Author Spotlight: Q and A with Allison Pang

Today I welcome author Allison Pang to the blog.  Ms Pang is the author of A Brush Of Darkness, a new urban fantasy that releases on January 25.  To read my review, click HERE.

A marine biologist in a former life, Allison Pang turned to a life of crime to finance her wild spending habits and need to collect Faberge eggs. A cat thief of notable repute, she spends her days sleeping and nights scaling walls and wooing dancing boys….Well, at least the marine biology part is true. But she was taloned by a hawk once.  She also loves Hello Kitty, sparkly shoes, and gorgeous violinists.

She spends her days in Northern Virginia working as a cube grunt and her nights waiting on her kids and cats, punctuated by the occasional husbandly serenade. Sometimes she even manages to write. Mostly she just makes it up as she goes.

Diva:  Describe Allison Pang in five words.

Allison Pang:  Snarky, tenacious, loyal, shy, pensive

Diva:  What favorite things do you have to have when writing?

Allison Pang:  Just a computer and some music (if it’s available). I try not to have too many snacks within reach, because I have a tendency to stress eat when I’m writing, so maybe a lack of food?   LOL!

Diva:  What is your favorite genre to read and who are some of your favorite authors?

Allison Pang:  Definitely fantasy. It’s what I pretty much grew up reading and it’s what I gravitate toward on a regular basis. Sometimes I’ll read historical fiction or more literary stuff (a la The Time Traveler’s Wife), but fantasy is definitely where my reading heart lies. Favorite authors would be Jacqueline Carey, Robin Hobb, Kate Elliott, Lynn Flewelling and Charles de Lint, among many others.

Diva:  If your book was made into a movie, what actors would you pick for Abby and Brystion?

Allison Pang:  Hmmm. Probably Natalie Portman as Abby. Brystion, I honestly don’t know. I picture someone with a lot of arrogant and seductive traits (rather like Stuart Townsend’s portrayal of Lestat, perhaps), but I don’t have anyone in mind.

Diva:  If you could be anyone of your characters from A Brush Of Darkness, which one would you be and why?

Allison Pang:  That’s a bit of a trick question, because they’ve all got a piece of me in there. Abby would be the obvious choice, but there’s something about Melanie and her supreme self-confidence (and a touch of arrogance, perhaps) in her own musical playing ability that I find rather appealing.

Diva:  What was the main inspiration behind writing A Brush Of Darkness?

Allison Pang:  I’m not sure there was one. The main ending scene started out as a dream where I was walking through this empty house trying to find someone. It intrigued me enough that even years later, it was still in the back of my mind. So I wrote that scene up and decided to find out what the rest of the story was about. The concept of The Dreaming was born out of that and I thought it would be really fascinating to explore it with the heroine...and of course that easily led into an incubus hero.

Diva:  Are you working on anything new that you can tell me about?

Allison Pang:  The draft for the second book was just turned in and I’ve started working on the third. Those two will probably take most of my focus for the next few months, but I’ve also got an epic fantasy that I’ve been working on and off for a while, as well as a Steam punk fantasy thing in the planning stages. (Hopefully I’ll be able to sell them as well.)

Thanks so much to Allison Pang for stopping by the blog and for making time to answer my questions.

Review: Last Dragon Standing by G A Aiken

Title:  Last Dragon Standing

Author:  G. A. Aiken

Series:  Dragon Kin, Book #4

Genre:  Paranormal, Shape shifters

Publisher:  Kensington  Publishing

Published:  September 2010

How I Got It:  Purchased ebook for Nook

Lend Me Feature:  Yes

Book Summary

I know what they see when they look at me. The charming, soft-spoken dragoness bred from the most powerful of royal bloodlines. A disguise stronger than any battle shield that allows me to keep all suitors at tail's length.   A technique that's worked until him.   Until Ragnar the Cunning, handsome barbarian warlord and warrior mage from the desolate Northlands. Unlike those who've come before him, he does not simply submit to my astounding charm and devastating smile. Instead, he dismisses me as vapid, useless and, to my great annoyance, rather stupid!

Yet I'll allow no male to dismiss me. Soon he'll learn my worth, my many skills, and the strength of my will. For this one challenges me enough to make me want to ruthlessly taunt him, tease him and, finally, when the trap is set, bring him to his knees.

My Thoughts

Since I am a huge fan of the Dragon Kin series, I picked up this book expecting to be entertained.  I am happy to say that I was not disappointed.

