Moonlight & Mechanicals blog tour: Guest post by Cindy Spencer Pape

I'm absolutely delighted to be welcoming today's guest back to the blog. I'm a huge fan of Cindy Spencer Pape and can't talk her up enough! She's visiting us today as part of her blog tour in celebration of the fourth book in her Gaslight Chronicles series from Carina Press. She's stopped by today to talk about reviews and how she feels about them. Enjoy!

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The Dreaded Review

I have to admit, after 48 or so publications, reviews still make me nervous. They’re a dicey thing, after all. Authors love them and dread them. A few even have the backbone to utterly ignore them, but not most of us. I’ll let you in on a little secret here. A lot of authors are pretty insecure about their work. A bad review can send us scurrying back into our cave, wondering if we should ever write again. A good one has us dancing on air. Most of us find them more than a little scary.

Can a good review help a book sell? Undoubtedly. Can a poor review keep a book from selling? Maybe. Certainly a bunch of bad reviews will make a reader think twice about spending her hard-earned dollars. So reviews can be important. They’re not just there to stroke or crush our fragile egos. Ultimately, they are not the be-all and end-all of a writer’s existence, but they do have an impact.

One of the first things an aspiring author is told is to develop a thick skin. This is not a business for the faint of heart. We all face rejections from editors and agents. We’ll all, sooner or later, get bad reviews. It’s all part of the business of writing. Creative people, though, tend to be very emotional sorts. We put a lot of our own emotions into the product—especially if you’re writing the kind of novels that are about emotions, such as romance. That makes it awfully hard when someone tells you it stinks. Even if they say so in a kind, professional manner.

So what can we do? We all know the answers. We can learn from our mistakes. If one reviewer dislikes a book, it may just be a matter of taste. If two or more say the same thing, it’s a good indication that there may be a problem. It lets us know what we can work on to do better with the next book. Mostly, though, we have to smile, thank the reviewer for taking the time and effort to read our books, and deal with it. Yeah—it hurts. The difference between a professional and an amateur is the ability to cope with the hurt and get over it.

And sometimes we have to write blogs. Even if we’re much more comfortable penning fiction.

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Thanks for visiting us, Cindy!

Want more Cindy? You can find her online at her website or on Facebook, or Twitter. You can also sign up for her newsletter.

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More about MOONLIGHT & MECHANICALS:

London, 1859

Engineer Winifred "Wink" Hadrian has been in love with Inspector Liam McCullough for years, but is beginning to lose hope when he swears to be a lifelong bachelor. Faced with a proposal from a Knight of the Round Table and one of her closest friends, Wink reluctantly agrees to consider him instead.

Because of his dark werewolf past, Liam tries to keep his distance, but can't say no when Wink asks him to help find her friend's missing son. They soon discover that London's poorest are disappearing at an alarming rate, after encounters with mysterious "mechanical" men. Even more alarming is the connection the missing people may have with a conspiracy against the Queen.

Fighting against time—and their escalating feelings for each other—Wink and Liam must work together to find the missing people and save the monarchy before it's too late...

Jenn's thoughts

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon

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Posted by jenn at 05:44

 Cindy Spencer Pape, giveaway, Guest Post, Harlequin, Macmillan, steampunk  2 People left their mark

Moonlight & Mechanicals by Cindy Spencer Pape

Moonlight & Mechanicals by Cindy Spencer Pape

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
E-book: 368 KB
Genre: Steampunk romance
Publisher: Carina
Release date: October 22, 2012

Series: Gaslight Chronicles #4

Source: Review copy from Carina Press

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon

London, 1859

Engineer Winifred "Wink" Hadrian has been in love with Inspector Liam McCullough for years, but is beginning to lose hope when he swears to be a lifelong bachelor. Faced with a proposal from a Knight of the Round Table and one of her closest friends, Wink reluctantly agrees to consider him instead.

