What Sets the Saturn’s Daughter Series Apart
Although this is my first appearance here as Jamie Quaid, I’ve visited before as my romance alter ego, and I’m delighted to be invited again! Kim and I go waaaaay back.
Today, though, I’m writing under a pseudonym because this series is definitely not romance, and I don’t want anyone going into it with the assumption that there’s a love story. Yes, there are some hunky male characters, but one of them is dead, another is evil, and the live one is morally ambivalent. At some point in the series, Tina may have to make choices. She’s not there yet. She will, I promise, always have a happy ending all her own.
I’ve been reading fantasy for years and fell in love with the courageous heroines of urban fantasy when I first started reading Patricia Briggs, Kelley Armstrong, and Carrie Vaughn. But the fangs and fur fantasy didn’t capture my imagination sufficiently for me to put finger to keyboard. Or pen to paper, since I often doodle ideas by hand.
But then one day while riding through cornfields—you have utterly no idea how quickly cornfields can reduce me to an unconscious trance—I had a vision of a woman wishing her alpha male boyfriend to hell and of him smashing his car into a wall in consequence. There was something exceedingly satisfying in that scene, and I needed to know more.
Out of that idle moment grew the idea for the Saturn’s Daughter series. In a brainstorming session with my buddies, I decided I wanted my heroine to be a lawyer bent on justice for those who couldn’t otherwise obtain it. That set the story in fantasy territory right there! But when one of my friends said that Saturn was associated with justice, we were off and running.
So far, no gods or planets have been involved in the actual story, although if Tina should ever reach her personal Armageddon, I make no promises! In this first book, she learns she has almost reached the age of Saturn’s transit, she’s developing weird powers, and can be rewarded for wielding them. But without a rule book, she’s at something of a loss. If wishing a man to hell earns her gorgeous hair, can she kill a rapist and wish for a law degree? How about if she just smacks the creep following her? Because there are a lot of uglies between her and her goal of becoming a lawyer.
Unfortunately, being able to damn a man to hell doesn’t mean she’s safe walking down the street. And she has a lawyer’s rational fear that bribing Satan with souls could have unforeseen consequences.
Once Tina’s normal world is turned upside-down, she sees her Baltimore home in a whole new light. Yes, she knows the environmentally hazardous Zone where she works is peculiar—the buildings glow blue neon at night and Dumpsters have a tendency to cavort in alleys. She doesn’t realize how peculiar until she’s forced to take cover in Chesty’s pole-dancing bar from the men in limos stalking her. That’s when her life becomes really interesting.
Instead of meeting werewolves and vampires, Tina talks to her dead boyfriend in mirrors, befriends a shapeshifting bobcat, learns to blow up car tires with her mind, and meets another Saturn’s Daughter who…ummm…has met with some unfortunately chimp-like consequences for her serial killer tendencies. With the help of her new friends from the Zone, Tina might even survive a murderous senator in time to take her final exams, if she’s really lucky.
So maybe I have a little fur, and if bobcats count, a few fangs. But this series is seriously bent in a whole new direction! Are you interested in new urban fantasy directions?
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| Perhaps Tina would appreciate the beauty of the Temple of Saturn (Wikipedia). |
Mahalo, Jamie, for visiting us at SOS Aloha! Jamie is giving away a signed copy of BOYFRIEND FROM HELL to one randomly selected commenter. To enter the giveaway, answer Jamie's question, "Are you interested in a new urban fantasy direction?" Comments are open through Saturday, September 29, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 30.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
To learn more about Jaime and her book, including links to purchase, check out her website at
www.jamiequaid.com.
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| Galileo first observed Saturn's rings in 1610 (Wikipedia). |
I am always up for something new. Otherwise it all gets so boring.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that, Debby!
ReplyDeleteKim, I love your images. Very inspiring!
Not me, I like my familiar things. However, my daughter is into all this "fantasy" stuff and loves it.
ReplyDeleteI love to try any new genre. I do like urban fantasy or any fantasy. This book sounds great. Big patricia rice fan, so very excited to read this book and series. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteChristinebails@yahoo.com
I'll be honest, I don't know what that means... a new urban fantasy direction.... I am open to genres and sub genres and am always reading books that I feel are not my norm, or out of my comfort zone. I also know I prefer urban fantasy to most genres lately. I get a sense of excitement while reading, and lately that really appeals to me greatly.
ReplyDeleteI like reading Kelley Armstrong and Patricia Briggs.... So I love reading urban fantasty...
ReplyDeleteFredamans, a "new" direction in this case simply means there are no werewolves or vampires. The heroine is a lawyer, not a shapeshifter. It's just she's inherited this weird talent that's just starting to show up, and she's danged dangerous. ;)
ReplyDeleteI love Armstrong and Briggs and dozens of other writers like them. I prefer the ones heavy on character and light on horror.
I'm more than willing to give any genre a try. Sometimes I am very pleasantly surprised. If not, I can always go back to what I know.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm interested in new urban fantasy directions! I do enjoy in reading in the urban fantasy genre and since it is "fantasy" then in my mind, anything goes - just depends on what the author wants and writes. Though I would enjoy it a bit more if there were strong romantic elements in it as well ;)
ReplyDeleteI am always interested when genres take new directions.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really interested in any kind of fantasy but my grandchildren like it.
ReplyDeleteI try to read outside my comfort zone, but I'm not a big fan of fantasy (although I can't pin point why). My daughter, however, is a huge fan and I've stained numerous bookcases for her to hold them all.
ReplyDeleteI'm always interested in a new direction for any of the genres I enjoy. It's fun when an author thinks outside the box and gives me an interesting and fun read.
ReplyDeleteI will read just about anything as long as it's a good story.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...does the boyfriend know she wished him to hell? Makes me curious.
ReplyDeleteI love UF for that reason, it isn't romance. Well there is a love interest going on but there is so much more to the story, earth shattering stuff. And when that happens you never know what you will get, zombies, fur and fangs or even ghosts in mirrors. Keeps me coming back =)
Oh...and should I worry about you when you are combining fields???
Yes, as long as the story sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteyes, because i'd read urban fantasy genre and i love it :)
ReplyDeleteI love UF. A new series that doesn't focus on vamps and weres, I would love to check it out. This sounds like a really exciting and sexy series concept. Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDelete