A KISS BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE by Thomas E. Sniegoski

"The most inventive novel you'll buy this year." - Christopher Golden

Book Summary

Boston P.I. Remy Chandler has many talents. He can will himself invisible, he can speak and understand any foreign language (including the language of animals), and if he listens carefully, he can hear thoughts.

Unusual, to say the least - for an ordinary man. But Remy is no ordinary man - he's an angel. Generations ago, he chose to renounce heaven and live on Earth. He's found a place among us ordinary humans; friendship, a job he's good at - and love.

Now he is being drawn into a case with strong ties to his angelic past. The Angel of Death has gone missing - and Remy's former colleagues have come to him for help. But what at first seems to be about tracing a missing person turns out to involve much more - a conspiracy that has as its goal the destruction of the human race.

And only Remy Chandler, formerly known as the angel Remiel, can stop it.

My Review

If you like reading about hard-boiled detectives and are prepared to enter a battle of epic proportions, get ready to kiss this book, because you will love A Kiss Before the Apocalypse. In this novel, Thomas E. Sniegoski successfully blends mystery and fantasy into a taut, well-paced story. This crossover novel will appeal to both adults and teens, especially those who enjoyed The Fallen, Sniegoski's quartet of novels which also had an angelic touch.

Remy was - is - an angel. He didn't fall to Earth accidentally; this is not a story of redemption. Instead, Remy has chosen to become human - or as close to it as he can, in his condition - and live a life on Earth. As a detective, he investigates crimes that others may turn away or write off, crimes with unexplained debris and unbelievable elements, crimes that don't seem natural - because they are supernatural.

His most recent case is a doozy. A pair of adults attempt to commit suicide, but they remain alive. Barely so, but there they are, hospitalized, in pain, unable to die. As more and more almost-deaths occur, with all different circumstances, Remy realizes he must track down an old acquaintance: the Angel of Death.

As a film noir aficionado, I love a good detective story, and that's what I got - with wings and immortality. I really loved Sniegoski's development of the story and his use of flashbacks to reveal more of Remy's past. I especially enjoyed Marlowe, as well as some other characters and elements I don't want to reveal here so I don't spoil other readers. Suffice to say there are some unexpected twists in the story, and the climax is amazing.

Those looking for love will find it in scenes between Remy and his wife, who is now elderly and ill and in a care facility. Since Remy is immortal and has never aged, he looks much older than his wife and must pretend she is his mother. Their love has never diminished, but This side-plot, as well as scenes between Remy and his loyal dog Marlowe, will tug at your heartstrings.

If you have a soft spot in your heart for pets, especially dogs, you will fall head-over-heels for Marlowe. As an angel, Remy can communicate with intelligent creatures, so Marlowe's barks are translated easily, expressing his desires for food and play. His thoughts are sometimes more serious, especially when he's scared or worried, wondering when the female will return to the pack, not quite understanding why she's gone away to the hospital. He's like a little kid, inquisitive one moment, frightened the next, then happy-go-lucky again.

I hope this book is the start of a full series of novels. Sniegoski has also written a Remy novella which is coming out in an anthology called Mean Streets, and I can't wait to read it!

Wings and Websites

Are you ready to kiss and tell? Sniegoski and I invite you to drop by the brand-spankin' new website for A Kiss Before the Apocalypse - just leave your swords at the door, please.

If you dig this book, you'll also enjoy Sniegoski's series The Fallen.

A Kiss Before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski is on my Best Books of 2008 list. I also recommended this book at GuysLitWire.

Poison Ink by Christopher Golden - Now available!

Everything had been poisoned, and the poison was spreading...

Sammi, TQ, Caryn, Letty, and Katsuko are floaters. None of them fits in with any particular group at Covington High School -- except each other. One night, to cement their bond, the girls decide to get matching, unique tattoos. But when Sammi backs out at the last minute, everything changes.

Faster than you can say "airbrush," Sammi is an outcast, and soon, her friends are behaving like total strangers. When they attack Sammi for trying to break up a brawl, Sammi spies something horrible on her friends' backs: the original tattoo has grown tendrils, snaking and curling over the girls' entire bodies. What has that creepy tattoo artist done to her friends? And what - if anything - can Sammi do to get them back?

This deliciously creepy psychological thriller is the perfect summer read.

Kirkus Reviews

"Action-packed horror with a sidebar of romance, sure to entice those with a taste for blood and the supernatural. Delightfully stomach-churning, [with] a satisfying, violent and sad ending."