Because of his dark werewolf past, Liam tries to keep his distance, but can't say no when Wink asks him to help find her friend's missing son. They soon discover that London's poorest are disappearing at an alarming rate, after encounters with mysterious "mechanical" men. Even more alarming is the connection the missing people may have with a conspiracy against the Queen.

Fighting against time—and their escalating feelings for each other—Wink and Liam must work together to find the missing people and save the monarchy before it's too late...

I've been hooked on Cindy Spencer Pape for quite some time. I first discovered her through her paranormal romance series, Urban Arcana, which is set primarily in Detroit, but I'm over the moon about the Gaslight Chronicles, her steampunk romance set in mid-1800's England. In fact, the Gaslight Chronicles just might be my favourite steampunk romance series right now! Needless to say, I'm excited to be writing about the fourth story in this series, MOONLIGHT & MECHANICALS.

A quick primer on the Gaslight Chronicles: King Arthur's Order of the Round Table never actually disbanded. Instead, the descendants of these knights remain active, fighting the paranormal in a steampunked 1850s London. Some of the stories in the series are novels, some novellas, but they all feature characters who are involved with the Order in some fashion. The first book, STEAM & SORCERY, introduces us to the world and also to the Hadrian clan and Liam McCullough, who are once again featured in MOONLIGHT & MECHANICALS, much to my delight. In STEAM & SORCERY, the focus is on Caroline and Merrick Hadrian; now, we're focussed on one of their adopted children, Wink, a former street kid with an eerie gift for the mechanical, and the object of her affection, Liam McCullough, an inspector with the London Constabulary who also happens to be a werewolf.

Wink won me over from the moment she set foot ont the page in STEAM & SORCERY so I was delighted when I heard that she'd be the star of MOONLIGHT & MECHANICALS. She's a very modern woman -- she's an engineer, she defies convention, and she knows her heart belongs to Liam, even though he's doing his best to push her into the arms of a mutual friend. Liam, for his part, thinks he's not good enough for Wink and wants to get her married off so he'll stop wanting her. It's a classic trope for a romance but it feels fresh and fun in Cindy Spencer Pape's hands. Watching Wink and Liam realizes that their feelings are requited was exciting and lovely and I whizzed through the novel thanks to smart writing, a fast-paced plot, and wonderful characters.

If you haven't tried Cindy's Gaslight Chronicles, now's the time to start! You could pick up MOONLIGHT & MECHANICALS and be okay since the author's done a wonderful job of laying out the necessary backstory but I think you'd enjoy the book even more if you go back to the beginning and give STEAM & SORCERY a try. The books are available only in electronic format since they're from Carina Press, Harlequin's e-only imprint, so go and download your copy now!

Read an excerpt

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Posted by jenn at 05:34

 Cindy Spencer Pape, Harlequin, Review, steampunk  1 Person left their mark

"When I'm not writing" with Cindy Spencer Pape + giveaway!

I'm so excited about our guest today! Cindy Spencer Pape writes two wonderful series: the Gaslight Chronicles, a steampunk romance series, and the Urbana Arcana novels, a paranormal romance series. I can't recommend her work enough.

Cindy's visiting today to celebrate the upcoming release of Motor City Mage, the fourth book in the Urbana Arcana series. Keep reading to find out what Cindy does when she's not hard at work on her next romance and enter for a chance to win Motor City Fae, the very first book in this series, to get you hooked from the beginning!

 

When I wasn’t a full-time writer, writing was what I did whenever I could snatch time away from the day job. Now, though, I occasionally find myself saying, “That’s enough for today. Take a break.” Then I look around and wonder what to do.

There are things I should do, of course. Living with three men, there’s always laundry and cleaning, but I usually ignore those as long as possible. I do not cook, aside from the very occasional scrambled egg or grilled-cheese sandwich. The offspring are both college students, and so I don’t spend much time anymore making sure they’re fed or chauffeured about. That’s a nice change of pace. The two dogs demand to be let in and out periodically throughout the day, and occasionally I take breaks to play with them. The iguana doesn’t demand much other than food, or occasionally to sit in a sunny window on a warm day.

