The other day I was on Twitter, offering my opinion on the latest kerfluffle to the internet – because we all know how internet suffers without the benefit of my opinion ::eye roll: – and I ran into a self-published author who was following my Twitter account. She responded to my kerfluffle tweet and said something like, “Yes, and this person gets paid 50 times what I make, and here I’m trying my hardest just to get a chance.” So I bought her book, because everyone should get a chance.
That evening I looked at the book. It’s an urban fantasy. I don’t read urban fantasy when I’m working. I try not to read it at all, actually, both to keep from unconsciously stealing and because the plot lines are so familiar, it feels like work. So strike one. The heroine sees dead people. Been there, read that, got the ghostly T-shirt. Strike two. Plus, angels and demons. Not my favorite trope. Strike three.
But I bought the book, the author knew I bought the book, so I decided to give it a shot, fully expecting to DNF the thing, because I’m a hateful bitch who hates everything.
I finished it.
I didn’t have to force myself to finish it. I finished it, because I wanted to, and I put the book I was reading and very much looked forward to aside, so I could read Black Parade.
There is a fine line between cliche and classic, and Black Parade stays just on the right side of that line. We have all the traditional staples of UF: the secret world of angels, demons, and ghosts; an orphan heroine, who will fight against overwhelming odds to help other people but is terrified to let people close; a hot angel; a frightening seductive demon; magic, action, fate of the world hanging in the balance. This doesn’t just dip a toe into the stereotypical UF land, it takes a swan dive into the deep water, and I should’ve bounced off of it, but for some reason this worked for me.
I think it’s the voice. Check this out:
The alarm clock went off like a duck being strangled with a telephone cord. I always tried and failed to remember to buy a new one. Groaning, I lurched onto my side and slapped at the device until it went silent. Sunlight streamed in, golden and annoying, through a gap in the dingy grey curtains of the window across from the bed. I threw the comforter over my head and lay there with my face pressed into the mattress, breathing in the faint smell of fabric softener and fried chicken. I really did need to wash these sheets.
After about a minute, I reluctantly climbed out from underneath the blanket and stumbled towards the closet to find my white button up shirt and short black skirt. My shift at the restaurant would start in half an hour. Colton would kick my ass if I was late again.
After wriggling into my work clothes, I wandered into the kitchen and began the nearly involuntary process of making coffee. Once it was brewing, I retreated to the bathroom. As I brushed my teeth, I read the list of the names and addresses I’d taped to the vanity mirror: Linda, Ming-Na, and Ron. I only worked a five-hour shift today so I should have been able to take care of all three of them. After I finished brushing my teeth, I swept my hair up into something that vaguely resembled a bun and took a deep breath before staring into my reflection for a brief analysis.
To be frank, I looked like shit. The skin beneath my eyes was dark with circles since I hadn’t gotten a decent amount of sleep in about two years, my complexion that had once been a rich brown was now a sickly brown-paper-bag color, and my weight had dropped significantly from lack of decent meals. Lord knows how I managed to keep my job looking like this. Cue the makeup—some foundation to cover up the spots and black eyeliner to further divert attention from my unhealthy pallor. A dash of lip gloss and voila, I was once again presentable for public consumption.
My gaze fell across the list again. I sighed. “Ninety-six down, four to go.”
I snatched the Post-It off the mirror and grabbed my flats on the way to the kitchen where my coffee was ready. When I got to the kitchen, I shrieked in surprise.
My favorite forest-green coffee mug was already out and filled with coffee.
M, Kyoko. The Black Parade (pp. 4-5). Kindle Edition.
Here is more:
Crazed teeth gnashed inches away from my face. The eyes rolled back until only the whites showed. Spider-like fingers strained for my throat. I screamed and ran towards the bedroom.
I slammed the door shut and dove for the nightstand, hands shaking as I checked the chambers to make sure the gun was loaded. The door flew open with a bang. A second bang followed. Then all was silent.
The phantom was gone, but in its place stood a man in a suit beneath his dark grey duster. His hair was black and his face was growing paler by the second. He reached out his hand. My panicked eyes spotted the scarlet speckled across the palm. The room had gone silent because the gun had deafened me. The barrel was still smoking and now I could see the hole I had put through the man’s chest.
I couldn’t breathe, but somehow I could still talk, and my lips were whispering one word over and over.
