: Octavia Butler

I first read Wild Seed by Octavia Butler years ago based on a recommendation by Orson Scott Card. I really don’t want to give anything away, so let’s just say it’s a story about two very unusual beings whose chance meeting alters their lives forever. Card gave this book as an example of an effective first sentence of a novel:

Doro discovered the woman by accident when he went to see what was left of one of his seed villages.

Right away we’re introduced to the two main characters and a number of significant and intriguing questions arise. This book, and its related books, were fascinating and entertaining to read.

Did you know:

• Octavia has won both Hugo and Nebula Awards.
• Octavia wrote Fledgling, a story about a vampire.
• Octavia spoke at MIT, and the talk is called “Devil Girl From Mars”: Why I Write Science Fiction.
• You can see these videos of Octavia talking about writing and her views on life.

Author Spotlight: Stephenie Meyer

I’m not sure why I put it off, but I finally read the mega-popular young-adult book that’s been taking the world by storm.

Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer, is about seventeen-year-old Isabella “Bella” Swan who moves to Forks, Washington to live with her dad. Bella falls in love with Edward Cullen, a vampire, and her life is forever changed.

I couldn’t put the book down. Suddenly I was a teenager again, completely wrapped up in their lives, the tribulations of high school, with my whole life ahead of me. I was Edward, falling in love with Bella. I was Bella, falling in love with Edward. I was invisible, watching them fall in love with each other. I completely get why this book is so popular. But if you ask me to give an analysis, I’ll come up short. Strong on characterization, with a fascinating premise and memorable scenes sprinkled throughout the book, there is a magic here that’s hard to pin down.

The closest I can come is to say Stephenie’s story-telling is so engaging because she completely believes in and utterly loves her characters. How can a writer go wrong there?

I haven’t read the sequels to the series yet, but I just finished her followup book, The Host.

Wow. She did it again. I couldn’t put this one down either. I haven’t been this sucked into a book in quite awhile. There’s magic here, and I sure wish I could bottle it.

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining “wild” humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie’s thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer’s mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body’s desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

Did you know:

• Twilight the movie is coming to theaters November 21, 2008. (Yes, they’ve changed the release date from December.) The film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, and is directed by Catherine Hardwicke.
• As told to MTV, Stephenie would like Matt Damon and Robert Redford to star in a movie version of The Host, and if she could snag a host body it would be Charlize Theron.
• Time Magazine asks if Stephenie is a new J. K. Rowling.

Author Spotlight: Jim Butcher

When I started asking for recommendations of who I should read to catch up in the Urban Fantasy genre, one name consistently came up.

Jim Butcher is the author of Storm Front, the first book in the Dresden Files series.

Harry Dresden–Wizard
Lost items found. Paranormal investigations.
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he’s the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things–and most of them don’t play too well with humans. That’s where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a–well, whatever.

There’s just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry’s seeing dollar signs. But where there’s magic, there’s a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry’s name. And that’s when things start to get… interesting.

Magic. It can get a guy killed.

When I first heard the premise of this novel (and the series), I thought, “A P.I. wizard is just not my cup of tea. Ah well. Research for my genre.” But I ended up enjoying Storm Front, and I plan on reading the rest of the series. Jim Butcher’s style (as you’d expect from a gumshoe atmosphere) is humorously sarcastic with a quick pace. The story moves, moves, moves right along.

Another reason I had to check Jim’s work out is that this genre is dominated by female authors. And most of the books have a female protagonist, written in first-person POV. Storm Front is written in first-person with a male protagonist’s voice. It’s nice to see there’s good precedence for this with Jim’s highly successful novels.

Did you know:

• The Dresden Files was made into a TV series on the Sci Fi Channel.
• The audio version of Storm Front was read by James Marsters, who played Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
• You can take roleplaying to the ultimate degree, with costumes and props, and participate in Live Action Roleplay with Jim.

Author Spotlight: Jocelynn Drake

It’s always wonderful when you find a new story and character(s) you fall in love with, especially when its an author’s debut work. This happened for me when I read Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake.

For centuries Mira has been a nightwalker—an unstoppable enforcer for a mysterious organization that manipulates earth-shaking events from the darkest shadows. But elemental mastery over fire sets her apart from others of her night-prowling breed . . . and may be all that prevents her doom.

The foe she now faces is human: the vampire hunter called Danaus, who has already destroyed so many undead. For Mira, the time has come to hunt . . . or be hunted.

I just loved this book. The atmosphere and Mira epitomize what has fascinated me about vampire fiction. I can’t wait for further books in the series.