But hobbies? Hmmm. Let’s start with the fact that I’m a nerd, through and through. I spend a lot of time reading, mostly romance, but also mystery, SF and fantasy, especially steampunk lately. The idea of petticoats and ray guns in the same book just makes me grin. Dressing up for events is another new favorite, and I’ve added a few steampunk outfits to my collection of Renaissance faire attire. You can look for me in some of the new gear at this year’s Romantic Times Convention. I’m lousy at sewing, but good at putting thrift-shop pieces together to make cool stuff.

I love game shows, having once even auditioned for Jeopardy. I’m still bummed that I was never called to be on the show. It’s one show I do try to watch when I can. I’m also hooked on Big Bang Theory, Primeval and Warehouse 13. I go through crossword and Sudoku puzzles as fast as I can get my hands on them. Finally, like the guys on Big Bang, I can often be found with my husband and friends playing utterly silly or seriously complex board games, not to mention the uber-geeky Dungeons and Dragons. Role-playing is how I met my husband in college, and something we still enjoy nearly 30 years later. I honestly thing I incubated my writing skills by building elaborate character backgrounds in some of those games.

Some day I’d love to say I travel, but so far, that’s mostly been in my imagination and late-night Travel Channel binges. I’m a big museum fan, when I can afford the money or time, which drives my family a little buggy. (“Come on, mom, can we please move on to another exhibit?”) Finally, I hang out a good bit with other writers and their long-suffering spouses. I love conventions, SF/F or romance, and the summer circuit of Renaissance faires. I’ve been active in the Detroit RWA chapter for the last 10 years, and have a fantastic critique group—even if one or two of the spouses have wondered if we’re really a secret cult… Ignore the chanting…

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Thank you for visiting the blog today, Cindy! I love it when authors are just as geeky as I am. ;)

For more Cindy, visit her website, blog, or Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.

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Here's the scoop on Cindy's upcoming release, Motor City Mage, which will be available on Monday. (I'm really looking forward to this one!)

As a cop who keeps paranormals in line, Des has a hard time trusting them. So why does he want the beautiful werewolf Lana more than his next breath? She's mouthy, flamboyant and distractingly sexy--not the type of woman for a reserved mage like him. Lana admires Des, but she can't be with someone who won't take her seriously, no matter how much she'd love to rip off his dress shirt.

When a dangerous new drug shows up in Detroit, Des must locate the source, and Lana is determined to help. But their plan goes awry, trapping them in a demon dimension. To return home, Lana and Des must flee through a series of unpredictable alternate realities, fighting enemies while trying to shut down the drug trade. But if they're going to survive, they'll have to rely on each other, even though getting closer will add fuel to a fire that's already burning out of control...

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon

Click on the cover to read my thoughts on the first three books in the Urban Arcana series:

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Cindy has generously offered one (1) copy of Motor City Fae, the first book in her wonderful Urban Arcana series, to a lucky reader!

Here's what it's all about:

Detroit artist Meagan Kelly has had a strong sixth sense all her life, but that doesn't mean the gorgeous stranger's crazy story--that she's a half-elf, half human heiress--is true. But Meagan can't deny the evidence of her own eyes--he's Fae. A tall, blond, handsome, pointy-eared elf--and a man she just can't get enough of.

Ric Thornhill's assignment just got a lot more complicated. The more time he spends with Meagan, the harder it is to see her as a political tool to prevent an all-out war between humans and Fae.

Now Meagan's in a race to master her newly released powers in time to prevent the conflict, convince a jealous Queen not to strip Ric of his powers, and find out if she can build a life that straddles two worlds.

Read an excerpt

My review

Purchase: Amazon

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

Giveaway closes Monday, March 19, 2012.

Open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favorite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

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Posted by jenn at 05:30

 Cindy Spencer Pape, giveaway, Harlequin, When I'm not writing  24 People left their mark