“No, no, no, no…”
The man said nothing as he fell to his knees in front of me, his azure eyes locked on mine as if he were trying to tell me something, but the strength was ebbing from him in crimson rivulets. I dropped the gun and fell to my knees as well. My fingertips grazed his face as if I could bring him back to life with one touch, but we both knew it was too late. He laid a rough, scarred hand to the side of my cheek where hot tears had fallen, his lips parting to whisper in a soothing voice.
“Don’t be afraid. They’re going to come for you, but please don’t be afraid.”
M, Kyoko. The Black Parade (p. 36). Kindle Edition.
The voice is really good. The manuscript itself is just well written and well edited. Had this been on the table in 2010, publishers would’ve snapped it up. So if you have a bit of nostalgia for the times paranormal beings roamed the bookshelves in droves, this will hit the spot. I don’t understand why she didn’t query a NY house with it, but she didn’t, so now we can have this for a steal.
Jordan Amador. 21. New Yorker. Waitress. Mild alcoholic. Murderer.
Two years ago, Jordan accidentally shot and killed a Seer: a person who can see, hear, and talk to ghosts with unfinished business. Her crime came with a hefty price, too. She has two years to help a hundred souls cross over to the afterlife or her soul is bound for hell. Tough break.
As if that weren’t bad enough, two days before her deadline a handsome pain-in-the-ass poltergeist named Michael strolls into her life. His soul is the key to her salvation, but the cost just might be more than she can handle. Solving his death puts her right in the crosshairs of Belial: a vain, bloodthirsty archdemon who won’t rest until she’s his slave. Can she rescue Michael and save her own soul, or will they both be dragged down into the clutches of the eternal black parade?
The book isn’t without its issues. The protagonist occasionally strays into immature territory, which caused me to mumble, “Jordan, adult better” a couple of times. I wanted a stronger characterizations from the side characters in a few places. Oh, and the book takes place over the period of several months. It works well, but some people prefer a continuous narrative. But overall, I finished it and enjoyed it, which terribly surprised me for all of the reasons listed above. I bought the second one.
Your mileage may, will, and should vary, and, as always, I recommend downloading a sample. It’s free at BN, iTunes, and on KU and is offered at $2.99 FREE, it is FREE today on Kindle. for those who don’t have it. That’s a price of a novella and at $3 this thing is a bargain. Best of all there are 4 more, so if you like the first one, there is plenty to glom.
Buy links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and iTunes
Author’s website: http://shewhowritesmonsters.com/
Happy reading. 😉
Huh, I bought this in January and completely forgot. Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for the heads up. I am now off to ebook land to purchase.
Just ordered the free kindle copy.
Thank you so very much for recommending it.
May you have an awesome day.
Thank you for this. Another demonstration of your generosity and graciousness! I “purchased” this and the second in the series immediately. I hope this garnishes much notice for this author and their works. Once brought more prominently to people’s attention – hopefully they will win a loyal following of many, many readers (if merited, or course)! ?
I read The Black Parade, I think last month. I enjoyed it very much. Not perhaps as much as I enjoy your books, but enough that I went looking for M. Kyoto’s other books.
Oops. I spelled the author’s name incorrectly. Kyoko M.
Behold the Power of IA: the first book was published in 2013. Currently #27 Free in Kindle Store
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Demons & Devils
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror > Occult
I got the first 2 books – I agree with your comments above. I like her writing style / voice and the overall plot so far (book 1 is 50% read). I’m not a proper critic but something is a bit off – the pace and the characters. Perhaps a better editor would have helped?? It doesn’t grab me and pull me in and absorb me. I assume she is a younger writer who, like a fine wine, will get better with age.
I generally give a writer a bit of a pass on the first book, if it’s at all promising. The good ones do get better. The ones who don’t improve by the third book are dead to me.
Thank you for the recommendation. It is also free on Kobo…
Rising tide lifts all ships.
Thank you! I purchased.
So I have a writing question kind of. I understand it takes about 3 months for a book to get published after completion. (if this is wrong, just ignore this whole comment)
Magic Triumphs is done and out the door, afaik, and scheduled for release in August 2018-roughly 5 months from now.
So Hugh’s book, which should be read before MT, needs to be turned in really soon, if it is to precede MT.
