And Now for ... Werewolves

Vampires have reigned supreme for a while in the paranormal romance world, but we are finally beginning to see a surge in the popularity and presence of werewolf romances. This ground was tread a few years ago by Cheri Scotch with her werewolf trilogy, and Susan Krinard has been writing about them for a while, but it's now coming into it's own.

It's likely that they won't appeal to a lot of readers for the same reason that some don't like vampire romances. The vampire-haters complain that they can't imagine reading a book about a woman falling in love with someone who is technically dead.

The werewolf-haters, however, will complain that they can't imagine reading about a woman falling in love with a man who turns into a monster and eats people. Which is exactly the problem I fear with werewolves coming to romance. I think it's fair to say that many authors tone down the parts or themes in books that some readers might call "not romantic" or "too realistic" or "gross", etc. And after slogging through book after book from LKH with Richard the whiney werewolf, I don't think I can take that from these upcoming books.

Oh, and if you're looking for something to read right now, here are a few werewolf stories I've enjoyed in the past:
The Werewolf's Kiss by Cheri Scotch -- first in romance trilogy
Canyons by P. D. Cacek -- horror
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong -- horror/romance
Wild Blood by Nancy A. Collins -- horror
Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause -- teen
The Passion by Donna Boyd -- romance/horror
Naked Brunch by Sparkle Hayter -- humorous mystery
Tempting Danger by Eileen Wilks -- romance


And here are the ones I'm looking forward to that are new or due in the near future:

Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
Warner, 1 November 2005


Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Ace, 31 January 2006


Crescent Moon by Lori Handeland
St. Martin's, 7 February 2006


Wolf at the Door by Christine Warren
St. Martin's, 7 March 2006


Master of Wolves by Angela Knight
Berkley, 4 April 2006


Midnight Desire by Emma Holly
Berkley, 1 August 2006

US/UK Book Covers

Anyone who spends any time on my blog knows that I am fascinated by book covers. One of the things that particularly interests me is the differences in book covers around the world, and especially between the United States and the United Kingdom. We're so alike but also so different and it's amazing to see the differences in how books are marketed. On all of the books below, the US edition appears on the left, and the UK edition on the right.

The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis
I really like both of these covers. I prefer the script from the US edition and I like that the title and blurbs are set off from the picture. But I think I prefer the photo from the UK cover. The US one definitely has the historical feel, but the UK cover feels more informal and intimate.


1776 by David McCullough
The typeface for both the author's name and the title are the same on both editions, but the color is slightly different and they used a totally different picture. The picture on the US cover is a pretty iconic American scene, so that is probably why it doesn't appear on the UK cover, which is a little more general.


Red Lily by Nora Roberts
Both of these covers are boring, with the plain lilies on the front. The US cover, with the dominance of yellow is more striking and would attract my notice more in the bookstore. I also think it's interesting that the publisher is not using the NR seal in the UK apparently.


Predator by Patricia Cornwell
The images on both of these covers are really creepy. The old guy on the US cover is weird and anonymous looking. The wire and the polaroid on the UK cover are disturbing. Which is fitting for a mystery/thriller. The green cover of the US edition is very striking, and since so many covers are blue, it will stand out on the shelf or on a table.


Mary, Mary by James Pattterson
I don't think there is really anything special about either of these covers. You can tell that the US cover is one designed solely for the bookstore market. The million-dollar patterson name is large and in white print on a dark background, and the title is very large so that the devoted bestseller readers will notice that it is a new title. The UK cover is one that I can imagine somebody asking for, saying "it's a blue cover with a car on the front" which could describe any number of books.


The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
This one has been a huge book club book here, so I was curious about the UK book cover. I wonder if it has been such a fad read there? Anyway, very different feel to the covers here. I think the US cover emphasizes that this story takes place in a third-world nation with the city pictured on the front, where the UK cover focuses more on the boy who is one of the main characters.

Movies Coming Soon

Okay, it's been a while since I did a movie update, and I have a bunch of posters waiting in the wings to show you all. So here are a few:

Tristan and Isolde
January 13th View the trailer
This movie is already playing, but I hadn't talked about it before, so I wanted to highlight it anyway. I always loved the Wagner opera and the legend. And I love medieval stories/movies.


Firewall
February 10th
View the trailer
I think that Harrison Ford is starting to show his age a little -- he looked a little frail the last time I saw him -- but I'm sure with makeup we'll never know. And I've like Paul Bettany ever since I saw him in A Knight's Tale as Chaucer. He nearly stole the show.


Ultraviolet
February 24th
View the trailer
When I first heard about this one, I thought it would be an adaptation of the UK tv show I heard good things about, but it isn't. I know a lot of people didn't like the two Resident Evil movies, but I love zombies, and I thought Milla Jovovich was a great action heroine, so I look forward to seeing her again in this. And the costumes look awesome.


Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
March 31stView the trailerSteve and I love animated movies, and the first Ice Age was great, so we'll definitely see this one. And that squirrel is just hilarious.


Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
July 7th View the trailerPirates was one of the best movies of the year in 2003 (can you believe it's been that long?) and Pirates 2 looks just as good. Love the costumes, love the revival of pirates in a fun way. And Johnny Depp made that movie -- I was glad he finally got a big blockbuster and some attention from critics.


Lady in the Water
July 21st View the trailerThe Village didn't get very good reviews, but I liked it. Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard were both great, and she's in this one as well. Some people say the fact that there is a twist in Shyamalan's movies is too predictable, but it's not like we know going in what that twist will be, so I just enjoy myself.


Eragon
December 15th The book Eragon was written by a 19-year-old, and lots of those who liked Harry Potter enjoyed it. I didn't get around to reading it, but I am looking forward to the movie -- have to see anything with dragons. I just hope they do a good job with the dragons.


Charlotte's Web
December 20th The original was one of my favorite movies, and one of my favorite books when I was a kid, and I think I could still sing Templeton's "the fair is a veritable smorgasboard, orgasboard" song, so I am looking forward to this new treatment. It was moved from June to December to capture the holiday family market, and probably to corner the Oscar for animated film.