CANR
WORK TITLE: Primal Mirror
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://nalinisingh.com/
CITY: Auckland
STATE:
COUNTRY: New Zealand
NATIONALITY: New Zealander
LAST VOLUME: CANR 327
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born September 7, 1977, in Suva, Fiji.
EDUCATION:University of Auckland, B.A., LL.B. (with honors), 2001.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Has also worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp, and an English teacher.
MEMBER:Romance Writers of New Zealand.
AWARDS:Jane Porter Award and Clendon Award’s Readers’ Choice Award, 2001, for manuscript “Coaxing the Sheik”; Sir Julius Vogel Award, 2008, 2009; Australian Romance Readers Award for Favorite Paranormal Romance, 2013, for Heart of Obsidian; Best Fiction Books of 2014, Kirkus Reviews, for Shield of Winter; Love Letter Award for Best Author, 2015.
WRITINGS
Also author of a blog.
SIDELIGHTS
Nalini Singh is a New Zealander author of romance novels, many of which have paranormal elements. Her first romance novel, Desert Warrior, appeared in 2003. Since that time, she has published scores of novels, stand-alone works, and also two major series, “Psy-Changelings” and “Guild Hunter,” as well as their spinoff series. Born in Fiji, Singh was raised in New Zealand, and she worked variously as a lawyer, librarian, and English teacher before becoming a full-time writer.
In a Night Owl Reviews interview, Sing told a contributor why she chose to focus on paranormal romance: “I’ve always loved reading science fiction and fantasy alongside romance—all those interests come together in paranormal romance, so it was a very natural fit.” She additionally remarked on what makes a good hero and heroine in romance fiction: “I think a good hero is unique in himself, and he has layers to him that fascinate us as we peel them away. He isn’t cookie cutter. He is very much who he is and confident in that. … My heroines run the gamut from tough hunters to submissive wolf changelings, but they all share a deep internal strength.” Singh further commented on her writing style and choice of genres with a contributor to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books website: “I think my style is more suited to the longer format, with more room for subplots and friendships/family relationships as well as the central romance—I’ve realized that in my reading and writing both, I like the sense of continuity provided by having an interlinked cast. However, and though paranormal is my first love, I do still enjoy writing contemporaries, and I have one I’m working on in my spare time that may make an appearance at some stage.”
Desert Warrior and Craving Beauty
Singh’s stand-alone novels are rather standard romance novels, involving no paranormal or supernatural elements. Her first novel, Desert Warrior, features a love affair between New Zealander Jasmine Coleridge and Tariq, ruler of the fabled desert kingdom of Zulheil. When meeting before in New Zealand, Jasmine was not strong enough to follow her passion; now she is coming to visit him four years later in his own land. Writing on the RT Book Reviews website, Angela Keck felt that “Singh tells a heartwarming story of passion and healing” in this novel.
Craving Beauty features another unlikely couple who find true love. Hira Dazirah has had enough of bickering with her parents about whom to wed, so she accepts the proposal of Marc Bordeaux, an American whose scarred face attests to secrets in his past. For Hira this is a marriage of convenience, but it becomes very real once the couple reaches Marc’s Louisiana home. Keck, again writing in the online RT Book Reviews, felt that “this beautifully told story is worth the read.”
Slave to Sensation and Visions of Heat
Singh is much better known for her paranormal series than she is for her stand-alone novels. Her “Psy-Changelings” series is set late in the twenty-first century and features various characters who have special psychic powers and are bred to have no emotions. But in this world there are also changelings, or shifters, animals that change into humans but retain their strong animal nature, and these two races are often at odds with one another. The series gets underway with Slave to Sensation, in which cardinal Psy Sascha Duncan begins to have emotions for the changeling Lucas Hunter, part of a panther pack. But she must hide these feelings, for Psys are destroyed for showing emotion. Writing on the RT Book Reviews website, Barb Anderson praised Singh’s “magical writing [that] conjures up sensual images and intense emotions.”
The second installment, Visions of Heat, features Faith NightStar, an F-Psy, one gifted with foresight or the ability to see the future. She is now on the trail of Sascha Duncan, the empath from the first installment, and meets along the way the changeling jaguar Vaughn. “In a genre filled with talent, Singh really stands out,” noted RT Book Reviews website contributor Jill M. Smith of this second installment.
Caressed by Ice and Mine to Possess
Caressed by Ice features Judd, one of the elite soldiers of the Psy Council, who decided to defect from this position. A cold-blooded assassin, he finds new feelings when he meets changeling Brenna Shane Kincaid in this “mind-blowing” series addition, according to Smith on the RT Book Reviews website.
Two changelings find love in Mine to Possess amid the continuing battle with the heartless Psy controllers of Earth. “This is paranormal romance at its best,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer.
Hostage to Pleasure and Branded by Fire
Psy scientist Ashaya Aleine has a secret in Hostage to Pleasure: she wants to rescue her son. She bargains with leopard changeling Dorian in this endeavor and finds more than she bargained for. On the RT Book Reviews website, Smith dubbed this an “intensely personal love story as well as a riveting societal drama.”
Two alpha changelings find a connection despite their rivalry in Branded by Fire, a “red-hot thriller,” according to Smith on the RT Book Reviews website.
Blaze of Memory and Bonds of Justice
A Psy with no memory turns up on the doorstep of Dev Santos in Blaze of Memory. The woman, Katya, may be a dangerous plant, but Dev finds a way to help her in this “mesmerizing” series installment, as Smith termed it on the RT Book Reviews website.
Sophia Russo is a J-Psy in Bonds of Justice, a telepathic who can extract memories from people to reach true justice. She teams up with human detective Max Shannon to find the killer of several Psys. “Consistent excellence makes Singh one of today’s premier storytellers,” noted Smith on the RT Book Reviews website.
Play of Passion and Kiss of Snow
A male and female member of the SnowDancer wolf pack changelings find edgy romance in Play of Passion, while there are internal battles among the Psy Council members. This series installment draws “readers further into a world of intrigue, deception, and love,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer.
In Kiss of Snow, Hawk, of the SnowDancer pack, is attracted to Sienna, a Psy woman with the exact powers needed to destroy him. Facing attack from without, he knows this is no time for dalliance, but he cannot resist Sienna. Pat Henshaw, writing in Booklist, noted of this tenth installment: “Even readers who have not previously followed the series will be thrilled with Singh’s tale.”
Speaking with Minn Chica on the Book Pushers website, Singh commented on the most surprising thing she has discovered in writing this series: “My subconscious is way ahead of me. I’ve been writing later books in the series and I’ll suddenly realize a piece of the puzzle is slotting into place that I didn’t consciously put into the books, and yet the piece is exactly where I need it to be. So now I don’t argue too hard when my subconscious says, ‘Stick that in, it’s needed.’ I just do as I’m told.”
Tangle of Need
Wolf changeling Adria and SnowDancer lieutenant Riaz are at the heart of the next series installment, Tangle of Need. Riaz is sworn to another, and thus his deep attraction to Adria comes as a betrayal. For her part, Adria is frightened by the intensity of feeling she has for Riaz. Both are also dealing with old emotional scars, dealing with rejection by others. Now they must try and forge a new relationship, a true mating bond, despite their fears.
Reviewing Tangle of Need in RT Book Reviews website, Jill M. Smith noted: “As the incomparable Singh’s Psy-Changeling world continues to expand, so do her novels. … It doesn’t get any better than this!” A Publishers Weekly reviewer also had a high assessment of this installment, observing that Singh “stays beautifully faithful to her own mythology, creating a truly satisfying romance and compelling action in one of her strongest episodes to date.”
Heart of Obsidian
With Heart of Obsidian, Singh provides readers with many answers that have come up through the course of the series. For one, the identity of the Ghost—who controls the direction of the Psy race—is revealed. Now, despite his efforts, the Psy Council has fallen and the entire Psy Network is threatened. A new question arises: will the Ghost be able to save his race, or will his actions hasten its demise?
Reviewing Heart of Obsidian on the RT Book Reviews website, Smith praised Singh’s consistently high level of “world building, long game plot arcs and intense character development.” Smith added: “Singh is in a class by herself!” A Dear Author website contributor also had praise for this twelfth installment in the series, commenting: “I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of Heart of Obsidian and in most regards, this book does not disappoint. Stark, romantic, and satisfying, the novel hinges on its hero’s dark magnetism. The storyline is well plotted, entertaining and exciting.”
Shield of Winter
In the thirteenth installment, Shield of Winter, the Psy race lives in peace along with humans and Changelings. The Psy Council has fallen and the Silence ended. However, now a deadly contagion threatens the sanity of the Psy race, and it is up to the paramilitary Arrows to try and save the day. Kaleb Krychek, who brought the Council down, believes that only the empaths can control the contagion, and Vasic, second-in-command of the Arrows, is tasked with the mission of finding and guarding empath Ivy Jane. In the process, Vasic learns to become more empathic himself.
“Singh shines with elaborate, compelling worldbuilding and scorching sexual and emotional tension,” noted a Kirkus Reviews critic of Shield of Winter. A Publishers Weekly reviewer found this installment “epic,” as well as a “powerfully written story that stands well on its own.”
Shards of Hope
In Shards of Hope, Aden Kai is the leader of the Arrows, who are now protecting the Psys and their newly acquired ability to feel emotion. This is particularly important for Aden, as his feelings are now directed at Zaira Neve, to whom he has been attracted since they were both children. The pair is kidnapped by evil forces bent on stirring trouble between world leaders only now starting to trust one another. Zaira and Aden manage to escape and help the leadership. However, Zaira still wonders if she is the proper mate for Aden with her emotional instability and turbulence.
A Kirkus Reviews critic had praise for Shards of Hope, noting: “[Singh’s] alpha heroes and the women who claim them are sweepingly romantic and sizzlingly sensual, while the social and political tapestries she weaves are sophisticated, elaborate, and compelling. Clever, ambitious, sexy, and dynamic.” Similarly, a Publishers Weekly reviewer commented, “The tension of an epic psychological thriller provides the framework for an unparalleled romantic adventure.”
Wild Embrace
Singh offers four tales set in the Psy-Changeling world in Wild Embrace. In one of the tales, engineer Tazia Nerif loves her deep-sea station work but also longs for a connection to her Psy commander. Another novella features a shifter who finally learns to let his inner leopard out. In another story, two shifters learn to make the best of a wolf and leopard combination, while a fourth novella sees a wolf pack investigating a murder of one of their own.
“A major reason why readers adore Singh’s stories is the layered realism of her unforgettable characters!” commented RT Book Reviews website writer Jill M. Smith of Wild Embrace. A Red Hot Books website contributor also had praise, commenting that “this collection is absolutely worth reading.” Likewise, an online Smexy Books reviewer concluded: “Beyond standing as a finely crafted, tangibly sublime collection of stories, the series is beautifully unique and the characters a true rainbow coalition, her character diversity being a staple that makes each story infinitely more wild and alluring.”
Allegiance of Honor
Allegiance of Honor is a full-length series installment. In this novel, not everyone is pleased with the new awakening to emotion and empathy in the Psy world. The Psy Council is involved in a power grab and others feel threatened by the new cooperative spirit and mixed race children of Psy and Changelings. The Trinity Accord of cooperation between Psys, humans, and Changelings, hangs in the balance.
A Kirkus Reviews critic termed Allegiance of Honor a “brilliantly plotted, action-packed, and completely satisfying celebration of the series.” Similarly, a Publishers Weekly contributor noted: “Romance, family, and loyalty are celebrated even as the dangers of a brave new world without war are explored … [in this] sweeping, somewhat futuristic fantasy.” Likewise, an online Smexy Books writer concluded: “Allegiance of Honor is a complex and vibrant story brimming with action, romance, and intrigue. Singh gathers her larger-than-life ensemble to finally give us the answers to long standing questions while opening new pathways that highlight the interesting and unique problems each race is facing as they try to find their place in this frightening new world.”
Angels’ Blood and Angels’ Kiss
Singh inaugurates a new series with her 2009 novel, Angels’ Blood. The series, “Guild Hunter,” posits a world controlled by angels, with powerful archangels responsible for various areas. Raphael is the archangel in charge of North America. Singh’s angels are in no way the standard angelic types: they are ruthless, unfeeling masters. Angels create vampires, who in turn serve their makers for a century. If one of the vampires runs away before the term of service is finished, a human Guild Hunter is dispatched to catch the runaway and return it for punishment. In Angels’ Blood, Raphael hires Guild Hunter Elena Deveraux to track down not a vampire, but a fellow archangel who has gone rogue, killing his own. In the process, the compassionless Raphael suddenly discovers a strange emotion regarding Elena. RT Book Reviews website contributor Smith felt that with the beginning of her second paranormal romance series, “Singh provides incontrovertible evidence that she’s an unrivaled storyteller.” A contributor for the Love Vampires website also had praise for this series launch, noting: “With its heart-wringing love story Angels’ Blood pushes all the right buttons for paranormal romance fans. With its backdrop of truly gruesome murders, which result in a fast-paced dangerous hunt for an insane angel, it checks all of the boxes for urban fantasy fans too.”
Elena has been turned into an angel in Archangel’s Kiss, much to the chagrin of other angels. When an invitation to a ball in her honor comes from the archangel Zhou Lijuan, Raphael fears danger for his beloved. Smith, writing again on the RT Book Reviews website, noted that this tale has “a jagged edge.”
Archangel's Consort and Archangel's Blade
Recovering from their struggle with Lijuan in the previous installment, Elena and Raphael seek to find a life together in Archangel’s Consort. Elena is still learning to fly, but she insists also on continuing her duties as a Guild Hunter. Her services are much needed, for the vampires seem to be restless. Meanwhile, Raphael fears that his dangerously insane mother may be waking from hundreds of years of sleep. “Awesome as always,” Smith remarked of this novel on the RT Book Reviews website.
In the fourth installment, Archangel’s Blade, the focus shifts to the thousand-year-old vampire Dimitri, second in command to Raphael. While Raphael and Elena are away, Dimitri is in charge and employs Guild Hunter Honor to help solve the murder of a young vampire. But Dimitri is surprised when the attraction to this human is the strongest he has felt in his long life. A Publishers Weekly reviewer found this a “heart-pounding and strongly emotional read.”
Archangel's Storm and Archangel's Legion
In Archangel’s Storm, Jason, the spymaster of Archangel Raphael, volunteers to find the killer of Eris, the consort of Archangel Neha. He does so in order to avoid having Neha fall into vengeful madness. But in order to take on this mission, he must first make a vow of blood to Neha’s niece, Mahiya. “Passion and intrigue mesh brilliantly, making this an outstanding read,” observed RT Book Reviews website contributor Smith. A Publishers Weekly reviewer was similarly impressed with this series addition, noting that the “lush writing seamlessly intertwines with the world-building.”
In Archangel’s Legion, the Archangel Raphael and his consort, Elena, a Guild Hunter and angel, are the focus. Here they try to save Manhattan from a deadly virus killing vampires, and a powerful force. the Cascade, that causes birds and angels to fall from the sky. “When it comes to delivering stupendous urban fantasy, no one does it better than Singh,” noted Smith in the online RT Book Reviews. Similarly, a Publishers Weekly reviewer concluded: “The thrilling final battle will keep readers riveted as Singh pulls out all the stops.”
Archangel's Shadow
The series continues with Archangel’s Shadow, in which Archangel Raphael and his consort Elena play supporting roles. Instead, the focus is on Ashwini, an empathic hunter, and the Cajun vampire Janvier, her fighting partner. They are on the trail of a killer and also looking for the origin of the terrible drug named after the Chinese Archangel, Lijuan.
Reviewing Archangel’s Shadow, a Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that the first half moved too slowly, but that midway through, when there is a large revelation, the pacing picks up, and this “better serves the leads, and allows the book to reach the level of previous installments.” Online RT Book Reviews contributor Smith had higher praise, commenting: “Creating three-dimensional, believable characters who jump off the page is a tremendous skill, and Singh is a true master. Awesome as always!”
Archangel's Enigma
In Archangel’s Enigma, Raphael dispatches the vampire Naasir and the angel Andromeda to find a slumbering former Archangel, Alexander. He is the focus of the Archangel of China, Lijaun, who plans to kill Alexander as part of her plot to take over the entire world. In their quest to save Alexander, Naasir and Andromeda also discover a strong attraction for one another, even as the suspense and tension increase.
A Publishers Weekly reviewer had high praise for Archangel’s Enigma, terming it a “splendid” installment, and further noting: “The blend of intimate tenderness and globe-spanning action reaches new highs in Singh’s most exciting novel yet.” An online Dear Author contributor similarly commented: “I liked the book a great deal, especially the road romance and adventure aspect of it. This novel [is] among my favorites in the series.” Further praise was offered by a writer in Smexy Books website who remarked: “This eighth installment keeps readers on their toes as [Singh] balances the rich tension filled ongoing storylines with an intriguing and quite humorous romance. Singh offers us two people whose secretive natures and compelling differences are the driving forces in what becomes a race towards fighting to save their friends, and their love. Naasir’s need to find his mate features heavily in the storyline.” Likewise, RT Book Reviews website contributor Smith observed: “As always with a Singh novel, not only is there a compelling relationship story mixed with high-stakes action, but it also includes critical advancement of the overarching series plot.”
