Dear Author: Romance Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Commentary

Meljean Brook has offered 20 copies of her books to random commenters to this post. This giveaway will stay open until November 7, 2008, at 11:59 PM EST.

Dear Readers:

I first “met” Meljean Brook via her blog back in 2006. Maybe it was 2005. I found her blog to be wry and self deprecating. I didn’t realize she was an author because at that time her first book had yet to be released. Demon Angel, her first book, would not be published until January of 2007. After months of visiting Meljean’s blog, I became comfortable in her online “voice” and once I learned she was an author, I built up expectations about what her book would read like.

Reading Demon Angel was expectation dashing, but in a surprisingly good way. Meljean’s online voice (which is much like her true personality, I think) is full of sly humor and self mockery. Her authorial voice is quite different. Her books are dark with tortured characters dealing with life and death conflicts. The stakes are high and so is the drama.

Demon Bound is not my favorite Brook book. I …

Dear Ms. Teglia:

Okay, some background about this review. I had hoped that you would send Wicked Hot as you had all of your other books but I swore I hadn’t received it and when you sent me your contribution for the DA iPhone bookshelf, I tried to hint around that I would love to read the book. Instead of offering, you replied something to the effect of can’t wait for you to see it on the shelves.

So I mentioned that I was excited about reading your book to a friend of mine and she reminded me that not only had I read it a long time ago but that I had recommended it to her. Sadly, my mind being the sieve that it is and I couldn’t find my notes on the book and had to re-read it for the review. In any event, I enjoyed it as much the second time around.

Edna is a succubus. She seduces. Steals souls. Damns people to hell. It’s her job. She got stuck with the position as a punishment …

Dear Ms. Brook:

Thank you for sharing your book with me. As you know, I’ve always thought you were a tremendous writer and I appreciate that you bring to the genre an unusual pairing of individuals. In Demon Angel, it was the halfling demon, Lilith, and the honorable knight, Hugh. In Demon Moon, it was the unworldly gorgeous Colin and the tech genius, Savitri. Demon Night brings us still another unusual hero and heroine.

Charlie Newcombe was an opera singer whose voice rivaled the angels (real ones who know what angelic voices sound like). Her love for the bottle was greater than her love for music. A car accident that she caused while drunk stole her voice. She picked up the broken pieces and decided to make a new life for herself. She’s in the midst of studying for a degree that will enable her to get a job besides serving up drinks. Just when it seems like Charlie is on the verge of making something good of herself, she becomes a pawn in the fight between vampires, nosferatu, demons and guardians. Long lived beings view humans with some disdain and while demons …

Dear Ms. Shinn,

Once again I’m lost in the world of Samaria. Every time I pick up one of these novels, I feel transported to a different place and time. Some of the characters I like, others I despise but they all feel real to me. They have hopes, dreams, fears, plans. But let me ask you, is there anyone there who can’t sing? Was that one of the requirements when Jovah chose which earthlings to carry away from imminent world destruction and carry to this new planet where once a year everyone must raise their voices in harmony or face the wrath of their God?

Gaaron is less than a year away from assuming the role of Archangel of Samaria. It will be his task to lead both angels and humans. Sometimes he feels like it will be an endless, thankless job but it’s one he’s been prepared for all his life by his volatile, bitter angel father. Now in addition to trying to control his self destructive younger sister, he has to find his angelica, the woman the God Jovah has chosen to be his wife. But as he begins his search, he learns of …

If there’s one author that Jane, Jayne and I have all enjoyed reading, it’s Sharon Shinn. So when I floated the idea of interviewing her, it was met with great enthusiasm and it quickly grew into Sharon Shinn week here at Dear Author. Of course, the whole thing hinged on the author herself agreeing to be interviewed. Luckily for us, Sharon Shinn said she would be delighted to do the interview. So we sat down togeth– well, no, not really. We sat down at our computers to send the questions and answers back and forth. The result was this interview, here for your enjoyment. — Janine

Tell us a little bit about how you got started writing and how you came to be published.

I wanted to be a writer from the time I was about 8 years old. I wrote my first novel the summer I was 20 and working at a pretty slow-paced government job. Every time one of my co-workers asked me what I was doing, I said I was writing a letter. All summer! But that book was unreadable, and the …

It’s been a while since I read the first book in this series, Archangel, yet I was immediately sucked right back into the world that you created in Samaria. A world in which angels are not just heavenly beings, but are living presences and vital to lift the prayers and needs of men to the God Jovah through their beautiful music.

It’s 150 years after Archangel (which really must be read in order) and primitive technology is gaining a foothold in what up til then has been an agrarian society. The world is changing, too fast for some people, and not fast enough for others. And in this time, things start to go haywire.

The Archangel Delilah, who leads the angels and pretty much rules over Samaria is injured and can no longer serve her role. A new Archangel, and one no one would have expected, is named by Jovah through his oracles. Retiring Alleluia is as stunned as the rest when she is named, and is just as doubtful as the rest of her abilities to take on the role.

Because she’s got a whole lot to try and deal with at one time. Suddenly, the few advanced …

Dear Ms. Shinn,

I think Archangel is a wonderful book. One might even say heavenly.

Most of the inhabitants of Samaria are mortals, but the world also has angels who, by taking wing and praying to the god Jovah through song can ask the god for favorable weather and other aid. Once a year, the Samarian people gather for the annual Gloria, and sing prayers together to show unity and harmony. The Gloria is led by the archangel, leader of all the angels, and indeed, the most powerful person on Samaria, and his or her spouse, the angelica or angelico. Both archangel and spouse are chosen by the god Jovah himself. It is written in Samaria’s holiest text, the Librera, that if the Gloria does not take place as prescribed, Jovah will destroy Samaria.

The angel Gabriel is not only a proud man (I use the word man because except for their wings, their beautiful voices and one or two other physical abilities, the angels on Samaria are as fallible as any person), but as the leader of a third of Samaria’s angels, he is also a very busy one. …