Pop culture is so fun, and Supanova is just around the corner – so you need to get your thinking caps on. Costuming and make-up allows us to transform ourselves into an alter ego not unlike super heroes and villains. Here are a few nice ones I’ve found on YouTube.

Wonder Woman by Charismaster

Cat Woman by Cora at Vintage or tacky

Jessica Harlow’s Poison Ivy

Don’t forget to share pics if you decide to try any of these looks out.

I’ve followed this author over from her adult romance series about a town called Broken Heart, under the pen name Michele Bardsley. She’s gone from making me cackle with her tales of vampirism and parenthood, to blowing me away with her first novel within the Young Adult framework.

Undeadly was on my ‘must have this book or I will raise hell’ list and I was so concerned it wasn’t going to be released in Australia, I made sure I had it on pre order from Book Depository as early as August. Since then I have seen it proudly gracing the shelves in Big W right along side all the other best sellers this year.

So if you haven’t already picked up this magnificent book yet, here’s the down low from good reads.

“ The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird…

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.

Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another…except, there’s something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly’s got an undeadly knack for finding trouble….”

The Reaper Diaries is completely standing on it’s own at the moment in the market as far as I am concerned. We have a few series where the main protagonist is involved with helping souls pass over, however what sets Vail’s book aside is her fresh angle of using Egyptian Mythology. I can’t help but think there are probably a few authors out there smacking their heads right now; after all the Egyptians are one of the earliest civilisations to believe in the afterlife and leave enough evidence to inspire and intrigue us to this day.

If that’s not enough to have to popping out of your chair to bug someone to take to the nearest Big W, let me give you a few of the other elements that have me bouncing for next year’s release of book two, Unchosen.

Language. Molly is what I consider to be a typical (not stereo typical) sixteen year old girl. She speaks like she’s sixteen, as in, she’s okay with her age… not like some of the novels this year where the leading lady has to go to boarding school and tries way too hard to fit in and ultimately ends up sounding like nails down a blackboard in my head. Also the signature draw card of the author, in my opinion, is the humour.

Settings and world building is generously rich, but not so much that you’re wanting the characters to hit the big landmarks. The characters hold the stage and they will not be outshone for anything.

This book really isn’t like anything else I’ve read this year. If you want a fun, summer romp, this is a good one to look out for. It would by far pass the tests of Ma’at. Just sayin’

http://www.michelevail.com/

Paperback, 272 pages

Published November 20th 2012 by Harlequin Teen

ISBN: 0373210469(ISBN13: 9780373210466)

Lawson’s life has been spent collared and held captive in hell alongside his wolf brethren. At the age of eighteen he and his pack are all too aware that they will be turned into hell hounds, the savage, mindless slaves who serve under Lucifer. Determined to escape that fate at any cost, Lawson concocts a plan that will lead his family to freedom.

Meanwhile, Bliss has been tasked with the job of finding the hellhounds. An ex-vampire who is recovering from being possessed by Lucifer and from the discovery of her relationship to him, she is no longer sure of her place in the world. She does know, however, that she will not be happy unless she atones for the sins of her father.

Melissa de la Cruz’s The Pact starts out fast. The wolves are getting older and Lawson is desperate to get them out of hell before they can be turned into Hounds. The sense of urgency never really dissipates; dragging readers along for the roller-coaster ride as the wolves try to adjust to the outside world, Bliss tries to find the Hounds and they band together to discover what Lucifer’s Hound of Hounds, Romulus, is planning. Though the momentum of the novel makes it an incredibly easy read, there are times that the novel could have dwelt on situations longer.

While the idea behind The Pact is a good one, the execution lacks the polish expected from such a renowned author. Events, characters and emotions are described too impulsively. I often reread passages and still couldn’t understand them, as the action didn’t hold together. The Pact is strewn with scenes that were brilliant theoretically but needed more description to come to life.

