Mary Janice Davidson’s mermaid series Sleeping with the Fishes (Fred the Mermaid, Book 1) is fantastic. It’s set in Boston (SQUEE!) and features the New England Aquarium quite prominently.Her delightfully snarky half-human protagonist Fred is a marine biologist utterly resistant to the charms of Thomas, the water fellow at the NEA, and Artur, the mer-prince who’s come to woo her. These delightfully silly three must combine forces to save the Harbor from becoming a poo-filled wasteland. Dude. Most romance novels … READ MORE

Fire Study was a somewhat unmemorable conclusion to an otherwise strong trilogy. In it, we’re once again trying to negotiate peace between Ixia and Sitia. Yelena is also trying to get comfortable with her role as a Soulfinder, figure out a way to be with Valek, and reconcile a series of dual obligations related to her newly discovered family, her dual citizenship in these two countries, and her growing desire for independence. The text’s flaws included an increasingly de-fanged Valek … READ MORE

Just finished the first vol. of the series the Secret Circle. Smith’s an amazing YA writer — her characters are generally distinct from both one another and from other series, which is always fun. While her plots can be a bit rote, she infuses them with fresh life because of her able prose and her quirky details.

On to the plot. Cassie has to move out to Cape Cod because of MYSTERIOUS FAMILY REASONS her mother won’t tell her. After starting  … READ MORE

Sorry this is late, my loves! Starline was incredibly professional and easy to interview. I, on the other hand, am a massive flake.

Candi is an AWARD WINNING strip by Starline Hodge, one of the hottest young comics artists working right now. Candi  is semi-autobiographical, and features a fascinating cast of characters, including a ferret engaged in an a battle of wits with some evil squirrels and the Sexy Police!  

———————

1. One of the neato things about Candi … READ MORE

Gina is the talented artist/writer behind Red String. She’s also the founder of Strawberry Comics, an all female group of comic writers. Dark Horse publishing recently picked up Red String, and has published them in three volumes. On to the interview!

———————————————————————————–

1. What was it like to fund Strawberry Comics?

ANSWER: Expensive. Everything I do for Strawberry Comics is out of my own pocket and I am not a rich woman by any definition. Luckily with some of the projects, like Red … READ MORE

Righto. Let’s begin with Michael Reaves’ sequel to The Shattered World. In THE BURNING REALM, Reaves takes up with his kooky cast a year later; Amber (symbolic love interest #1) has acquired the rank of Conjuress, Pandrogas has desperately researched a way to prevent the decay of the shattered world’s orbit, and Mirren’s started training as an assassin. Thankfully, Amber, Mirren, and the other female characters emerge as more complete characters. At times, Reaves use of the physical as a … READ MORE

Blue Corn Comics provides an awesome link round-up of the incredibly crazy race issues in Twilight.

NewsRock, one of Blue Corn’s bloggers, has been researching the legends mentioned in Twilight and coming to some conclusions that make THIS brown girl quite perturbed.

Quotes from the post:

So a travel book about the Pacific Northwest Indians includes a legend about a Hawaiian chief named Kaheleha. One hundred thirty-one years later, a YA book about the Pacific Northwest Indians includes a legend about … READ MORE

The ever lovely Discipula offers an alernative read of Twilight, one that highlights all the nutty, crazy, political ramifications of Bella’s TOTAL LACK OF PERSONAL AMBITION and the nutty crazy world of her SPARKLY VAMPIRE STALKER LOVER.

Quotes from the post:

This, I have discovered, is the real reason that people hate Twilight. It depicts a foolish, young girl that considers her own future, college in this case, a “plan B” to twue wuv. If you can call a controlling, possessive stalker … READ MORE

Okay, Valdes has really come into her own! In this second installment in the Dirty Girls series, the six sucias are entering their thirties with a panicked, maverick energy. Five years after the close of the first book, Dirty Girls’ Social Club, Lauren and Amoury have hit a rocky moment in their relationship. She constantly battles deep feelings of insecurity, her burgeoning alcoholism, and her unacknowledged bulimia. Plus, she’s got some chronic, awkward heart burn she can’t seem to shake. … READ MORE

This uneven half-memoir is interesting and quirky when not caught up in the actual plot. Its exploration of modern Cuban identity is surprisingly nuanced, especially when compared with The Dirty Havana Trilogy. However, unlike Dirty Havana, Dirty Blonde leaves uncomplicated the issues surrounding race and ethnicity when they’re treated as stable, essentialized concepts.

PLOT! Alysia is the daughter of an American diplomat — OR SO SHE THINKS! When she’s 13, her mom dies of cancer. On her deathbed, she tells Alysia … READ MORE