• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Nicole Peeler’s Website
• List Price: $7.00 US/$9.99 CDN
• Publisher: Orbit; 1 edition (July 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031605657X
• ISBN-13: 978-0316056571

Buy Tracking The Tempest at:

• Amazon
• Book Depository

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and Ryu – Jane’s bloodsucking boyfriend – can’t let a major holiday go by without getting all gratuitous. An overwhelming dose of boyfriend interference and a last-minute ticket to Boston later, and Jane’s life is thrown off course.

Ryu’s well-intentioned plans create mayhem, and Jane winds up embroiled in an investigation involving a spree of gruesome killings. All the evidence points towards another Halfling, much to Jane’s surprise…

Tracking The Tempest is the second book in Nicole Peeler’s Jane True series, where we follow Jane who found out in the first novel that she is part selkie & part human.

Jane is still coming to terms with it & being trained in her defense shields & her offense. She’s also a little over 3 months into a long distance relationship with Ryu (babohan sith/vampire) & Ryu is starting to put pressure on Jane to take the relationship to the next level, which would turn her whole world upside down. While visiting Ryu in Boston, Jane gets sucked into an investigation he is conducting where a hafling has broken out of a facility & is killing people & supes at an alarming pace.

In the 3 odd months since Tempest Rising, Jane has been training with Nell (a gnome), Trill (the weirdest My Little Pony out there) & Anyan (hell hound) learning glamours, shields & mage lights, all to prepare her to defend herself properly in the supe world she’s been thrown into. She’s happy & proud of herself for continuing on in the face of all the weirdness that has surrounded her. Little does she know how soon she’ll be needing those shields.

I love Jane, she’s snarky & hard headed, but she knows what she wants & she keeps pushing to get it. Ryu & his necessity for Jane to move to Boston really irritated me, I love Ryu but he doesn’t seem to know what the word compromise means. It’s his way or no way & I am glad that Jane keeps “sticking it to the man”. It’s amazing how a character changes from one book to the next, Jane has grown up more & Ryu seems to be more dependant on Jane. 

There is also some new tension between Anyan & Jane, and also between Ryu & Anyan. Ryu makes mention of something, but doesn’t follow through with the reason he doesn’t seem to like Anyan much. I wonder how the storyline will progress between the three of them.

There are some cool additions to the series, Ryu’s group of supernatural police. I fell in love with Julian & I hope we get to see more of him. Ms. Peeler also has a big surprise when Jane finally finds out where Grizzie has been disappearing to all this time.

My only issue with Tracking The Tempest was the (IMO) overuse of terms of endearment between Ryu & Jane (baby, babe, sweetheart) I am all for showing your love/like but I thought it was a bit much. But that said, Jane comes off as real. She’s a character you can relate to in terms of her relationships & even her reaction to being thrown into a world that she had no idea existed, she’s just trying to live. Just like any of us would be & that’s what I love most about Ms. Peeler’s writing, take away the supernatural elements & it could be real.

Nicole Peeler is snarky, witty & hilarious….pick up a copy, you’ll be happy you did it’s a fun ride!

I know I know, I don’t post covers but it’s my homey Nicole & I love Nicole’s covers so I had to post it! This book three in the Jane True Series due on January 2011, click here for all the covers. 

Jane True has become proficient in basic magics, confident in herself and her abilities, and happily rooted in Rockabill. Her life is still divided between her supernatural brethren and her human friends and family, but it’s a division she maintains with very little trouble.

Everything changes, however, when Anyan brings Jane news that will force her to confront her dichotomized existence – supernatural females are being murdered, or have simply disappeared.

Jane and Anyan must embark on a desperate search to find out who is abducting these women, and how Jane can be protected from them. Aiding them is Jane’s former flame, Ryu. But can his stated motivations be trusted? And who are the mysterious figures dogging Jane’s and Anyan’s footsteps if not minions of Jarl?

Eventually, the trio stumble upon a secret so huge that it threatens to disrupt the tenuous traditions keeping humanity safe from the supernatural community that has, up until now, been content to lurk in the shadows.

Will they uncover the truth in time to save Jane’s friends? And just how far will Jarl go to protect his secrets?

Nicole Peeler’s debut novel Tempest Rising was just released to great reviews (read my review here), I am excited to have her here…even though she threatened me, read below for the proof! lol

Nicole has posted a playlist for Tempest Rising here. Check it out.

WLP: Can you tell us about Tempest Rising?

