Book Title: Dark Light of Day
Author Name: Jill Archer
Name of series and book number in series: Noon Onyx Book #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace
Date of Publication: Available Now
Armageddon is over. The demons won. And yet somehow…the world has continued. Survivors worship patron demons under a draconian system of tributes and rules. These laws keep the demons from warring among themselves, the world from slipping back into chaos.
Noon Onyx grew up on the banks of the river Lethe, daughter of a prominent politician, and a descendant of Lucifer’s warlords. Noon has a secret—she was born with waning magic, the dark, destructive, fiery power that is used to control demons and maintain the delicate peace among them. But a woman with waning magic is unheard of and some will consider her an abomination.
Noon is summoned to attend St. Lucifer’s, a school of demon law. She must decide whether to declare her powers there…or attempt to continue hiding them, knowing the price for doing so may be death. And once she meets the forbiddingly powerful Ari Carmine—who suspects Noon is harboring magic as deadly as his own—Noon realizes there may be more at stake than just her life.
Click one of these links to get your copy!
BARNES & NOBLE / AMAZON / INDIEBOUND
Author Name: Jill Archer
Name of series and book number in series: Noon Onyx Book #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace
Date of Publication: Available Now
Armageddon is over. The demons won. And yet somehow…the world has continued. Survivors worship patron demons under a draconian system of tributes and rules. These laws keep the demons from warring among themselves, the world from slipping back into chaos.
Noon Onyx grew up on the banks of the river Lethe, daughter of a prominent politician, and a descendant of Lucifer’s warlords. Noon has a secret—she was born with waning magic, the dark, destructive, fiery power that is used to control demons and maintain the delicate peace among them. But a woman with waning magic is unheard of and some will consider her an abomination.
Noon is summoned to attend St. Lucifer’s, a school of demon law. She must decide whether to declare her powers there…or attempt to continue hiding them, knowing the price for doing so may be death. And once she meets the forbiddingly powerful Ari Carmine—who suspects Noon is harboring magic as deadly as his own—Noon realizes there may be more at stake than just her life.
Click one of these links to get your copy!
BARNES & NOBLE / AMAZON / INDIEBOUND
Jill Archer is celebrating her debut release. I started following her very interesting blog posts and can't get enough. Her tagline on her website is, "Urban Fantasy and Other Fun Creepy Stuff". I predict her new book is as exciting as her blog posts. I love the book cover and blurb. I've added this to my TBR list.
Welcome, Jill!
Welcome, Jill!
New Adult Fiction – Mind Your Q and A's ~Jill Archer
If you're like me, you've been following the uptick in posts and discussions concerning the new "new adult" genre with increasing interest. (If not, this post has links to a few recent articles, which will get you up to speed). I find the whole discussion fascinating, in part because my debut novel Dark Light of Day features a 21 year-old post grad magic user in a gothic campus setting, and also because I've got more questions than answers about NA. So I thought it would be fun to do a post and see if anyone else had any thoughts on it that they wanted to share.
To get us started, here are a few questions, some with answers, and some without:
What the heck is "New Adult"?
There are a couple of reasons it's difficult to nail down exactly what New Adult is. First, it's new. People are starting to talk about it more, but for every reader who's heard of it, there are probably two more that haven't. And second, it may be unnecessary. If YA is geared toward readers 12-18 and adult books are for the 18 and up crowd, is a crossover genre really needed?
Well, to that I ask, were vampire romances needed? Or cozy mysteries? Or chick lit? No genre is ever needed. It's wanted. A genre label is an easy way to describe a book so that readers who like it can find other similar stories. Defining New Adult isn't about the age of the reader; it's about the age of the main character and the reader's expectations regarding what that character will do in the story. It's about defining the type of stories that would be included within the genre. (I think the New Adult definition discussion gets muddied because it is a genre that is closely associated with YA, which is a genre that IS defined by the age of the reader).
Gimme a definition!
In her recent Guardian article (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/sep/10/new-adult-fiction), Briony Chappel suggested that New Adult fiction is "[B]ooks in which the main characters transform from teenagers into adults and try to navigate the difficulties of post-adolescent life: first love, starting university, getting a job, and so on." While Eli to the nth (http://www.elisquared.com/2012/08/new-adult-new-genre-on-block.html) nicely summed it up as, "It's a lot of 'firsts.'"
