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Street Magic By Caitlin Kittredge

Release Date: June 2, 2009

Her name is Pete Caldecott. She was just sixteen when she met Jack Winter, a gorgeous, larger-than-life  mage who thrilled her with his witchcraft. Then a spirit Jack summoned killed him before Pete’s eyes—or so she thought. Now a detective, Pete is investigating the case of a young girl kidnapped from the streets of London. A tipster’s chilling prediction has led police directly to the child…but when Pete meets the informant, she’s shocked to learn he is none other than Jack. Strung out on heroin, Jack a shadow of his former self.  But he’s able to tell Pete exactly where Bridget’s kidnappers are hiding: in the supernatural shadow-world of the fey.  Even though she’s spent years disavowing the supernatural, Pete follows Jack into the invisible fey underworld, where she hopes to discover the truth about what happened to Bridget—and what happened to Jack on that dark day so long ago…

Reviews

“Kittredge is a winner.”—Jim Butcher

Praise for the Nocturne City series:

“Dark and cutting edge.” —Romantic Times

“Smart, gutsy.”—Karen Chance

“Hot, hip, and fast-paced.”—Lilith Saintcrow

I was recently lucky enough to receive an advance copy of Caitlin Kittredge’s first book in the Black London Series. I had read the first book in her Nocturne City Series Night life and really enjoyed the book. I usually like a book when there is a STRONG female lead. I have to say that Street Magic is a KNOCK-OUT. Pete Caldecott is one of the best characters I have read in a long time and the relationship between her and Jack is terrific. I was on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next with them. I tend to be a character based reader more than a plot based reader, but this books had more than enough of BOTH. I loved the character as well as the interaction between Pete and Jack. The plot was smart and exciting and kept me interested from page one. I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes great characters and smart and exciting plotlines. Caitlin is way beyond her years in the way she writes. You would think by the book that she has been writing for many years and had tons of books on the shelves instead of a few. I expect that she will have a very long and successful writing career.

Visit Caitlin online here

Pre-order Street Magic online at

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble.com

Borders.com

So as anyone who reads my blog should know I almost ran over a bunny on Easter. I have now decided there is a conspiracy to try and make me kill animals or something.

I was driving to work on Wednesday night (I was working 8 pm - 5 am) as I was driving down the road near my office I came around a curve and had to jam on the breaks to miss a group of rabbits hopping across the road. It was not a really close call or anything so I thought nothing of it.

Today I was driving to work and as I came around the same curve I was watching for the rabbits. No rabbits in sight so I hit the gas and as I do I see the pavement move. So I slam on the breaks and come to a screeching halt and there in the middle of the road is a tortoise / turtle (what the hell is the difference anyway) This time it was a close call. I did not hit him but I did scream at him. Geeze what the hell is wrong with these animals are they suicidal?

I did put on my flashers and sat there for a few minutes to make sure he got out of the road and then headed to work.

I think Dr. Doolittle needs to have a talk with the nice animals in GA and let them know to get the hell out of my way.   

So I arrived at RT on Monday and most people are not there yet so I took the chance to just hang out and chill. I was shocked to find that the rooms were in buildings surrounding the convention center. WHAT were they thinking? Tons of women in high heels (NOT ME) having to walk all over the place. I am sure it was brutal.. I had on sneakers all week and my feet were KILLING me by the last day. Internet at the hotel SUCKED it was 57 mbps took forever just to download my mail. The staff was all pretty great especially the crew in the bar Arica, Nora and Santos ROCKED they took such good care of my of course I am a good tipper.

As always I had a blast hanging with the BFF’s (Dakota Cassidy, Michele Bardsley, and Renee George) I love them all to death and when we all get together it is one big laugh-fest. Although saying good-bye always sucks.

I met LOTS of great authors.. I finally made it to see Kerrelyn Sparks LOVE her books and she is so sweet. Lori Armstrong aka Lorelei James… she is AWESOME and turned out she is BFF’s with Toni McGee Causey who I LOVE to death and we missed her at RT but I did wear my Bobbie Faye shirt (I have the black one) and EVERYONE loved it. Jeanne Stein who I can’t say enough things about she is so cool and I can’t wait to see her again at DragonCon. Mario Acevedo who is too damn funny. Stacia Kane aka December Quinn who is more fun than a barrel of monkeys and will be my neighbor soon I can’t wait to see her again and laugh till it hurts. The League of Reluctant Adult authors I already KNOW and LOVE .. Mark Henry (and his AWESOME wife Caroline) Jackie Kessler, Richelle Mead, Caitlin Kittredge and Michelle Rowen aka Michelle Maddox and Jaye Wells. L.A. Banks who is sweet and funny and so nice ALL the time. Sahara Kelly who I want to be if I ever grow up, Joey Hill who write some STEAMY books for someone that looks like a kindergarten teacher.

Geeze I always feel like I missed someone…

I have not read her books but Keri Arthur told me I was scary. I was telling Lori Armstrong if she did not show up at the bar I would hunt her down and I am a NY’er we have guns… to which Keri who was sitting next to Lori at the book fair said “You’re scary even without a gun” not sure if that was an insult or a compliment but maybe I will end up in one of her books as a scary heroine

I would write more but I am too damn tired and not sure I even remember all the details. Let me just say if you get the chance to attend RT DO IT !