Archangel's Heart and Silver Silence
The ninth series installment, Archangel’s Heart, finds Raphael and Elena joining other members of the Cadre, or archangelic rulers of Earth, at the compound of the Luminata, an ancient sect of angels, in Morocco. There, they hope to determine what is to be done with the territory of Lijuan, who has not been seen for two years and whose lands are falling into chaos. But once at the compound, Elena, a guild hunter who has become an angel, senses there is something seriously wrong. There are deep, dark secrets inside the walls of the compound that will threaten everything Elena holds dear.
A Kirkus Reviews critic had a high assessment of Archangel’s Heart, noting that it is “emotionally jarring and at times grim yet ultimately fulfilling, resonating with the conviction that love is the strongest force in the universe.” The critic added: “Singh explores power, love, and redemption with her typical consummate skill.” Xpress Reviews writer Melanie C. Duncan was also impressed with this installment, commenting: “This latest entry continues to set the bar high with romance, intrigue, and stellar world-building.” Likewise, RT Book Reviews website contributor Smith dubbed it “pure reading pleasure.”
(open new)In Silver Silence, Silver Mercant is hiding with a bear changeling clan after an attempt on her life. Valentin Nikolaev attempts to woo Silver, who is a powerful psychic. Opening up emotionally to him allows her to hear the range of emotions around her that she had shut out. Her attempts to return to the Silence of not feeling emotions, though, means she will not be able to love Valentin again. A Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked that “Hero Valentin’s gregarious bearlike demeanor and affection are an interesting, effective match for the cool, collected Silver–especially in Singh’s talented hands.”
Archangel's Viper and Ocean Light
With Archangel’s Viper, Holly Chang teams up with Venom to figure out how an attack by Uram left her immortal. She learns of her new abilities while also trying to fend off bounty hunters. A Kirkus Reviews contributor suggested that “readers just can’t get enough of Singh … and her exquisitely rendered paranormal romance.”
In Ocean Light, Human Alliance security chief Bowen Knight is saved from death by the oceanic changeling BlackSea pack. He begins to fall for Kaia, his doctor’s cousin, but she sees him as the enemy, making their romance challenging. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called it yet “another intricately plotted, vividly sensual love story from a romance favorite.”
Archangel's Prophecy and Wolf Rain
Archangel’s Prophecy is the eleventh novel in the “Guild Hunter” series. Archangel Raphael tries to keep peace in the realm as the Cascade brings havoc, and the Archangel of Death’s appearance is imminent. A contributor to Publishers Weekly insisted that “Singh is in a class all her own and knows just how to leave readers wanting more.”
With Wolf Rain, wolf changeling Alexei Harte rescues empath Memory and teaches her to trust others. Together they try to strengthen the PsyNet while worrying about rogue genes that may run in his line. A Kirkus Reviews contributor observed that “favorite alpha characters weave through the story, meeting the new challenge with their typical intelligence, flexibility, and collaboration.”
Archangel's War and A Madness of Sunshine
In Archangel’s War, the Cascade tried to get Elena to serve as a channel for Raphael’s power. The two fortify themselves for the zombielike creatures that serve the fallen archangel on her quest for power. A Kirkus Reviews contributor concluded that “Singh’s worldbuilding and imagination never disappoint, and while the action is often brutal and harrowing, it is always tempered by Raphael and Elena’s profound love.”
With A Madness of Sunshine, Anahera Spencer-Ashby returns to New Zealand’s remote Golden Cove with mixed emotions. When aspiring photographer Miriama Tutaia disappears, she links it to a series of abductions of women hikers in the area and goes digging for more information. Booklist contributor Susan Maguire pointed out; “Though the romance is secondary, it has the intensity that Singh’s fans have come to expect.”
Alpha Night and Quiet in Her Bones
In Alpha Night, Selenka Durev is appreciative of Psy Ethan Night, who helps her shape-shifting changelings pack defeat a group of empaths that attack the pack. The bond quickly but must focus on finding who killed one of the pack members. Selenka also worries about Ethan’s darker side. A contributor to Publishers Weekly mentioned that “series fans will be thrilled by this high octane installment.”
With Quiet in Her Bones, new life is breathed into an old disappearance case when Nina Rai’s skeleton is found in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park. While Nina’s husband accused her of theft, her son, now-crime writer Aarav, always believed her disappearance was the result of some sort of foul play. While recovering from a car accident, Aarav starts to investigates in the neighborhood. A contributor to Publishers Weekly claimed that “Singh sustains tension throughout, delivering a lushly written, multilayered mystery that will keep readers guessing.”
Archangel's Light and Storm Echo
In Archangel’s Light, Aodhan has looked after Illium for hundreds of years, but Illium wants some space. When Aodhan follows Illium to China, the two must confront their raw emotions and be honest with each other. A Kirkus Reviews contributor commented that “longtime fans will be delighted by the torturous pining in this slow burn, but this isn’t a book for series newbies.”
Storm Echo centers on the relationship between ocelot-shifter Soleil Bijoux Garcia and Psy Ivan Mercant. The two follow each other across time and deal with amnesia to be together. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called it “an engaging paranormal romance in which love triumphs over isolation.”
There Should Have Been Eight and Primal Mirror
With There Should Have Been Eight, Darcie invites six college friends to her family’s home in New Zealand’s Southern Alps on the ninth anniversary of her young sister Bea’s suicide. As tempers rise, so do the number of strange occurrences, accidents, and injuries before one of them is killed. A contributor to Publishers Weekly opined that “the characters are strictly one-dimensional, making it difficult to invest in their fates,” adding that “Singh has done much better before.”
In Primal Mirror, Remi Denier had success in creating his own RainFire leopard pack in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains from scratch. He finds and becomes mesmerized by the pregnant Psy, Auden Scott, who lives nearby. Her abilities are impressive and Remi feels protective of her, despite a fear that he can’t quite explain. A Kirkus Reviews contributor found it to be “a compelling but lopsided read.”(close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 1, 2011, Pat Henshaw, review of Kiss of Snow, p. 71; November 15, 2019, Susan Maguire, review of A Madness of Sunshine, p. 30; January 1, 2021, Susan Maguire, review of Quiet in Her Bones, p. 41; October 1, 2023, Susan Maguire, review of There Should Have Been Eight, p. 32.
Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2014, review of Shield of Winter; May 1, 2015, review of Shards of Hope; May 15, 2016, review of Allegiance of Honor; September 15, 2016, review of Archangel’s Heart; April 15, 2017, review of Silver Silence; September 1, 2017, review of Archangel’s Viper; June 15, 2018, review of Ocean Light; October 15, 2018, review of Archangel’s Prophecy; June 1, 2019, review of Wolf Rain; October 1, 2019, review of Archangel’s War; December 15, 2019, review of A Madness of Sunshine; October 15, 2021, review of Archangel’s Light; July 1, 2022, review of Storm Echo; June 15, 2024, review of Primal Mirror.
Library Journal, November 1, 2021, Melanie C. Duncan, review of Archangel’s Light, p. 75; October 1, 2023, Lesa Holstine, review of There Should Have Been Eight, p. 105.
Publishers Weekly, December 24, 2007, review of Mine to Possess, p. 34; July 20, 2009, review of Must Love Hellhounds, p. 127; September 20, 2010, review of Play of Passion, p. 54; April 4, 2011, review of Kiss of Snow, p. 39; July 11, 2011, review of Archangel’s Blade, p. 41; April 9, 2012, review of Tangle of Need, p. 38; July 2, 2012, review of Archangel’s Storm, p. 52; September 30, 2013, review of Archangel’s Legion, p. 51; April 28, 2014, review of Shield of Winter, p. 119; September 29, 2014, review of Archangel’s Shadows p. 84; April 13, 2015, review of Shards of Hope, p. 64; August 3, 2015, review of Archangel’s Enigma, p. 41; April 25, 2016, review of Allegiance of Honor, p. 76; May 23, 2016, Mary M. Jones, “PW Talks with Nalini Singh: Power, Control, and Survival,” p. 53; April 24, 2017, review of Silver Silence, p. 74; October 1, 2018, review of Archangel’s Prophecy, p. 50; April 20, 2020, review of Alpha Night, p. 56; December 21, 2020, review of Quiet in Her Bones, p. 60; September 18, 2023, review of There Should Have Been Eight, p. 40.
