Let It Snow Books: Interview with Jenn Bennett + Giveaway

Welcome to Day 15 of Let it Snow Books 2012, where for the next week you have the chance to read some really fun holiday posts from some of your favorite authors, both here and at Ex Libris.

Today, we welcome author Jenn Bennett here at Books to Brighten your Mood with a festive post and you will have the chance to win a copy of Kindling the Moon or Summoning the Night. From the moment I read the first book in this series, Kindling the Moon, I just knew that I had a winner series in my hands! So it's not a big surprise that the sequel, is among my favorite Urban Fantasy books of the year :) And I bet that the next book will be just as awesome as the rest of the series.
Read here my review of Summoning the Night:

Summoning the Night is the perfect sequel to Kindling the Moon! If you really liked the first book of the series, then you should definitely continue with this one. Every single thing that I loved about Bennett's writing style and her story... Read the rest of the review here.

-Since this whole event is about the Best Books we read in 2012, could you share with us some of your favorite titles you read this year?
Jenn: Thanks for having me on your blog! Lots of great books published this year—it’s so hard to choose! DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT by Laini Taylor (young adult fantasy), A GENTLEMAN UNDONE by Cecilia Grant (historical romance), and FIRELIGHT by Kristen Callihan (historical paranormal romance).

-What makes you feel that Christmas time is finally here?
Jenn: Digging the bows and ribbon and wrapping paper out of the closet. (We always have too much wrapping paper!)
 

-Is there anything special you usually do for the holidays?
Jenn: For the last few years, we’ve been spending Christmas Eve with my husband’s family—eating dinner, opening presents—then we spend Christmas Day by ourselves.

-Do you have any favorite holiday themed stories (movies or books)?
Jenn: I always watch IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, and I always cry—always! But my favorite holiday-themed movie is a comedy-mystery film from 1934, THE THIN MAN.

-Could you share with us your favorite holiday meal/dessert/candy?
Jenn: Favorite meal would be on Christmas Day: husband and I make roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

-You’re holiday shopping, name a few things you’ll buy this year.
Jenn: Candy, an Adventure Time sword (American cartoon TV show), books.

-Let’s say you have the chance to spend the holidays with a fictional character, who would that be and what would you be doing?
Jenn: The next Arcadia Bell book takes place at Christmas, so I got to spend some holiday time with Jupe when I wrote it. Does that count?

-We all love Christmas holidays, but I was wondering if there’s anything about them that you find annoying?
Jenn: Not annoying, but sometimes the holidays make me sad, especially when I know people who are struggling to find work or support their families.

-What would you ask Santa to bring you this year?
Jenn: Santa already brought me the best present ever: my agent just sold a new series of mine to Berkley/Penguin, a paranormal romance that takes place in 1920s San Francisco. The first book will be released in Winter 2013, and the second will come out a few months later. I couldn’t have asked for a better gift!

-What would be your (bookish or not) New Year’s resolutions?
Jenn: To read outside my comfort zone in 2013. I find myself reading the same two or three genres, and I’d like to branch out and read new things—to challenge myself to be a more well-rounded reader.


Thank you Jenn for being with us today and Happy Holidays!

About the author

Jenn Bennett is an award-winning artist and author of the Arcadia Bell urban fantasy series from Pocket Books. Born in Germany, she’s lived and traveled extensively throughout Europe, the U.S., and the Far East. She lives near Atlanta with one husband and two very bad pugs.

Get weekly Facebook updates from Jenn by liking her fan page, or follow her on Twitter for daily dribbles about her current writing projects, the book industry, and miscellaneous obsessions.

