Review - Black Dust Mambo by Adrian Phoenix

Black Dust Mambo
Kallie Rivière, Book 1
Adrian Phoenix
Pocket Books
ISBN# 978-1-4391-6787-8
Release Date: June 29, 2010
Excerpt: Browse Inside

About the Book:
FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!

"There will be times, girl, when all your magic ain't going to be enough, times when it will seem to dry up like mud under the noonday sun, or even make matters worse. . . ."

Kallie Rivière, a fiery Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a talent for trouble, finds herself smack-dab in the middle of one of those times her mentor warned her about when she visits New Orleans to attend the Hecatean Alliance's annual carnival: her hard-bodied conjurer hookup ends up dead in her blood-drenched bed. And he was killed by something that Kallie would never dream of touching—the darkest of dark juju, soul-eating juju—a black dust hex that may have been meant to kill her.

Now Kallie has to use every bit of hoodoo knowledge and bayou-bred mojo she possesses to clear her own name and find the killer—even as that dark sorcerer hunts Kallie and her friends. But Kallie's search for the truth soon leads her in a direction she never anticipated—back home to Bayou Cypres Noir, and to Gabrielle LaRue, Kallie's aunt, protector, and hoodoo mentor . . . who is looking more and more like she just might be the one who wants Kallie dead.

My Thoughts:
Black Dust Mambo is a fabulous start in the Kallie Rivière series about a young women with strong hoodoo talents and a penchant for trouble. One night spent between the sheets with a sexy conjurer unleashes murder and mystery for Kallie, and she finds it waiting around every turn. Ms. Phoenix does a lovely job of introducing readers to this new heroine and those she calls family and friends. Black Dust Mambo will hook you quickly, and it will reel you right in for a fast paced taste of temptation and deadly mystery. I'll be looking forward to the second book.

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

Review - In the Blood by Adrian Phoenix

In the Blood
Adrian Phoenix
Pocket Books
December 30, 2008
ISBN# 978-1-4165-4145-5

Book Blurb:
DANTE LIVES.
Vampire. Rock star. Begotten son of the fallen angel Lucien. Dante Baptiste still struggles with nightmares and seizures, searching for the truth about his past. It is a quest as seductive as his kiss, as uncontrollable as his thirst, and as unforgiving as his determination to protect one mortal woman at any cost.

KNOWLEDGE KILLS.
FBI Special Agent Heather Wallace now knows the extent of the Bureau corruption that surrounds her, but worries she is losing the battle. And when Dante and his band Inferno come to Seattle on tour, Heather can't help but be drawn back to the beautiful, dangerous nightkind. But what Heather and Dante don't know is that new enemies lurk in the shadows, closer than they think...and even deadlier than they fear.

DESTINY UNFOLDS.
Shadowy government forces have pledged to eliminate all loose ends from Project Bad Seed -- and Heather and Dante are at the top of the list. Elsewhere, the Fallen gather in Gehenna, intent on finding their long-awaited savior, the True Blood nightkind whom Lucien DeNoir would die to protect. And a damaged and desperate adversary, with powers as strange and perilous as Dante's own, plots to use Dante as a pawn in a violent scheme for revenge. But only one of these lethal forces holds the key to Dante's past -- a key that could finally unlock the secret of his birth and the truth of his existence...or destroy him completely.

My thoughts:
Dante Baptiste and his band, Inferno, are on tour and their next stop is Seattle. In the aftermath of the Project Bad Seed discovery, Dante continues to struggle against his personal demons. As he digs into the mysteries of his past, the Fallen discover the existence of a True Blood, and it’s just a matter of time before they use Lucien to track him down.

Heather Wallace seeks answers from her own past and has little choice but to remain guarded when it comes to trusting her colleagues in the FBI. While Dante coming to town is an opportunity to spend a little time together, they may make an easier target for those who still wish to destroy them for what they know. Their lives are in more danger than ever.

This is the second book in the series and Ms. Phoenix continues to provide all of the action, suspense and chemistry that readers found in the first installment. In the Blood has plenty of unexpected twists to keep fans hooked and looking forward to seeing where the characters take us in book three.