Xpress Reviews, November 18, 2016, Melanie C. Duncan, review of Archangel’s Heart.
ONLINE
Barnes & Noble website, http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/ (April 15, 2012), Marisa O’Neill, “Interview with Nalini Singh.”
BookBub, https://www.bookbub.com/ (September 10, 2020), Fiona Zedde, “Nalini Singh Shifts Genres in Her Heart-Pounding New Thriller Novel, ‘A Madness of Sunshine.’”
Book Chick City, http://www.bookchickcity.com/ (March 29, 2012), review of Archangel’s Blade.
Book Pushers, http://thebookpushers.com/ (May 23, 2013), Minn Chica, “Interview with Nalini Singh.”
British Fantasy Society website, http://www.britishfantasysociety.co.uk/ (April 15, 2012), Pauline Morgan, review of Archangel’s Blade.
Brooke Reviews, http://www.brookereviews.com/ (July 27, 2011), review of Angels’ Blood.
Dear Author, http://dearauthor.com/ (November 21, 2011), review of Lord of the Abyss; (October 28, 2013), review of Archangel’s Legion, review of Heart of Obsidian; (September 2, 2015), review of Archangel’s Enigma; October 24, 2022, “Nalini Singh on Archangel’s Resurrection, Her Series, and Her Love of Books.”
Fiction Vixen, http://fictionvixen.com/ (May 22, 2013), “Interview with Author Nalini Singh”; (October 25, 2013), review of Archangel’s Legion.
Gollancz website, http://www.gollancz.co.uk/ (November 16, 2016), author interview.
Happy Ever After, http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/ (June 14, 2016), Veronica Scott, author interview.
Harlequin Junkie, http://harlequinjunkie.com/ (September 7, 2015), review of Archangel’s Enigma;(August 26, 2016), review of Wild Embrace.
I Smell Sheep, http://ismellsheep.blogspot.com/ (March 25, 2012), review of Angels’ Flight.
Love Vampires, http://www.lovevampires.com/ (April 15, 2012), review of Angels’ Blood.
Nalini Singh website, http://www.nalinisingh.com (August 10, 2024).
Newsroom, https://newsroom.co.nz/ (August 26, 2019), Khalia Strong, author interview.
Night Owl Reviews, http://www.nightowlreviews.com/ (June 4, 2014), author interview.
Pedantic Phooka, http://www.pedanticphooka.com/ (October 1, 2011), review of Angels’ Blood.
Red Hot Books, http://redhotbooks.com/ (June 13, 2016), review of Allegiance of Honor, and Wild Embrace.
RT Book Reviews, http://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (April 15, 2012), Jill M. Smith, reviews of Angels’ Flight, Angels of Darkness, Angels’ Blood, Archangel’s Blade, Archangel’s Kiss, Archangel’s Consort, Blaze of Memory, Bonds of Justice, Branded by Fire, Caressed by Ice, Hostage to Pleasure, Kiss of Snow, Mine to Possess, Play of Passion, and Visions of Heat; Angela Keck, reviews of Awaken to Pleasure, Craving Beauty, and Desert Warrior; Pat Cooper, review of Bound by Marriage; Susan Mobley, review of Burning Up; Alexandra Kay, Lord of the Abyss; Barb Anderson, review of Slave to Sensation; (May 21, 2013), Morgan Doremus, “Nalini Singh on the Psy-Changeling World and Heart of Obsidian”; (September 29, 2014), Jill M. Smith, reviews of Wild Invitation, Archangel’s Storm, Tangle of Need, Heart of Obsidian, Archangel’s Legion, and Shield of Winter; (February 17, 2017), Jill M. Smith, review of Archangel’s Enigma, Archangel’s Heart, Wild Embrace, and Archangel’s Shadows.
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/ (June 3, 2013), “Heart of Obsidian, Now Gluten Free: A Tough Interview with Nalini Singh.”
Smexy Books, http://smexybooks.com/ (May 27, 2011), “Interview with Nalini Singh and Giveaway”; (September 2, 2011), review of Archangel’s Blade; (February 28, 2012), review of Angels’ Flight; (August 31, 2015), review of Archangel’s Enigma; (June 14, 2016), review of Allegiance of Honor; (August 23, 2016), review of Wild Embrace.
Story Treasury, http://storytreasury.wordpress.com/ (September 19, 2011), review of Archangel’s Blade.
Vampire Book Club, http://vampirebookclub.net/ (March 12, 2012), review of Angels’ Flight.
Writer’s Digest, https://www.writersdigest.com/ (November 22, 2023), Robert Lee Brewer, “Nalini Singh: On Writing Wildly and Weirdly.”
Nalini Singh
New Zealand (b.1977)
Nalini Singh was born in 1977 in Fiji, and moved to New Zealand as a child. She attended Mount Roskill Grammar School.
Nalini Singh spent three years working in Japan as an English teacher and touring other parts of Asia. At other times she has also worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, and a bank temp, but "not necessarily in that order"
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Romantic Suspense
New and upcoming books
April 2024
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Archangel's Lineage
(Guild Hunter, book 16)July 2024
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Primal Mirror
(Psy-Changeling Trinity, book 8)
Series
Psy-Changeling
0.5. A Whisper of Sin (2014)
1. Slave to Sensation (2006)
2. Visions of Heat (2007)
3. Caressed By Ice (2007)
4. Mine to Possess (2008)
5. Hostage to Pleasure (2008)
6. Branded by Fire (2009)
7. Blaze of Memory (2009)
7.5. Christmas in the Kitchen (2015)
8. Bonds of Justice (2010)
9. Play of Passion (2010)
9.5. Declaration of Courtship (2013)
10. Kiss of Snow (2011)
10.5. Texture of Intimacy (2013)
11. Tangle of Need (2012)
Wild Invitation (2013)
12. Heart of Obsidian (2013)
12.5. Secrets at Midnight (2016)
13. Shield of Winter (2014)
14. Shards of Hope (2015)
15. Allegiance of Honor (2016)
Wild Embrace (2016)
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Guild Hunter
0.5. Angel's Judgment (2009)
1. Angels' Blood (2009)
2. Archangel's Kiss (2010)
3. Archangel's Consort (2011)
3.5. Angel's Wolf (2011) (in Angels of Darkness)
4. Archangel's Blade (2011)
Angels' Flight (2012)
5. Archangel's Storm (2012)
6. Archangel's Legion (2013)
7. Archangel's Shadows (2014)
8. Archangel's Enigma (2015)
9. Archangel's Heart (2016)
10. Archangel's Viper (2017)
11. Archangel's Prophecy (2018)
12. Archangel's War (2019)
13. Archangel's Sun (2020)
14. Archangel's Light (2021)
15. Archangel's Resurrection (2022)
16. Archangel's Lineage (2024)
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Guild Hunter Novella
1. Angels' Pawn (2009)
2. Angels' Judgment (2012)
3. Angel's Wolf (2012)
4. Angels' Dance (2012)
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Rock Kiss
1. Rock Addiction (2014)
1.5. Rock Courtship (2014)
2. Rock Hard (2015)
3. Rock Redemption (2015)
4. Rock Wedding (2016)
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Psy-Changeling Trinity
1. Silver Silence (2017)
2. Ocean Light (2018)
3. Wolf Rain (2019)
4. Alpha Night (2020)
5. Last Guard (2021)
6. Storm Echo (2022)
7. Resonance Surge (2023)
8. Primal Mirror (2024)
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Hard Play
1. Cherish Hard (2017)
2. Rebel Hard (2018)
3. Love Hard (2020)
4. Kiss Hard (2022)
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Novels
Desert Warrior (2003)
Awaken to Pleasure (2004)
Craving Beauty (2005)
Marriage Bed Secrets (2006)
aka Secrets in the Marriage Bed
To Have and To Hold (2007)
aka Bound by Marriage
A Madness of Sunshine (2019)
Quiet in Her Bones (2021)
There Should Have Been Eight (2023)
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Collections
Must Love Hellhounds (2009) (with others)
Sleeping with the Sheikh (2009) (with Kristi Gold and Brenda Jackson)
Burning Up (2010) (with others)
Angels of Darkness (2011) (with others)
Night Shift (2014) (with others)
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Series contributed to
Dynasties the Ashtons
5. Awaken the Senses (2005)
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Murphy Witch Sisters
1. An Enchanted Season (2007) (with Jean Johnson and Erin McCarthy)
2. The Magical Christmas Cat (2008) (with others)
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Royal House of Shadows
4. Lord of the Abyss (2011)
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Royal House of Shadows Serialization
10. Royal House of Shadows: Part 10 (2016)
11. Royal House of Shadows: Part 11 (2016)
12. Royal House of Shadows: Part 12 (2016)
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Omnibus editions hide
Baby / Desert Warrior (2003) (with Kristi Gold)
Laying His Claim / Awaken to Pleasure (2004) (with Beverly Barton)
Desert Warrior / Mistress Minded (2005) (with Katherine Garbera)
Last Reilly Standing / Craving Beauty (2005) (with Maureen Child)
Awaken to Pleasure / Seduction Request (2005) (with Michelle Celmer)
Awaken the Senses / Estate Affair (2006) (with Sara Orwig)
Craving Beauty / His Wedding-Night Wager (2006) (with Katherine Garbera)
Bending to the Bachelor's Will / Secrets in the Marriage Bed (2007) (with Emilie Rose)
Bound by Marriage / Durango Affair (2008) (with Brenda Jackson)
Best of Virgins Bundle (2010) (with others)
Paranormal Holiday Anthology Trio (2010) (with Lora Leigh and Maggie Shayne)
Lord of the Abyss / Desert Warrior (2011)
Desert Sheikhs Collection Part 2 (2014) (with others)
I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I spent three years living and working in Japan, where I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page.