Visit Jenn

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

About the Book:
Title: Summoning the Night
Author: Jenn Bennett
Series:Arcadia Bell, #2
Publisher: Pocket Books
Length: 324 pages
Release Date:April 24th 2012
Purchase Info: Book Depository, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads

MAGICAL TRICKS. DEMONIC TREATS. After narrowly escaping her fate as a sacrificial scapegoat, Arcadia Bell is back to normal. Or at least as ordinary as life can be for a renegade magician and owner of a tiki bar that caters to Earthbound demons. She’s gearing up for the busiest day of the year—Halloween—when a vengeful kidnapper paralyzes the community. The influential head of the local Hellfire Club taps Cady to track down the fiendish bogeyman, and now that she’s dating red-hot Lon Butler, the Club’s wayward son, she can hardly say no.

Cady and Lon untangle a gruesome thirty-year trail of clues that points to danger for the club members’ children. But locating the person behind the terror will require some metaphysical help from Cady’s loyal bar patrons as well as her potent new Moonchild powers—and she’d better figure it out before the final victim disappears and her own darkest secret becomes her biggest enemy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jenn has generously offered a paperback copy of either Kindling the Moon or Summoning the Night to one lucky commenter. (Open Internationally.)All giveaways end on January 5th.

~Fill the form below to enter ~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner of Jenn Bennett Giveaway!

I know I'm terribly behind but life has been a little bit crazy lately and as a result my blog is suffering a little bit. But, I have the winner of the giveaway I was hosting a couple of weeks ago with Jenn Bennett!

But, before I announce the winner I really want to thank each and everyone of you who entered this giveaway!Thank you very much!

And now on to the winner!

....to Stella from Ex Libris!!!

The winner has been already notified and claimed her prize.

Stay tuned later today for an all new giveaway with Jennifer Estep :)

Interview and Giveaway with Jenn Bennett

Today, I have in store for you a very special guest! Jenn Bennett, author of Kindling the Moon and the newly released Summoning the Night will stop by today to answer some of my questions about herself and her really great series Arcadia Bell. I just have to say it, her series is the next hot thing in UF literature and I'm a huge fan of her work. You can check here my review of Kindling the Moon and Summoning the Night and understand why I love her work so much :)

But, let's leave Jenn talk about everything herself and don't forget to check at the end of the post for a giveaway :)

Anna:Hello and welcome at my place! 
Jenn: Thanks for having me on your blog, Anna! I'm excited to be here!

Anna: Can you tell us a few words about your newest release? 
Jenn: SUMMONING THE NIGHT is the second book in my Arcadia Bell series, which I suppose you could categorize as "romantic urban fantasy." SUMMONING takes place a few weeks after the events in the first book, KINDLING THE MOON, and centers on a mystery involving The Snatcher, a local legend who kidnapped teenagers 30 years ago and was never caught. When the teens of Hellfire Club members start disappearing, my lead characters, Cady and Lon, are called in to help track down the villain.

Anna: The world you describe in your books is detailed and quite intricate. What inspired you to create it?
Jenn: I like tweaking mythologies and creating unexpected twists, so I knew if I was going to write about demons, they had to be complex: not good, nor bad—neutral. And since demons in my world are Earthbound, which means they also LOOK like humans, I liked the idea of a girl who could identify them, when other humans couldn't. That's where the halos came in. And of course Cady couldn't be just another witch. I wanted her to be a little darker. I've always been fascinated with the occult and ceremonial magicians, so I guess it was easy for me to write Cady into role like this.

Anna: How many books will conclude Arcadia's storyline? 
Jenn: Right now, I'm contracted for three more releases: Arcadia 2.5, a novella that will release this Christmas, Arcadia 3 (Spring 2013) and Arcadia 4 (2014). Those books will close a major story arc. However, in my head, the complete Arcadia story will take 6 books to finish.

Anna: I just have to ask it! Do you ever plan on writing a book where Jupe will be the main hero? I just love this character to pieces and I'm way too intrigued by him to not ask this question :)
Jenn: Uh-oh, don't get me started about Jupe, because I could go on for hours! Jupe is one of my favorite characters to write. For those who haven't read my series, he's the teenage son of my hero. He's geeky and chatty and sometimes steals the show. Jupe plays a larger role in SUMMONING. And in book 4, readers will get some chapters from his point of view. But one day I'd absolutely LOVE to write a young adult book (or series) in which Jupe is the main hero. He's only 14 now, but I can picture him as 16 or 17, getting in lots of trouble. That would be a blast to write.