Yeah, quite a deadline.
It depends on the format and urgency. Typically, mass market is 6 months from acceptance of the manuscript, which mean that the editor looked at it, gave it back, we implemented the edits and it’s now ready for production, copyediting etc.
For hardcover, 6 months is not enough. It’s viewed as bare minimum and the book would be rushed and everyone will be terribly pissy.
Hugh is being self-published. 🙂 So if we can get it done by April 1st and have it ready for preorders, it should give us 60 days or so to edit, clean, tweak, promote, etc.
Thank you for this response. I was curious about the timelines too!
Yes, THANK YOU! I’m glad you overlooked my 3-month mistake. I was thinking you’d need it done by next week, (more or less) and I hoped you were near the end.
You’ve said before Innkeeper was profitable as a self-publish and Hidden Legacy is really popular also. Has Avon been at all reasonable? Are you getting tired of either of them? You’ve mentioned a Kinsmen story, could that be a big series like Kate?
So many questions, but I’ll just keep reading.
Again, Thx!!
Re Avon: there are no news we are allowed to announce. 🙂
The Innkeeper brings in a very nice amount of money. Kinsmen probably won’t be a big series like Kate.
Right now we are looking at probably a trilogy for Hugh unless it completely bombs because there is a lot more there than we can pack into a single book.
No worries, barring some unforeseen circumstances, we will be kept busy for a bit.
start writing that trilogy cause that baby is not gonna bomb!!!!
I take encouragement from your “no news we are allowed to announce”, not just ‘no news.’
Even though I think Hugh is scum, 3 books are better than one.
Thanks!!
No doubt in my mind, it will not bomb!! 🙂
OT: Hmm. I’ve tried commenting a few times on different blog posts here, and my comments never seem to appear. Is there something I’m doing that keeps them from being approved? I don’t feel like my comments differ from other people’s, so I’m mystified.
Or, watch. This one will show up right away to prove me wrong!
I felt like that for a long time. But it changed.
Carysa, if something isn’t getting through, drop me an email through the website. Most of the time the spam filter is on point but it blocks an epic amount of spam, so if your comment is caught in there, I might not see it.
Thanks! I’ll do that in the future. 🙂
Okay, so it seems that only REPLIES to other comments don’t show up. Weird.
Carysa, we are eagerly awaiting your new book as well. Something to fill in the time from now until Hugh is out. Please write faster also…
So I REALLY hope this comment shows up! Thank you so much, Tiana! I was totally not expecting anyone on this page to even know I write, much less have read my books. Pirate Consort is SO CLOSE. Final edits are pretty much my entire existence right now. I’m hoping to get it done and up this week, but it will be available by the end of the month for sure. <3
You’ve been spotted. Off to glom.
Awesome!!! I keep re-checking Amazon ever since my pre-order vanished (was delayed or something). Also waiting to pre order Hughs book.
Would reccomend your books to the book devouring horde. It’s a nice blend of action fantasy and romance in space. Reminds me a bit of Ilona’s books. Although saying that that’s probably against the rules or something. Never sure what the etiquette is re discussing books in other writers blogs?! If it’s a no no they can just delete this.
Love your books almost as much as Ilona’s!!!
Blogs need emoji reactions so I can properly express my dropped jaw and the insanely huge smile following it up! Best. Compliment. Ever.
Yes, I had to pull the preorder for Pirate Consort. The flu took me out for almost a month of writing time, and Amazon wouldn’t let me push the date. BUT it should be out by the end of the month, and I am SO nervous/excited to get it into readers’ hands. As soon as the link is live I’ll announce it on my blog/FB page/NL/etc. <3
Tiana, you totally made my day! Probably many days, for months to come. I'm a voracious reader, and Ilona is my favorite author and has been for the past few years. I thought it was fantastic when a reader compared my books to Anne McCaffrey, as she was my first F/SF read and made me want to become a writer. This is at least as good on the scale of best reader compliments. 🙂 Thank you so much!
Bought it on this recommendation (actually on free promo yesterday). Looking forward to reading it.
I am looking for something to read during lunch but it feels like the stretch to April has a dearth of awesome (Practical Guide to Evil is on hold, Worth the Candle is irregular, no Innkeeper until Friday at best, no book releases that sound awesome, books on library on-hold list unlikely to manifest in the next week).