I absolutely love all of the dragon shifter books because they are simply funny as hell. Hands down, G. A. is one of my favorite authors because her books never fail to make me laugh.

In the fourth book of the series, we learn more about baby sis, Princess Keita. Although she is small in both human and dragon form, she is referred to as Keita the Viper. A name she happily and violently lives up to.

This book was one of my favorites.  Keita is the female version of her brother, Grenvael the Defiler. They are both beautiful and both vain enough to make any and everything about themselves.   I usually don't care for slutty heroes or heroines, but this brother and sister duo are the King and Queen of Slutsville and they make you laugh as they poke fun at themselves and everyone around them. You can't help but to love them.

Another reason that I loved this book is because I adore the entire family and in this book, you get the whole clan.  One would expect a royal family to be prim and proper and to behave with dignity.  Not these royals.  G. A. creates a dysfunctional family of dragons just trying to make it through the next family squabble.  Besides beating each other black and blue on the daily, they never miss a chance to humiliate each other or anyone that happens witness their shenanigans.

If you are looking for a world wind romance, this is not the book for you.   But, if you are a fan of shape shifters you'll want to give it a read.   I do recommend that you read all books in the series because once you finish this one; I promise you'll want to know all the family members better.  My one disappointment in this book was Eibhear and Izzy.  Can they just get together already?

My Rating   

I give Last Dragon Standing four flowers of love.  The storyline could have been stronger, but for me, the humor always keeps picking up the latest.


Read an excerpt

Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf

Title:  Kiss Me Deadly
Author:  Michele Hauf
Released:  September 2007
Series:  Bewitching the Dark, Book 2

Book Summary
Death cocktail is what the vampires call a witch's blood. It's poisonous--a drop will destroy a vampire within minutes. Nikolaus Drake is the rare vampire who has survived his first taste. Now he's on the hunt for the witch who almost brought him to his demise--Ravin Crosse.
A witch who spends her nights hunting vampire tribes, Ravin has three obligations to fulfill to set her soul free. One of those obligations--crafting a love spell--twists her world upside down when Nikolaus draws the spell from her veins. Natural enemies rarely make the best bedfellows--but is it possible their intentions are really, truly the same? Can Nikolaus's tribal loyalty survive if he surrenders to desires far darker than his own?

My Thoughts
I got this ebook for FREE at barnesandnoble.com.  This is another reason why I can't wait to get my Nook.  I was just browsing the site and came across five-yes five pages of FREE ebooks.  This particular book looked interesting so I downloaded it.
I also found it on amazon.com for free, but the ratings were so bad that I almost didn't download it.  

Kiss Me Deadly starts with Nickolaus Drake, a peaceful vampire leader that is killed by a misguided witch bent on destroying all vampires.  Unfortunately, Nickolaus doesn't die and is forced to feed on a friend to save his own life.  Now he's mad as hell and will stop at nothing to kill the witch responsible.

Ravin Crosse hates vampires.  Ever since she witnessed them kill her parents, she has made it her personal mission to rid the world of every last "longtooth".  Her blood alone, known as a witch's cocktail, can turn a vampire into ash.  But, as an added protection, she sells her soul to the devil, aka Himself, for "the sight" -the ability to recognize vampires and other beings by their aura.

Now, this is where it gets good.  Okay, Ravin's plan is working, but she doesn't know that Nickolaus has survived and is out to get her.  A vampire that survives being touched by a witch's blood is referred to as a phoenix.  Everybody knows that once a phoenix rises, nothing can bring them down.  So instead of killing him, she has made him one of the most dangerous creatures to walk the Earth... and she's #1 on his shit list.

In any other book, you'd expect a bloody throwdown between two deadly creatures, but instead we get....romance?

Imagine your worst enemy calling you "sweetness" and wanting to sex you up. Eeeeeew!  Exactly what Ravin thinks and no matter how hard she tries to explain that Nickolaus is under a love spell, he continues to confess his undying love for her.  He even apologizes for ripping her throat out and attempts to join her in the shower!  By now, I'm laughing my ass off because Nickolaus tries his best to win Ravin over but she is repulsed by him, being the enemy and all.  The dialogue between the two is so funny.   

Eventually, Nickolaus believes that he's under a spell because he knows he should hate her, even kill her, but he can't stop loving her long enough to do either.  Raven comes around and starts to have feeling for him, but can't forget that eventually the spell will be lifted, and he'll want to kill her again.  She's just afraid that it will be sooner rather than later.

