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Friday, October 31, 2008 reviews (Comments)
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Maelstrom: The Band

reviews (Comments): 3
Kalila Yusra

Species: Djinn (genie)
Instrument: Lead Guitar

Likes: Guitars, sexy outfits, bossing humans around.
Dislikes: Sentimentality, being treated as a sex object, ex-boyfriends
Special Talents: Shape-shifting, healing, conjuring

Kalila is neither sweet nor patient, and she hates any comparison to Barbara Eden. Although she's well over two thousand years old, she's relatively new to Western ways, having arrived in Europe by mistake when a seventeenth century trader took her lamp home with him on his ship. Since then, she's been making the best of things, dating European gods and looking for interesting ways to occupy herself. She’s smart, dedicated, ambitious, and given to extremes of callousness followed by sudden generosity. Kalila is the brains of Maelstrom, smug in her talent and immortality.

Nevin Prantz

Species: Fairy
Instrument: Keyboards
Special Talents: Shape-shifting, sleeping potions, happy potions, conjuring

Likes: Butteflies, birds, flowers, waterfalls, music.
Dislikes: Fighting, disapproval, dark and gloomy places

Nevin is a classically trained pianist who met Kalila when she, new to Europe, decided to take music lessons from his tutor, Maria Anna Mozart. Nevin is a vegetarian and is into social causes, even when he’s a little confused by them, and has a sweet and helpful nature. He’s always on hand with a potion to cheer someone up or help them sleep. He’s the band’s conscience and as such is usually ignored. Luckily he’s quick to get over his hurt feelings, forgive his demon band-mates and try again.

Vic Drake

Species: Vampire
Instrument: Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
Special Talents: Seduction

Likes: Type O, human females, attention
Dislikes: Type AB Negative, daylight, being ignored

Although Maelstrom is Kalila’s band, Vic is the front man and moody growled vocals are his specialty. Like most of his kind, he’s not interested in norms of human behavior and any acts of kindness are sure to have an ulterior motive. He’s the only one in the band who understands sarcasm and is the only real cynic. He’s often in competition with Bo for girls, but partners with Lazaro for raids on morgues, medical schools, and other places where a “meal” can be picked up quick.

Bo Valentino

Species: Incubus
Instrument: Bass Guitar

Likes: Sex
Dislikes: Anything that prevents him from getting laid
Special Talents: Seduction, manifesting in bedrooms

Bo has a blond, sexy appeal that works on just about any sentient creature. His preference is human females, but he’ll try anything if he’s hungry enough. He’s laid-back and charming when he gets his way, sullen and conniving when he doesn’t. A sleaze with a surfer boy’s good looks, he’s happy to party his way through eternity, and playing in a rock band is just another way to meet girls and have a good time.

Lazaro Thantos

Species: Zombie
Instrument: Drums

Likes: Drums, brains, makeup artists
Dislikes: Brains of stupid people, anything that keeps him away from his drums
Special Talents: Hiding the bodies

Lazaro is a simple creature, obsessed with drums and food. He admires intelligence in his food and likes to raid colleges for his meals. For the most part, though, he just wants to be left to play his drums in peace.

Maelstrom Management

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Maelstrom is currently managed and promoted by Landon Talent Management. For information about Maelstrom's bookings, recordings, and publicity, contact Ricky Landon.

Art is by Rebecca Gunter. Contact her with your own commission requests or visit her deviantART site and gallery.

Short fiction and reviews are added every few days and further information about the novel will be available in the About the Book tab as news becomes available. For additional information or questions about Maelstrom fiction, contact Ann Pino.

Maelstrom: The Book

reviews (Comments): 3
When a genie grants you a wish, you don’t expect to have to return the favor.

Struggling promoter Ricky Landon is on the verge of giving up his dreams when he dumps sexy genie Kalila from a junk store lamp. She grants his wish to manage a talented band, but she has a wish of her own…she wants to be a rock star.

Kalila’s band consists of fellow demons whose genius on stage is matched by their ability to get themselves banned from every venue they’ve ever played. Ricky is willing to do what it takes to help them succeed, but with a zombie on drums, an incubus on bass, and a vampire lead vocalist, the off-stage antics are a little more serious than diva behavior and trashed hotel rooms.

Via connections and clever promoting, Ricky turns Maelstrom into the hottest act in town, but their growing fame and Ricky’s love affair with Kalila draw the attention of a rival band of washed-up deities. They’ll do anything to stop Maelstrom from achieving their goals, and now Ricky’s career and maybe even his life is at stake.

Ricky knew rock and roll was a little crazy, but he never thought it would be like this!


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Maelstrom has been accepted for publication by L&L Dreamspell and will be available for purchase in early 2010.

Sample chapter is available here. Please note that the final published version may differ slightly.

Maelstrom Extras (Short Stories)

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