My Thoughts

I had the chance to read Poison Ink early, and I drank up every drop!

Poison Ink is a killer thriller, certain to please fans of the suspense genre. This novel offers twists and turns at every corner, piercing as deep as the spoke-like tattoo which changes the lives of five girls forever.

When Sammi balks at getting the tattoo, she doesn't expect her friends to react as strongly as they do, and their actions and words leave her hurt and confused. Though her friends cast her aside, Sammi never turns her back on them. She knows something is terribly wrong, and she's determined to figure out how to stop it before they destroy themselves.

Each of the main characters are different in both appearance and attitude, making it easy to picture them and distinguish between them. Their differences are what drew them together in the first place: they didn't fit into any of the established cliques at school, so they drifted together, a group of floaters, then became close friends. How they react to the tragedies in this book prove that that bond is unbreakable, even though they themselves will never be the same.

Once again, Christopher Golden has created a pageturner that will keep readers up at night. (It might also inspire them to seek tattoo removal!) Poison Ink is filled with horrors both familiar (fighting with your best friends, getting crushed by your crush) and imaginative. With an action-packed climax, Poison Ink proves to be indelible, and will remain etched in the minds of readers.

Poison Ink is one of my favorite books of 2008. I can't wait to get this book into the hands of teens and adults alike and introduce a new generation to Golden's works.

How It Begins

Excerpt from Poison Ink © Christopher Golden. Reprinted with permission.

On the last Friday night of summer, Sammi Holland and the girls went downtown in search of ice cream. They planned to meet at Krueger's Flatbread for pizza beforehand, a necessary preamble to the main event: an utter debauchery of swirl-ins and sprinkles and fudge sauce at England's MicroCreamery. Afterward, the five of them would wander Washington Street, peeking in the windows of the candle shop, the art galleries, and the bohemian café on the corner, ending up at Cruel and Unusual Books. No way were they getting out of there without hitting the bookshop. Sammi could be very persuasive.

Downtown Covington didn't draw a lot of teenagers. Most of their classmates from Covington High School would be at the mall tonight. But Sammi and the girls just weren't the sort who hung out at the mall.

Unless they were going to the movies, Sammi and her friends steered clear of the Merrimack River Walk. The long, outdoor strip mall had been built less than ten years before, complete with movie megaplex, massive bookstore, and tons of chain clothing stores. On Friday and Saturday nights, hordes of high school kids from Haverhill, Methuen, Jameson, and other nearby towns roved the sidewalks along the River Walk in gaggles, half of them talking on their cell phones or texting their friends who hadn't come along. Like the "main drag" in old movies and TV shows, the River Walk was all about seeing and being seen - half mating ritual and half dance of supremacy.

Want to read more? Click here!

Get Inked

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Weaving a Tangled Web

I hope you'll drop by Christopher Golden's website as well as Poison Ink headquarters - and I hope you like what you see! I designed the Poison Ink site based on the gorgeous cover illustration by Chad Michael Ward.

Kick off your flip-flops and visit Jennifer Prado's new home on the web! It offers sand, sun, and stories. Learn more about Jennifer and her book Becoming Brazilian at http://www.jenniferprado.com/

I'm pleased to unveil the new website for Taylor Morris, author of books and stuff for tweens and teens.

Taylor's debut novel, Class Favorite, hit the shelves in 2007. Her next novel for tweens, Total Knockout: Tale of an Ex-Class President, will come out swinging on September 16th, 2008.

Taylor earned her stripes as a book reviewer and has also had several short stories published in Girls' Life magazine. Please pay her a visit: http://www.TaylorMorris.com

Kim Baccellia wanted a new look for her website, so she asked me to give it a jungle/floral touch in the vein of her young adult novel Earrings of Ixtumea. I found a beautiful background pattern at Squidfingers and took it from there.

Come visit the all-new kim-baccellia.com - I hope you like what we've done with the place!

I'm proud to unveil the website for Kristen Tracy's newest book, Crimes of the Sarahs.

At sixteen, Sarah Trestle has a lot going for her. She's cute, funny, and a terrific alto. She's also great behind the wheel, which is why she drives the getaway car. But Sarah T. doesn't complain; she loves being part of the best clique in Kalamazoo: The Sarahs.