To learn more about In the Blood, please visit Ms. Phoenix’s website: Here

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

Interview - Adrian Phoenix

Darque Reviews welcomes Adrian Phoenix…..

Hi Adrian, thanks so much for sharing your time with Darque Reviews, and for giving the readers a chance to get to know you and your work.

AP: Hi Kimberly, thanks for giving me the opportunity to chat with your readers.

A Rush of Wings is your debut novel set to release with Pocket Books on January 8, 2008. Can you tell us a little about it?

AP: You bet! A Rush of Wings is a story of betrayal, shattered beliefs, and blackest secrets as Special Agent Heather Wallace trails a serial-killing sexual sadist to New Orleans. An unexpected twist leads her to Dante, gorgeous, talented – vampire, and the killer's next target. She tumbles into a deadly moonlit world of vampires, fallen angels and hidden experiments in sociopathology.

Caught in a web of deception stretching to the Bureau and beyond, Heather runs a desperate race – against time, against other agents, even against her own deepening feelings – to keep Dante alive, but she can't save him from his own stolen past. Or his destiny.

How did F.B.I. Special Agent Heather Wallace develop into a character for you? How about Dante?

AP: I created both Dante and Heather while gaming (fantasy RPGs), and I became very familiar with them as I played them, and shaped their histories, their families, and their darkest secrets.

Is A Rush of Wings the first book in a series, or is it a single title?

AP: It’s the first in a four-book story arc. Possibly more!

Can you tell us what you’re working on now, and what readers can hope to see in the next year or so?

AP: I’ve finished and turned in the second book, IN THE BLOOD, to my editor at Pocket. It has a release date of January 2009. I’m currently planning/preparing to write books three and four. I’m also working on a four-book dark fantasy story revolving around the poet John Keats and the lamia who saves him from death in Rome at the age of twenty-five. But my main focus at the moment is on Dante and Heather.

Where do you get the inspiration for a story?

AP: Music is a HUGE inspiration – from the music itself, to the lyrics, to individual stanzas, to the sound of the singer’s voice. Nine Inch Nails is my primary source for an emotional soundscape while I write. Others are Muse, Saul Williams, AFI, and movie soundtracks such as The Last Samurai, Batman Begins, Gladiator, Last of the Mohicans, Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest, in particular – among others.

What is your favorite part of writing? How about the part you dislike most?

AP: My favorite part is when I’m so into the story and the characters that the world around me fades and the words pour from my fingertips and onto the monitor in a white-hot rush and time no longer exists. My least favorite part is probably editing because it takes me out of creative mode, but editing is good. That’s when I get to whittle away the excess and reveal the story’s true shape.

What genre do you enjoy reading? Who are some of your favorite authors?

AP: I love reading so many genres! Fantasy, S/F, paranormal, horror, mystery, historical, you name it, I’ll read it. It’s the characters and the story that matters, not the genre. Some of my favorite authors are Stephen King, Nora Roberts, Caleb Carr, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Barb and JC Hendee, Kris Nelscott, James Ellroy...so many!!

How do you spend your free time?

AP: Hah! Free time! If I’m not writing/revising/editing, then I’m reading or going to movies. I also exercise – hiking, weights, yoga, belly dancing. I started belly dancing classes five years ago and really enjoy it.

What’s the best piece of advice that you can give to the aspiring writers out there?

AP: Write. Write every single day. Persistence and consistency pay off, so carve writing time into your day. I write in the evenings after work and on the weekends. And read like mad. You learn about story, craft, plotting, and characterization with each book you read – you learn what works and what doesn’t. Write. Write. Write. Network with other writers.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers before we go?

AP: Follow your dreams. Never give up no matter what anyone tells you. Want it enough to work for it and reach! You’ll make your dreams come true.

Thank you for joining us Adrian. Congratulations and the best of luck with A Rush of Wings! Hope to see more from you soon.

AP: Thanks for having me, Kimberly, and thanks to your readers, too!

Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

You can visit Ms. Phoenix at her website, here:
http://adrianphoenix.com/

Her MySpace Blog here:
http://www.myspace.com/adriannikolasphoenix