Andi's Book Reviews: Where everybody knows your name - Guest post by author Olivia Hardin

Friday, February 15, 2013

Where everybody knows your name - Guest post by author Olivia Hardin

Today, I am happy to welcome back Olivia Hardin, author of the Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy!

Have you ever been to a party where you didn’t know anyone? Sitting there with an uncomfortable smile on your face while all those around you are sharing tales of past exploits and childhood adventures. Do you remember when so-and-so did this? And have you heard from you-know-who? Struggling to keep up with unfamiliar names, places and stories can be dizzying for someone outside the loop.

But what about when you get together with your old friends after a long separation. All of you truly know each other: the funny, the embarrassing, the tearful stories. All of them. You’re in a place where everybody knows your name just like on Cheers.

I think that’s sort of the appeal of series and trilogies. When you read a good book and you develop an emotional attachment to the characters, you want to touch base with them again. You want to curl up with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and revisit those intimate ties. It’s familiar, it’s comfortable and it’s exciting to put the new puzzle pieces together with the old to see how the picture changes with life.

If my mom calls me up and says, “Did you see there’s a new one about the Malorys?” I know immediately that Johanna Lindsey has a new historical featuring the Malory family. Heck, I don’t have any idea how many books there are in that series, but if it’s about the Malorys I have to read it.

I think it’s only natural that I’ve developed that sort of attachment to my own characters. The twists and turns that can be had by having the cast reenter the stage are limitless. I mean, I know these people and imaginary though they are, Devan, Kent, Jill, Langston, Doc, and Roon are family now. I know that at any moment I can call one of their names and they’ll be front and center, ready to weave their way back into my imagination.

And that’s why I even though Shifty Business is the last book in this trilogy, I just can’t seem to let go of the world of Bend-Bite-Shift. So, later this year I’ll begin a new trilogy entitled For Love of Fae. I’ll get to rejoin my imaginary friends and rekindle the emotional ties I have with them.

Here’s a sneak peak at the awesome covers made by Once Upon a Time Covers in the For Love of Fae Trilogy. I expect to release the first book, Sweet Magic Song by the end of 2013.

~Olivia

About the author:

When Olivia Hardin began having strange movie-like dreams in her teens, she had no choice but to begin putting them to paper. Before long the writing bug had her and she knew she wanted to be a published author. Several rejections plus a little bit of life later, and she was temporarily “cured” of the urge to write. That is until she met a group of talented and fabulous writers who gave her the direction and encouragement she needed to get lost in the words again.

Olivia’s attended three different universities over the years. She toyed with majors in Computer Technology, English, History and Geology until one day she heard the term road scholar and she knew that was what she wanted to be. Now she “studies” anything and everything just for the joy of learning. She's also an insatiable crafter who only completes about 1 out of 5 projects, a jogger who hates to run, and she’s sometimes accused of being artistic.

A native Texas girl, Olivia lives in the beautiful Lone Star state with her husband, Danny and their puppy, Bonnie.

Book Blurb

Title: Shifty Business (Bend-Bite-Shift #3)

Author: Olivia Hardin

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Gerry Hinton thought she had the perfect career as an operative for the Company. Her next assignment should have been another "mission accomplished", but hell was delivering hand baskets that day.
When a little girl gives a mysterious silver box to Gerry, her world self-destructs. Suddenly under constant mental attacks, the only person who can save her is her partner, Nicky--but nothing comes without a cost. Secrets buried deep in the past begin to rise, threatening everything she holds dear.
If she can't out run her past, can she save her future?

Read an excerpt:

Gerry had a bad feeling when she heard the way the girl said the name “Buck” with a touch of disgust. Taking a deep breath, she reached back into her purse for the phone and texted Nicky: Carriage house. Now.

“Lead the way, Belle,” she told the girl as she pulled her skirt up to find the dagger sheathed on the inside of her thigh. “And while you walk, tell me what I need to know about Buck.”

She shrugged, “He’s not too difficult. Mostly he’s just stupid.” They made their way through the house, careful to avoid the party crowd. “He’s called Buck because his front fangs stick out a little too much. Buck-toothed.”

“A vamp?” Gerry asked.

“Nope, a werewolf.”

“Crap.” Gerry groaned. “He’ll smell us before we can sneak the kids out. I hate weres.”

“Buck lost his sense of smell a few years ago. There was this girl, you see, and she wasn’t much interested in him, but Buck wouldn’t take no for an answer. He followed her one night and the clever lady led him into a spice factory—right into the pepper grinding room. She jammed the gears on the machine and locked him in. His nose was never the same. His pack wouldn’t keep him around after that. So he took this job.”

She might have laughed but the object of their discussion was at that moment standing outside the carriage house taking a leak against a tree. It was easy to guess this was him by his unkempt look and the wild mane of brown hair pointing in all directions. The partially clawed hand leaning against the side of the oak was a sure bet, too.

“Doesn’t the oaf know how to use a bathroom?”

Belle’s teeth shone in the moonlight as she flashed Gerry a grin. “He likes to mark his territory.”

“I hate weres,” Gerry said again, this time whispering in disgust.