Babel Clash

It’s been an absolute treat to have Ann Aguirre and Dan Wells on the blog these past two weeks.  Fun was had, books were given away, and we got to talk about Game of Thrones and Terminator (amoung other things of course).  Sounds like a good two weeks to me!  I want to thank them both because they were an absolute blast to have on the blog!

Since this is their last day on the blog, common practice is to let them plug to their heart’s content today!

Ann…Dan…the floor is yours!

Then, starting tomorrow we have Chris Wooding and Kevin Hearne joining us!

Chris Wooding is the author of 16 novels that fall within the realm of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and YA.  His latest to hit stateside are Retribution Falls (which comes out 4/26/11) and The Black Lung Captain.  These novels follow the adventures of Darian Frey, captain of the Ketty Jay.  If you like airship pirates, (mis)adventure, swashbuckling, action, and great characters, these novels are for you!

Kevin Hearne is a new voice in the urban fantasy genre.  Not only is his path to publication a great story in and of itself, it’s also an inspiration to aspiring novelists everywhere.  The first three volumes in his Iron Druid Chronicles come out in back-to-back months starting with the first volume, Hounded, on 5/3/11.  His series follows an Irish Druid hiding out in Arizona and running an occult bookstore.  What the Druid soon finds out is that an angry god has tracked him down to Arizona and is after something the Druid has in his possession.

Again, please join me in thanking Ann and Dan for joining us these past two weeks and welcoming Chris and Kevin to the blog.  It’s going to be another great two weeks!

Hi!

I’m actually in a deadline cave right now. It’s dark here, and I can’t find Dan. Or my shoes.

My laptop is at 13% battery right now, which is bad for me. Really, really bad.

But even though I am in dire straits, things are awesome for you readers. Why?

Because in lieu of sparkly, witty conversation, I’m giving you free stuff. Swag. Loot. Booty.

Yeah, I thought you’d perk up.

I’ll send out a signed copy of Enclave… and one of Dan’s books. Probably the first one. Unless you’ve already read it. Then you get to pick it. But it has to be one of Dan’s books, okay? Crap, I’m down to 12%. The cave is really cold.

I’ll see you tomorrow to pick a couple of winners.

To be considered for the giveaway, reply to this post and answer the following question:  What book are you reading now and how do you like it?

The prizes will go to commenters chosen at random.  Good luck!

Good times roll…get it? Roll the dice…RPGs…anyone?

Seriously though, I really enjoyed having Jim, Pat, and Anton on the blog these past two weeks. It was an honor to have all three of them post for our readers. As I’m prone to do, I’d like to offer up today for them to plug anything they’d like…just in case you weren’t quite sure who they are or what they write….

Then, when the dust settles, tomorrow we usher in two great new guests.

First, we’d like to welcome Ann Aguirre back to the blog! She last appeared the first year Babel Clash debuted and we’re happy to have her back! Her latest YA novel, Enclave, comes out tomorrow.  This novel follows a 15-year-old girl named Deuce who lives in a post-apocalyptic future where people life expentancy doesn’t reach much further than their mid-20s.  She is forced to team up with a mysterious hunter named Fade.  As a team, they learn of a growing threat to their enclave, that when revealed, they get exiled out of their underground home.

And if Ann wasn’t busy enough, the latest in her Corine Solomon series came out last week! With all that going on, we’re grateful to have Ann on the blog!

Joining Ann on the blog these next two weeks is Dan Wells, author of the John Wayne Cleaver trilogy.  The latest in the trilogy, I Don’t Want to Kill You, came out recently, but if you’re not familiar with the series, I recommend you go out and get I Am Not a Serial Killer and Mr. Monster immediately!  They’re filled with a fun blend of horror, supernatural thriller, and Dexter.  I’ve been devouring (not literally) these books since the first in the series debuted!

Readers, please help me thank our previous guests for their blog contributions and help me welcome Ann and Dan to the blog!

Ann and Ilona,

Thank you so much for joining us on Babel Clash.  It’s been a great conversation.

Fans, please check out Doubleblind and On the Edge.  Both are available in paperback on Borders.com and at your local Borders.

Tune in tomorrow to learn who will be our next guests on Babel Clash.

We have a lot of fans of both Ilona and Ann joining us this week.  Thanks for visiting Babel Clash, and we hope that you continue to follow our geeky debate.  All the comments are great, too!  Keep it up.

For those of you who have noticed that only Ann’s title is listed as our feature book, please know that we’ll give Ilona equal treatment next week.  Her new novel, On the Edge, will be our featured book for the second half of our conversation.

Also, we do have excerpts of both books for you to enjoy.  Here you go…

On The Edge Excerpt
Doubleblind Excerpt

Ann, thank you for unveiling your cover here!  It looks sharp, and I like it, even if it does look like it could be an image for Fast & the Furious 4.  The supernatural is downplayed more than I’d expect.  Maybe instead of tattooing the girl, the artist could add a flaming pentagram on the car’s hood or an “I Brake for Demons” bumper sticker?

Seriously, it’s a cool image, and thanks for sharing it with us.  The Patricia Briggs quote helps to associate the series with UF.

I attribute much of the heroine / tattoo fixation to Briggs’ Mercy Thompson and the brilliant artwork of Dan Dos Santos.

Our next featured guests are Ann Aguirre and Ilona Andrews.  Ann is the author of the Sirantha Jax series, and the third volume in the series, Doubleblind, goes on-sale 9/29.  Ilona is the author of the Kate Daniels series and new novel On the Edge also on-sale 9/29.

Tune in tomorrow to find out the topic of our next debate.

Babel Clash is now on Twitter.  You can find us by searching “BabelClash.”