Besides the love/hate relationship between Raven and Nickolaus, there is other drama in the story. Himself is a constant thorn in Ravin's side until she gains her soul back.  He appears as the one person you love most in life.  For Ravin, that's Johnny Depp.  But when he starts appearing as Nickolaus, things start getting dangerous.

Meanwhile, Nickolaus is working overtime to keep his relationship with Ravin under wraps.  On one hand, he's disgusted that he's in love with a witch and can't stop having sex with her.  Yeah, I can see how that can be disgusting for any guy.  On the other hand, he knows that his tribe will never accept his sudden love for their enemy. To make matters worst, Truvin, the tribe's new leader and his former friend, is out to destroy Nickolaus-using Ravin.


My Rating
I give it 41/2 stars because it started out with a bang, but ended with me wanting much more. This was my first book by Michele Hauf, but certainly not my last because I was not dissappointed.  Well, I was disappointed that the sex scenes were  rated PG and totally left to the imagination.  Dammitt!

Anyhoo, I actually read this book(334 pages) in one day!  Now you know that I am the queen of book whoring and cannot keep my mind focused on one book unless it's a good read. Kiss Me Deadly was good and then some. Despite the Amazon.com reviews, I did enjoy the book.   I would recommend it because it was truly an interesting story.. and because it's free!

Seduce Me In Shadow by Shayla Black

Five stars

Caden MacTavish, an ex Marine who has shunned his magical heritage and English roots for a life in the States. His brother Lucan chose to stay in their homeland and embraced it, but Caden hopes that the magical gene has skipped him altogether because he wants no part of magickind. But when Sabelle Rion, a powerful witch comes to tell him of Lucan's illness, he fears that magic is about to take over his life.

Sabelle and her brother Bram, who is Lucan's best friend, have tried to care for his brother but fear he is on his death bed. Lucan's mate was brutally taken from him and is still missing. Lucan is mad with grief and must be restrained to avoid killing someone in his violent rage. His condition is getting worst by the minute, but Caden has a new problem-his own magic is slowly beginning to reveal itself. His life is quickly going to Hell in a hand basket.

While caring for his brother, Caden must take his brother's place in The Doomsday Brethren, a band of warriors sworn to protect magickind and the Doomsday Diary, a magical book that can bring about mass destruction. To make matters worst, the book was stolen and resurfaced in the hands of a human taboloid reporter and Caden has the task of retrieving it by seducing it away from her.

Sydney Blair is a reporter who knows shes on the verge of uncovering the story of the century. With the help of her anonymous source, a supposed witch that was raped and tortured by an evil wizard bent on taking over magickind, she's sure to win the praise she seeks. She'll do anything to be the first to scoop the strange happenings that no one else seems to be aware of.

When Caden shows up as her super hot new photographer, she is blinded with desire and would give anything to have him strip her naked. Despite her constant flirting and attention grabbing wardrobe, he shows her no interest beyond a professional relationship. He only seems to be interested in her mysterious source and the little red book she recently acquired.

The the little diary was given to her as a birthday present and is supposed to grant any sexual fantasy written on it's pages. Sydney doesn't believe it, but on a sleepless night with wild fantasies about Caden dancing around in her head, she writes her fantasy in the book and waits. Not only does she bring Caden to her bed, but an evil wizard who'd love to show her first hand what playing with magic can do.

Unaware that Syndney has written in the Doomsday Diary about him, Caden has already been trying hard to resist her. With his magical transition on it's way, he thinks of no one but her. Everything about her makes him want to Call to her (magical wedding vows) but given his brother's situation, and Sydney's dangerous obsession with magickind, he knows that their mating could only lead to disaster.

Like the other two in the Doomsday Brethren series, book two did not disappoint. I just wish I'd read it before I read book three, Possess Me At Midnight. Caden and Sydney's story was great. Sydney was a little annoying at first but I ended up liking her in the end. Caden, who wouldn't love him. The only thing I didn't like was the reference to his tight jeans. I do not-repeat-do not like a man in tight jeans. Doesn't that cut off their circulation or something? That cannot be comfortable, especially if they have a lot of junk to put in those jeans. Not to say that I like bagging jeans down to the ass, I just want the balls to be able to breathe!

