THE EVE OF...RELEASE DAY!

[mrockwell]

Writing

So, Skein of Shadows releases TOMORROW! I hope you're as excited as I am! And to make this release even more special, I'm teaming up with my BFF Gini Koch to offer you a two-fer!

You see, her newest book, The Night Beat (which starts off a brand new series), officially releases this week too. Today, in fact! Check out this ubercool cover and description:

"The majority of Prosaic City's residents don't know that their town exists on top of another place -- Necropolis, City of the Undead. For the most part, the two planes of existence manage to remain separate. And when they don't, Necropolis Enforcement has beings in place to ensure the general human population remains blithely clueless.

Victoria Wolfe is more than just a policewoman. She's an undercover werewolf assigned by Necropolis Enforcement to work Prosaic City Police's Night Beat. Victoria's comfortable working the shift where all the weird comes out to play, especially since her partner is also her perfect man. Or would be, if Victoria could ever work up the nerve to tell him she isn't like other girls.

It's hard enough being a werewolf in disguise, but when a creature from the Depths of Hell shows up in an alley preferred by junkies, bums, and hookers, it's going to take more than just Victoria's special gun and werewolf skills to subdue the ancient Sumerian demon. Especially when the demon is merely the start of what appears to be a major takeover attempt by the Prince of Darkness.

Soon all of Necropolis Enforcement's Undead Brigade is involved in the fight to stop the Prince's Major Minions from taking over Prosaic City and the rest of the human plane. But it's Victoria who has to face the Adversary and figure out what intricate plan Lucifer has up his wings before everyone she cares about is destroyed.

In other words, it's just another day on the Night Beat."

Awesome, no? If you like kick-ass heroines like Sabira, then I'm pretty sure you're gonna like Victoria, too. So sure, in fact, that Gini and I decided to do a couple of giveaways, and TWO lucky winners will win a copy of BOTH ebooks - Skein of Shadows AND The Night Beat - one set from me and one set from Gini. Plus, we're going to have some fun stuff for you during the course of these giveaways, including a behind the scenes look at what Marcy and Gini do at cons! You do NOT want to miss that, LOL!

To enter my giveaway, you just need to answer one little question, here (in the comments of this post), on Twitter, on my FB page, or via email at marsheila(dot)rockwell(at)gmail(dot)com. Sound easy? Depends on the question, right? Here it is:

Who is your favorite kick-ass heroine, and why?

Can be fictional or real life, a kicker of actual asses or metaphorical ones (laundry, cancer, rude internet trolls, etc). I don't need an essay (unless you want to write one) - a short sentence will do. For example, "Wonder Woman is my favorite kick-ass heroine because - well, duh - she's Wonder Woman." See? Easy peasy!

My giveaway will run from today until Monday, July 23rd, at which time Gini's will start up over on her blog. Remember, these giveaways are for ebook versions (though Gini's book is also available in paperback), so take that into account when entering. Don't have an ereader? (I don't.) No problem! You can download a free copy of Kindle for PC from Amazon and read any Kindle book right on your computer. (That's what I do.)

Already have a copy of Skein of Shadows? I'll swap it out for an ebook version of The Shard Axe or Legacy of Wolves. 'Cause I'm easy that way, heh.

So, what are you waiting for? Enter! And keep checking back for those fun extras I mentioned!

Everything Else

I wrote and scheduled this post on Sunday, because by the time you read this, I'll be in the hospital with Max having his CT scan repeated. As always, any prayers you can spare for my little guy (specifically, that his last set of scans were wrong and that the tumor has NOT grown) would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Comments

[lemau.livejournal.com]

My favorite kick-ass heroine is Shampoo, from Ranma ½. I'll let the images do the talking, because quite frankly, is there any doubt when you'd see this heading towards you?


She usually wields two of these maces (Chui, fandubbed bonbori), but with a blade in one hand she essentially covers both the smashing part and the slashing part.


When a woman turns around and the first thing you see is this, you'll be completely frozen in the decision whether you should run, scream or crap your slacks. No. Contest.


She's got the weapons, she's got the evil eye, and she has the aura. Looks, strength, speed AND no hesitation to kill. This woman is by far the most epic beauty I will never encounter in my life. :'(

#ED: Oops, forgot to resize, sorry. ._.

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your entry - this is awesome! Love the visuals! :)

Good luck!

Fav Kick-Ass Heroine

[barbed1951.livejournal.com]

My favorite kick-ass heroine is Jennifer Estep's Gin Blanco because she takes all kinds of brutal punishment and just keeps going until she kicks the ass she set out to kick.

Re: Fav Kick-Ass Heroine

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

Good choice! I've never read her stuff, but I know a lot of people like this character.

