Covers to Covet

New Mercy Thompson Cover Alert!! 

We are so excited about this book!  Finally another Mercy Book!!  And I really think that this particular cover does Mercy justice, she looks bad ass but soft and feminine at the same time.  Is it March yet?

What do you all think of the cover?

Reading on the Dark Side: Mercedes Thompson

Mercedes Thompson

by Patricia Briggs

Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson
Middle name: Athena
Tidbits: She is a “Walker” who has the ability to turn into a coyote; Runs a Volkwagon auto repair shop
Appearance: Tanned skin – from her Blackfoot Indian and white mixed background ; Athletic build from her karate lessons.; Has long, straight brown hair, usually kept in braids.
Physical marks: tattoo of coyote paw print on her belly, below the navel and two Celtic knots on her upper arms; Has buckshot scars on her bum.
Mate: Adam Hauptman, Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack

Adam Hauptman
Status: Alpha of Tri-Cities werewolf pack
Age: around 64 years old
Tidbits: Runs a security firm; is divorced with one teenage child, Jesse.
Wolf form: Deep silver fur, almost blue with an undercoat of lighter colors;muzzle, ears, tail and legs deepen to black, yellow eyes
Knicker Removing Quote: His hands, which had been moving in circles in my fur, stopped and took a good hold. “Ben says you might run. If you do, I will find you and bring you back. Every time you run, Mercy. I won’t force you, but... I won’t leave or let you leave either. If you can fight that cursed fairy drink, you can certainly overcome any advantage being an Alpha gives me if you really want to. No more excuses, Mercy. You are mine, and I am keeping you.”
Mate: Mercy

Stefan Uccello 
Classification: vampire
Tidbit: turned my Marsilia
Appearance: pale skin; fangs shorter than werewolf’s; smells of woodsmoke and popcorn; brown eyes, dark hair
Fun fact: drives a VW bus painted like Scooby’s Mystery Machine

Samuel Cornick
Middle name: Llewellyn
Age: at least 700 years old--was alive during the Black Plague circa 1340
Parentage: Son of Bran Cornick, The Marrok
Siblings: Charles Cornick
Appearance: Over 6 ft tall; light blue-gray eyes with brown hair streaked with sun.
Occupation: Doctor/Surgeon
Wolf form: White fur; no markings; ice blue eyes with black ringed iris

Bran Cornick
AKA: The Marrok, Alpha of all North American Alphas
Appearance: Sandy-haired young man with a nondescript face; describes as looking like a “college student, a computer geek or maybe an art major”; warm hazel eyes
Wolf form: All shades between black and white that makes him look like a medium gray color with a white tipped tail; pale gold eyes;
Mate: Leah Cornick

Siebold Adelbertsmiter 

AKA: Zee
Classification: Fae
Appearance with human guise: somewhat tall, balding with a potbelly; lanky and rawbone; cool gray eyes
Appearance without glamour: good ten inches taller than human guise; skin is dark; hair is gold

Darryl Zao

Classification: werewolf
Wolf form: brindled coat
Tidbit: Mixed African-Chinese heritage; speaks Chinese when he is pissed off
Mate: Auriele
Appearance: big man over 6 ft; ebony skin; blend of both his African and Chinese cultures

Warren Smith

Classification: werewolf
Wolf form: brown coat
Fun fact: was a real cowboy when he was changed 
Appearance: built like a marathon runner; rugged look to him

Ben

Wolf form: Red coat
Appearance: taller than Adam; pale hair; British accent

Kyle Brooks

AKA: Boy toy
Classification: Human with no abilities
Tidbit: Dating Warren
Occupation: Divorce Lawyer
Appearance: similar in size to Mercy; dark brown hair; wears expensive clothing

Gabriel Sandoval

Mercy's human assistant

Dating Adam's daughter

Jesse Hauptman

Middle name: Tamarind
Appearance: Likes to change her appearance often

The Man Behind The Covers

Daniel Dos Santos

UTC: Do you read the books before you come up with a cover idea?