I’ve worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher, but not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency, but I call it grist for the writer’s mill.
On writing
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. All of my stories held a thread of romance, even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes. Creating unique characters and giving them happy endings is my favorite thing. I even love the voices in my head, so there’s no other job I’d rather be doing. When I got the call in September 2002 that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.
Neat stuff
2023
There Should Have Been Eight: An Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller and Suspense in November!
Resonance Surge hit the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list!
Storm Echo: Favourite Paranormal Romance Award from the Australian Romance Readers Association!!
2022
Quiet in Her Bones has been selected as a finalist in the Ngaio Marsh 2022 Awards
Quiet in Her Bones optioned by Showtime Networks! (An option is the very start of getting something to the screen, so early days yet! I’ll keep you updated on any future developments.)
Quiet in Her Bones recommended by Oprah Daily in its feature “Crime Fiction Goes Global and Diverse, as These 20 Books by Women Writers Show.”
Spiegel Bestseller list (Germany): Engelsleuchten (the German edition of Archangel’s Light)
Angels’ Blood is listed as one of Book Riot’s “24 Best Romance Novels of All Time”.
Quiet in Her Bones was listed as one of “20 Thriller Novels That Will Keep You on Edge this Winter” on Buzzfeed.
2021
Australian Romance Readers Association:
Last Guard – Favourite Paranormal Romance of 2021
Member’s Choice – North American cover of Archangel’s Light as the Favourite Romance Cover of 2021!
Last Guard hit the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists!
Last Guard is an Amazon Editor’s Picks Best Romance for July.
Slave to Sensation – Featured in Oprah Magazine’s The 27 Greatest Romance Novels to Read In Your Lifetime
Amazon’s February 2021 Mystery/Thriller Best of the Month list includes Quiet in Her Bones.
Read more
Video Interviews
Going West Writers Festival 2021 Panel
St. Mary’s County Library Talk
Cary Library with Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, and Amanda Bouchet.
Changeling Cast: an Interview with Nalini Singh on her Psy/Changeling Series
Jayne Ann Krentz and Nalini Singh in conversation
Archangel’s Sun launch with Sarah J. Maas hosted by The Strand bookstore
Australian Romance Readers Romantic Rendezvous (Locked Down) Interviews
ARRA took their conference online this year, and organized a ton of amazing interviews and panels. You can watch them for free on YouTube under the ARRLD playlist or by clicking above. I did both:
– a feature interview; and
– a paranormal romance panel with Darynda Jones and Amanda Bouchet.
Read for Pixels Google Hangout Q & A – March 2016
The Café interview – June 2017
Print & podcast interviews
Fated Mates: Trailblazers (September 2023)
Olivier Hillier: Writer’s Advice (August 2023)
Rachel Herron: How Do You Write? (June 2023)
InD’tale Magazine (June 2022)
Smart Podcast Trashy Books (December 2021)
Kirkwood Public Library Podcast (November 2021)
Ashland Public Library Facebook chat (November 2021)
Festival du Roman Féminin 2021 Panel with Amanda Bouchet & Maria Vale (April 2021)
Otago Daily Times (April 2021)
In Conversation with Mitzi Rapkin on the First Draft Podcast (March 2021)
Suffolk Libraries Meet the Author Q&A (March 2021)
RomBkPod (August 2020)
Newsroom Book Bubble podcast (May 2020)
BookBub (December 2019)
NewstalkZB (November 2019)
Newsroom (August 2019)
Smart Bitches Trashy Books (Podcast, July 2019)
Alyssa J. Montgomery Blog (June 2019)
Fantasy Book Cafe (April 2019)
Write With Love (August 2018)
Entertainment Weekly (June 2018)
Book Thingo (April 2018)
Nelson Mail (June 2017)
Publishers Weekly (May 2016)
Romance at a Glance podcast
More neat stuff
2020
Alpha Night was chosen as one of Washington Post’s best romance novels of 2020 and featured on OprahMag.com’s best romance novels of 2020!
Archangel’s Sun is featured in Goodreads’ “Cozy Up with November’s Most Anticipated Romances” list!
Archangel’s Sun one of Amazon’s Best Books of month in Romance!
Love Hard chosen as one of Amazon’s best romance books of 2020 so far!
Alpha Night – Chosen as one of 38 Romance Novels That Are Set to Be the Best of 2020 by Oprah Magazine!
Slave to Sensation named as one of the New York Public Library’s 125 books from the last 125 years that inspire a lifelong love of reading!
Australian Romance Readers Association:
Wolf Rain – Favourite Paranormal Romance
-Members’ Choice: Favourite couple in a 2019 romance – Memory and Alexei in Wolf Rain
Love Hard is chosen as one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Month in Romance (March)
2019
Wolf Rain chosen as one of the Best Romance Novels of 2019 by Oprah magazine
Archangel’s War is one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Month in romance for September
New York Times & USA Today Bestseller lists 2019: Wolf Rain
Wolf Rain is an Amazon Best Book of the Month in Romance for June!
Australian Romance Readers Association Award 2018:
Ocean Light – Favourite Paranormal Romance
Wolf Rain is featured as one of BookPage’s most anticipated romances of 2019!
2018
Ocean Light chosen as part of iBooks Australia/NZ “What to Read” feature for June (link will only work in Aus/NZ)
Australian Romance Readers Association Award 2017:
Silver Silence – Favourite Paranormal Romance
Psy-Changeling Trinity – Favorite Continuing Romance Series
Ocean Light – Chosen as one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Month in Romance (June)
Ocean Light – included in Goodreads 16 Hottest Romance Books of Spring!
2017
Spiegel Bestseller list (Germany): Silbernes Schweigen (Age of Trinity)
Silver Silence – RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award winner (Paranormal World Building category)
RT Career Achievement Award in Paranormal
Silver Silence has been chosen as one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Year in Romance
New York Times Bestseller list 2017: Archangel’s Viper, Silver Silence
USA Today Bestseller list 2017: Archangel’s Viper, Silver Silence, Cherish Hard
Archangel’s Viper is an Amazon Best of the Month pick in romance (October)
Wall Street Journal Bestseller list: Archangel’s Viper, Silver Silence
Silver Silence is an Amazon Best Book of the Month in Romance (June)
Silver Silence is an iBooks USA/Australia / New Zealand Best Book of the Month (June)
Silver Silence has been selected as one of Goodreads 23 Hottest Books of Summer!
Silver Silence is a June LibraryReads pick!
Australian Romance Readers Association Award for Favourite Paranormal Romance 2016: Wild Embrace
Australian Romance Readers Association 2016 Nominations:
Allegiance of Honor – Favourite Paranormal Romance
Archangel’s Heart – Favourite Sci Fi, Fantasy or Futuristic Romance
Allegiance of Honor & Archangel’s Heart– Favourite Cover from a romance published in 2016
Elena in Archangel’s Heart – Favourite Heroine from a romance published in 2016
Elena and Raphael in Archangel’s Heart – Favourite Couple from a romance published in 2016
Romantic Times 2016 Reviewers’ Choice Award Nominations:
Allegiance of Honor – Best Paranormal Romance
Archangel’s Heart – Best Paranormal Worldbuilding.