NP: Tempest Rising is about a girl with a secret who discovers a body. This discovery leads to all sorts of revelations pertaining to her secret. Then she meets a very hot guy. And then there are more murders, and some sex, and then some violence. So, basically, my favorite two word summary of the novel is, “Hijinks ensue.” 

WLP: Why did you chose to write about Selkies?

NP: I wrote the novel while I was living in a flat in Edinburgh, Scotland, that overlooked the Firth of Forth. So when the time came to pick Jane’s supernatural heritage, the selkie legends were both obvious and perfect. Jane’s supposed to be sort of an anti-heroine, so I needed a legend that wasn’t overtly bad ass; a myth that left me room to make Jane vulnerable. What is more vulnerable, and anti-woman-in-leather, than a girl who’s half seal?

WLP: How long did it take you to write Tempest Rising? What did it feel like to see it for the first time in print?

NP: It took me about three months to write the rough draft of TR, then another three months, or so, to finish edits. Then I found an agent, and it sold shortly after we went on submission. So all together it took me less than a year from the germ of the idea that was Jane, to selling to Orbit. So it’s been a very surreal experience, and I’m still not at all used to seeing the book in print. I keep waiting to wake up and find it was all a dream.

WLP: What’s next for Ryu & Jane? Why did you give Jane a vampire for a lover instead of another Selkie?

NP: To be honest, selkies aren’t that exciting. They swim and they bask. So having Jane meet another selkie would have lead to some inevitable pacing issues. Plus, I wanted Ryu to be the polar opposite of Jane, in pretty much every way. I wanted him to be urbane, street smart, and a total player. If any mythological creature was going to grow up to be a pimp daddy mack, it would have to be a vampire.

WLP: Can you tell us about Tracking the Tempest (is there a release date?)?

NP: The sequel is coming out in July of 2010. It’s way faster paced than TR, and Jane is put through the ringer in this book. It’s also set in Boston, so Jane’s out of her comfort zone. It’s tons of fun and I can’t wait for it to come out!

WLP: Will we learn more about the obvious connection between Anyan & Jane?

NP: Oh yes. There will be much more Anyan. Sweet, sweet Anyan.

WLP: What about Jane’s mother, is there a possibility of a reunion at some point?

NP: If I told you, I’d have to kill you. And Orbit gets a bit miffed when I kill interviewers. So my lips have to remain sealed on that one.

WLP: Word on the street is Jaye Wells & yourself have a bit of a smack down going on about Selkies & Vampires. Who’s going to win that cage match?

NP: Realistically, Jaye would kick my ass. I totally fight like a girl.

WLP: What do you do when not writing or working at LSU as an Assistant Professor?

NP: At the moment I feel as if all I do is work. But when I do have some spare time, I’m usually at the gym, belly dancing, eating, or drinking.  Or traveling. I’m a huge fan of traveling to other places and eating new foods. I don’t know if you were aware of the existence of “cultural calories,” but food that’s a cultural experience is automatically stripped of calories. So, for example, “mushroom pakora” at an Indian restaurant are a cultural experience and therefore calorie-free. Fried mushrooms at your local chain restaurant are not a cultural experience, and are therefore bad for you.

WLP: What books have you read lately?

NP: At the moment I’m reading Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man. But I’ve also just finished up Charlaine Harris’s Harper Connelly series, which I adored. I am also seriously obsessed with Gail Carriger’s new debut novel, Soulless. I think it’s brilliant.

WLP: I giggled a lot at some of the music references in Tempest Rising, especially the Wu Tang “I like it raw” comment. Do you listen to certain music while you write? If so what?

NP: I listen to music all the time, and I have very eclectic taste. I often blog about what I’m listening to, currently. Right now it’s a lot of The Gaslight Anthem. I want to do terrible things to the lead singer, most of which involve spreadable fruit and a lot of rope.

WLP: Belly dancing? Seriously?

NP: Hell yeah! Belly dancing rocks. I dance with some seriously awesome ladies at the Lotus Studios, here in Shreveport. It’s very fun, very sensual, a great workout, and you get to wear a shit ton of bling.

WLP: Finally, on Facebook you say your favourite movies are embarrassing, so what are they?

NP: I’m known, amongst my friends, as the one with the tastes of a fourteen-year-old boy. I love Transformers, anything by Judd Apatow, a good old-fashioned sausage fest like 300, or any early Adam Sandler. I’d rather eat my own sick than watch a romantic comedy, and I read too much “serious” literature to enjoy a lot of art or independent films. I think that because I engage with so many difficult ideas in the fiction that I teach and that I read for teaching, I really, really want my movies to be pure escapism. It’s not that I can’t appreciate good film, but that I usually watch movies with the sole intention of turning off my brain. 