Daniel: Whenever the manuscripts are available, yes. I try to give as honest a depiction of the story as possible. Though, often times the covers are done a year in advance of the book being released (as in the case of the Mercy Thompson series), so the manuscript isn't actually completed yet. In these cases I work from rough outlines or through direct Author discussions.

UTC: Which cover has been your favourite to create so far?

Daniel: It's very rare that I like anything I paint for more than a few weeks. Though, lately, I'm still pretty smitten with the cover to 'My Life as a White Trash Zombie', by Diana Rowland. It was a fun cover, and easy to paint. Having the actual process of painting be fun actually contributes a lot to how much I enjoy the piece when I'm done.

UTC: How much time goes into one of your beautiful pieces?

Daniel: I do a painting every 2 weeks. That gives me about 3 days to read the book and do ketches, another 2 days to book models and shoot reference, and the last 9 days or so to paint the actual image. Though, that is almost always a rush for me. Inevitably, several days will be lost waiting for sketch approval, or waiting for layers of paint to dry. That eats away at my allotted time very quickly, and before I know it, I am skipping sleep in order to get it done on time.

UTC: What type of material do you use to create your artwork?

Daniel: I always work traditionally, using oil paints on illustration board. I really like having an original piece of art in the end. It makes all of the hard work seem worth it. Though I am familiar with digital techniques, and often utilize Photoshop when working on my rough concepts or when compiling my reference photos.

UTC: What's the best and worst part about being a freelance artist?

Daniel: The best part is definitely being your own boss. I get to make my own hours, and my personal success (or failure) is entirely my own to decide. No surprise lay-offs, and no one can make me do a job that I don't want to do. On the downside (of which there are many), there is no paid vacation time, no paid sick time, no health benefits, no retirement plan, and skipping several days of sleep in order to meet a deadline seems to come with the territory.

UTC: Whose other artist's artwork do you wish you could emulate?

Daniel: Oh, there are far too many to name. But some of my favorite artists (who seem to have surprisingly little similarities to my work) are Jean 'Moebius' Giraud, William Bouguereau, Jean-Leon Gerome, Paul Pope, J.C. Leyendecker, and Michael Whelan.

UTC:Thank you so much for stopping by today and sharing with us Daniel.  Now if you want to know more about his art and find out more about his covers:
Website
Blog
Store

Are you a Mercy Thompson fan? Show Your Love!

We know a lot of you are fans of the Mercy Thompson series and what better way to show your support then telling the world who you love!?!?  Just take one of these buttons by copying the code in the box below the button you want. The link will bring people back to this exact page so they can read all about this wonderful series.

<a href="http://underthecoversbookblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/reading-on-dark-side-mercedes-thompson.html"><img src="http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h367/utcgraphics/buttons/briggsjunky.jpg" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://underthecoversbookblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/reading-on-dark-side-mercedes-thompson.html"><img src="http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h367/utcgraphics/buttons/droolingoveradam.jpg" border="0" /></a>

<a href="http://underthecoversbookblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/reading-on-dark-side-mercedes-thompson.html"><img src="http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h367/utcgraphics/buttons/showmeyourclaws.jpg" border="0" /></a>

Because Patricia Briggs is our author of the month and we are huge fans of her work and think everyone should read all her stuff, we want to give you the chance to win ANY book of your choice from her backlist OR we will pre-order Fair Game for you, which releases March 6!  Whether you're an old fan or a newbie or somewhere in between you can win!  This giveaway is open internationally and will last all month long.

To enter:

1. Be a follower of this blog

2. Fill out the form below

Review: Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

 

Iron Kissed 

(Mercy Thompson # 3)

by Patricia Briggs

Wow. I don’t think I can write a review without gushing about this book! Iron Kissed completely surpassed my expectations, went beyond anything I could have conjured up in my mind about Mercy and seriously left me in shock by the time I flipped the last page. Seriously. Blown. Away.

