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    And we’re off …

    Okay, the Web site guy tells me that everything is more or less resolved. There might be a few more tweaks this weekend when the site might go down briefly, but that should be it. Huzzah! I’m so happy that the site is finally back up. I’ve really missed blogging and interacting with readers. 🙂

    Spider's Bite high resSo I thought I would do a quick update about what’s going on with the Elemental Assassin books. The first book, Spider’s Bite, will be out on Jan. 26 (getting close now!). If you’ve looked at the rest of the site, you’ve probably seen the cover already. But here it is again in all it’s glory. Pretty cool, huh? In case you were wondering, the cover was designed by Tony Mauro, who I think did an excellent job.

    Last week, my editor send me a mockup of the cover for the second book, Web of Lies (due out in June 2010). I can’t share it just yet, but it looks just as cool as Spider’s Bite does. The art department really outdid themselves. Kudos to them.

    The third book, Venom, will be out in October 2010. I won’t see any cover art for it anytime soon.

    In the meantime, to whet folks’ appetite for the series, there’s a free prequel short story called Spider’s Bargain posted here on the Web site. It’s on the Excerpts page, along with the first chapters of all three books. I plan to do free short stories for each of the books. I’ll probably start working on the one for Web of Lies in a few weeks. There’s also a lot of info on the Elemental Assassin series in general on the site. So go check out all the new shinies. 😉

    So that’s what’s been happening in the world of Gin Blanco lately. I hope you guys like the new look of the site. I also want to give a big shoutout and kudos to my Web designer, John of Atomic Cherry. I really think he did an excellent job with everything. Thanks so much John!

    So what have you guys been up to while I’ve been incommunicado? Share in the comments.

  • A few more kinks …

    Okay, my Web site guy is ironing out a few last-minute kinks, but once that is done (this week or next), we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled (and hopefully hack-free) blog posts.

  • I’m back!

    3 Comments

    I’m back! As most of you know, my Web site started getting hacked back in April.

    But now, we are back with a shiny new redesign — and hopefully a hack-free one too.

    There’s tons of new stuff on the site, mostly to do with my new Elemental Assassin series.

    I’ve also got a ton of blog posts to catch up on (mostly book reviews).

    Anyway, I hope you’ll look around the site. Happy reading!


  • 936 and counting …

    Finished What a Scoundrel Wants by Carrie Lofty (who I got to meet briefly at RWA this year).

    This book takes the legend of Robin Hood and twists it by focusing on his nephew, Will Scarlet. While working as a hired swordsman, Will finds himself caught up in a deadly plot — along with Meg of Keyworth, a blind alchemist that he saves. Soon, the two are off on a dangerous adventure to save Meg’s sister from the clutches of an evil man — and fighting their attraction to each other …

    I don’t read a lot of historical romance (unless they’re westerns), but I picked this one up because I’m a sucker for Robin Hood stories. And Lofty does a lot of interesting things in this book.

    For one, Meg is blind. I can’t remember the last time I read a book where the hero/heroine was blind, and Lofty does a really good job of depicting how horrible it must be, especially back in those days. But Meg doesn’t let her blindness keep her from doing anything she wants to — including bedding Will. She was a really cool heroine.

    I liked Will too, and there was some nice banter between the two of them, as well as some action scenes. And you all know that I love me some good action scenes. 🙂

    It all added up to a very enjoyable read, especially if you like Robin Hood stories like I do. Thumbs up.

    Up next: Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas.

    Books in my TBR pile: About 25.

  • 935 and counting …

    Finished The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

    This is a fantasy book that I bought for Wheezley because he likes a good epic fantasy tale — and I knew that I’d get to read it after he was done. 😉

    The book focuses on Locke Lamora, a charming thief, grifter, and all-around con man who’s the leader of the Gentlemen Bastards, a group of like-minded individuals in the city of Camorr. Locke and his merry band of men are working on their next big score when they get involved in a war between the mysterious Gray King and the current head of the underworld in Camorr. Tragedy follows, along with the biggest scam of them all …

    This is basically an epic fantasy heist book — kind of like Ocean’s Eleven with swords. There’s not a lot of magic, but the world building is impressive. Camorr is basically a sea city, and one of the spectator sports is watching people fight sharks and other sea monsters, if that tells you anything.

    Both Wheezley and I loved this book — so much so that we’re still quoting lines from it. Locke and his men are just fun characters to read, and the twists and turns in the plot will keep you guessing. This is easily the best epic fantasy that I’ve read in the last few years, and I’ve been raving about it to everyone. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel — after Wheezley gets done with it, of course. 🙂

    Big thumbs up.

    Up next: What A Scoundrel Wants by Carrie Lofty.

    Books in my TBR pile: About 25.