I'm so excited to finally reveal the cover of the anthology I've been co-editing! Badass and the Beast has turned out to be even more amazing than I imagined. Kory Shrum, co-editor of the collection, has been fantastic to work with. Of course, we've been in the same critique group for a year now (shout-out to the Four Horsemen of the Bookocalypse!) so I knew it would be a fun venture. Badass and the Beast will be available for preorder soon, but in the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this peek at the cover, illustrated by me. Woot!
I struggled with the design for quite some time. There were several drafts of women with large dogs, which are featured in several of the anthology's short stories, but none of them conveyed the "badass" feel I was shooting for. Plus, the stories turned out to be pretty diverse, and I really wanted a design that would show that. Another factor I hadn't counted on was the YA feel many of the stories have--not all, mind you. But the book overall is definitely YA appropriate. So that seemed important to express through the cover design as well.
We have an amazing lineup of authors with some really interesting stories, all about kickass heroines and the beasts that love them! Including a Lana Harvey short, featuring an adventure with Limbo City's favorite hellhounds.
Stay tuned--FB, Twitter, newsletter--or just poke your head outside. I'll be shouting it to the world! More details coming soon.
Showing posts with label Jason T. Graves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jason T. Graves. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Book Review of THE ALEWIFE by Jason T. Graves
This was meant to be a video review. I’ve been really revved up about re-launching my YouTube channel… and of course that’s when I come down with the plague. I never get sick. NEVER. And when I do, I’m over it in no time. It’s been over a week. My throat and eyeballs feel swollen. My voice is all but gone. So video reviews are not an option at the moment. : (
Maybe I’ll be feeling like myself again by the time New Year’s Day rolls around, so I can accomplish ALL THE THINGS. In the meantime, Imma just leave this review here.
Mr. Jason T. Graves is a pretty cool guy. I met him through a mutual friend, UK author Clare Davidson, and then I contributed a short story to OFF THE BEATEN PATH, an anthology he edited and released last year. I recently finished reading his latest book, THE ALEWIFE, and let me tell you, I’ve got some things to say about this book…
First of all, do not let the cover deceive you. If the image was any more detailed, it would spoil the story. I started reading this book late in the evening. Big mistake. I was up until 3am, because I had to finish it. HAD TO. Aren’t those the best kind of reads?
So everything starts off simple enough. Middle-aged couple, heading off on a cozy little getaway to relax and try to make a baby. Doug and Jillian are a pretty typical couple. Doug is full of cheesy puns (which I love), and Jillian is a little high-strung. They get to their hotel and have dinner at the hotel restaurant, where things get interesting. Apparently, Doug has been to this restaurant before, and he’s quite familiar with the hot little waitress serving them. She worked there twelve years before, when Doug last visited with a friend. As if the awkwardness with Jillian isn’t bad enough, the girl doesn’t look like she’s aged a day. So Doug, the genius who booked a romantic getaway where his past would most likely be waiting to haunt him (good job, Doug!) is ogling the waitress even more. It’s not very conducive to baby-making with Jillian.
What follows has an erotic, mystery vibe to it—which is fun enough on its own—but then things dive off into the vast depths of sci-fi thrillerdom! Strange science and creatures galore! Great fight scenes and even a touch of romance. Oh! And more puns. Can’t forget those. This turn of events was entirely unexpected and glorious. It reminded me just a bit of Christopher Moore’s FLUKE. So fantastic! It’s definitely one I’ll be reading again.
Click HERE to go to Jason's page where you can stalk him and find links to everywhere you can buy THE ALEWIFE. Since you should. For reals.
Happy reading!
Maybe I’ll be feeling like myself again by the time New Year’s Day rolls around, so I can accomplish ALL THE THINGS. In the meantime, Imma just leave this review here.
Mr. Jason T. Graves is a pretty cool guy. I met him through a mutual friend, UK author Clare Davidson, and then I contributed a short story to OFF THE BEATEN PATH, an anthology he edited and released last year. I recently finished reading his latest book, THE ALEWIFE, and let me tell you, I’ve got some things to say about this book…
First of all, do not let the cover deceive you. If the image was any more detailed, it would spoil the story. I started reading this book late in the evening. Big mistake. I was up until 3am, because I had to finish it. HAD TO. Aren’t those the best kind of reads?
So everything starts off simple enough. Middle-aged couple, heading off on a cozy little getaway to relax and try to make a baby. Doug and Jillian are a pretty typical couple. Doug is full of cheesy puns (which I love), and Jillian is a little high-strung. They get to their hotel and have dinner at the hotel restaurant, where things get interesting. Apparently, Doug has been to this restaurant before, and he’s quite familiar with the hot little waitress serving them. She worked there twelve years before, when Doug last visited with a friend. As if the awkwardness with Jillian isn’t bad enough, the girl doesn’t look like she’s aged a day. So Doug, the genius who booked a romantic getaway where his past would most likely be waiting to haunt him (good job, Doug!) is ogling the waitress even more. It’s not very conducive to baby-making with Jillian.
What follows has an erotic, mystery vibe to it—which is fun enough on its own—but then things dive off into the vast depths of sci-fi thrillerdom! Strange science and creatures galore! Great fight scenes and even a touch of romance. Oh! And more puns. Can’t forget those. This turn of events was entirely unexpected and glorious. It reminded me just a bit of Christopher Moore’s FLUKE. So fantastic! It’s definitely one I’ll be reading again.
Click HERE to go to Jason's page where you can stalk him and find links to everywhere you can buy THE ALEWIFE. Since you should. For reals.
Happy reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)