Rock Wedding – Digital or Self-Published Contemporary Romance Category
Slave to Sensation and Angels’ Blood listed in Goodreads’ Top 100 Romances of All Time
2016
New York Times Bestseller list 2016: Allegiance of Honor, Wild Embrace, Archangel’s Heart
USA Today Bestseller list 2016: Rock Wedding, Allegiance of Honor, Wild Embrace, Archangel’s Heart
Wall Street Journal Bestseller list 2016: Archangel’s Heart
New York Times & USA Today Bestseller lists 2016: Rock Wedding, Allegiance of Honor, Wild Embrace
2015
New York Times & USA Today Bestseller lists 2015: Rock Hard, Shards of Hope, Archangel’s Enigma.
Wall Street Journal Bestseller list 2015: Shards of Hope
All About Romance Annual “Best of” Reader Poll 2016:
Romance, Romance Hero: Shards of Hope
Romance Couple: Aden and Zaira in Shards of Hope
Paranormal Romance: Archangel’s Enigma
Contemporary Romance: Rock Hard
Romance Heroine: Charlotte Baird from Rock Hard
Most Tortured Romance Hero: Noah St. John in Rock Redemption
Raphael and Elena – Swoonworthiest couple of 2016 (Heroes & Heartbreakers) BookBub Best Romance Novels of the Past Decade: Slave to Sensation LoveLetter 2015 Awards:
Best Author: Nalini Singh
Best Paranormal/Fantasy: Pfade im Nebel
Audiobook: Engelsdunkel
2014
Joyfully Reviewed’s Best of 2014: Shield of Winter, Archangel’s Shadows Australian Romance Readers Award for Favorite Paranormal Romance 2014: Shield of Winter Romance Writers of America RITA Nomination 2014: Heart of Obsidian Publishers Weekly Best Summer Books of 2014: Shield of Winter Australian Romance Readers Award for Favorite Paranormal Romance 2013: Heart of Obsidian Love Letter Awards 2014 (Germany): Favorite Author | Favorite Paranormal/Fantasy: Geheimnisvolle Berührung Shield of Winter listed in: – Booktopia’s Books of the Year – Goodreads Choice Awards (Finalist) New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists 2014: Shield of Winter, Archangel’s Shadows, Rock Addiction, Rock Courtship, Night Shift Shield of Winter has been chosen as one of the Best Books of 2014 (Romance) by Amazon. It also made it on to the list of Kirkus’s Best Fiction Books of 2014 Rock Addiction & Shield of Winter have both been nominated in the RT Reviewer’s Choice Awards. Rock Addiction is in the Indie Press Contemporary category, with Shield of Winter in the Paranormal Worldbuilding category. All About Romance Annual Poll: Best Paranormal Romance/Most Tortured Hero: Heart of Obsidian | Best Romance Couple (Honorable Mention): Elena & Raphael from Archangel’s Legion
2013
New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists 2013: Wild Invitation, Archangel’s Legion, Heart of Obsidian Spiegel Bestseller list (Germany) 2013: Geheimnisvolle Berührung (#2), Gilde der Jäger: Engelsdunkel (#7)
2012
Der Leserpreis readers’ choice award (fantasy/science fiction category): Lockruf des Verlangens
FAQ: https://nalinisingh.com/faq/
Nalini Singh: On Writing Wildly and Weirdly
New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh discusses how the landscape around her inspired her new thriller novel, There Should Have Been Eight.
ROBERT LEE BREWERNOV 22, 2023
New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the Highlands of Scotland, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer.
Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand. You can contact her directly through her website. While visiting the site, Nalini invites you to join her newsletter for up-to-date news about both the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, as well as fun exclusive extras, including free short stories set in her worlds. You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Nalini Singh: On Writing Wildly and Weirdly
Nalini Singh
Photo by Sharyn Barratt
In this post, Nalini discusses how the landscape around her inspired her new thriller novel, There Should Have Been Eight, her advice for writers, and more!
Name: Nalini Singh
Literary agent: Nephele Tempest at The Knight Agency
Book title: There Should Have Been Eight
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: November 21, 2023
Genre/category: Thriller
Previous titles: In thrillers: A Madness of Sunshine; Quiet in Her Bones. In romance (most recent title): Resonance Surge, Archangel's Resurrection, Storm Echo, Archangel's Light.
Elevator pitch: 7 old friends. A mansion in ruins. One last long weekend together. Someone is going to confess … because there should have been eight.
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Nalini Singh: On Writing Wildly and Weirdly
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What prompted you to write this book?
All of my thrillers have been inspired in large part by the rugged, beautiful, and at times, lonely New Zealand landscape.
In this case, two of us were standing on a golden grassland with snow-capped mountains looming in the background and there was nothing else of humanity around—no roads, no houses, nothing but pristine silence. The beauty of it was breathtaking. Then, while in the same region, we saw an unpaved road going off into nowhere, and decided to follow it … and it just kept winding deeper and deeper into the mountains.
And I thought, what if you were stuck out here in this lovely but could-turn-hostile environment with a group of people you thought you knew, but everyone was hiding something? A spark of an idea that I allowed to settle and grow as we continued to drive through that astonishing landscape, until I saw in my mind’s eye, a photographer who was riding through this same road, her eye pressed to the camera. And I knew she was going blind.
Luna was the first character I met, and she’s the one who took me into the dark history that unites her and her friends.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
From memory, I think it’ll be about 18 months by the time the book releases. The idea stayed strong throughout, though my writing process means there are always surprises along the way.
Nalini Singh: On Writing Wildly and Weirdly
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Yes, there was something that startled me, but it’s toward the end of the book, so I can’t discuss it without massively spoiling the story—but from a writing perspective I absolutely love the twist. And I hope it startles readers as much as it startled me.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
A compulsive and intense read where they get caught up in the lives and memories of these characters—and become beguiled by a landscape that can be as breathtaking as it can be dangerous.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to take chances with your writing. Some of the most wonderful ideas come with letting go of what you think you “should” write. Write the wild and the weird and the things you think are unsellable. You might just surprise yourself with the end result.
Nalini Singh Shifts Genres in Her Heart-Pounding New Thriller Novel, ‘A Madness of Sunshine’
By Fiona Zedde
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September 10, 2020
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4 min read
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Nalini Singh has wowed us with her paranormal romance novels for years. Now, after winning awards and hearts with her amazing world-building and unforgettable couples, she’s written a heart-pounding thriller. Singh talks with us about her new novel, A Madness of Sunshine, representation in her work, and her current reading list.
You’re known and well-loved for your gorgeously written and sexy paranormal novels, but your new work, A Madness of Sunshine, is suspense. What inspired this shift in genre?
As a reader, I’m voracious and read across genres. I’ve long had many favorite authors who write in the suspense genre. While I’ve never previously written a full-on suspense, I’ve had threads of it in a lot of my work — whether the story is focused on uncovering the secrets of a race of telepaths, or hunting down an immortal serial killer. The first inspiration for this book came after I took a trip through the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. I was struck by the stark and dangerous beauty of the landscape, and how utterly perfect it would be for a suspense/noir type story. It took me time to settle into the idea, time to decide to write that book, but once I did, it felt very natural.
What would you say to fans of your paranormal romances about following you down this new path?
I’ve been very open with fans in saying that the focus of this book is the mystery/thriller element. However, it does have a small romantic thread. Some romance reviewers who’ve contacted me have said that romance element was perfect and enough to satisfy them, while others have said that, to them, it read like a straight mystery with very little romance. So it really appears to be a personal thing. I’d tell my readers to put their expectations of a “Nalini Singh book” aside and give it a shot — because while the story is different, the writing voice is still very much mine.
Are there specific suspense authors, or specific novels, whose work you particularly admire or drew from?
I read a ton of suspense novels and have a long list of favorites, but this felt like a very personal book because it’s set in my home country and not only that, a very specific area of my country. I haven’t really read any suspense novels set in that region (not to say they might not exist!), so the whole journey with this book felt like treading new ground.
With your powerful and vivid descriptions of Golden Cove, the small town in New Zealand where the story unfolds, the setting becomes as much of a character as the people in the novel. Was that a deliberate choice on your part?
Yes, absolutely. The location and the danger inherent in the wild beauty was such an integral part of the inspiration for the book and it was important to me that it be a living, breathing part of the story too.
Having a diverse cast comes very naturally to me...
The residents of Golden Cove are a culturally and racially diverse group, and it seems that multiculturalism has always been an important aspect of your work. Can you speak to representation within your novels and how you’ve drawn from your own upbringing in Fiji and New Zealand?
Having a diverse cast comes very naturally to me — probably because the two countries I’ve called home at different times in my life both have diverse populations. Most people don’t know this, because Fiji is such a small country, but the majority of its residents are bilingual, and many speak a third language.