Here are some Pictures…

Dakota Cassidy and Jackie Kessler

Dakota and Mark Henry

Michelle Rowen and Richelle Mead

Renee George and Jaye Wells

Renee George and Jaye Wells

Joey Hill

Sahara Kelly

Erica , her daughter and CiCi

FLASH

FLASH again… she always has the BEST outfits

So let me start by saying I LOVE Bunnies… At my new job there is a smoking tent out back. While out there smoking there are two bunnies that come up and play in the grass there. They are really cute and I have taken some pictures of them on my camera phone.

So tonight I leave work and stop at the supermarket to pick up a few things (Thank GOD for 24 hour Supermarkets) and then I head on home. I live in a gated complex and the speed limit here is 10 mph which I MOSTLY follow except late at night when I come home cause there is no one around so I am usually doing about 15-20 mph.

Tonight however I was rolling along at 10 mph (NO idea why) and then I see a bunny blot out in front of my car. I stop the car and the damn thing was so scared he ran in circles in front of the car for a few seconds and then bolted back into the grass.

Thankfully he was fine and I do not have to live with the guilt that millions of kids will have no eggs to hunt or chocolate bunnies to eat. Which by the way I think those little guys should fight for chocolate hawks or foxes or something. I mean millions of kids should NOT be eating the Easter bunny it is just wrong.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE !!!!

So my new living room furniture finally came and I LOVE it. Of course it was too big to fit it ALL in the living room so I have the rocking/reclining chair in the bedroom

So here are the pictures…

The Chair….

The Living Room

The Console Loveseat

The Couch with one side of the recliner down… It is a power recliner so has a button that you press and can stop anywhere you like.

The Couch with the center console down… Has cup holders

Loveseat with the console compartment open

I LOVE it so far.. the material is kind of velour-ish and it is beige and brown kinda mixed.. It is VERY comfy.

So I finally got around to taking some picture of my new home so here they are….. Some are a bit crooked… I guess I was a little off kilter today, but I am too lazy to edit them

This is the entrance (taken from inside) That is my empty water bottle that I have to swap at Home Depot

Here is my Living Room.  I will post new pictures when I get my new furniture. The door is the door to my terrace… I have one in the Living Room and one in the Master Bedroom.

Here are pictures of the terrace from each end…

Here is the Dining Room / Desk  area and the kitchen from different angles

Here are pictures of the Spare Bedroom and Bathroom…

The Closets here are HUGE.. this is the one in the spare room..

and the one in the Master Bedroom…

My Bedroom… yeah I need more furniture… hoping to get to IKEA next week and get more pieces from the set.

Here is the Master Bath…

and last but not least my Pantry / Laundry room

So there you have it.. My new place in all it’s glory… I need to get some furniture and do some decorating, but so far I LOVE it !

So as most of you know the last year has been and LONG hard one with lots of changes for Me. After being divorced and my Mom passing away (I took care of her while she was ill) I found out just before Thanksgiving that my job was being eliminated and I would not have a job after the new year. Since I had been at my job for 14 years I was shocked and had no idea what I was going to do especially in this time of economic hell.

I moved in with my sister and figured I would be there for a long time until I figured out what to do. An opportunity to do side work for a friend of my Mom gave me the chance to get my own place (this was before I found out I was losing my job) So I moved to Jefferson Valley into a small studio apartment but it was MINE, and I had NEVER lived on my own before. I went from living with Mom to living with Jose and back to Mom’s. So I was doubly pissed to find out I was losing my job.

I was given the option to stay on as a manager, but as anyone who knew me when I was a manager would tell you I HATED it. People are ASSHOLES and have no patience and putting up with them SUCKS. The good news is I got a nice severance package. I decided that the chances of me finding a high paying job in NY were slim with the economic crisis so I decided I would head to Texas and look there since the cost of living is so much cheaper. (and my BFF’s Dakota Cassidy and Michele Bardsley live there)

I was not having much luck there and I talked to a friend of mine that works for Radiant Systems said I should come work for them. The company sells and supports software and hardware for Movie Theaters, Restaurants, and Arenas. I wanted to work for their Aloha division in ft Worth, Texas but they were not hiring. They asked me to come for an interview in Georgia and Dakota wanted to see her agent there… so off we went to Georgia. I have a lot of experience with Radiant from working at the theaters. So it seemed like a really good fit. So they loved me and offered me a job but I had to move to Georgia for the job. Now the cost of living in GA is MUCH lower than NY and is about the same as Texas, but Texas has Michele and Dakota. So I stressed and stressed and finally decided to go for it and take the job.

