BLOWN away. That’s how I felt when I read my friends’ and fellow authors’ Next Big Thing blogs so, to all you avid readers out there, make sure you visit these websites today:
LJ Smith and The Last Lullaby
How can one not fall in love with a cast of compelling characters like Brionwy of the Red-Gold Hair, courtesan nightskin Melisande and determined Crispy, the child covered with burns? I can’t wait until LJ Smith’s The Last Lullaby glides onto bookshelves. I’ve always loved Lisa’s characters and stories but this one… *wow* With its ravaging dragons, tortured characters, prophetic dreams, mystical witchcraft and a forbidden journal, this book promises to be spellbinding. I’m doing the happy dance and I can’t wait!
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Rowena Cory Daniells and The King’s Man
Rowena’s stories are always packed with action, intrigue and betrayal. The latest and final instalment in her King Rolen’s Kin saga promises to deliver all this and more. An Associate Lecturer, Rowena is mother to six children and has been madly renovating, so her precious writing time enables her to escape, for a short time, from her deliciously hectic life. Five gold stars to Rowena for her Next Big Thing question concerning a lift, a movie director and her latest pitch 🙂
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Keren K and Stolen
When gorgeous Keren first told me about her idea for Stolen, I told her she had to write this book. It’s a beautiful paranormal romance about brave and determined Roshanna who ventures on a journey to retrieve her late parents’ stolen souls, accompanied by her uncle’s chauffeur, Bodhi, someone she can rely on but who is not all he seems. Keren is the webmistress of the divine Gothic Angel Book Reviews and has been a great source of inspiration and friendship on Twitterworld (and for me) for a long time.
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Kallee Buchanan and Diplobrat
 I LOVED Kallee’s Next Big Thing blog because it’s filled with enthusiasm for her slowly-evolving, but fast-paced international thriller, Diplobrat. Kall and I worked together on our local daily newspaper for some years ago and found many common interests. I could always count on her passion and professionalism and she’s now channeling that into her work-in-progress.
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Chris McMahon and the Distant Shore
When unassuming Chris McMahon was challenged by his agent to write an Urban Fantasy inspired by the success of Justine Larbalestier’s Magic or Madness trilogy, he plunged into a the new, creative world of The Other. The Distant Shore tells of McNally twins born every generation – both in Brisbane and New York – and is reminiscent of Neil Gaimon’s American Gods, Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files and Clive Barker’s Weaveworld (shivers as I remember reading that final tale).
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Thanks, gang, for participating in the Next Big Thing and I’m looking forward to hearing updates on your works-in-progress as they come to fruition and hit the Big Time Bookshelves.