Thanks for the entry, and good luck! :)

[(Anonymous)]

My favorite kick-ass heroine is Anna from Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series. She is a very unlikely heroine. Life has beaten her up, but she overcomes her obstacles to move on. She surprises those around her (and maybe even herself) as she finds the courage within herself to beat even the worst villains. Add in some Witches, Vampires, Fae, and Werewolves...I read these books until the spines crack! :)

Y'all are in my thoughts and prayers!

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the entry (and for the prayers)! Patty and I are fellow MT girls, so I know she knows kick-ass, heh! Great choice!

(But please come back and leave your name, so I know who to contact if your entry is the winner!) Good luck!

[jo jones (from livejournal.com)]

My favorite is Captain Tasha "Sass" Sebastian in LInnea Sinclair's Games of Command.

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the entry! I've yet to read any of Linnea's books, but they've been recommended to me several times. (That's really why I do these contests - new book recs, LOL!)

Good luck! :)

My favorite kick ass heroine?

[jen b. (from livejournal.com)]

Mercy from the Patricia Briggs series. I love that she is a coyote shifter and married to a werewolf.

Re: My favorite kick ass heroine?

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

Another Patty fan! Yaay!

Thanks so much for entering, and good luck! :)

thanks!

[erinf1.livejournal.com]

Thanks for a great giveaway! Congrats to both you and Gini on the new releases!!!

I'd have to say that my favorite kick ass heroine right now is Marissa Holloway from the Shades of Fury series by Kasey Mackenzie. She is a Fury working as the Chief Magical investigator for Boston as well as a law enforcer for the arcane powers. I just finished Blackhearted Betrayal, #4, and I was blown away! Definitely top on my recommendations list!

Re: thanks!

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

Ooh, she sounds really interesting! I'll have to give those a try.

Thanks for the entry, and good luck to you! :)

[beth blanchard (from livejournal.com)]

I would have to say Eve Dallas... enough said :P hehe

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

Heh. I was waiting for one of those! LOL

Thanks for entering and good luck to you! :)

[(Anonymous)]

There are so many that are inspiring but I think my favorite is Victoria Nelson from Tanya Huff's Blood series. She is kick ass,prepared, resourceful, gets her butt kicked and gets back up again, and despite what life hands her, continues to try and live her life and make the best of it. She's not perfect but most of the best people aren't.

Andrea Rittschof

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

Hey, Andrea! Excellent choice, and I love your description of her! Thanks for your entry and good luck! :)

My favorite kick-ass heroine . . .

[zach payne (from livejournal.com)]

is Sarah Jane Smith from Doctor Who.

Sarah Jane first traveled with The Doctor long before I was born, but when I got caught up into the New Who (this was, alas, shortly after Elisabeth Sladen died), I absolutely fell in love with her. She was able to rebuild her life after she and The Doctor parted ways, and she became a defender of the Earth, on par with UNIT and Torchwood, working out of her attic, to such a degree that a chaotic demigod entity tried to take her out of commission. Sarah Jane faced down all kinds of enemies, with and without The Doctor, and always showed his mercy, his ferocity, and his sense of justice.

Re: My favorite kick-ass heroine . . .

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

A Whovian! Love your description!

Thanks so much for the entry, and good luck! :)

Favorite Kick Ass Heroine

[denise-z.livejournal.com]

I have so many faves and really love a gook kick ass read; so today I will focus on Rachel Morgan. She is the bomb. She can be turned into a mink and fight in a ring, go head to head with the top vamp in town, get sucked into hell by a demon and still returns to save the day for those she loves. The total definition is like a good old Timex commercial takes a licking and keeps on ticking . . . right up until she explodes and shows the bad guys what for! I am really looking forward to The Night Beat and getting to know Victoria. I also looked up Skein of Shadows and Sabira looks like a gal I want to know. Congratulations on these awesome releases!

Re: Favorite Kick Ass Heroine

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I've been wanting to read the Rachel Morgan books for awhile, so I really love this answer - great entry! Good luck! :)

Favorite Kick-Ass Heroine

[(Anonymous)]

No doubt, it is Honor Harrington.

Re: Favorite Kick-Ass Heroine

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the entry! But could you come back and leave your name, so I know who you are if Ye Olde Random Number Generator picks you? Thank you! :)

[purplepoodle58.livejournal.com]

Anita Blake is my fave heroine. She can whip all the werewolves in her pack, protect her leopard pack and be a beautiful babe to bed the dead Master of the City.

[mrockwell.livejournal.com]

I got an Anita Blake entry on Twitter, too. I know she's pretty popular (the earlier books maybe more than the later ones).

Thanks for the entry, and good luck to you! :)

My favorite kick ass heroine

[nora-adrienne deret (from livejournal.com)]

I'm going to have to agree that Gin Blanco is at the top of the food chain when it comes to kick ass women. I've enjoyed the whole series and even own a few of them.