October 30, 2013

Recap: S.J. Harper at Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach

Hi, everyone. As you may remember, a few weeks ago I mentioned that I went to Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach and happened upon a book signing for S.J. Harper’s new book, Cursed. S.J. Harper is the pen name for Jeanne C. Stein (Anna Strong) and Samantha Sommersby (Forbidden). Both are established names in urban fantasy and I decided to sit in on the signing to learn more about their new book. (Side note that I already read the book and really enjoyed it. I am excited for book 2!)
The signing got off to a bit of a late start due to a misunderstanding about the start time, but it was all good and I got to catch up with some fun people that I had met previously at the Nalini Singh signing. Sam came out first and read a little bit from the book.

sam reading from cursed

Jeanne was nearing the end of her Anna Strong series and her publisher asked her to come up with some ideas for a new series. Sam had an idea for an urban fantasy series that she thought would work well with Jeanne’s knack for writing police procedurals and her knack for romance. They pitched the idea to Jeanne’s publisher and they quickly picked it up.

sam and jeanne

The two mapped out each scene of the book in detail. They would write at the same time, each taking a different scene. When they were done, they swapped scenes and critiqued each other. They said that the method worked well and the process was a lot faster with two people writing. 

They have already turned in book 2 of the series and, at the time of the signing, the cover to the book was being discussed.  Hopefully this means that it will be coming out soon and not a year from now. The two discussed how happy they were with the cover model for Cursed and how she ended up getting in touch with Sam. 
that’s suzanne lazear‘s adorable daughter in the background
They said that the S.J. in their pen name stood for their real names (Sam and Jeanne) but that the H was made up because they found out that the letter H was usually at about eye level at the bookstore. Harris and Hamilton were already taken so they decided on Harper.
Both of these ladies were lovely in person. It’s clear that they are good friends and it was fun listening to them both. Like I said above, I already read the book and liked it a lot. I would definitely recommend this series for urban fantasy fans. 
If you stuck through this whole post, gold star for you! Let me know if you end up picking this one up and what you think of it. Thanks for stopping by. :)

Meet FBI Agents Emma Monroe and Zack Armstrong.She’s cursed. He’s damned. Together, they make one hell of a team.

Emma Monroe is a Siren, cursed by the gods and bound to earth to atone for an ancient failure. She’s had many names and many lives, but only one mission: redemption. Now that she works missing persons cases for the FBI, it could be just a rescue away. Unless her new partner leads her astray.

Special Agent Zack Armstrong just transferred into the San Diego Field Office. He’s a werewolf, doing his best to beat back the demons from his dark and dangerous past. As a former Black Ops sniper, he’s taken enough lives. Now he’s doing penance by saving them.

Emma and Zack’s very first case draws them deep into the realm of the paranormal, and forces them to use their own supernatural abilities. But that leaves each of them vulnerable, and there are lines partners should not cross. As secrets are revealed and more women go missing, one thing becomes clear: as they race to save the victims, Emma and Zack risk losing themselves.

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