As the first book dealt primarily with werewolves and the second with vampires, Iron Kissed focused mainly on the fae. Now I’m not usually a fae fan, but Briggs writes about a world that isn’t too different from ours. Mercy has to get up each morning and go to work. She’s got bills to pay and so on, but Briggs incorporates fantasy element flawlessly into her narrative and it just makes the Mercy Thompson world more appealing. I think that’s why I love Mercy so much. She’s just a regular girl who just so happens to be a coyote shifter that gets caught up in another world.

New characters are introduced in this book and I knew from the moment that Tim was introduced that he would be some major trouble. What I didn’t know was how he had the power to break someone as strong and resistant as Mercy. I’ve noticed that rape is popular in a lot of UF series. I don’t know why and I don’t see the appeal in making your heroine endure something so traumatic, but it got to me. Out of the three books so far, this one had the most heart in it. And if I didn’t love Mercy already, I think this book would have made me love her even more. It wasn’t just because I felt sympathy for her, though I did, it was the fact that she still fought Tim despite her believing that he was her love. It showcased an inner strength of true love and will more so than any other book I’ve read in awhile.

Briggs finally addressed the whole Adam/Sam debacle and she did it well. She managed to write it so that Mercy finally chooses Adam, but still doesn’t disregard Samuel as a person she once loved in the past. I thought the car scene with Sam was perfect. It was sometimes tense and angry, but also lovable. It makes it believable that Sam and Mercy can go on as friends.

And then there’s that bathroom scene with Adam and Mercy. I wish I could have Adam’s werewolf babies! I just adore him and I love how he takes care of Mercy. With Mercy so vulnerable after everything that has happened, you can see the change in Adam already. He’s still fiercely possessive and has that temper, but there’s tenderness when he’s with Mercy. I can’t wait to see how their relationship works out!

My favourite quote from this book is as fiercely passionate as the Alpha who said it. A little territorial and very honest, it’s almost as if he’s telling her he loves her. *sigh*

His hands, which had been moving in circles in my fur, stopped and took a good hold. “Ben says you might run. If you do, I will find you and bring you back. Every time you run, Mercy. I won’t force you, but... I won’t leave or let you leave either. If you can fight that cursed fairy drink, you can certainly overcome any advantage being an Alpha gives me if you really want to. No more excuses, Mercy. You are mine, and I am keeping you.”

 

 Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

 

Blood Bound

(Mercy Thompson #2)

by Patricia Briggs

Blood Bound, the second book in the Mercy Thompson series was definitely better than the first! I thought the story was much more engaging in this one. There was a purpose straight from the beginning and of course, I can’t complain since Stefan has a considerable amount of page time!

Mercy, my new favourite heroine, finds herself in a bit of a situation involving the seethe and a certain demon-riding vampire named Cory Littleton. The guy ended up with a wuss name, but this creep is scary as fuck! The scene where he was pressed up against Mercy’s bedroom window, scratching the glass with his teeth made me want to go screaming for Sam. But Mercy handles her fear well. She does this countless times within this book, playing detective and using her connections to her advantage. Not only she is capable, but she’s smart as hell too!

Briggs knows how to tease me. She loves ending books with the Mercy-Adam-Samuel love triangle. My heart broke when Samuel revealed the truth about what happened when he was in Texas. Aww, the poor guy! And then there’s the fact that he kisses Mercy! TWICE!!

And what about that work-out scene with Adam? That scene served two purposes. One, readers get to read about a sweaty Adam. Cue swoons. And two, it furthers the storyline with the dom/sub issue between Mercy and Adam. I don’t see it as a problem since neither of them can control themselves around each other.

I have no idea who Mercy is going to choose because I adore both wolves equally! I don’t think Mercy is a girl who’ll leads men on. But if there’s one thing that’s got me hooked about this series, it’s the love triangle! I can’t help myself!

