Little, Brown Book Group’s imprint, Orbit, has acquired the debut urban fantasy novel, Full Blooded, along with two sequels in the series by American author Amanda Carlson. Commissioning editor Anna Gregson bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Tracy Williams at Hachette Book Group USA.
Set in a world where all werewolves are male, the story follows Jessica—a girl who’s just become the only female werewolf in the world. And now she’s on the run, because a prophecy claims that her birth will signal the end of the werewolf race.
Gregson says: “I’m thrilled to be publishing this exceptionally fast-paced and irresistibly sexy urban fantasy trilogy that is just perfect for fans of Kelley Armstrong and Charlaine Harris. This debut stood out to us because it sizzles with energy, has a heart-thumping pace...and readers will want to consume it all in one sitting. So bearing that in mind that fans will be eager for the rest of the series, we’ll be keeping the schedule tight and will be publishing three books within a year.”
Orbit UK and Orbit US will publish the series on both sides of the Atlantic, with the first book, Full Blooded, scheduled for release in all territories in September 2012.
In support of the June 9, 2011 UK Hardcover publication of Jon Steele’sThe Watchers (priced £12.99) via Bantam Press, Fantasy Book Critic is hosting a series of videos that discuss the different locations found in the book. The first four videos are linked above. Today’s video, which covers The Nave in Lausanne Cathedral, can be found below, followed by a brief explanation from the author, Jon Steele:
Growing up catholic, in the days of the Latin mass, I was a sucker for Gothic cathedrals. I mean just the word: “Gothic”. Cathedrak naves were designed to create the illusion of entering the kingdom of heaven, and I fell for it every time. Much of my young life I thought I would grow up to be a priest, and I would spend many hours before statues and crosses praying for an apparition...anything; a wink or a nod would do. It never happened. Then came sex and drugs and rock and roll, and that was that for me ever wanting to be a priest.
But I never lost the mystical feeling upon entering a Gothic cathedral. Many original Christian churches were built on pagan holy sites, much the way Christmas was tagged onto the pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice. This gave the early Christians a ready crowd, as pagans would come to mass not so much to come to Jesus, but because they believed in the holiness of the place.
Lausanne Cathedral is the site of one of the first Neolithic settlements in Europe; people who believed in many gods, and in life after death. And the entire cathedral sits atop hundreds of open graves with “ancient skeletons looking like seeds waiting to be reborn”, as Rochat describes them.
And as I wandered Lausanne Cathedral and the crypt, I came to believe—as Rochat and Harper came to believe (and what the pagans knew all along)—that the earth beneath the stones is sacred.
(BTW: I’m posting a picture of one of the skeletons on my twitter page @beforetimes, so you might get the same feeling about the place.)
In addition to the videos, Bantam Press has agreed to give away ONE AUTOGRAPHED COPY of Jon Steele’sThe Watchers for each video, for a total of SEVEN WINNERS. All you have to do is leave a comment in the post, or send an email to fbcgiveaway@gmail.com with your Name, Mailing Address, and the subject: WATCHERS. However, to double your chances of winning, link this post or one of the videos on your blog, Facebook, Twitter page, etc., and you will be entered TWICE! The giveaway is open to Anyone and the seven winners will be randomly selected after the last video is posted on Friday, June 17. Thank you for entering and Good Luck!