Sarahs Aberdeen, Babbitt, Cody, and Trestle aren't out to hurt anyone--they're simply honing their craft. They start off their summer the usual way: interspersing petty crimes with nature walks, crushes, and volunteer work. Of course, everyone knows that a band of criminals is only as strong as its weakest link. When Sarah T. botches a shoplifting attempt, her fate in The Sarahs is seriously called into question.

And she's willing to do just about anything to prove that she's worthy . . .

Mugshots and more await you at CrimesoftheSarahs.com

THE VEIL Trilogy by Christopher Golden
In this enthralling series from bestselling author Christopher Golden, one man is drawn into a realm just across the veil from our own, where every captivating myth and fairy tale is true, the vanished exist -- and every fear is founded.

THE MYTH HUNTERS: Book One of The Veil

Yielding to his father's wishes, Oliver Bascombe abandoned his dream of being an actor and joined the family law firm. Now he will marry a lovely young woman bearing the Bascombe stamp of approval. But on the eve of his wedding, a blizzard sweeps in - bringing with it an icy legend who calls into question everything Oliver believes about the world and his place in it....

Pursued by a murderous creature who heeds no boundaries, Jack Frost needs Oliver's help to save both himself and his world-an alternate reality slowly being displaced by our own. To help him, Oliver Bascombe, attorney-at-law, will have to become Oliver Bascombe, adventurer, hero-and hunted. So begins a magnificent journey where he straddles two realities...and where, even amid danger, Oliver finds freedom for the very first time.

THE BORDERKIND: Book Two of The Veil

For centuries they lived amongst us. The frightful and wondrous, the angelic and bloodthirsty. Living in a reality just beyond the Veil, humanity's myths and legends are caught in a struggle for their very survival -- against hunters far more powerful than they are.

Into this struggle has stepped a New England lawyer who once wanted to be an actor -- a man who both longs for the mortal woman he was to marry and is desperate to rescue the sister who's been taken hostage. Neither hero nor warrior, Oliver Bascombe now finds himself brandishing a magical sword, walking in the company of a woman who sometimes appears as a fox and a man made of pure ice, and dueling with albino giants and winged killers. For in the world of the Borderkind - and the realms that exist beyond it -- Oliver is discovering just how vulnerable are humankind's myths, the dire consequences of their extinction, and the reason he was chosen to save them...

THE LOST ONES: Book Three of The Veil

The Veil comes to an unforgettable conclusion. The mythic realm of heroes and monsters has become the site of humanity's final showdown. And the price of victory may be dearer than anyone ever imagined.

Oliver Bascombe and his sister, Collette, have supposedly come to the Two Kingdoms to fulfill an ominous prophecy. But to unravel the mystery of their destiny, they must first stop an apocalyptic war, reveal a dark conspiracy, and prevent a powerful sorcerer from severing the human and legendary realms forever. As old allies gather for one last battle, even older enemies stand against them. For even legends have their legends...and they have returned -- the Lost Ones.

GO BEHIND THE VEIL

Pick up the free electronic press kits (EPKs) for all three books of The Veil:
The Myth Hunters
The Borderkind
The Lost Ones

REVIEWS

"[A] fast-paced dark fantasy adventure...[that] should appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lint, and Robert Holdstock."
-- Publishers Weekly

"Christopher Golden's storytelling is spellbinding."
-- Boston Magazine

( Read more... )

Visit Christopher Golden's official website.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sit and talk with one of the most influential people in your life? The folks behind The Big Shoe certainly have, and they've got a list of people they want to sit down for The Big Interview. Armed with determination and inspiration, they're planning to find the people on their list and chat them up on camera. First on the list: Fred Savage. Their people are contacting his people now to see if he's available for The Big Interview. How cool would that be?

After The Big Shoe created their graphics and content, they asked me for some technical support. I was happy to help them set up their website. You can check it out now at thebigshoe.tv

The newest website on the block belongs to Amy Goldman Koss. She's the author of over a dozen books for kids and teens, including the critically-acclaimed Side Effects and The Girls. She wanted her website to be straightforward and simple, but also bright and animated, so we combined her self-portrait with some fun fonts and funky colors.

http://www.amygoldmankoss.net

Many thanks to the mutual acquaintance who recommended my webdesign to Amy, and many thanks to Danielle for the Flash animation!

http://www.robinpalmeronline.com

Robin Palmer's debut novel, Cindy Ella, is now in stores - and the author's official website is now online! Coincidences (and perhaps a sprinkle of fairy dust) made our paths cross this month, and I ended up creating her website and interviewing her, all in the course of a weekend.

Click on over to Robin Palmer's official website!