Morally too, I felt that Wolf Pact was lacking. The introduction of wolves as keepers of history with the ability to travel through and change past events is one of the most unique mythologies I have read. Delving into the history with the wolf pack was also exhilarating with the abundance of possibilities. Making the main characters’ ultimate goal be to keep the Abduction of the Sabine women a part of history was disturbing though. Granted, the protagonists were saving the Sabine women from something worse; but a group of teenagers fighting to have women abducted as wives shows very little compassion for the emotions of others.

The tension in The Pact is almost tangible; keeping readers speculating until the end. By turns Lawson clashes emotionally with members from his pack, Bliss and Ahramin, the ornery wolf who was once family. Bliss, being the daughter of Lucifer, treads a fine line with the truth; aware that if the wolves know that her father is the one who has kept them in slavery they are likely to kill her. The tension heightens the danger that all the characters face. In order to bring Romulus down, they need to rely on one another, but there are secrets there that may tear them apart if they come to light.

Overall The Pact is a quick, fun read. It ties in with de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods series; developing the mythology behind her werewolves and giving readers a chance to see more of their story. While it may not hit all of the right notes, the chemistry between characters makes for an enjoyable journey.

Wolf Pact – Melissa De La Cruz

Atom (November 13, 2012)

ISBN: 978190741018

L. J. Smith (the initials stand for Lisa Jane) is the author of a number best-selling books and series, and her writing has spawned two television series and been translated into over thirty-five languages. She lives in the Bay Area of Northern California, USA, but she gets her best ideas watching deer in the backyard of a small cabin in Inverness or walking on the rocky beaches that surround that area.  She enjoys movies and music, and often listens to her favorite songs as she writes. She loves to hear from readers at info@ljanesmith.net, and to hold book-related contests on her website, www.ljanesmith.net. She reads all her email and Guestbook entries and even answers whenever she can.

1. Your latest project, The Last Lullaby, features strong female characters & a cast of outsiders. Can you tell us a bit about how you came to develop those characters, and whether you’ve felt at all compelled to address some literary stereotypes and offer your female readers strong role models?

The strong female characters were part of the first glimpse I had of the story.  It was so blessedly easy to watch them reveal themselves that I can’t really count it as work.  My very first concept, croaked into a mini tape recorder because at dawn I had to pin everything down faster than I could write—faster, really, than I could talk—was of these two sets of diametrically opposed characters in a world where all social norms are turned upside-down.

This means that there are strong girls both in the harem and outside in Crispy’s gang.  Crispy is the kid with burn scars all over the right side of her face and body, who, like Peter Pan, has no set age beyond “child.”  Her older friend Roach is even tougher and more competent than young Crispy, and even Old Useless, the elderly woman from the crazies’ pen, has magical powers of healing and prophecy.

Then there’s Brionwy, the singer of songs, and her friends, Melisande, Lyria, and Junhee—a dancer, an artist, and a martial artist.  All of them are strong in different ways.  Seventeen-year-old Brionwy, who begins merely as a depressed virgin courtesan with no interest in Catching the Eye of the Lord Overseer, ends up leading the revolution. Melisande the gambler and shadowy, soft-spoken Lyria are never afraid to risk their lives when truth or love is at stake, while delicate Junhee, brought up as a fighter in the Way of the Phoenix, is mentally and physically in top condition.

I guess the literary tradition I trampled was the one where a female is presented as very strong—but still needs an even stronger male to rescue her.  In The Last Lullaby none of the girls are rescued by stronger guys.  They rescue themselves or each other.  All the most deadly villains are females, too.  What fun!

2   Lisa, throughout your career, you’ve managed to create some fascinating antiheroes whom we’ve nevertheless come to love, despite theirflaws. Do you enjoy playing with reader expectation and empathy and character binaries, in that regard? Who is your favourite literary antihero?

Thank you for your kind words.  I do like anti-heroes because they’re so much fun to write, especially from their POV.  And my anti-heroes are, indeed, mostly binary.  They may be simply sullen, like Nick in The Secret Circle, or they may seem to have almost infinite power, like Julian in The Forbidden Game or Kierlan in Strange Fate, but when your pierce their hard and crusty outer layer you may be surprised to find a sweet creamy inner layer underneath (which doesn’t mean there won’t be another harder layer below the cream—so be careful not to bite down!).