But this book wasn’t without its imperfections! I thought some scenes dragged on a little too long, such as Mercy’s second visit to Stefan’s menagerie. Nevertheless, this book was damn entertaining.

 

 

Purchase Links:  Amazon

Author Override: Patricia Briggs

 

Author Override is the place where authors take the reins and take you on a journey into their world. Some may allow you into their private writing dens. Others may take you along with them on research trips or interviews. Whatever the case may be, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride because here you’ll get an in-depth look into an author’s musings.

All Access With Mercy Thompson

Mercy Thompson, the heroine of her own UF series by Patricia Briggs, is one of our favorite girls!  Now imagine our excitement when we got to sit down with her for a little chat!?! 

For those who haven't met you yet, Mercy, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a coyote who was raised by werewolves, am married to one – and fix cars for a living.

I am so jealous of your tattoos! How many do you have and what do they mean?

My roommate’s mother in college was a tattoo artist and Char traded tattoos for favors. She was pretty good. I got a pawprint tattooed on my belly – because I finally decided to accept what I was. The narrow Celtic knotwork bands around each bicep were just pretty. They are very easy to overlook and they hide under a t-shirt.

Being a walker, you're able to shift into a coyote. If given the chance to shift into anything at all, what would you like to shift into?

A dragon. That would let me knock some sense into those werewolves!

Give us the dirty! Got any secrets about the wonderful author who writes your books, Patricia Briggs?

Actually, she’s pretty boring. Nice, but boring. She says she much prefers that to interesting, because interesting people are quite often unhappy.

You encounter fae, vampires, werewolves and more. Seems like an interesting life! What adventure for you has been the most thrilling?

Most terrifying would be getting married. If you ever met my mother, you’d understand. Most thrilling . . . well, Adam is really, really hot. So . . .

So what's it like being mated to an alpha? You gotta spill! What is one thing you didn't know about Adam until you were married to him?

It’s like being married to a CEO who not only brings his work home with him, but also his employees. He likes split pea soup. Who does that?

What would you say is the best part about being in the Columbia Basin Pack?

I’m finally starting to feel like I belong somewhere.

The worst? I’m tempted to say fleas – but except for that one time, it hasn’t really been a problem. And Adam is blaming the cat.

Really, the problem I didn’t expect was the constant worry. Is someone going to do something dumb today? Is Paul going to straighten up without me having to hand him his own head on a platter again?

Samuel and you have quite the history together. If given the chance to send a message to him now, what would you say to him?

That’s the cool thing about old friends. You don’t have to send messages. I do hope that his Arianna makes him happy. He deserves to be happy.

If you could ask Ms. Briggs to give you a sidekick from another author’s world, what would you ask for?

A sidekick? Mr. Spock would be awesome – but then all those Trekkies would follow us around. Adam might also have trouble with a male. Which eliminates David (from Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden series) – I’d really like to have a genie at my beck and call. Heh, heh.

Karin Murphy (from the Harry Dresden series) would be someone I could get along with – who is tough enough not to die. Though it might be fun to have a sidekick who would do all the housework!

You are having a girls night in with some popcorn and your favourite PJs, what film do you pop on?

Quigley Down Under or maybe the Nickelodeon series Avatar, the Last Airbender.

Thanks Mercy for chilling with us today! Say hi to the Pack for us! 

Because Patricia Briggs is our author of the month and we are huge fans of her work and think everyone should read all her stuff, we want to give you the chance to win ANY book of your choice from her backlist OR we will pre-order Fair Game for you, which releases March 6!  Whether you're an old fan or a newbie or somewhere in between you can win!  This giveaway is open internationally and will last all month long.

To enter:

1. Be a follower of this blog

2. Fill out the form below

And stay tuned for our other Patricia Briggs / Mercy features during the month of January.