Red Wolf Blogs

   Okay, one more rant and I’ll drop the subject, I promise. But, really, don’t you just hate picking up a new book touted as first in a series , and you really, really like it, and then when you finish you find the next book has yet to be written?    I do.    I can’t stand it. Now, I’m hooked, and maybe there’s not even a clue when the next book will be available. Plus, the wait-read cycle could repeat itself over quite a few years. It takes time to write, edit and publish a book. Even the most prolific writers can’t fulfill the need I have for instant gratification once I’ve become a fan.    The series I’m most anxious about at the moment is a delightful dystopian/sci fi offering by my favorite paranormal author, Richelle Mead.    We all know Mead from her popular YA novels that sprung from Vampire Academy and its spinoff, Bloodlines. If you’re lucky, you’ve read her debut adult series featuring the reluctant succubus, Geo...

A few weeks ago I found myself facing a dilemma. I’d just released Red Wolf Rising, and I was looking around for something to work on. Projects for revised editions of my first two Red Wolf novels loom on the horizon, but I’d been in editing mode for so long I felt I needed a break. Yet, I couldn’t seem to summon the Muse (usually conjured with coffee) to write anything new. What to do? Okay, it really wasn’t that hard a decision. I did what I always do when I have a number of choices I don’t want to take. I read! So, for the past several weeks I’ve indulged myself with a YA binge. At my age, it’s a little embarrassing I read so many Young Adult novels. But, I do. In fact, if you examined the plethora of titles currently stored on my Kindle, you’d conclude that YA Paranormal is my preferred genre. Although I like to tell myself my tastes in literature are more eclectic, I must admit I’m drawn to these stories where the protagonists are predominantly teenage girls. They make th...

I recently had a message from a friend on Goodreads, saying she’d just finished reading the first two books of my Red Wolf Saga and was eager for a third. I love it when a reader becomes drawn into the world I’ve created and wants more, and as a relatively new author, her message definitely made my day. I assured her that the third book, Red Wolf Rising , was now in the editing and beta reader process, and would be available soon. (Check out the teaser for it by clicking on the My Books page tab at the top of my blog.) I allowed myself to bask in the glow of having my work appreciated for a moment, and then I began to reflect on what it’s like for a reader who gets involved in a series that’s not finished yet. Believe me, I’ve been there. I hate it. Maybe it’s because I got spoiled when I first started reading books in a series. As a boy, Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan books, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy , and Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings were all finished by the time I got t...

I’ve been binging for over a month now. A reading binge, that is. Yes, I know I’m supposed to be finishing up Red Wolf Rising , not reading all the time, and I am, I swear. But all work and no play makes… Wait. Am I about to refer to my writing as work ? Nevermind. Let me explain. Check this out…   “Statistics show that most mortals sell their souls for five reasons: sex, money, power, revenge, and love. In that order. I suppose I should have been reassured, then, that I was out here assisting with numero uno , but the whole situation just made me feel… well, sleazy. And coming from me, that was something.” Thus begins the first chapter in Succubus Blues , and also my love affair with author Richelle Mead. I read those lines a few years back when I was browsing the paranormal/sci-fi section of a Books-a-Million while taking a break from writing The Draculata Nest . I was hooked instantly. Succubus Blues, the first of the Georgina Kincaid series, which covers in six ...

July 13, 2013    Just a quick note:       Thanks for dropping by my blog. If you're a regular, I hope you're not too disappointed to find I haven't posted anything new. I've foregone blogging for a few weeks while I prepare part one of the next Red Wolf novel for my editing team.     Chill. In the long run my time spent writing away from this blog will be for the greater good (mine, anyway - I hope yours, too). I'll be back towards the end of the month with more pithy posts. Meanwhile, happy reading!    -John   Hi, folks. For the past five weeks I’ve been counting down my top five paranormal fantasy book series. It's been so much fun sharing the best of the best that I almost hate to see it come to an end.  Here’s where we stand, so far… #5 The Twilight Saga , by Stephenie Meyer #4 The Mercy Thompson series, by Patricia Briggs #3 The Vampire Academy series, by Richelle Mead #2 The Sookie Stackhous...

  Hey, folks. Here in the northern hemisphere, it's the first day of summer! It's a beautiful day in Charlotte, North Carolina. I hope it's nice where you are.   But, enough chit-chat. I’m in the middle of sharing with you my all-time favorite paranormal fantasy book series. Here’s where we stand so far in the top-five countdown… #5   The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer #4 The Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs And today, coming in at number three, is Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series for Young Adults. The series follows the teenage, half-vampire, Rose Hathaway, as she finishes high school, comes of age as a Guardian , saves the world (at least her corner of it), and gets her sexy soul mate in the end. I’d been a fan of Mead’s adult books for a while, resisting her YA offerings, until the buzz created by this series finally began to get to me and I took the plunge. There was a reason for all the hype. The series has crossed over from ...