Owls Eye View #1 - Meet Kathleen Peacock!

Hello dear readers, and welcome to the first installment of Owl's Eye View!  Before we commence with today's feature, allow me to fill you all in on the hows and whys of Owl's Eye View.  I got the idea for Owl's Eye View after writing interview questions for the Ruta Sepetys blog tour.  I began thinking about how fun it would be to feature more interviews on my blog, as well as tell my readers about all of these amazing authors, along with their works, that I have enjoyed so much.  It took a couple of weeks until the idea of Owl's Eye View came to me, at which point I knew that I just had to do it.  I approached Kathleen Peacock with my idea and asked if she would like to be the featured for May.  She was kind enough to agree, so here we are!  I hope to keep this feature going on a monthly basis, so I hope you will all keep your eyes peeled for this and more special features in the future.  I will do my best to bring you an Owl's Eye View on the first Monday of every month, as long as I can line up interviews!

And now, without further ado, it's time to meet Kathleen Peacock!

Marla: Hi, Kathleen, and welcome to Starting the Next Chapter!  My first question is: What gave you the idea to portray werewolves the way you did?

Kathleen: Thank you for having me! :)  The decision to have werewolves be out in the open actually came from the characters. I needed werewolves to be a dividing force between Mac, Jason, and Kyle and the easiest way to do that was if everyone knew werewolves existed and if the wolves were feared and prosecuted. I tried to stick to the traditional “bite” or “scratch” and figured the world would label it some sort of virus—even if they didn’t completely understand it.

M: How long did it take you to write Hemlock?

K: Longer than I care to think about but not so long that I didn’t love every minute.

M: What was your favorite scene to write and why is it your favorite?

K: It’s a bit hard to talk about a favorite scene without revealing spoilers, but there is a dream sequence with Amy and Mac in a creepy junkyard that I’m quite fond of—possibly because it contains the line “hubcaps dotted the ground like giant silver snowflakes."  I don’t know why, but I just really like that image. In general, the Amy sequences were the most fun to write.

M: Will there be more books set in the world of Hemlock?

K: Yes. Hemlock is the first in a trilogy.

M: Last question:There's a werewolf coming right at you.  What do you do?

K: Whack it on the nose with a rolled up newspaper.

Thank you so much for visiting Starting the Next Chapter, Kathleen!  It has been a pleasure having you as part of the first ever Owl's Eye View.

If you want to learn more about Kethleen and her amazing book, Hemlock, please continue reading!

About Kathleen  

Kathleen spent most of her teen years writing short stories. She put her writing dreams on hold while attending college but rediscovered them when office life started leaving her with an allergy to cubicles.

Hemlock, her first novel, will be released on May 8th by Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4124788.Kathleen_Peacock
Twitter: @kathleenpeacock
Website: http://www.kathleenpeacock.com/

About Hemlock

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

To read my review of Hemlock, simply click!

Review - Hemlock

by Kathleen Peacock
publisher: Katherine Tegen
date of publication: May 8, 2012
format: ARC
pages: 400
source: SBB ARC Tours
read it in: 1 night

From Goodreads:

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

Hemlock is a little different than your typical werewolf novel.  Rather than being relegated to the shadows and full moon-lit nights, lurk amongst everyday citizens who know that there are werewolves, though they don't know who they might be.  In the town of Hemlock, being a werewolf is a disease, one that some people would do anything to eradicate.  This approach to the werewolf story made for a fresh twist on the folklore that usually makes its way into stories and novels. This characteristic, and more, are what make Hemlock a riveting, interesting read, one that I stayed up long into the night reading.

Mac, the main character of Hemlock, finds herself in a very tough situation when her best friend is brutally murdered by a rare white werewolf.  She is a girl consumed by guilt and questions due to her absence when her friend tried to call her before she died.  It is guilt and sadness that make Mac unwilling to let the circumstances of Aimee's death remain ignored.  It is during her attempts to solve the mystery surrounding Amy's death that we get a sense of who Mac really is.  She is a very complex character with a keen sense of loyalty and an obstinate streak that won't allow her to sit back and take things at face value.  I found that I liked Mac for her complexities and willingness to go the extra mile to find the answers she needs.

The mystery that makes up Hemlock was so intense and riveting that I read the entirety of the book in a single night, simply because I had to know what would happen next.  The pace is neither too fast nor too slow, making it easy to process the information as it comes without giving things away too soon.  Hemlock's setting makes for an interesting place for a werewolf epidemic.  Affluence surrounded as it is by more run-down neighborhoods make it like any number of cities in the real world, making the acknowledged presence of werewolves both surreal and sinister.  I found the angle to be very enjoyable.

Fans of werewolf fiction, take heed: you must read Hemlock.  Kathleen Peacock has created a fantastic story of murder, betrayal, guilt, and acceptance.  Every bit as chilling as a cold, moonlit night, Hemlock was able to keep me enthralled from cover to cover.  If you're looking for a slightly different spin on werewolves, you should definitely pick up this book.  The thrills and chills just don't stop!

Buy Hemlock at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

Obligatory legal statement: This ARC was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Southern Book Blogger ARC Tours. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Waiting on Wednesday - December 7, 2011

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To participate, simply share that book(s) you are eagerly awaiting the release of and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. Clicking the image above will take you straight to her post and widget.

I've got another double edition of WoW to share this week.  I'm kind of liking sharing two books rather than one.  I think this may become a regular thing for me, so long as I have two to share from week to week.  Anyway, I have two picks that I am very excited about this week, both from imprints of Harper Collins Publishers.  Let's get started, shall we?

My first pick is another zombie-steampunk novel, this time set in Philadelphia during the 19th century.  I had a lot of fun reading Dearly, Departed, so to see another combination of the two traits, only this time set in the actual Victorian era, had me very excited to read this book.  What is it?  The book is Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard, set for release on July 24, 2012 from Harper Teen.

From Goodreads:

There’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

My next pick is the beginning of an upcoming urban fantasy trilogy that focuses on werewolves.  Part murder mystery, part romance, Hemlock by Cathleen Peacock sounds like just the ticket for an awesome, action-packed read.  Hemlock hits shelves on May 8, 2012 and comes from Katherine Tegen Books.

From Goodreads:  

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.