Chelsea Mueller writes gritty contemporary fantasy including the critically acclaimed Soul Charmer series. She founded the speculative fiction website Vampire Book Club, blogs about TV and genre fiction for numerous websites, and is co-chair of SF/F charity Geeky Giving. She loves bad cover songs, dramatic movies, and TV vampires. Chelsea lives in Texas, and has been known to say y’all. For the latest updates, join her email list at ChelseaMueller.net or follow @ChelseaVBC on Twitter and Instagram.
Falling in Love with Urban Fantasy
I’m cheating a little on this ‘first love’ topic, because the story I’m going to tell isn’t about the first kiss or the first book I stayed up all night to read. Instead I want to talk about the moment I understood urban fantasy was for me.
I’m a voracious reader most genre fiction. If you follow me on Twitter, you get a daily offering of book recs, but urban fantasy stole my heart early on. No matter how many books I read, I still can pinpoint the one that changed everything for me. The book that changed my path. If I hadn’t read Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton, I might not be an urban fantasy author.
That third Anita Blake book was when the power and opportunity of urban fantasy captivated me. Circus of the Damned was a book where the heroine was laid bare emotionally and kept fighting. The novel didn’t shy away from the darkness, but wasn’t too proud to flinch at the horror of grisly scenes.
Anita Blake, in those early books, was finding herself. Laurell K. Hamilton pushed her to the edge again and again. Broke her, and let her rebuild herself. This character journey held me in thrall. I wasn’t here for a hero’s journey to save the world. I was gripping my mass-market paperback tighter and tighter needing to know if Anita could save those around her, if she could save herself.
Circus of the Damned offered me a heroine who was far from perfect, but tried to own her shit.
At the time I read the book, I was still working as a full-time journalist. (Hey, remember newspapers?) The gumshoe vibes spoke to my writer curiosity, but the supernatural element let me escape from the truth hitting the police blotter in the newsroom. Modern fantasy continues to give us that gentler way for us to cope and process the horrors of the real world while fighting fictionalized baddies.
There was more to it than simply loving the crime-solving skills Anita flexed. Circus of the Damned, and the other early Anita Blake books, had a heroine claiming space at crime scenes—not afraid to make the cops there uncomfortable. It wasn’t about making the policemen at the scene grumble, it was about seeking answers to tragic deaths, it was about doing her job as a hunter and a private investigator.
The urban fantasy allure of Circus of the Damned was more than an appreciation for Anita Blake’s character journey. The novel gave us vampires that were both scary and sexy. Sometimes in the same character. Every creature—or human—in this world could be lethal or protective, sadistic or kind. Circus of the Damned dwelled in the grey areas of urban fantasy.
And if you’ve read any of my books, it won’t surprise you that this is exactly my cat nip.
I’m a voracious reader most genre fiction. If you follow me on Twitter, you get a daily offering of book recs, but urban fantasy stole my heart early on. No matter how many books I read, I still can pinpoint the one that changed everything for me. The book that changed my path. If I hadn’t read Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton, I might not be an urban fantasy author.
That third Anita Blake book was when the power and opportunity of urban fantasy captivated me. Circus of the Damned was a book where the heroine was laid bare emotionally and kept fighting. The novel didn’t shy away from the darkness, but wasn’t too proud to flinch at the horror of grisly scenes.
Anita Blake, in those early books, was finding herself. Laurell K. Hamilton pushed her to the edge again and again. Broke her, and let her rebuild herself. This character journey held me in thrall. I wasn’t here for a hero’s journey to save the world. I was gripping my mass-market paperback tighter and tighter needing to know if Anita could save those around her, if she could save herself.
Circus of the Damned offered me a heroine who was far from perfect, but tried to own her shit.
At the time I read the book, I was still working as a full-time journalist. (Hey, remember newspapers?) The gumshoe vibes spoke to my writer curiosity, but the supernatural element let me escape from the truth hitting the police blotter in the newsroom. Modern fantasy continues to give us that gentler way for us to cope and process the horrors of the real world while fighting fictionalized baddies.
There was more to it than simply loving the crime-solving skills Anita flexed. Circus of the Damned, and the other early Anita Blake books, had a heroine claiming space at crime scenes—not afraid to make the cops there uncomfortable. It wasn’t about making the policemen at the scene grumble, it was about seeking answers to tragic deaths, it was about doing her job as a hunter and a private investigator.
The urban fantasy allure of Circus of the Damned was more than an appreciation for Anita Blake’s character journey. The novel gave us vampires that were both scary and sexy. Sometimes in the same character. Every creature—or human—in this world could be lethal or protective, sadistic or kind. Circus of the Damned dwelled in the grey areas of urban fantasy.
And if you’ve read any of my books, it won’t surprise you that this is exactly my cat nip.
Callie Delgado always puts family first, and unfortunately her brother knows it. She’s emptied her savings, lost work, and spilled countless tears trying to keep him out of trouble, but now he’s in deeper than ever, and his debt is on Callie’s head. She’s given a choice: do some dirty work for the mob, or have her brother returned to her in tiny pieces.
In Gem City, those looking to take part in immoral—or even illegal—activity can borrow someone else’s soul, for a price, and sin without consequence. Since Callie is low on cash, the slimy Soul Charmer is willing to barter. But accepting his offer will force Callie into a dangerous world of magic . . .
With the help of the guarded but undeniably attractive Derek—whose allegiance to the Charmer wavers as his connection to Callie grows—she’ll have to walk a tight line, avoid pissing off the bad guys, all while struggling to determine what her loyalty to her family is really worth.
Losing her brother isn’t an option. Losing her soul? Maybe.
Check out the Soul Charmer series:
- 1 signed copy of Borrowed Souls
To Enter:
- Please leave a comment or question for the author.
- US/CA shipping ONLY.
- Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.
**Don't forget to enter the grand prize giveaway!
Good Luck!
Special thanks to Chelsea Mueller for sponsoring this giveaway.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Sounds good.
ReplyDeleteI like the early Anita too. I like heroines who aren't scared to fight. I am a big fan of Kate Daniels too. :)
ReplyDeleteBorrowed Souls sounds great! Thank you
ReplyDeleteI love urban fantasy too. Borrowed Souls sounds fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletesounds good
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDelete