Author Julie Anne Long visits the Dollhouse!

With the upcoming release of Alchemystic, book one of The Spellmason Chronicles, it’s really made me nostalgic about my journey as an author over the past five hears of being in print.  Alchemystic will be my fifth published work, and you don’t get there without learning and loving a few things along the way.  With that in mind, I thought I would share some of my favorite moments, focusing each day on one of the four books in my Simon Canderous urban fantasy novels leading up to the beginning of my new series. With that said, let’s share the warm and fuzzies, shall we?

Dead Waters (Book Four)

The gist:
Psychometry-the power to touch an object and divine information about its history-has meant a life of petty crime for Simon Canderous, but now he’s gone over to the good side. At New York’s underfunded and (mostly) secret Department of Extraordinary Affairs, he’s learning about red tape, office politics, and the basics of paranormal investigation. But it’s not the paperwork that has him breathless.
Simon Canderous, of the Department of Extraordinary Affairs, is used to fighting vampires and zombies. But the strange murder of a professor has everyone stumped. And it’s making some people crazy. Literally.

Ray Harryhausen
If you’ve ever seen the original King Kong or animated fighting skeletons in a Sinbad (the swashbuckler, not the stand-up comedian) movie, then you’ve seen the movie monster magic of Ray Harryhausen. Much of Dead Waters

Midlife Crisis
I turned forty while I was writing this particular book. So it’s no coincidence that Simon’s boss, Inspectre Argyle Quimbley, has to deal with the consequences of his youth. Not much is known about the mid-sixties-ish leader of the Department of Extraordinary Affairs, so it stands to reason that you get there by kicking a lot of zombie ass over the years and lived to tell about it. How does someone past their fighting prime still stay relevant in the paranormal investigation biz? And what happens when you run into old friends and foes who struck bargains to reclaim their fleeting you? It’s a bittersweet investigation for me, but it’s also one of the most heartfelt things I’ve explored in the series.

Aquazombies
They are zombies. They are in the water surrounding Manhattan. What’s not to love? What’s more fun than punching something that your entire hand sinks into the sticky wet mess of its face? NOTHING, I tell you!

Hell Gate Bridge
You get the idea…. It’s a real place in Manhattan with that name… how could I resist that? No, ladies and gentleman, I could not!

Next up: Alchemystic, Book One of The Spellmason Chronicles

When not plotting against his mortal enemy Patrick Rothfuss, Anton Strout is the author of the Simon Canderous urban fantasy series for Ace Books including Dead To Me, Deader Still, Dead Matter and Dead Waters.
His new book with Ace Books Alchemystic is the first in the upcoming Spellmason Chronicles and comes out 9/25/12.

He is also the host and curator of content for The Once & Future Podcast, a weekly show that focuses on discussions with other working writers.

His other writing has appeared in a variety of anthologies—some of which include Simon Canderous tie-in stories—including: Boondocks Fantasy, The Dimension Next Door, A Girl’s Guide to Guns & Monsters, Pandora’s Closet, Spells of the City, and Zombie Raccoons & Killer Bunnies, Spells of the City, Boondocks Fantasy, After Hours: Tales from the Ur-Bar, and the upcoming Human For A Day .

He currently lives outside New York City in the haunted corn maze that is New Jersey (where nothing paranormal ever really happens, he assures you). In his scant spare time, he is an always writer, sometimes actor, sometimes musician, occasional RPGer, and the world’s most casual and controller-smashing video gamer. He also works in the exciting world of publishing, and yes, it is as glamorous as it sounds.

He can be found lurking the darkened hallways of www.antonstrout.com.

Paperback Dolls is made up of women from different parts of the world, with different backgrounds, different tastes and beliefs that were brought together through a love of reading. We like to think of ourselves as a cyber version of "The View" that focuses on books, authors, and reading. We are proof positive that one common love can unite the most opposite of people and form lasting friendships that introduce other ways of life and perspectives to each other.

Paperback Dolls

View all posts by Paperback Dolls
s website

Related posts:

1. Anton Strout: Part The First Of The Self- Retrospective of America’s Favorite Lower Midlist Urban Fantasy Author ™
2. Anton Strout: Part The Third Of The Self- Retrospective of America’s Favorite Lower Midlist Urban Fantasy Author ™
3. Anton Strout: Part The Second Of The Self- Retrospective of America’s Favorite Lower Midlist Urban Fantasy Author ™
4. ARC Review: Dead Waters by Anton Strout
5. Guest Blog: Getting Under the Covers with Anton Strout