What big book events are you looking forward to in June?

For Orbit, the release of the debut novel by Kate Locke, God Save the Queen, will be at the top of the list. I can honestly say I’m pretty damn excited about this too.

There is so much about this book that has me jumping around like a lunatic. I’ll start with the cover.

Lauren Panepinto, Evelyn Kriete, Don Sipley, and House of Indulgence have done a brilliant job of making model Jeximé Icon look extremely edgy.  With reds, burgundies and blacks, she’s corseted bustled and armed. I’m already searching ebay for the elements to perhaps cosplay this cover… THAT’s how much of an impact the imagery has had on me.

A pretty cover is all well and good; but what of the storyline?

Queen Victoria rules with an immortal fist. The undead matriarch of a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. A world where being nobility means being infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. The year is 2012 and Pax Britannia still reigns.

Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key-the prize in a very dangerous struggle.

How’s that sound for a page turner? So what themes can you look forward to?

There are supernatural themes; goblins, vampires and werewolves, steampunk elements with alternate technologies and Victorian era twists.

Political intrigue, mystery, romance, action, and damn good storytelling in abundance means there really is something for anyone with a desire for something new. Kate is a self-confessed anglophile, and after this book hits the shelves, she will be well respected for it.

If you haven’t had enough yet and live in the United States, Kate is off on a mini book tour with events in New York, Brooklyn and Comic Con. Check out http://www.katelocke.com/ for more information.

Keep an eye out for God Save the Queen in June and see what all the fuss is about.

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: July 3^rd, 26 June (Australia) 2012 by Orbit

ISBN 0316196126 (ISBN13: 9780356501437)

Marianne will be on the Dymocks store at Supanova Pop Expo. Call past and get your books signed!

In Perth she’ll be launching Juliet Marillier’s wonderful new YA book Shadowfell in the boxing ring.

Come along and join all the fun!

We’ve been giving away a lot of prizes over the last few months with plenty more to come leading up to the release of Shine Light. So we thought we’d share with you some of our happy prize winners!

We’re excited to have a shiny new staff member at Burn Bright. Meet Joelene! Say hi and make her feel at home.

Joelene Pynnonen – reviewer

Joelene Pynnonen embraces the life of an avid book lover in every way. Her household is ruled cruelly by a wrathful cat; and should a fire ever start it is doubtful that she would make it past the elegant stacks of novels to her room door. At least once a year she coerces her mother into watching the BBC mini-series of Pride and Prejudice with her, and will often follow up by re-reading the book.

When not reading or bowing to the will of the tyrant cat, Joelene likes to draw, make futile attempts at learning Finnish and occasionally work in a bookstore.