Vicki Pettersson said “…Drake has composed a love letter to the vampire genre,” and I couldn’t agree more.

Did you know:

• Nightwalker is on the New York Times and USA Today Best Seller lists.
• Rachel Vincent interviewed Jocelynn here and here.
• Jocelynn has a blog where she shares her passion for writing, answers questions, and supplies me with regular Muppet fixes.
• Jocelynn is a stock market analyst and editor for an investment research firm.

Author Spotlight: Kelley Armstrong

I picked up a copy of Bitten, by Kelley Armstrong, long before my interest in urban fantasy picked up again.

Bitten is about a young woman named Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf, who’s trying to live a normal life in the world of humans. Then her former pack calls, and they need her to come home and help with a very dangerous situation.

For me, Bitten is classic urban fantasy, written at a time when it seemed like this sub-genre was just exploding onto the scene.

Bitten is the first book in the Women of the Otherworld series, sharing the same “world”, but not always with the same narrator.

Did you know:

• Kelley is writing a young adult series set in the Otherworld universe, called the Darkest Powers Trilogy.
• Kelley wrote a crime novel called Exit Strategy.
• There is an Otherworld Roleplaying Site.

Author Spotlight: Patricia Briggs

After discovering Kim Harrison, I decided to check out an author I’d been hearing about: Patricia Briggs.

Moon Called is the first book in a series about Mercy Thompson, an auto-mechanic and skinwalker. Skinwalkers turn into animals (in this case a wolf), but the transformation is quick and magical instead of slow and agonizing. Surrounded by werewolves, vampires and fae, Mercy has her hands full trying to unravel mysteries and stay alive.

I particularly enjoyed a brief section of the book when Mercy meets with some vampires, and the ending was very exciting. There are three books in this series, and I’ve heard they get better and better.

Did you know:

• Patricia has written several other series, including Alpha and Omega, the Raven Series, and the Hurog Series.
• Silver bullets are known for stopping werewolves. However, they are very difficult to make. Patricia set out on a lengthy quest to make silver bullets.
• You can read some interviews with Patricia here and here.

Author Spotlight – Kim Harrison

After reading Rachel Vincent’s werecat books, the next author I discovered was Kim Harrison.

Dead Witch Walking introduces us to Rachel Morgan, a bounty hunter witch looking for a career change. Teaming up with a vampire and a pixie, Rachel soon finds her life is in grave danger. It’s not often I read a book and am blown away immediately by the depth of immersion and unique style of writing I could only ever dream of emulating, but this is such a book.

I immediately ordered the remaining books in the Hollows series, and it’s only because I’m forcing myself to read a wide sample of urban fantasy (research in the genre I’m writing for) that I haven’t jumped on these books immediately.

The humor, the richly developed characters, and the living, breathing world are simply amazing.

Did you know:

• Dead Witch Walking won the Romantic Times Best Fantasy Novel 2004 and P.E.A.R.L’s (Paranormal Excellence Award for Romantic Literature) Best Science Fiction novel of 2004. PEARL also awarded Kim the Best New Author award in 2004.
• Kim’s muse is her music.
• Kim makes a killer maple candy.

Author Spotlight: Rachel Vincent

After immersing myself in worlds created by Charlaine Harris, I discovered the novel Stray by Rachel Vincent.

Faythe Sanders is a young college grad student with a secret. She’s a werecat. Well, that’s enough right there to get me to buy the book. I’m interested in urban fantasy (this blog is about my effort to write in that genre), and I love cats, so books about shapeshifters who turn into cats are made for me.

Stray is about Faythe having to go home to her father, brothers and fellow pride members, because a stray werecat is endangering the lives of the precious female werecat population. At some point while reading the book, I fell in love with Faythe. She has some growing up to do, and she’s made her fair share of mistakes, but her faults are all believable and I can empathize with her situation. The last half of the book is absolutely gripping, one of the few books I had trouble putting down until the end.

Rogue, the sequel (and well worth reading), is also available. Pride, the third book in the series, is due out in February 2009.

Besides her writing, Rachel Vincent is remarkable in her willingness to share her love of writing and the process an aspiring author goes through in getting published. She reaches out to her fans and spends time regularly on her discussion forum and her blog. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and it’s easy to come away from her site feeling that you, too, can find your muse and enter into the process of writing as a labor of love.

Did you know:

• Rachel is working on a young adult series, possibly to be released in Fall 2009.
• Lux Blog has a great interview with Rachel.
• Rachel wrote a short story in The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance.

Rachel is a werecat! See for yourself at 3:50.