I liked this book and gave it five stars because once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down. I wanted to see what happened and didn't want to wait. It's becoming rare to find books that make you want to read the entire story rather than skim through it to get to the good parts.

Besides the developing romance of Caden and Sydney, there was also the beginning attraction of Sabelle and Ice. Anka was found and Lucan got better. The reason she chose to be Shock instead of Lucan was made clear. I don't think Shock is that bad of a guy even though he's playing both sides. If push came to shove, I think he'd side with the Brethren simply because of his love for Anka and what Matthias did to her. Oh, I wrote earlier that I was going to find out about the mind rape thing. Matthias is such an evil bastard that he kidnaps women, and forces them to have sex with him. If they are mated, he forces them to break their bond with their mate. He puts a spell on them so they know they are being repeated raped but their bodies are aroused and do whatever sexual act he asks them to do. Once he's finished, if he doesn't kill her, he passes her on to his soldiers to do whatever they like. Talk about some sick shit!

Shayla Black is a badass writer. If you haven't read her work, you are seriously missing out. I have enjoyed all three of her books. I still have to read the short story, Fated, which is FREE to download. The story takes place between book one and two. Her next book won't out until November 2010. (sigh) The plus side of that is that she'll be putting out back to back books. Book four in November and book five in December. Woohoo!

Tempt Me With Darkness by Shayla Black

Five Stars

I am loving me some Shayla Black.This is book one in her Doomsday Brethren series. I recently read book three, Possess Me At Midnight, and needed to get the first two books. I bought this one as an e book from Barnes and Nobles because I couldn't find it in my regular book spots and didn't want the hassle of trying to hunt it down. It was quick and easy and cost less than if I had bought it in paperback.

Marrok of Cadbury is an immortal who has lived fifteen miserable centuries. He was cursed by a powerful and vengeful witch named Morganna le fay for being the ultimate playboy. Because he refused to love her, Morganna cursed him with immortality without love or the ability to enjoy pleasure with another woman. He can have as much sex as he wants, but he never orgasms. Geez, some of us have been faking it for years, but I beat it's a bitch for a guy that can't get off! Talk about a major case of blue balls-no, a never ending case of blue balls!

Anyway, Morganna cursed him by using the Doomsday Diary, a mythical book that is suppose to grant any wish written on it's pages. It is also said that in the wrong hands,the book's powerful magic could lead to Doomsday. Thing about the book is that it was created to give only females ultimate power so it can never be used by a male. They may possess it, but can never harness it's power.

Marrok succeed in stealing the book centuries ago but has never discovered how to use the book to end his curse. Centuries of life has taken it's toll on Marrok so he lives alone, carving beautiful works of art and awaiting the day that he can finally die in peace.

Olivia Gray is a gallery owner looking for a great artist to keep her business afloat. She could also use the extra cash so she can continue her search for a father she has never met.

Olivia has always been different but until she meets Marrok, she has no idea what deadly skeletons are in her family's closet. She goes from being a simple unloved American girl to a witch from the powerful bloodline that cursed Marrok. On top of that, she has a striking resemblance to her ancestor Morganna. She has no idea that opening up this can of worms could cost her her life and the lives of anyone around her.

Marrok and Olivia are thrown together by Bram Rion, a powerful wizard who has a hidden agenda for pairing the two up. Marrok is furious that he has to endure Olivia because he believes that she is Morganna and still trying to make him suffer for not returning her love. He has no idea what "Morganna" has in store for him, but does not want to play her games anymore. She will release him from his curse-willingly or forcefully.

Olivia is confused because she doesn't know her father or his family and is clueless about her magical abilities. She is fearful of Marrok and doesn't understand why he keeps calling her the wrong name. If he wasn't so damn gorgeous and talented, she probably wouldn't waste her time with him. Despite their obvious distrust of each other, they find themselves mysteriously drawn to each other.

I loved this book. Marrok and Olivia's story was so sweet. SB is a great story teller and all of her books have drawn me in. Her heroes are cave men and irritating as hell. Sometimes they are so clueless about relationships that you just want to kick them in their balls and enjoy their pain. They could use a lot of instructions on how to court their females, but that's have the fun. Once they find their mates and speak the binding words (much like wedding vows), they become the most lovable males you'd ever see and learn very quickly how to please their women. They also become possessive as hell, but who wouldn't want to be possessed by these fearless warriors?