WLP: I want to Thank Nicole for taking the time for an interview, even though she said BLING in an answer. All the best to you Nicole!

On the some things just shouldn’t be done idea, apparently there is a movie being made titled “Ouija“. Yes, keep shaking your head, it only goes downhill from here my friends. Especially when it’s being classed as a “Supernatural Action Adventure” Movie. Bad juju I tell you, you don’t mess with those boards..even if Milton Bradley makes them!

This weekend, I had a Extreme Paranormal marathon as I hadn’t seen the show yet. I am shaking my head as I type this, because it truly was one of the worst of the paranormal shows I have seen. From the over acting, to the fake possessions, I was truly disgusted. I understand most paranormal shows are just plain boring, nothing happens and it’s all about the equiptment and the back stories…but Extreme Paranormal, horrible in my eyes. There is no need to antagonize “ghosts” for TV ratings, you only come off looking as an ass. Burying yourself in a casket on Voodoo grounds, you deserve whatever follows you home. Idiots.

I saw my first commercial for New Moon today, yes apparently I live under a rock. Which prompted me into going to buy tickets for my best-friend and I.

No, I did not like the first movie. We giggled through-out it, especially the guy playing Jasper reminding us of Edward Scissor-hands. But nobody calls me a quitter, so I got our tickets to go opening night with the Tweens & Teens. If nothing else, they’ll be entertaining whilst screaming for Rob Pattinson.

Go figure, he’s cute as a vampire and doesn’t appeal to me at all when he’s not Edward.

Speaking of Twilight, I came across an Edward Cullen wall decal in a magazine today and almost giggled myself into a fit. I am one of those who thought Edward watching Bella sleep screamed STALKER. I also know I am not alone, so to the un-named author who I had a big ol’ discussion about Edward’s stalkerish tendencies, you jumped straight into my head when I saw this. If they weren’t $60.00 USD, you would be getting one in the mail from me! As would my bestfriend, who aptly said “Thats absolutly creepy and taking Twilight overboard”. Please note, the adult bedroom in the picture, not a kids bedroom. I’m sure my boyfriend would love that.

Tomorrow my interview with Nicole Peeler goes live and she threatens to kill me when I ask about her next book. Ha.

A new interview with Anne Rice, where she briefly discusses her former vampire fans.

An interview by the Houston Press with Kimberly Frost.

Finally, from Forbes Magazine, Hollywood’s Most Powerful Vampires & Vampire Mania.

Living in small town Rockabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she didn’t quite fit in with so-called normal society. During her nightly, clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human.

Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures alternatively terrifying, beautiful, and deadly- all of which perfectly describe her new “friend,” Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire.

It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never-ever-rub the genie’s lamp.

Tempest Rising is Nicole Peeler’s debut novel and let me tell you, she does not disappoint.  Many will pick up the book when they see the beautiful cover art, but the writing itself sucks you right in. You will be glad you picked it up.

Jane True has never fit it, her Mother came into small town Rockabill in the middle of the storm and left the same way six years later. Jane lost someone very close to her and blames herself for it, as do many in the town. Jane is an outcast, she always knew she was different, but not this different. 

From beginning to end, I could not put this book down. I stayed up into the wee hours this morning reading and was up at the crack of dawn reading. I absolutely loved that Nicole didn’t use the “normal” paranormals and choose a Selkie among other lesser known para’s. Never mind that the genie didn’t have a lamp to rub, but something a lot more interesting. Nicole has a wicked sense of humor and you will cackle out loud. You’ll also fall in love with Jane, especially when you can feel just how vulnerable she is.

I actually laughed out loud a few times due to references about Wu Tang Clan and the infamous lifting scene from dirty dancing. Jane is someone you can relate too, as a person dealing with deep issues, being thrown into a world she didn’t know existed. Nicole even touches on things I have often wondered whilst reading, do people/paranormals not pee or go to the washroom!

Nicole, kudos and congratulations on your debut. I for one, cannot wait for Tracking the Tempest!

Nicole will be here next week for an interview, just after the release of Tempest Rising!

5/5 Lamps you CAN rub.

Nicole’s Website

Tempest Rising is available on November 1, 2009 at:

Chapters

Amazon

Barnes & Noble