Video Interview: Toni McGee Causey

Watch video interview with author Toni McGee Causey:

* On Bobbie Faye
* Southern Influences
* Screenwriting Background
* Book Trailer

RT BOOKreviews October 08 Issue

October 08 issue book titles and ratings are now up on the site. Magazine subscribers have access to reviews online. Non subscribers can access October issue reviews on November 1st.

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Ask the Author: Susan Crandall

Susan Crandall is our current Ask the Author forum guest. She will be answering your questions until September 8th.

What's Wrong With TBR Piles

One thing most avid readers have in common is a TBR pile (To Be Read pile). For some of us, it's a pile of books on the nightstand. For others it's a list on Amazon.com. For me and some friends, the pile encompasses whole bookshelves. And as proud of my TBR pile as I can be, I have also come to the conclusion that having such a large pile of books to read can actually be a drawback.

By having such a large stack of books ready and waiting to be read, I actually get bored of them more easily and can end up less likely to read a book from that pile. In fact, I have 3, yes, 3 TBR piles. One is full of the books I MOST want to read, series I follow, the books I have most anxiously waited for. The second one is the books I want to read second-best. The ones I have had for a long time, or that just don't fit in with my current reading mood, but I know I will want to read soon-ish. And then there is the third pile - the ones I have had for so long, I can't remember buying them and I can't remember for sure why I wanted to read them in the first place.

I get bored looking at the same books. I buy books for the mood I am in - so I have lots of books that show my interests at the time. I have lots of books that are paranormal, whole stacks of regencies and historicals, and an entire shelf dedicated to science books. I have books that are collections of short stories (modern and classic), and all kinds of biographies. And I am bored with 90% of them because I have been looking at them for so long.

I have tried moving them around. I have tried restacking them, re-prioritizing them. I have tried moving them out of my line of sight, but that just made me more anxious. I have tried buying the ones that have most recently intrigued me, but they just get added to the various piles. I like being surrounded by my books, both read and unread.

But there has to be a solution, a way to get interested in them again, a way to pare down the pile without missing out on the new ones, or the ones that go next in a series I am following. There has to be a way to have only one TBR pile, preferably one that works and doesn't just add to my stress and have books that, when read, would stretch into the next decade.

Nicole

A Life in Hell

I am finally reading HOTTER THAN HELL, an anthology edited by the wonderful Kim Harrison. This anthology is part of a series of books by Harper that are also edited by Ms. Harrison. I loved DATES FROM HELL and HOLIDAYS ARE HELL, which were formatted in the traditional four-short-story set-up. I waited nearly a year for this one, and so far, it's living up to expectations.

I had heard a rumor that many of these stories were scorching hot - so hot the publisher sent them back for rewrites to tame them down. If this rumor is true, I am scared to know just how erotic the stories originally were!

HOTTER THAN HELL contains stories by some of the best paranormal minds in the business: Keri Arthur, L.A. Banks, Tanya Huff, Susan Sizemore and Carrie Vaughn, just to name some of my favorites.

So far, I have read about siren brothers, succubae and a minotaur. I am very curious to find out what other supernatural creatures will fill the rest of the pages. The stories are very sexy and well done.

I have very much enjoyed the HELL series of books. However, I do think the publishing houses are beating a dead horse with their titles. On top of Harper's HELL series, there is also Melissa Marr's YA anthology coming in out in November, LOVE IS HELL, with stories from Scott Westerfeld, among others. There is also the other YA anthology (which, incidentally, has an offering from Kim Harrison), PROM NIGHTS FROM HELL, which was wonderful and had Meg Cabot and Stephenie Meyer as some of the contributors.

Of course, while I do wish for a bit more variety in titles, I can say that I recommend all of the above books, even the one that has not come out yet. They have all been interesting and entertaining and have led me to other authors I might not have found otherwise.

Nicole

Time to Cry Wolf

Ever since I read the short story by Patricia Briggs in ON THE PROWL, I have been anxiously awaiting the follow up novel, CRY WOLF. CRY WOLF is the first book in a new series, and also a spin-off from her Mercy books.

Anyone who reads paranormal is familiar with the concept of an alpha wolf. The alpha is the dominant wolf in a pack, the leader. Briggs introduces the concept of an omega wolf, one whose role is less defined, but no less important. The omega brings a calmness to those around them, allowing their pain to ease and their temperaments to shed some of the inherent violence that comes from being a werewolf.

I loved the book, the concept and the writing. Ms. Briggs, as always, is on her game, and her writing just gets better and better. I would love to see what she would do with some of her earlier books and concepts, now that she has developed into such a fine writer.

This book completely lived up to my expectations and I am very much looking forward to the upcoming books in both Alpha and Omega and Mercy Thompson series. February 3 of next year, BONE CROSSED comes out in hardcover. I am not fond of some publishing houses habit of introducing hard covers in the middle of a series, but I will be buying this one when it comes out.

Now I have to decide what to read next. Rachel Caine's GALE FORCE just came out; I still haven't read HOTTER THAN HELL, an anthology I waited a year for; and of course, the entire bookshelf that constitutes my TBR pile. What are you reading? Tell me about it in the comments. I love hearing about other people's reading choices.

Nicole

Smart Bitch Sarah Interviews Author Ann Aguirre

Watch video interview with author Ann Aguirre:

* On WANDERLUST
* Character Development
* Cover Art
* On GRIMSPACE
* Jax Series
* Fan Letter

Ask the Author: Julia London

Julia London is our current Ask the Author forum guest. She will be answering your questions until August 25th.

Free Download: THE EIGHT by Katherine Neville

Download a free copy of THE EIGHT by Katherine Neville. (Offer expires on August 18th, 2008)

TRUE BLOOD on HBO

TRUE BLOOD series based on Charlaine Harris' "Southern Vampire" novels will premiere on September 7, 2008 on HBO.

A Month of Russian Love

Rarely does it take me more than a few days to read a book. Even with my job, my hobbies, my friends and family, I still usually finish the average book within three to five days. Some books take more or less, depending on the amount of attention I am paying to what I am reading.

So when a friend gave me a copy of Paullina Simons' THE BRONZE HORSEMAN, I figured it would take me a little longer, seeing as it's nearly 900 pages. In fact, it has taken me nearly five weeks to finish this book. This is mostly due to wanting to give the book my full and utmost attention.

My friend raves about THE BRONZE HORSEMAN. She has been telling me for months how she discovered this book and it changed her life. How she bought its sequels (it's a trilogy) from out of the country because it was not easily available here in the states. When she went to get me a copy for my birthday, and a new copy to replace her worn one, she ended up with two used copies, instead - that's how hard they are to find now.

Since she had raved about this book, and was so concerned about my opinion of it, I gave it as much care as I could. I didn't read a page or two here and there, I didn't read it while distracted or sleepy. And therefore, some days, I didn't read it at all. I have finally finished it, many weeks after I had thought I would. And I loved it. My friend needn't have worried, as it was right up my alley. It's full of intrigue and drama, while having many of the details of Russian life before and during WWII. The romance is red hot, and so is the sex. The book is a beautiful love story.

I am even intrigued enough to want to read the next one, but I think I will wait awhile. I am way behind on my reading thanks to the first one. But it was worth the wait.

Nicole

ACHERON Review

It's finally here! We've all been impatiently waiting for Sherrilyn Kenyon's ACHERON to arrive, to find out just who the leader of the Dark-Hunters will choose as his lady love. And RT has the scoop! Read our advance review of this sure-to-be instant classic (access for RT subscribers only; general access on November 1). But be warned, we've included some clues in the summary as to the identity of Ash's love. Happy reading!