I grew up used to living in a city with people of different ethnicities and cultures and languages, and that continued when we moved to Auckland, New Zealand. I went to a hugely multicultural public high school, and I live in an equally diverse neighborhood. I also travel a lot and cross paths with many different people, and it all comes out in my books. While A Madness of Sunshine isn’t set in a big city in New Zealand, even smaller towns here don’t tend to be monocultural. And most of us know a little of the Māori language at least.
The first line of the novel immediately hooks readers in, and your main character, Anahera, gets more intriguing with each new chapter. Will we see more of her in future novels?
I wrote this as a standalone novel, and for now I’m sticking to that. I say, for now, because I have a bad track record with not writing series. However, I do want to write standalone suspense novels for the time being.
What’s next from you?
I’m currently at work on my next Psy-Changeling novel, and I’m also making notes on my next suspense story — which will, once again, be set in New Zealand.
Book cover for Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
Slave to Sensation
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Book cover for Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh
Mine to Possess
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What are you currently reading?
I just finished reading Michelle Diener’s Dark Matters, which is part of a fantastic science fiction romance series. Next up, I’m looking forward to diving into one of Leslie A. Kelly’s Extrasensory Agents books. I really love these dark suspense books featuring investigators with special abilities. I also have Bewildered by Laura Waters sitting on my bedside table — it’s a nonfiction book about the author’s five-month-long journey along New Zealand’s Te Araroa trail (a trip of 1864 miles through rugged terrain).
Pick up your copy of A Madness of Sunshine, out December 3, below!
An interview with global superstar author Nalini Singh
AUT journalism school graduate Khalia Strong interviews Mt Roskill-raised Nalini Singh, author of international best-selling paranormal romance novels
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by Khalia Strong
26/08/2019
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Nalini Singh, New York Times best-selling paranormal romance author, of Auckland. Photo: Supplied
Along the end of a row of shops in the cold shadow of Mt Eden, a woman stands with her phone. She wears celebrity-sized sunglasses and a wide smile. After introducing myself, I enter Circus Circus Cafe for an interview with a global superstar: ladies and gentlemen, introducing the conjurer of werewolves and shapeshifters, New York Times best-selling author 30 times over, frequently spotted on the USA Today and Der Spiegel bestseller lists as well, the international mistress of paranormal romance in human form – Nalini Singh, of… Mt Roskill.
Singh was born in Suva and arrived with her family in New Zealand when she was 10, later attending Mt Roskill Grammar. Humble beginnings for a writer who is the author of 45 books since her first novel Desert Warrior was published in 2003. Our interview was her second act for the day, having spent the morning being interviewed for a podcast in the US.
Beneath the sleek black bob is a masterful mind that weaves intricate stories of vampire hunters, archangels and bare-chested men. As a genre author, her books have been translated into 20 languages. Her books are most popular in the US and Germany. She’s also received the Australian Romance Readers Award several times, and won the Sir Julius Vogel award.
Singh was 25 when Desert Warrior was published and she decided to become a full-time writer. She swirls her spoon into her chai latte crystal ball as she delves into her past.
After graduating from Auckland University, Singh worked as a junior lawyer in a major commercial law firm.
“I’d studied for a long time so to give that up was a big deal,” she says. “It was my day job. But I sold my first book, and I thought, right, if I’m going to do it, it has to be now.”
Singh started writing as a teenager and submitted her first novel when she was 18. The rejection letters in the years that followed formed a stack which she keeps to this day in a folder. Singh had written nine books before an editor in the US picked her book out of the slush pile.
“I had two full time jobs – I was writing two books a year and working,” she says.
“Because I was juggling so much at the time, I was really learning to utilise the time that I had. So, if I had half an hour to write, it was ‘Just write’. Everything else was turned off, no TV, no whatever. That was actually quite a good skill to learn.
“So, now that I’m a full-time writer, I think of it in the same way. If I have blocks of time where I sit down and the Internet is off and the phone is off, I just write and that’s how I produce. It’s getting into that deep headspace to really write.”
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Singh sets daily goals for word counts or pages edited, and carves out writing blocks of two hours.
“It’s a fallacy to think that discipline is the enemy of creativity. If you’re disciplined about giving your creative-self space, the creativity thrives.
“We get used to shallow interactions,” she muses. “We’re constantly thinking of something else, like Twitter or an email or whatever.
“I read somewhere that each time you are interrupted it takes 15 minutes to get back into the book, so I just literally stopped the potential for interruptions.
“Probably the most important thing I would tell anyone who is wanting to get into the writing zone is that you have to create this bubble of silence around yourself. And it can be as simple as leaving your phone in another room.
“I’m still working on that, in this world with all the internet distractions.
“I read a book called Deep Work by Cal Newport and he talks about how deep work is becoming more and more rare in our world. And that’s what I aim for. Because, in the end, that’s what I’m really passionate about – my writing. I don’t get the satisfaction from being on Twitter for two hours. It’s fun for five minutes, and its fun when I’ve done my work and I’m just playing. But it’s not fun if I look back at my day and see like, ‘Oh my God, three hours on online stuff, what was I doing?!?’”
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Singh speaks three languages – English, Hindi and Japanese – and credits her days at Mt Roskill Grammar for immersing her in a diverse population.
“It was such an awesome melting pot,” she says. “I made so many good friends and I got so many opportunities.
“Living and growing up in Auckland, it’s such a diverse city and I think it’s definitely affected my books. I’ve always had very diverse characters in my books; that just came out naturally, it wasn’t a thing I consciously did. I didn’t even realise that it was something a little bit different until I started getting letters from all over the world saying, “Wow, it’s so cool to see someone like me.”’
Her own name is a signal to other Indian writers.
“When I was growing up, I never saw an Indian name on a genre book,” she says. “Now those names are appearing, and it’s good to have that awareness. If you see people like yourself doing stuff, you think ‘Oh, I could do that.’ Hopefully, I’m doing a little bit to spread that message as well.”
Hostage To Pleasure, Slave To Sensation and other best-sellers by Auckland writer Nalini Singh. Photo: Supplied.
After graduating from Mt Roskill, she studied for her LLB, and worked at a candy factory in Onehunga to pay her way through university.
“It was a little family-run factory, and they were such nice people,” she remembers. “They would just give me candy all the time. But this was actually very cunning, because after a while, you can’t stand the sight of candy. I love lava chocolate caramels, and I swear I didn’t eat one for a year after I stopped working there.”
She studied at university for five years, and picked up skills that weren’t in the curriculum.
“I’m a creative person, but I’m grateful for my law degree because it taught me to think in quite a rational way. And that’s really important, because basically, every writer is a one-woman business. You are your own employee that you have to manage.
“When I was in law school I would be reading all these legal briefs all day and I’d go home and be working on this romance novel at night. It was completely different, like completely different parts of my brain, but it worked.”
Her first editor took a leap of faith to purchase her book at a time when paranormal fantasy was widely believed to be on the way out.
“Paranormal and urban fantasy never died,” says Singh. “I always joke that it’s the undead – it always rises.”
She wrote a draft of her latest book Wolf Rain on a train travelling between Perth and Sydney. The novel is currently at #8 on the New York Times YT combined print and ebook list, and has frequently appeared in the top 10 Nielsen BookScan chart in New Zealand.
The soundtrack she listened to while writing Wolf Rain was…water.
“I just put my noise-cancelling headphones on, and I play the sound of rain,” she laughs. “And sometimes I switch it up by the sound of rivers. It’s always some kind of water sound.
“A favourite at the moment is Afternoon in the Ruins which is the sound of stalactite water dripping in the caves.
“It’s all kind of white noise, but it’s really calming and gets me into the headspace and because I’ve been doing it for so long, it’s become a trigger. I put on my headphones, the sound comes on and boom, my brain is like, ‘Okay, now we’re writing.’”
Singh usually writes on a laptop, but sometimes uses dictation or handwrites chapters to mix things up, and prefers to edit on paper so she can get deeper into a text.
Her next novel, Madness of Sunshine is a mystery set on the West Coast, and is a step away from her usual genre. The idea for setting a book in New Zealand came from talking with fellow writers: “We were chatting about how New Zealand has the prerequisites of Nordic noir. You’ve got the really low population, lots of empty land where you can bury bodies, really stark, beautiful landscapes and remote locations.”
She’s just returned from a Nordic location – she took a girls’ trip to Norway, with her mother and sister. Singh deliberately schedules breaks in her year when she knows she’ll need it.
She says, “When I started, I wrote all the time. I still love writing and I still write on my holidays. But I didn’t understand the idea of balance, of refueling the creative self, and refueling yourself as a person. I’ve just become much better at it as I’ve grown older and more mature. I still have that passionate love for writing but now I know that I’m even better if I give myself those breaks, just to recharge.”