Anna: Do you have any plans for a new story apart from Cady's?
Jenn: I've just written a historical paranormal romance that I'm REALLY excited about, and I hope to share more information about it soon, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Anna: What is your favorite genre to read and could you share some of your favorite books? 
Jenn: I love speculative fiction. Neil Gaiman. Margaret Atwood. Historical fantasy like The Night Circus, which I thought was just fabulous. But the two genres I love the most are probably historical romance and young adult. Joanna Bourne is one of my favorite historical romance writers—I love everything she's written. In young adult, recent books I've loved are: Lola and the Boy Next Door, Anna Dressed in Blood, Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

 Anna: When not writing (or reading), how do you like spending your free time? 
Jenn: I'm an artist, so I like to paint. I also love cooking. Watching old movies from the 1930s and 40s. Shopping for vintage furniture. Traveling.

 Anna: Which place in the world are you dying to visit?
Jenn: I've traveled to the Far East a good bit: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong. But I've never been to Japan, and I'd love to visit. I was born in Germany and lived near Frankfurt the first few years of my life, so I'd like to go back and see how it's changed. I'd also love to travel to Sweden and France. And because I love both Greek mythology and Greek food, I certainly wouldn't mind visiting Greece—especially islands like Santorini and Crete! :)

 JENN BENNETT is an award-winning artist-turned-author. She believes rebellion is an under-appreciated art form, has conjured up more demons than you've had hot lunches, and likes her fairy tales like she likes her coffee: dark. She lives near Atlanta with her husband and two pugs.

 Visit her here:

