Guest: Karalynn Lee with contest

Hey, Biters!  I'm excited to introduce you to author Karalynn Lee today.  She's got a novella out with Carina Press, DEMON'S FALL, and I really enjoyed the read.  It's about angels and demons, and her world is amazing, and I love, love LOVE the cover.  We reviewed the story here.  She'll give away an electronic copy to one lucky commenter, so show her some love in the comments!  [Winner announced Sunday.]  Without further ado, here's Karalynn.

Unexpected angels

I once figured that I would never write a story about angels, since the angel trend these days tends to occur in paranormal books set in contemporary-ish settings.  I can only seem to write fantasy and science fiction that doesn't hold even a hint of the modern world.  But then I started thinking of entire fantasy series with their own take on angels:

Sharon Shinn's Samaria is a world where angels control the weather with their unearthly voices.  They've grown arrogant at the apex of society, and some women have become angel-seekers, hoping to share an angel's bed and bear his child in order to share that luxury.  Shinn likes to explore the intersection between angels and normal folk, often with strong-minded women who don't, in fact, want anything to do with angels.

The Saga of Recluce, by L.E. Modesitt, Jr., introduces "angels" who come from the stars via spacecraft to crash on a populated world where order and chaos manifest as powers.  They adapt to this low-tech planet and establish a matriarchal society whose effects reverberate across the realms and through centuries -- and those women are damn good with a sword.

Meredith Ann Pierce's angels are actually darkangels who gather souls at the bidding of a witch and yet manage to captivate all the same.  Ariel, a slave, is abducted by one of them to serve the darkangels' doomed brides.  I was continually thrilled by the inventiveness of The Darkangel Trilogy, from sailing upon a sea of dust to the gathering of gargoyles.

Even the computer game Planescape: Torment has a caged angel -- "one who soars on the wings of morning and with his hands, is the architect of horizons."  (Mmm.)  So you never know where you'll find an interesting angel.

Yes, one showed up in my writing as well.  Mine finds herself in the marketplace of Hell, sold to a demon who at first considers her a curiosity.  She's startled that he's not the utter bastard she expected all demons to be, while he becomes entangled in the quest that brought her to that forsaken place.  They learn that there's more at stake than a girl's soul, or even their own hearts.

If you like fairy tales, Biblical prophecy with a twist, and demons who aren't one-dimensionally evil along with your angels, you may want to give Demon's Fall a try.  You can read an excerpt at my website <http://karalynnlee.com/demons_fall_excerpt?ref=biteclub> .

Tell me about your favorite angels, or just drop a note!  One commenter will win a copy of Demon’s Fall.
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You can find more of Karalynn's writing at her website, karalynnlee.com.  Her latest release, Demon's Fall, is available as an electronic novella from Carina Press.

She was an angel at the gates of Hell.

When Kenan, an incubus, finds a caged angel for sale in the Hellsgate marketplace, he sees her as a challenge. Certain that his skills in seduction will work as well on a heavenly creature as they do on mortal women, he buys Jahel, intent on having her soul as a novelty in his collection.

Knowing he must gain Jahel's trust if she is to come to his bed willingly, Kenan treats her more as his guest than as his slave. When she reveals what brought her to the mouth of Hell in the first place -- retrieving the soul of a young girl she was guarding -- he even offers to help her complete her mission.

Though he has promised Jahel freedom, Kenan soon realizes she has captured his heart instead. And as their passion for one another grows, they find themselves caught in a struggle between Heaven and Hell, one that will lead them to the very edge of the apocalypse...