Angieville

Today, Tor.com revealed the cover of the next Mercy Thompson novel, Night Broken . As has become tradition here, I like to post the new cover and dish about it. This is a much-beloved series, and I'm always eager to see how Dan Dos Santos chooses to depict Mercy next. Tor's cover reveal includes some fascinating comments from Dos Santos on his painting process, as well as some awesome preliminary sketches. Apparently the Ace art director and editor weren't too keen on the hooded trench he initially worked up, but I have to say I'm a fan of it. Wish he'd been allowed to keep that element. Even without it, though, this is probably my favorite Mercy cover since Blood Bound . I love her face and hair. And, guys, just look at what she's holding! Can't wait.

I've seen this pop up hither and yon for awhile and been waiting for the official word to go up over at Hurog.com . It just did and I'm excited to post the cover of the sixth Mercy Thompson novel-- River Marked . We knew this one was going to delve a little deeper into Mercy's past, particularly the walker heritage and abilities she inherited from her father. And my little Mercy-loving heart does its little dance of joy at the thought. The cover reflects the Native American ancestry, for sure, and I'm noticing lots of feathers in her tattoos as well. Interesting. Personally I like that cover artist Dan Dos Santos subtly changes her tattoos with each cover to match the tones and themes of the individual books themselves. So what do you think? And if you haven't read this article over at Tor, in which Dos Santos and the real-life Mercy cover model Jaime talk about the creation process, I highly recommend you do. I had no idea there was an actual cover model and th...

A couple of fun images for you guys today. First off, my artist brother-in-law came across this demonstration that artist Dan Dos Santos did for the oil painting process he went through on the artwork for   the cover of  Moon Called -- the first Mercy Thompson novel. Adam thought it was awesome and that I'd like it and he was right on both counts. I thought you would as well. I have to say, I really sort of love that first sketch, even if it didn't end up in the final cover. Enjoy ! Second, the official trailer for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader film is out and my boy and I are so excited we can hardly wait. The scene where the water comes pouring out of the picture on the wall gave me chills. It's set to come out right around his birthday so I already know what we'll be doing to celebrate...

Is there anything like holding the latest Mercy Thompson novel in your hands? Especially when it's all large and hardback and glowing ? Because the window on this book seriously glows. And the spine and back are warm and golden and it's just so much prettier than the online images led me to believe. These are the simple things that make me happy. A beautiful dust jacket. A favorite author doing well. Spending time once more with characters who are friends now and who are none the worse for wear for our time apart. In fact, just a handful of pages into Silver Borne   it was like we'd never been apart at all. After reading the first three books in the series, I convinced DH he wanted in on this action. So we've read them all aloud together now and it's so nice having that to look forward to each night. Suffice it to say, neither of us was disappointed in the slightest. This is the series that started my love for urban fantasy and so it will necessarily always hold a ...

So did you notice Patricia Briggs posted the entire first chapter of the upcoming fifth Mercy Thompson book-- Silver Borne --to her website recently? I stumbled across it yesterday and let's just say it is nice and long, Adam is there (and so is Sam), and by the end I had a big, fat smile on my face. Go on. You know you want to read it... Interestingly, Patty has the following to say about Silver Borne : This is Samuel's book and also deals with the terrible things that can happen when you are late returning a borrowed book. Awesome.

This just in. Patricia Briggs has posted the cover for her upcoming fifth Mercy Thompson book-- Silver Borne . I love the title and I love the cobwebby books on either side of Mercy. So what do you think? And do you have a favorite Mercy cover so far? As I've mentioned before I'm extremely partial to the cover of Blood Bound , but I do love the way she's peering over her shoulder and her awesome Mercy's Garage shirt on the cover of Iron Kissed .

Last week I ran across Brian James' article on judging books by their covers and it got me to thinking. I try not to be a cover snob. I do. I try and fail and try again in the hopes that one of these days I'll learn my lesson. This is a near-constant topic of discussion within the circle of friends and family members I'm constantly pushing books on. A bad cover that conceals treasures within forces you to go on the defensive. I suppose it just hones my bookselling skills but I hate the number of times I've had to say, "Don't let the cover get to you, it's a freaking awesome book. You will love it!" Oftentimes I actually love these covers, but for one reason or another, they're hard to hand other people. The Mercy Thompson series is at the top of this particular list for some reason. I love Daniel dos Santos ' cover art. I really do. I'm particularly fond of the cover of Blood Bound . She just looks like Mercy to me. I love the composition...

I get so excited when my favorite authors break into hardcover. In fact, I'm pleased as punch to shell out the bigger bucks because it means that the awesome I've been basking in for awhile now has finally caught on and is being recognized on a wider scale. So it was, in a word,  thrilling  to open up the package from  Penguin  and see the words "#1  New York Times Bestselling Author" atop  Patricia Briggs ' shiny new hardcover  Bone Crossed .  Mercy Thompson starts her fourth adventure staring herself down in the mirror trying to decide where to go from here. The closing events of  Iron Kissed   left our favorite VW mechanic feeling, at best,  very  conflicted. She managed to make several key decisions, but can't quite seem to outrun her demons. Of course occupying the place of honor as lone walker, Alpha's declared mate, and vampire public enemy #1 doesn't help. She doesn't have long to fret, though, when an old acquaintance shows up on her doors...

Now I hestitate to get my hopes up too high, but I couldn't not note that 50 Canon Entertainment has just optioned the film rights to Patricia Briggs ' Mercy Thompson series! Press release found here . Now...who could play Adam?

Here's a sneak peak at the cover art for Patricia Briggs ' next Mercy Thompson novel, Bone Crossed , due out in February. Gorgeous, isn't it? (Thanks to Urban Fantasy Land for the heads up!)

Wow. So this series just keeps getting more and more intense. And in such unexpected ways. I love it when an author has the ability (and the guts) to slip in a real shocker without compromising her characters or the story as a whole. In a series, that's particularly hard to do without making it seem like a gratuitous plot twist inserted merely to keep the series going. Patricia Briggs has a 7-book deal for her Mercy Thompson series and book three has shown that not only does she know exactly what she's doing, but that we can trust her. To keep her characters and her world consistent. To take them down the right paths and introduce them to the right people...or werewolves and vampires in this case. Mercy lives in a world where werewolves, vampires, and the fae exist side by side with humans. The first book, Moon Called , focuses on the werewolves. The second, Blood Bound , centers on the vampires, including Mercy's quirky Scooby Doo loving friend Stefan. In this third instal...