On the way back to NY I stopped to see BFF Renee George in Missouri.Had a BLAST hanging out with her as well as Dakota and Michele in Texas. I headed home to NY and left 6 days later to go to Alpharetta, GA to look for a place to live. Luckily as things seem to keep working out for me in strange ways (Must be Mom and Grams looking after me) I found a place in 2 days. I headed back to NY and had to pack up in 4 days. I stopped in North Carolina on the way home to visit with author Joey Hill who is AWESOME and writes some of the most emotional books I have EVER read. I had an awesome time with her and can’t wait to see her again at RT in April. Thankfully Jose (ex-husband) is totally AWESOME and was packing for me while I was gone. So I rented and U-Haul and a car transport,and hired moving helpers. U-Haul hooks you up with movers who will come and pack the truck for you and then ones that will unload on the other side.

THANK GOD I did. The movers in NY were awesome…. although they were late they were fast, friendly and efficient. Most importantly the guy noticed the BAD tires on my U-Haul…..

So I had to call U-Haul and they sent a tow truck to change them. The guy was there in 30 minutes and had me on the road only an hour late. I was staying at my sister’s in NJ that night so the delay was not a big deal, but driving the truck was. I have driven trucks before but never with the car transport attached to the back. I was fine as long as I did not have to backup. I also had to be careful at Gas Stations and lucky I called to hotel I was staying at in South Carolina and made sure they had truck parking.

So I made it to my new place and I brought the snow with me YES it was snowing in Georgia. My movers there were AWESOME too. They got all my stuff moved in to my apartment in an hour and I am on the 3rd floor (no elevators) I moved in on March 1st and then left on March 4th to head to Texas for a book signing for the BFF’s. I stopped in Louisiana to see Toni McGee Causey who I LOVE to death.  I got to see LOTS of friends from the Yahoo groups I am on. Alana, Kaz, Mippy, AK (Anne Katherine) Amy and some brought friends. AK’s sister was a hoot and Amy’s hubby Jim is a great guy and had no problem hanging with 11 women all night.

I started my new job on March 9th and arrived to find out my new boss had been laid off the week before. I was really concerned to hear that, but have been assured that it will not affect my job. I seem to be fitting in well. My bosses are really nice and I like the job and the people that I work with so far. It has been pretty easy to jump right in since I had so much experience from my last job with the system. I even helped a theater to troubleshoot an issue with the network that likely would have taken another tech a lot longer, but it used to be one of my theaters so I know the layout and where everything was located.

So that is what has been going on with me lately oh and I made my FIRST ever Corned Beef and Cabbage with potatoes and carrots and it turned out AWESOME.

I promise to try and blog a little more often, now that life is calming down maybe I can get into a regular routine. 

So today would have been my Grams 88th birthday. For those that don’t know my Grams (Mom’s mother) passed away from Cancer in April 2001. Myself, my sisters, cousin and Mom took care of her for 37 days from the day she was diagnosed till she passed on April 1st. It is hard to believe that she is no longer here. I miss her all the time and wish she was still here.

My friend Juanita who does tarot cards has told me that she is my guardian angel .. I think cause Mom is too busy with the rest of the family. Things seem to be working out in weird ways for me recently so she MUST be doing a good job.

I wanted to post some pictures but since I am moving and half my shit is packed I could not find any so here are a few from my web site..

This was one of the LAST pictures I have with Grams. It was the LAST birthday she was with us for and we celebrated in the hospital. She came home a few days after that and was gone in 37 days

These are from my wedding…

I LOVE YOU AND I MISS YOU GRAMS!

So I have been in Dallas for two weeks and the job market is not looking so bright. I have been looking for a job but seems that either I am not qualified for the jobs I want or they do not pay enough money and things like rent and food are pretty damn important. I did get my severance which of course was NOT as much as I had hoped, but what can you do. I also got my first unemployment payment which is good. Hopefully I will not need too many more of those and will find a job SOON.

I know this will SHOCK some of you but I am really insecure and get discouraged VERY easily. Usually my Mom was great at boosting me up and making me feel better about myself and everything else…. but she is no longer here to do that, leaving me in a big PITY PARTY FUNK.

I keep trying to hear my Mom in my head telling me it will all be okay and I am AWESOME and MANY people have it a lot harder than I do, but just not the same. Here are a few things I a have been thinking about….

1. I am not extraordinary - YES I know shocking isn’t it, but I really can’t do anything that a billion other people can do just as well if not better.

2. I honestly believe if I failed to exist tomorrow no one would have much trouble adjusting to the loss. (Except Dakota who could never post a proper blog again)

3. I HATE looking for a job. I am horrible at it and more importantly SUCK at job interviews. I am just not good at pumping myself up. I mean they say you have to put your best foot forward.. I don’t have a BEST foot. I am me and that is IT.

4. I have no REAL accomplishments in my life. REALLY. I am almost 40 and I have done NOTHING. I have no kids and never finished college and have done nothing to stand out from the crowd.

So basically I am feeling like What’s it all about? and Why bother? I know most people fit the same bill, and usually it does not bother me too much but lately it does.

Now don’t go getting all freaked out.. I am not suicidal and NEVER will be. I am too chicken it would not work and I would live as a vegetable all my life, plus i could not do something that hurtful to my family. I am just down in the dumps and need to drag my ass back up to my Happy Place…okay so I don’t think I have a Happy Place, but I at least need to wrap up the Pity Party.

Well that is two blogs in one day…. Everyone should be happy for a few days anyway !