Should authors self-label their books as New Adult?
I'm not sure. What do you think?
My debut novel Dark Light of Day features Noon Onyx, who is a magic wielding "demon law" student. Much of the story takes place on the campus of St. Lucifer's (or "St. Luck's" as the students call it). Noon is estranged from her parents, who themselves don't get along. And, although the book is a blending of genres, the main focus of the story is Noon's academic, romantic, and career choice struggles. Sound like NA? Maybe... But I'm not 100% convinced.
Dark Light of Day's worldbuilding is intentionally heavy and not contemporary. I wanted to create a world that was, for the most part, completely new. Dark Light of Day isn't set on another planet -- but it might as well be. Halja, the fictional country where the story takes place is a fantasy world with a circa 1900's technology level. Dark Light of Day has magic, demons, enchanted wines, fiery weapons, danger, death, angst and attraction. It has elements of fantasy, romance, mystery, even legal fiction. But is it New Adult fiction?
I don't know. I'm guessing that readers will be the ones who decide. (If you read Dark Light of Day and think it should be labeled 'New Adult' please feel free to tag it that way on Amazon and elsewhere).
Where can I find out more about New Adult fiction?
So what about you? Have you read any New Adult fiction? Have any recommendations? Had you heard of NA before this? What are your thoughts on this emerging genre?
Thank you, Brinda, for hosting me here today!
Author Bio: Jill lives in rural Maryland with her two children and husband, who is a recreational pilot. She blogs about books, movies, interesting people, writing and various weekend adventures.
WEBSITE & BLOG / TWITTER / FACEBOOK / GOODREADS
If you're like me, you've been following the uptick in posts and discussions concerning the new "new adult" genre with increasing interest. (If not, this post has links to a few recent articles, which will get you up to speed). I find the whole discussion fascinating, in part because my debut novel Dark Light of Day features a 21 year-old post grad magic user in a gothic campus setting, and also because I've got more questions than answers about NA. So I thought it would be fun to do a post and see if anyone else had any thoughts on it that they wanted to share.
To get us started, here are a few questions, some with answers, and some without:
What the heck is "New Adult"?
There are a couple of reasons it's difficult to nail down exactly what New Adult is. First, it's new. People are starting to talk about it more, but for every reader who's heard of it, there are probably two more that haven't. And second, it may be unnecessary. If YA is geared toward readers 12-18 and adult books are for the 18 and up crowd, is a crossover genre really needed?
Well, to that I ask, were vampire romances needed? Or cozy mysteries? Or chick lit? No genre is ever needed. It's wanted. A genre label is an easy way to describe a book so that readers who like it can find other similar stories. Defining New Adult isn't about the age of the reader; it's about the age of the main character and the reader's expectations regarding what that character will do in the story. It's about defining the type of stories that would be included within the genre. (I think the New Adult definition discussion gets muddied because it is a genre that is closely associated with YA, which is a genre that IS defined by the age of the reader).
Gimme a definition!
In her recent Guardian article (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/sep/10/new-adult-fiction), Briony Chappel suggested that New Adult fiction is "[B]ooks in which the main characters transform from teenagers into adults and try to navigate the difficulties of post-adolescent life: first love, starting university, getting a job, and so on." While Eli to the nth (http://www.elisquared.com/2012/08/new-adult-new-genre-on-block.html) nicely summed it up as, "It's a lot of 'firsts.'"
Should authors self-label their books as New Adult?
I'm not sure. What do you think?
My debut novel Dark Light of Day features Noon Onyx, who is a magic wielding "demon law" student. Much of the story takes place on the campus of St. Lucifer's (or "St. Luck's" as the students call it). Noon is estranged from her parents, who themselves don't get along. And, although the book is a blending of genres, the main focus of the story is Noon's academic, romantic, and career choice struggles. Sound like NA? Maybe... But I'm not 100% convinced.
Dark Light of Day's worldbuilding is intentionally heavy and not contemporary. I wanted to create a world that was, for the most part, completely new. Dark Light of Day isn't set on another planet -- but it might as well be. Halja, the fictional country where the story takes place is a fantasy world with a circa 1900's technology level. Dark Light of Day has magic, demons, enchanted wines, fiery weapons, danger, death, angst and attraction. It has elements of fantasy, romance, mystery, even legal fiction. But is it New Adult fiction?
I don't know. I'm guessing that readers will be the ones who decide. (If you read Dark Light of Day and think it should be labeled 'New Adult' please feel free to tag it that way on Amazon and elsewhere).
Where can I find out more about New Adult fiction?
- The YA Curator (an indie perspective) LINK
- Roni Loren (interestingly, she suggests that 50 Shades might be New Adult) LINK
- NA Alley (group of 7 NA writers who blog and host the Thursday night #NALitChat on Twitter. 10/4/12 topic is NA themes, reader preferences, and author style) LINK
So what about you? Have you read any New Adult fiction? Have any recommendations? Had you heard of NA before this? What are your thoughts on this emerging genre?
Thank you, Brinda, for hosting me here today!
Author Bio: Jill lives in rural Maryland with her two children and husband, who is a recreational pilot. She blogs about books, movies, interesting people, writing and various weekend adventures.
WEBSITE & BLOG / TWITTER / FACEBOOK / GOODREADS
Short Excerpt from Dark Light of Day:
Failing is not an option...
“I’ve been watching you, wondering, waiting to see where you’d end up. After all, there are other demon law schools,” Seknecus said, making a moue of distaste that made it clear exactly what he thought of them. “But I was happy to see that you chose St. Lucifer’s.”
Technically my mother chose St. Lucifer’s . . . But there seemed no reason to interrupt just to clarify that bit of misinformation. Seknecus wandered around the room, picking through papers, flipping open and quickly shutting the front covers of various leather-bound books, never meeting my eye. I had no doubt, however, that his attention was fully focused on me.
“So, you see, seeing your name on my List wasn’t exactly a surprise, although it appeared much later than I would have liked.”
He did look at me then, with a frown of disapproval. I did my best to look expressionless because none seemed appropriate. It wouldn’t do to look amused, bored or, Luck forbid, rebellious. Seknecus stared at me with narrowed eyes and then went back to wandering.
“You’ve got some catching up to do,” he said, addressing a copy of Sin and Sanction: Codification & Case Law. “It doesn’t matter why or what excuses you’ve got for yourself. You will be held to the same standards as everyone else, regardless of whose daughter you are. And you’ve missed a lot of class already.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off with a wave.
“Manipulation class,” he clarified. “You’re going to have to work ten times as hard as everyone else just to pass. Quintus Rochester doesn’t go easy on students and he’s likely to see your absence during the early part of the semester as a challenge. You know, failing is not an option. Not if you want to live.”
Failing is not an option...
“I’ve been watching you, wondering, waiting to see where you’d end up. After all, there are other demon law schools,” Seknecus said, making a moue of distaste that made it clear exactly what he thought of them. “But I was happy to see that you chose St. Lucifer’s.”
Technically my mother chose St. Lucifer’s . . . But there seemed no reason to interrupt just to clarify that bit of misinformation. Seknecus wandered around the room, picking through papers, flipping open and quickly shutting the front covers of various leather-bound books, never meeting my eye. I had no doubt, however, that his attention was fully focused on me.
“So, you see, seeing your name on my List wasn’t exactly a surprise, although it appeared much later than I would have liked.”
He did look at me then, with a frown of disapproval. I did my best to look expressionless because none seemed appropriate. It wouldn’t do to look amused, bored or, Luck forbid, rebellious. Seknecus stared at me with narrowed eyes and then went back to wandering.
“You’ve got some catching up to do,” he said, addressing a copy of Sin and Sanction: Codification & Case Law. “It doesn’t matter why or what excuses you’ve got for yourself. You will be held to the same standards as everyone else, regardless of whose daughter you are. And you’ve missed a lot of class already.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off with a wave.
“Manipulation class,” he clarified. “You’re going to have to work ten times as hard as everyone else just to pass. Quintus Rochester doesn’t go easy on students and he’s likely to see your absence during the early part of the semester as a challenge. You know, failing is not an option. Not if you want to live.”
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