The creatures in Feast are not vampires, although they can suck the life out of a human if they are not careful. Neither are they fairies, although they are magic and can fly. Above all, they are not human as they cannot sleep and cannot dream. They are Darklings, and dreams are what they live on.
What happens, though, when the dreams they are living on are of bitterness and revenge? And what about humans whose dreams have been destroyed?
Madeline (Maddie) McFaddan has been shattered. A best-selling author with several movie adaptations under her belt, “Mad Mac” thought she had achieved the pinnacle of her dreams – until they were stolen by her movie director husband when he conducted a very public affair with her best friend. In an effort to regain her confidence, and reignite her creative spark, she takes her son and their dog to her childhood vacation spot of Ticonderoga Falls.
Ash hangs on to bitter dreams of revenge for the murder of his wife, holding the entire town of Ticonderoga Falls captive under his curse. Now the dreams of his wife are fading from human memory, leaving him weak and the town residents vulnerable to attack from his wild, power hungry cousins.
Before Ash or Maddie can move on, each must release their claim on those old dreams so new dreams, fresh and full of hope, can grow.
I loved this book. Merrie draws engaging characters full of unique life. I especially enjoyed Maddie’s son, Tucker, who is his mother’s biggest fan. When she finds inspiration in a glimpse of the Darklings, Tucker’s enthusiasm is contagious.
“Is this your next story?” he asked.
I nodded, still not sure, waiting to hear what he thought. “This guy’s wicked! He’s better than Batman or Wolverine or Hellboy.”
But if you want to see if Ash and Maddie find new hope you’ll just have to read Feast for yourself. Happily, I get to make that a reality for one of you!
Merrie is answering questions and giving a signed copy of Feast to one of my blog readers today! Here’s what you need to do to win.
Each of the following is another chance to win:
1) Post this blog to your Facebook account
2) Tweet this blog post
3) Leave a comment or question for Merrie below, and mention if you’ve done #1 and/or #2
The contest will be closed at midnight tonight, June 30, 2011. I’ll contact the winner for a mailing address and forward that on to Merrie who will sign and send you your book.
Hey!
Loved the book review. I’m so excited for an opportunity to win!
1) I post a link to the blog on my facebook, but they don’t have a cool link like Twitter does.
2) I tweeted about the giveaway: https://twitter.com/oboyledbooks/status/86469209609076736
3) Was it hard to come up with a new paranormal being when there are so many books coming out with new twists on old creatures?
Michelle O’Boyle
Jane,
Thank you SO much for writing such a thoughtful and insightful review of FEAST! One of my favorite lines was this: Before Ash or Maddie can move on, each must release their claim on those old dreams so new dreams, fresh and full of hope, can grow.
Thanks again for reading FEAST and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
=)
Merrie
I posted to my blog as well as leaving a comment. I don’t have a twitter account…:(, but I may have to just to enter this contest…LOL
Ok…I created a twitter account and tweeted the post…now, I haven’t actually read the books, but if Jane likes it, it’s definitely going on my reading list!
You’re so welcome Merrie!
Geneva, what’s your twitter name? Or, follow me @2jewells and I’ll follow you back!
Following! But remember, I’ve never done this before, so I’m not sure what I’m doing…LOL
Absolutely amazing!
1. Posted on my facebook! http://www.facebook.com/Kann#!/?sk=nf
2. Posted on Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/Chickadee__
3. Is it hard not to fall back into old territory, finding yourself repeating thoughts and ideas?
Love your work! Feast is so awesome!
Thanks for the contest Jane! Following you on Twitter
I have proudly done number one and number two and haven’t felt happier about that since being three! Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Merrie has gone and done it again with her imaginative story line. I can’t wait to dive in and devour the book. Merrie, how do you juggle everything? It always amazes me how you answer nearly every comment on Facebook and yet I know your schedule is packed with marketing and writing. I have to say I learned how to be better FB friend by watching you. You’re an awesome example.
Thanks, Jane for giving us the opportunity to win a book. I have a signed copy of Merrie’s first book and will be sure to get a second somehow!
Wonderful review, so cannot wait to read Feast!
1) posted on my FB account: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=235830289768071&id=100000899165880
2) tweeted here: https://twitter.com/#!/Stella_ExLibris/status/86534112311128065
3) Merrie, I love the second title: Harvest of Dreams, so evocative! I would like top know how did the idea for the story, for dream-suckers come to you? It is so unique and original, I’m amazed and love it!
And also: if you could have a fictional crossover which literary character would you like to borrow into the universe of Feast and have him/her as a BFF, lover, nemesis, etc?
Thank you for the chance and congratulations Merrie on the release of Feast!!
stella.exlibris (at) gmail (dot) com
Hey! I posted the link on my FB wall! I don’t twitter though.
The review sounds intriquing, very much like a book I would like to read!
I have shared this post on FB, but I don’t have twitter. Jane, if you recommend a book–I’m ready to read! Now I just have to find the time.
Guess I typed my name wrong. Oops. Thompson, of course.
Hi, Michelle!
Was it hard to come up with a new paranormal being when there are so many books coming out with new twists on old creatures?
No, I love coming up with new things. That part was fun. The hard part was making the creature believable and likable. That was why I incorporated some ancient myths and legends. They’re familiar to us, we recognize them and part of us accepts them as fact–even when we don’t believe the myth.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, K.Ann!
Thanks for kind words!
Is it hard not to fall back into old territory, finding yourself repeating thoughts and ideas?
I do notice if I’m repeating things (usually, anyway), so I strive to find a new way to say it or write it. I especially try to make sure that plots, beginnings and ending are varied from book to book. I don’t want people to ever pick up one of my books and say, wow, that was basically the same as her last book. I hope that my books will always surprise people.
Thanks for the great question!
Sarah,
Hi! You are SO sweet! I’m really glad you stopped by to say hi!
How do you juggle everything?
LOL. Um, my house is a mess, my laundry is in a pile by the door and I think I’ve forgotten how to use my oven. Seriously, it all comes down to priorities. I do occasionally blog, but I’ve never gotten much blog traffic. So when I got a FB page, and I had the opportunity to have 5,000 friends (Yay!), I decided that I would try to be as personal as possible with those people. I seriously consider those people my friends. And I love the FB community. It’s so fun! Beyond that, I also give myself deadlines and I have multiple to-do lists. But I am always forgetting to do thing like exercise and sleep. *grin*
Thanks again for stopping by, Sarah! It’s always great to chat with you.
Hi, Stella!
Yay! I’m glad you want to read Feast!
Your question: I would like top know how did the idea for the story, for dream-suckers come to you?
I was working on a scary project and because of it I couldn’t sleep. So, I tried to come up with a nice creature who didn’t sleep, like me, and from there I just imagined what he was doing when he wasn’t sleeping. Granted, not all the Darklings in the book are nice. In the beginning, when I was first coming up with the story, it was going to be a screenplay with middle grade main characters. A little bit like E.T.
Question: And also: if you could have a fictional crossover which literary character would you like to borrow into the universe of Feast and have him/her as a BFF, lover, nemesis, etc?
Boy, that’s a tough question. I don’t really like to use other people’s characters. Maybe someone like Dracula. A real vampire could be interesting in the Darkling world.
Great questions!
Kristy,
)
Thanks so much!
Hi, Lucy!
Thanks for stopping by!
Merrie
Geneva,
Your efforts paid off, you won the drawing! Please send me your mailing address and I’ll forward it on to Merrie who will send out your prize package.
Congratulations! You’re going to love this book.
Jane