Goodreads ~ Website ~ Twitter

~~~~~~~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MAGICAL TRICKS. DEMONIC TREATS.

After narrowly escaping her fate as a sacrificial scapegoat, Arcadia Bell is back to normal. Or at least as ordinary as life can be for a renegade magician and owner of a tiki bar that caters to Earthbound demons. She’s gearing up for the busiest day of the year—Halloween—when a vengeful kidnapper paralyzes the community.

The influential head of the local Hellfire Club taps Cady to track down the fiendish bogeyman, and now that she’s dating red-hot Lon Butler, the Club’s wayward son, she can hardly say no. Cady and Lon untangle a gruesome thirty-year trail of clues that points to danger for the club members’ children. But locating the person behind the terror will require some metaphysical help from Cady’s loyal bar patrons as well as her potent new Moonchild powers—and she’d better figure it out before the final victim disappears and her own darkest secret becomes her biggest enemy.

Jenn has generously offered a paperback copy of either Kindling the Moon or Summoning the Night to one lucky winner.

Guidelines

~ The contest is open internationally wherever Book Depository ships.

~ You must be 13 years old or over to participate.

~ The winner will be chosen via Random.org

~ The prize is submitted by the author and I have no responsibility whatsoever over it.

~ The contest will be open until May 16th

~ The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have 48 hours to confirm his/her e-mail address before a new winner is selected.

~Fill the form below to enter ~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

EARLY REVIEW: Summoning the Night by Jenn Bennett

Summoning the Night by Jenn Bennett

Series: Arcadia Bell, #2
Publication Date:April 24th 2012

Publisher:Pocket

Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages
Book & Purchase Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

Magick. Murder. Mayhem.
It’s all in a night’s work. . . .

After narrowly escaping her fate as a sacrificial scapegoat, Arcadia Bell's life is back to normal. Or at least as ordinary as life can be for a renegade magician and owner of a tiki bar that caters to Earthbound demons. She’s gearing up for the busiest day of the year—Halloween—when a vengeful kidnapper paralyzes the community. The influential head of the local Hellfire Club taps Cady to track down the fiendish bogeyman, and now that she’s dating red-hot Lon Butler, the club’s wayward son, she can hardly say no.

Cady and Lon untangle a gruesome thirty-year trail of clues that points to danger for the club members’ children. But locating the person behind the terror will require some metaphysical help from Cady’s loyal bar patrons as well as her potent new Moonchild powers—and she’d better figure it out before the final victim disappears and her own darkest secret becomes her biggest enemy.

Summoning the Night is the perfect sequel to Kindling the Moon! If you really liked the first book of the series, then you should definitely continue with this one. Every single thing that I loved about Bennett's writing style and her story in Kindling the Moon is present in the sequel as well!


The thing I loved the most about this book was the way Bennett expanded her storyline. She didn't just stick to the first book of the series but created a brand new story to unfold in Summoning the Night. We may have the same cast of heroes and the same rules apply to the universe, but Bennett delivers a fresh new story that you can't possibly put down for a minute.
Arcadia develops as a character in this book and I really enjoyed to observe the way she slowly starts to trust people again after all those years of living in hide and how her relationship with both Lon and Jupe gets stronger.


I found the mystery in Summoning the Night somehow better delivered than that of Kindling the Moon. It was harder for me to get all the clues and the twists in the plot just made things even better. The villain here is seriously sick (in the way I really like!) and trying to piece together all the parts to find the bad guy was more than fun.


But once more, everything is overshadowed by a delicious teen named Jupe! Yeah, I know, I said it before, but Jupe is just amazing! I mean his voice is so fresh and full of humor that makes this series a true joy to read and make me wish that Jenn Bennett will seriously consider of writing a book about him once he gets a little older. Honestly, I can't get enough of that boy! I just love him!


All in all, Summoning the Night is just the perfect sequel to Kindling the Moon, and all fans of the first book should read this one ASAP. You won't regret it, believe me!

* This title was provided for review courtesy of the author

REVIEW: Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett

Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett

Series: Arcadia Bell,#1
Publication Date: June 28th 2011

Publisher: Pocket

Mass Market Paperback, 358 pages

Book & Purchase Info: Author's Website, Goodreads, Book Depository

Meet Arcadia Bell: bartender, renegade magician, fugitive from the law. . . .

Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

Kindling the Moon is a very interesting and really promising debut Urban Fantasy title. I don't know why I was really surprised by how good this books really is. After all, all the reviews of it are good and I had it recommended to me by some people whose taste I quite trust.


Jenn Bennett's voice is strong and clear and her writing style humorous, even and easy flowing. So as you can guess, as soon as I started reading this book, I just couldn't possibly put it down. The plot was full of twists, mystery and action and there wasn't even a single moment when I felt bored by reading Kindling the Moon. Granted, some of the twists in the end, were a bit predictable after a certain point in the story, but still, that fact didn't spoil things for me. After all, the plot was so full of action that any predictability went a bit unnoticed.


The world Bennett created is unique and intricate and unlike anything I have read to this point. Magic and demons are set in a fresh world where all the rules are different from what you come to expect. We have Earthbounds, the children of demons and human, savages (think something like Muggles) magicians and demons. And you have a very unique and powerful heroine, who doesn't even know how powerful she really is and how her unlikely conception has influenced her life in many aspects.


The characters are well developed and interesting. I really loved Arcadia, how strong, smart and brave she is and how willing to do whatever it takes for those she cares.
Lon, reminded me a bit of Johny Depp in his description, and that by itself, was enough reason to make me love him and then some more. But apart from his looks, he is caring and his sarcastic tone made me really laugh.
But my favorite character in this book was by far Jupe, Lon's son. I have to admit that at first, I didn't know what to think about my alpha male in a story being a parent. You see, I haven't read many books, if any at all, where my heroes are parents, so in the beginning I was a bit uncertain. But Jupe is such a great character, that all my reservations evaporated in the blink of an eye! He is such a cute and adorable kid, and his presence really added in the whole story. His perspective of things was interesting and entertaining and the way he talks and perceives things was among my favorite parts of the book.


All in all, Kindling the Moon, is a fresh Urban Fantasy title, from an author who seems very promising. I can't wait for the next book to get published!