Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

oo, now i have to go get that! i read elphame’s choice, but i’ve kinda forgotten about it until you wrote this...woohoo!

This sounds awesome. I’ve never read P.C. Cast, but I’ve got Goddess of Spring sitting here and I can’t wait to read it after I finish my own editing. And clean the house. And do the Xmas shopping.

And, P.C., am I making this up, or do you live in Tulsa?

This book is so great! I am *thisclose* to finishing it, and was so entranced by it last night that I read straight through Survivor. And for a reality TV nut, that is saying something!

I saw the ad for the book here, and I’m looking forward to reading my own copy, especially after your glowing review.

I managed to read a few chapters of your copy over Thanksgiving...oh I cannot wait to read the whole thing!!!!

Since I’m cheap as hell, this one is already winging it’s way to my home via PBS. Can’t wait to read it.

Though I admit I nearly bought it last week, but Waldenbooks didn’t have it.

Wow!  What an amazing review!  God(dess) I adore the Smart Bitches.  Sarah - I agree with your one point of dissatisfaction.  I would have loved to have spent more angsty time on that particular “item” (I’m trying not to spoil, here), but the book was a MONSTER - it ended up a full 150 pages longer than Elphame, and I was in trouble with my editor.  Some day when I’m Goddess of Fantasy/Romance/WhatthehelleveritisIwrite my books will be as long as I want them to be.  Sigh. 

And I’m so glad the horse sex thing worked.  Okay, so it wasn’t REALLY horse sex, but you know what I mean.  I so needed my readers to adore the characters so much that you were with me on whatthefuckever kind of sex they had.  Naturally my dad, who raises running quarter horses (he gave me the idea for the rape scene with Brighid from “real” breeding techniques for horses - yeesh) and is a biologist wanted to give me all sorts of technical advice about how The Deed could be done if I did, in fact, want to go there.  I swear listening to my Dad’s advice about that was a lot like viewing the tub girl.  (shudder/gag) Uh, any of you writers who want a biologist’s advice for inter-species sex scenes just email me.  I’ll give you Dad’s number.  Please. It’ll keep him too busy to give me “pointers” about my next Partholon book…

Oh, yes, I do indeed live in Tulsa.

Sorry. . . off topic!

Oh, yes, I do indeed live in Tulsa.

Cool beans. I’ll tell my mom to go out and buy some P.C. Cast books, pronto! She still lives there (Jenks) and I went to high school and college there. (Union & T.U.) Thrills like this are hard to come by in old TulsyTown. Thank God for the Vince Gill Christmas special every year!

Am I a bad person because, well: no. I’m just not interested in a story about a woman who is half horse. I’m glad you liked it so much, really, but I can’t work up any enthusiasm. 

Everybody seems to love this subgenre, and I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s like being color blind. Maybe it’s genetic.

Victoria - have your mom come to one of my signings this month in Tulsa (the launch is tomorrow @ the 41st Barnes & Noble, 2:00-5:00).  She can check out where all I’ll be at my website, http://www.pccast.net.  Yup.  Big Excitement in T-Town.

Victoria, Goddess of Spring is a marvelous book. My keepers list is relatively small, considering what a book fiend I am. Goddess is one of the few I won’t part with.

Ooooooooooh! I’m SO excited about this book. I reviewed Eplhame’s Choice for FAR and just adored it. I wanted this one too, but some OTHER reviewer beat me to it.

Dammit, my Christmas budget is gonna have to stretch a little more for this one. I simply MUST know what happens.

I wonder how long it will take for B&N online to get me one of these bad boys, um girls, um whatever...hmmm.

Thanks Celeste, and thank you P.C.! 

I told my mom to go out and buy some of your books right now! Do it, woman!

