Black Blade Blues by J.A. Pitts

Sarah Beauhall, heroine of Black Blade Blues, was a woman after my own heart from the very beginning. Not only is she a lesbian and a blacksmith — traits that set her apart from the Standard Urban Fantasy Heroine — she also attends sci-fi conventions and hangs out with Ren Faire and SCA enthusiasts. This isn’t just a character I’d like to have a beer with. This is a character I feel like I’ve already had a beer with! Like lots of her compatriots in urban fantasy, she does have anger-management issues, but there are reasons for this.

I have to admit, though, that I didn’t quite understand Sarah’s decision, at the beginning of the book, to let her prized antique sword be used in a friend’s B-movie shoot. Other characters said she was crazy to do it, and I actually kind of agreed with them. She’s a blacksmith, after all; why not make a convincing fak... Read More

Honeyed Words by J.A. Pitts

A few months ago, blacksmith Sarah Beauhall reforged the legendary Norse sword Gram, attracting the attention of a number of supernatural beings that wanted the sword for themselves. This culminated in an epic battle, in which Sarah and her valiant SCAdian friends defeated a dragon but suffered tragic losses. Honeyed Words, the second in J.A. Pitts’ Black Blade series, continues Sarah’s story.

From the perspective of character development, Honeyed Words is terrific. Sarah has always had avoidant tendencies, and here she begins to take responsibility for that trait and works on overcoming it and facing its consequences. This occurs on several fronts: her relationship with Katie, her friendship with the Black Briar SCA group, and her dealings with supernatural beings — and it’s hinted that her family of origin may soon join that ... Read More

Some of your favorite authors take some time to answer our questions:
Got any personal news to share?
Ian Tregillis: This is shaping up to be a busy summer for me. In June, I submitted my fourth novel (Something More Than Night) to Tor.  In July, my first novel (Bitter Seeds) debuted in the UK, and a week later my second novel (The Coldest War) came out here in the US. And I just finished reviewing the copyedits for my third novel (Necessary Evil). I'm attending two conventions in August. Bubonicon in Albuquerque (yes, New Mexico's local convention is named after the bubonic plague!) and Worldcon in Chicago.



Read More

Some of your favorite authors take some time to answer our questions:
What are you working on these days?
Taylor Anderson: Well, I'm hard at work on the next DESTROYERMEN novel already, and as usual, I'm enjoying that a lot. If people get half as much fun out of reading my books as I get out of writing them, I figure I'm way ahead. Otherwise, I've been coordinating with the US Veteran's Museum in Granbury, TX., trying to put together some really interesting activities.

Elizabeth Hand: I'm working on Wylding Hall, a contemporary gothic YA novel that riffs on Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca.

Nancy Holzner Read More