I loved all the characters. SB creates a modern world with a touch of old world mythical magic. I've never really been into wizards and witches or anything magical, but this series has changed my mind. I've read a couple of books with fairies, but that's about it. I'll take a break from my vampires, werewolves, and shape shifters to check out other books involving magical beings. These books have proven to be just as entertaining..

I'm on to book number two, Seduce Me In Shadow, and hope it will be as good as book one and three.

Possess Me At Midnight by Shayla Black

Five Stars

Book Summary
As a mysterious dark cloud drains the life of her beloved brother, Doomsday Brethren leader Bram, Sabelle Rion can think of little else. Still, every time she meets Ice Rykard's intense green gaze, her body aches with need for the sexy warrior. Their attraction is explosive, incredible-and forbidden. As dangerous as he is unpredictable, Ice is her brother's sworn enemy. But as Bram weakens, a more sinister force is gaining power.

Evil Mathias and his ruthless Anarki army are on a bloodthirsty hunt for the Doomsday Diary. Sabelle must guard the potent book with her life-and Ice vows to protect the beautiful witch with his. Duty demands that Sabelle deny her lover's fiery call of possession and mate with a man who can sway the magical Council against the impending rebellion. With the fate of magickind hanging in the balance, will she forsake the burning desires she can't ignore or turn her back on her people for the courageous man she can't resist?

The story centers around Sabelle who is Merlin's (yeah, Merlin the magician) granddaughter. Sabelle is the dutifull sister and friend that steps in and saves the day no matter what the cost is to herself.

She's busy caring for her brother, Bram, and his best friend, Lucan. Both men are members of the Doomsday Bretheren, a band of warriors who are sworn to protect all of magickind from Matthias, an evil murderous magician who wants be the supreme ruler. He will brutally kill anyone who gets in his way. He has placed Bram under a spell that is slowly killing him and he kidnapped (and mind raped) Lucan's mate Anka. After her ordeal, she is no longer the same person and has abandoned Lucan to seek another lover.

Losing a mate can make a wizard go insane with grief. If the person in mourning is not taken care of sexually (this gives them energy), they will die. Sabelle is the only person brave enough to assist the deranged wizard in his time of need. She provides him with sex to restores his energy. Yeah, in their world, sexually healing is the only cure.

Now that Lucan is better, things between he and Sabelle have become a little awkward. She not sure if Lucan is really interested in her or still using her to get over Anka. Things are especially awkward with Ice Rykard staring her down with all out lust and possession written all over his face.

Ice Rykard is a fellow Doomsday warrior who comes off as a deranged killer and is Bram's sworn enemy. Even thought they fight for the same cause, none of the other wizards trust him and Bram has been given strict orders for him to stay the hell away from his sister. Despite his known dislike for her brother, Ice makes it obvious that he wants Sabelle. Both Sabelle and Ice know that Bram will never allow them to be together, but neither can deny their sizzling attraction.

This is my first book by Shayla Black, but the third book in her Doomsday Brethren novels. I was so into this book that I couldn't put it down. At first I wanted Sabelle to be with Lucan because he had been so hurt by Anka's rejection, but then you see that he would never love her the way she deserved.

You don't want her to be with Ice because he's suppose to be crazy and Bram has warned her about him, but then you see how he treats her. It's so clear that he obviously loves her. He may not be the best choice of men for her but he is the one.
Possess Me At Midnight was the perfect title for this book. Once you read about their first night together, you'll see why.

I loved the fact that Ice was a warrior when he needed to be, and a sweetheart when his woman needed him to be. He was so in love with her, that he would have stepped aside and let her mate with someone else if that's what made her happy. He always put her needs above his own, no matter what.

Bram and Lucan were such SOBs. I wanted Ice to kick both of their asses. Bram was perfectly fine with his friend using Sabelle for his own sexual needs. He didn't care if thefre was love between them or not. He only cared about keeping his ass safe. Anyone could see the love still between Lucan and Anka and everyone knew that Sabelle could not replace what or come close to what the two of them shared. I still think maybe those two will get back together in the future.

I have got to read her first two novels to find out WTF is going on with this mind rape thing and this mate mourning. I got the gist of it in this book, but need the full understanding. Aside from that, I did really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone. All of her books are going on my TBR (To be read) list because her books are off the chain.

Doomsday Brethren Novels
Tempt Me With Darkness-Book 1 Read the first chapter
Seduce Me In Shadow-Book 2 Read the first chapter
Fated-e-novella FREE download