Yay, just finished it—came right home from work and read, read, read! I agree 100% with the review and also thought the unnamed part should also be expanded—but I understand the page restraints issue, the book was a nice, meaty size! Can’t wait for the next one…

Sara, it’s okay, I’m not sure I could handle the half horse thing either but only because the hero is human or ...  I’m not really sure.  I have Goddess of Spring in my TBR pile so I won’t say never ever but I would be more apt to pick up the book if I knew it was more geared towards romance.

That’s just the romance ho in me ;)

CindyS

I must say, I’m not surprised by the review.  I expected Brighid’s Quest to be good, and you’re making me want to pull it out of my TBR pile, where it landed when it arrived in the mail a few days ago.  I’m resisting, though, because things are way too busy for me to be able to concentrate on it, and I know this is one I’m going to want to savor.

Don’t hate me, but I was actually able to read the original ms that was filled with angsty, broody goodness.  Yum.  I swear editors can be such buzz kills.

For those of you who fear the half horse thing, I have a few words of advice:  do not fear the half horse thing; for the half horse thing is good; blessed is she who does not fear the half horse thing.  Behold the husband/boyfriend/one-night-stand of those who fear not the half horse thing; hear them trumpet their gladness.

There’s a seller on Amazon selling PC’s first book, “Goddess by Mistake” (the half horse originator) for $919.23.

The half horse thing is very good.

Goddess by Mistake for 919!  Wow, and to think I got it for trade. 

But wow.  And isn’t it being re-released later next year with a new title?

Yep Nicole, GbM is being released by LUNA in September under the title, Divine by Mistake.  I’ve rewritten it and updated the pop references, smoothed out the rough parts that crept in because I had no editor, etc., but it’s essentially the same book.  Then in Dec 06 you’ll FINALLY get the sequel, Divine by Choice.

CindyS - I can tell you that in my mind all of my books, no matter where they’re shelved, are romances.  But Sarah was right on in the review when she said it’s a hybrid - not really all fantasy or all romance or whatever.  I wrote what I wanted to read.  I adore fantasy and sex and issues that deal with looking beyond the exterior to the soul - so I mixed them all together.  But take away the romance and the fantasy would be empty.

yeah all I can say to help ease your ONE disappointment with the book.  I found it easy and realistic to believe because, Dude!  He was a man so him being in angst and heartbroken or her being half horsie does not matter much, guys will JUMP at getting the tail they are chasing reguardless the situation.  Besides we all should KNOW what Shamens can do in their world.  *wiggles eyebrows suggestively*

Excellent point Casse.  And in this case Cuchulain is getting some literal tail…

Call me fuddy duddy, but I’m positively *traumatised* at the idea of my teen-dream mythological boyfriend Cuchulainn having angsty romance with Horsey-Sue. It’s bad enough that they’re all Irish centaurs. I can never read this book!

WRT spoilers about the horseylove, though, I know this mythological character very well, and angst and heartbreak are the last thing to get in the way of Cuchulainn getting himself some. What is a hot demi-god destined to die young supposed to do when women, both human and otherworldly, throw themselves at him, as they inevitably do? Huh?

suzycat makes me laugh here. *achem*

while looking at the review ya’ll did of this, it intrigues me because I’ve become acquainted with the story of Cuchulainn of Irish mythology. It’s more than likely just the name and not the actual hero Cuchulainn from mythology that is in this, because, as Suzycat said, Dogboy is not one to go into an angst fit. Even in Fate/Stay Night, where he has to kill an innocent bystander because he just happened to witness a fight between him and another heroic spirit, he does the deed unflinchingly and apologetically and then goes on his rather dismal errand; which is not to actually fight like he’s supposed to, but gather information and not fight in fair combat.

Like I said, you’ve got my interest with your review. I think I look more into it to see what I feel, because the book does indeed look very interesting. And the thought of trying to figure out the way to have sex with a horse is funny to me. XD

Hee. I should clarify that Cuchulainn is not averse to a bit of emo behaviour (see Emer’s Only Jealousy and anything at all to do with killing Ferdia), but it never seems to stop him having sex.