My first favourite literary anti-hero has got to be Shakespeare’s Richard III, as played by Sir Lawrence Olivier.  In Act 1. Scene 1, he just makes my heart melt.  And then there’s Christopher Marlowe’s Mephistopheles, who breaks my heart when Faustus asks him what he’s doing out of hell and Mephistopheles replies:

“Why this is hell, nor am I out of it. Think’st thou that I who saw the face of God, 75 And tasted the eternal joys of Heaven, Am not tormented with ten thousand hells, In being depriv’d of everlasting bliss?”

And then I can’t help but mention my favourite modern author, Terry Pratchett, and two things. First is the fact that my beloved Sam Vimes of the Disc World series is often written very much like an anti-hero, and second is that in my absolutely fave book, Night Watch, the young Havelock Veterinari, junior member of the Assassin’s Guild, is an absolute killer sweetheart?  For that matter, Pratchett has made a wonderful anti-hero out of the seemingly-impossible-to-sympathize-with character Death.  (And don’t forget the Death of Rats, either, with his tiny robe and scythe.  SQUEEK!)

3. Your website is incredible, Lisa! It must be challenging for you to keep on top of such an interactive, regularly updated space? How do you divide your time between creating and being such an active participant of the social networking explosion? Can you give us some insight into the evolution of your author/reader interaction since the beginning of your professional writing career?

Um, you’re giving me way too much credit—it really belongs to my genius Administrator.  Mr. Usok Choe, of Usok Choe Designs is a sort of mythical guy himself.  He’s a black belt (or whatever is highest above that) in Taekwondo, he takes stunning photographs, he’s a terrific website developer/maintainer, and he somehow finds time to be the father to three precocious kids, and husband to Junhee (yeah, I stole her name for the sake of the revolution in Lullaby.)  He does all the hard work. Then there are the incredible Forum moderators, who, under Christina Crowley make sure that there are no flame wars or character assassination on the Forum.  (One reader—this is the truth—read that rule and asked, “Does that mean we can’t kill any of the characters in fanfic?”)

I’m lousy at social networking.  I’m the kind of writer who dives into a book and doesn’t come up for air for months (one reason I’m hoping Strange Fate will be done very soon, now that Lullaby is out of the way).  I was asked once just to stand to acknowledge a review at a writing club meeting and I knocked my purse off the chair and onto a fellow writer’s foot.)

I suppose that shouldn’t matter now that the Internet has changed everything, but it does. I’m still super-shy.  I do the site for my readers, and that’s the truth.  I adore them, and I want to talk to each one personally. But now that Cherie Durant has showed me what I’m missing by introducing me to you and four other totally amazing and incredibly kind authors who’re in the thick of Internet networking, I want to peck my way out of my shell and join in.  It’s fun!  And I can’t drop my purse on anyone’s foot!

4. Which of your fictional characters Burns Brightest in your mind and why?

Oh, that’s hard to answer.  I mean, the first thing that springs to mind is Damon Salvatore of The Vampire Diaries—just because he is more fun than a barrel of monkeys to write.  But I have to admit that Julian of the upcoming The Forbidden Game: Rematch, burns with an even brighter blue light than in the original Game trilogy. And then there’s Ash Redfern, from multiple Night World books, who spends Strange Fate attempting to win his soulmate Mary-Lynnette’s approval by rescuing other soulmate couples from the blood and darkness covering the world.

But these are bad boyz, and although terrifically amusing there is something even closer to my heart, and that’s a sister bond.  I first did it with real sisters in my debut novel, The Night of the Solstice. Janie and Alys Hodges-Bradley, the fledgling sorceress and the burgeoning hero—complete with sword.  And, although it’s undoubtedly frustrating for readers, perhaps other writers will understand that what burns brightest is always what one has just finished writing.