What’s a girl with a severe reading addiction to do? Bought this book. 🙂
*most important part of the comment, that I failed to actually write:
Thank you for saving me from death by boredom/addiction withdrawal with this recommendation!
I have heard you speak of your own start in working to be published.
I remember finding your first book @ the FLP, you know the drill, spinning the rack, the cover catches your eye, you read the back, you walk around wit it cause you can’t handle it if its not as good as it seems, you read the frontispeice. You burst out cackling, in the library, you hide in the racks hoping no one knows its you, trying to stiffle your giggling.
Then you get yo’self under control determined not to take this book home if it will fizzle. So you sit and start to read, a couple of minutes later, your numb butt makes you look up. Right into the clock that lets you know its a hour& a half later . . .
I scrambled back to the racks, they had Kate 3 but # 2 was already checked out, so I took one of the Edge books. What is wrong with People! The FLP is open 7 days a week! Over the next 2 weeks I could not catch up to any of the books the FLP had, they were all checked out or had holds.
Then I remembered my Nook, I could order those puppies. Then I found the free stuff & the short stuff . . . sorry, glory days, on memory lane
My point was, the excerpts read well, but I have a dislike for ‘why me’ when reading a fictional book. If it can’t happen the book isn’t worth existence. Everybody deserves a chance, I am a coward, free books, deserve a comment. Be blessed, be well
Downloaded it. Sounds fun and I like the voice.
Curious to know the market for urban fantasy and paranormal books has changed since 2010. I’ve been reading them for what seems like forever and I suppose getting pickier with the books I pick. Is it oversaturated? Would be interested to know your thoughts on the market now vs. then.
I think it became a fad, so lots of books being written in the genre. Still my favourite genre but I’m picky about what I get and don’t have a lot of spare time to read now so thankfully haven’t burnt out (yet).
I think it is wonderful for you to put Kyoko M’s .work out there. You are really neat! ?
Thank you. Your so generous, it’s part of the reason I’ve bonded with you. The other reason is you write so well. You (both) express humor,action, personal development and a story line I live with in real time.You are amazing.
Thanks for this rec! Like another BDH’er I’m wasting away in this drought between favorite author’s releases. Read that excerpt and have started reading “Of Cinder and Bone” and so far me likes this author. If she continues and evolves then she’ll be another keeper in my library collection.
Artist looking out for each other is such a positive force. Another reason why you’re such a “she-ro” for me, Ilona! ?
The book was wonderful! I can’t waot to read more.
Will download posthaste. Thanks for the tip.
I bought and read the book. It was interesting.
It feels like YA. I just wished the Heroine would evolve. Learn something.
She feels like puberty. Character is: mouthy and stubborn… and?
Yay lets go alone – AGAIN! And get beaten up. Because thats her right.
I want her to get some intelligence. And i want to like her.
I quess i am pampered. Young age was never made for me 🙂
Thanks for the book recommendation, I downloaded to my Kindle and then stayed up way past my bedtime finishing the book.
Hi, * I love that one reader thinks Hugh is “scum,” because I cannot get enough of him and find him super-compelling. He doesn’t need to be “redeemed” for me, somehow in my head he is greater than the sum of his bad actions (I do regret Kate’s Samoan friend at the Order). I still do not know if Hugh behaved the way he did because he was confused about how he felt about Kate (attraction + affection); or if he was in a rut of autopilot violence and not feeling anything or evaluating right from wrong; or if he was hellbent on delivering Kate to her dad/deeply loyal to her dad, whatever it took? I will be interested in knowing him better! Three Hugh books = yay!
* I dl’ed The Black Parade and read 50 pages. Each new character connected me deeper to the Christian canon of angels/devil/archangel/The Father, which is not an interest of mine. The main character, a 22yo waitress named Jordan, has two God-sent magical male characters in her life and will probably be chaste to the end of the book. So that doesn’t work for me. If you do not buy in to that belief system, the book assumes you do. Isn’t there a category for this type of fiction, Christian PN or something? Finally, shooting a strange, threatening man who has broken into your apartment is not a situation that requires penance. Why does the author make her feel guilty for defending herself?
The first is pretty good so I bought the second.
After reading your excerpts, I headed to Amazon and got the first book. Thank you very much for the rec!