So I’ll have to stake everything on one throw of the say Brionwy and Crispy of The Last Lullaby. They’re such opposites, and yet I find I can see their world in great detail when I look through their eyes.  Brionwy is looking at roses and jewels and gowns and eunuchs and tranquilizing wine.  Crispy is looking at rubbish yards and hunting beasts and pens full of unwashed humans soon to become dragon-fodder.  And yet they find a middle ground to meet upon in Brionwy’s lullabies.  So for now I’m going to have to say the unlikely sisters in Lullaby, because they make me stretch and allow me to get my (rotten) poetry in the guise of song lyrics.

Today we talk to Alpha Reader

Do you have a favorite book you read over and over throughout the years?

I keep coming back to Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. I first read that when I was quite young, about 11 or 12, because it was my mum’s favourite book growing up and she admitted to me that I was *this* close to being named Scout. Harper Lee’s novel is my lodestone. I cry in all the same places; “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin’.” – gets me every time.

What is your reviewing philosophy?

I call my blog my ‘solo book club’ – because that’s how I viewed book blogs when I was just a comment posting lurker – that they were modern book clubs. And the best book club I was ever apart of was in my year twelve literature class with a teacher who encouraged us to argue/quote/gush/talk-talk-talk about the books we loved (and why we loved them). So that’s probably how I write my reviews – like I’m standing up in Mrs. McKay’s literature class telling everyone what I loved about a certain book, with quotes to prove it . . . or what I didn’t love, with character analysis to back it up.

If I have any hard-and-fast rules when it comes to reviewing; it’s to not be swayed by a press release (and never regurgitate what’s on the press release). Honesty is the best policy (Genuine enthusiasm will come across, as will genuine sycophancy). And that a review is an opinion, not the hard line – If I didn’t like a book that you loved, that’s okay. Likewise, if you hated a book that I gave five-stars, that’s perfectly fine too. You have your opinion, and I have mine – and never the twain shall meet.

If another blogger from another country visited you, where would you take them to visit first?

Hosier Lane in Melbourne. Which makes me sound like a rubbish tour guide – “Oh! Look! A laneway! You don’t see those anywhere except EVERY PLACE ELSE IN THE WORLD!”

But to contextualise I’d give them a copy of Cath Crowley’s epically wonderful ‘Graffiti Moon’ – which is about this bunch of artistic teenagers who have just finished school and go on a hunt around Melbourne for a mysterious graffiti artist called Shadow who spray paints artwork and poetry across the city. Anyone unfamiliar with Melbourne (which is often referred to as “that Australian city that’s not Sydney”) would go to Hosier Lane and just get it – that it’s this grungy, tucked away laneway that looks like a chaotic, kaleidoscope mess of colour from a distance but up close it’s telling a maddening story. That’s Melbourne, in a nutshell.

Tell us about a local author you enjoy reading?

Urgh! That’s hard. Australian young adult fiction is spectacular and I have so many favourite authors. But if there was one Aussie YA author that I’d get up on a soapbox for right now, it’s probably Kirsty Eagar.

I suppose people from overseas think of Australia and envision sun, sand and surf (and koalas!). It’s an iconic setting – but Eagar continually takes that Aussie landscape and turns it on its head. Her debut novel was ‘Raw Blue’, which won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Young Adult fiction in 2010. It’s about a girl called Carly who lives in the coastal town of Manly, working a dead-end job and living to surf. There’s catharsis in the waves, and it’s the only place Carly can forget about what happened to her . . . but she can’t keep diving into the rip to wash away her fears and memories, because eventually the truth will surface.

Then Eagar wrote ‘Saltwater Vampires’, which I liken to ‘The Lost Boys’, with a dash of Keanu’s ‘Point Break’ (and, yes, it’s as awesome as it sounds). It was Gothic horror, but set in a local surfing town and was pure brilliance for the clash.

Then this year she bought out ‘Night Beach’ – which is another horror story with a beach setting, but this time Eagar delved into the psyche of a creative young woman whose obsession with a young man had her seeing shadows and feeling stalked by an evil presence. . .

She’s just phenomenal – and for international readers I’d highly recommend Kirsty Eagar for both writing an iconic Australian setting, but not how the tourists envision it.

Danielle Binks