As we finish our coffees, I comment that she seems to have the energy to be writing forever.
Her entire body leans forward in agreement.
“I hope so, I love it,” she says. “I think that’s the important thing, to be honest – it’s the joy in it. As long as I can keep my joy alive in my work, why wouldn’t I do it forever?”
Wolf Rain by Nalini Singh (Hachette, $29.99)
October 24, 2022
INTERVIEW: Nalini Singh on Archangel’s Resurrection, Her Series, and Her Love of Books
JanineINTERVIEWSbook plots / category romance / Contemporary / Guild Hunter series / Hard Play series / Nalini-Singh / PNR / productivity / Psy-Changeling Series / Psy-Changeling Trinity Series / recommendations / SFF / Suspense / world building / writing routines20 Comments
I’ve been reading Nalini Singh’s riveting books for sixteen years, and am a big fan of several of them. She has published a lot of novels across a variety of genres, with a remarkable degree of consistency. In this interview, we talk about these topics and more (including my recent favorite couple, Illium and Aodhan!). –Janine
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Alexander and Zanaya’s story, Archangel’s Resurrection, is coming out tomorrow. What can you tell readers about the book, and their romance?
This is an unusual book, both in terms of its structure and the sheer span of time it covers. But at the heart of it, it’s very much a sprawling and epic love story– a romance between two juggernauts who can as easily smash each other to smithereens as they can battle to the death to protect each other.
Theirs isn’t an easy story, but it is very much theirs. The love story of two beings who have lived a long, long, long time. So long that it’s beyond our comprehension.
I’ve often said one thing about the angels in this series – that they don’t always act “human” or relatable because honestly, they’re not like us. They live too long, have too much power. In this book, we see both the price they pay for such long lives filled with power – and we see the gifts bestowed by immortality. And we see a love that endures even as it breaks.
I love this book (and Zanaya and Alexander) with all my heart.
What was the most intriguing aspect, for you, of Zanaya and Alexander’s relationship, and what scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
The sheer span of their love – and its intensity. Theirs is a flame that burns even when they’d rather it didn’t. It’s uncomfortable at times – and yet, it’s also a glory. Is it all worth it? And who are they to each other once they strip away all the rest, all the trappings of being archangels? I loved exploring the complexity of such a long and complicated relationship.
In terms of the most fun – the epilogue makes me laugh just thinking about it. Without being spoilery, it reveals a piece of information that brings me much amusement.
As a longtime reader of your two paranormal series, I’ve been struck by how subtle clues and beginnings are seeded early on and later come to fruition, both in terms of character relationships (Hawke and Sienna, Illium and Aodhan) and in terms of the overarching plots that deal with the world (Kaleb’s rise to topple the Psy council, for example, or Shoshanna and Henry Scott’s development of the mind control neural implants, which are still having an impact many books later). How much of that is planned and how much develops organically? Is the larger external arc in all your series pre-plotted, and / or are there times when something surprises you on the page and you follow it where it leads? And how do you balance the two?
I always know the beginning and ending of a story arc. So for example, with the Psy-Changeling series, the beginning was Silence – a world where the Psy live lives devoid of emotion under the Protocol. The ending I foresaw [spoiler!] was the fall of Silence.
Knowing the beginning and the ending is what I need to keep me on track. I don’t usually write it down, but I must know it. Before I wrote Silver Silence, I spent a long, long time considering the next story arc.
I knew we needed a second arc, because the events at the end of the first arc brought up all kinds of questions – but I wasn’t about to write that second arc until I knew exactly where I was taking my readers. Because for me, the fun of a journey like in this series, is that there is a payoff. All the pieces of the jigsaw fit in the end, so that if you go back and reread, you’ll see the path laid out from book 1.
So I guess the short answer is that I plot out where we’re going, but how we get to that point? It’s organic. The breadcrumbs get laid organically. But because I know where we’re heading, I don’t tend to head off on tangents. Like a road that has lots of side roads, but I don’t turn off, because those don’t lead to my destination. That doesn’t mean those side roads are forgotten – rather, I explore them in novellas, short stories etc.
And yes, my process means there are surprises.
In general, the surprises tend to be more on the emotional end of things. I believe in letting my characters grow and develop and reveal themselves. I don’t know every single detail of every single character with the first book – that’s an impossibility, given that each character only gets a certain amount of page time per book. Some might not appear for three books, then pop in for two, then go off-page for another. To me, it feels like getting to know friends. Some are super open and easy to know, others are shy, others are basically impenetrable walls for a long time (Arrows, I’m looking at you).
So with Aodhan and Illium, at first I saw only what they showed the world – their friendship. It was only as I began to spend more time with them – more scenes, more glimpses – that I began to understand that things were shifting between them, that their relationship was undergoing a sea-change. Though, I think, “surprise” isn’t really the right word here. It all felt very organic, with a sense of inevitability to it.
In terms of balance, I go with my gut and trust my instincts.
The Psy/Changeling series is a futuristic paranormal romance series; the Guild Hunter books an Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance/Fantasy blend with elements of thriller and horror; contemporary romances comprise the Rock Kiss and Hard Play series; and recently you’ve published two thrillers, A Madness of Sunshine and Quiet in Her Bones. You’ve also written a fantasy romance, Lord of the Abyss, and a handful of category romances for Silhouette Desire. What motivated each divergence and do you have your eye on any genres that you haven’t explored yet?
I keep threatening to write a historical, but alas, I’m not too keen on historical research, lol. Though I might one day finish the novella I wrote a while ago set in the time of the Territorial Wars in the Psy-Changeling series.
Lord of the Abyss by Nalini SinghThe divergence has been very natural, just stories I’ve been compelled to explore. One thing many people don’t realize is that I’ve always written contemporary and PNR/SF, from way back when I was a teenager writing my first books. And a lot of my work has mystery elements, so diverging into thrillers wasn’t a major stretch.
The one big change was learning to think outside the rhythms of romance – my second thriller in particular, has no romance in it at all. And that was a conscious learning curve, me pushing myself to bring the story in my head onto the page in all its haunting darkness.
This year marks 20 years since I sold my first book (Desert Warrior) and I’m still as excited every single day that I get to do this for a living. I think a large part of that comes from giving myself room to “play” – my rock star books were born out of a play project, as was my first thriller. As was Angels’ Blood. No one ever knows of these projects until they have shape and form. There’s no pressure.
Any writer who’s been around me for five minutes has probably heard me wax lyrical about the importance of such projects – the places where as a writer, I go to figure things out, delve into new genres, and honestly, get things wrong without any consequences. And so, like my characters, I grow.
You’ve written well over fifty books and that’s not counting your many novellas, short stories and newsletter extras. How are you so prolific? Can you give the rest of us some productivity tips? ;-)
Well, in my early years, I was obsessive. Especially as I was writing first around university, then around full-time work. My friends (lovingly) called me the hermit. After switching to full-time writing, I suddenly had enormous swathes of time compared to what I had before. It would’ve been easy to fritter it away, but those early days where I only had bits of time here and there really taught me great lessons in terms of how to maximize my writing time.
One practical tip is to keep a small notebook* with you, and scribble down any thoughts about scenes as they come to you through your day – then when you get to your keyboard, whether you have ten minutes or forty-five, you just look at those notes and write scene after scene. Basically, use time where you can to think through the scenes so all you have to do is put them down. Washing dishes? Think about the book. Making lunches for your kids? Think about the book. Stuck on the subway? Think about the book.
It makes it much, much easier to write even if you’re mentally tired at the end of a long day of other work. You’ve already laid the groundwork. This same tip works for full time writers who want to increase productivity – do your initial thinking the day before, jot down some notes on at least one scene that you want to write, then when you come to the computer, you’re not starting from scratch. You can just go. Because starting is often the hardest part.
And if you can learn dictation, do it. While it can raise wordcounts, I didn’t do it for that reason, but to protect my body, which is critical to long-term productivity. Writing thousands of words per day or week can be hard on the wrists/shoulders/back. Being able to speak my drafts is worth all the months it took me to train the software to my voice, accent, and speech rhythms. So don’t give up if it doesn’t work straight away! Think long term impact.
Beyond all that, at the very core of it, it comes down to my love of writing. I enjoy what I do. I want to do it. I urge every writer to nurture that love, to find projects that challenge you, interest you, and speak to your heart.
(*You can use your phone to keep notes, too. The reason I prefer a notebook is that it acts as a cue to write or think about writing simply by existing. It is a dedicated writing prompt for your brain.)
Whenever I read your books, I’m impressed with how consistent and sprawling your worlds are, and with the number of moving pieces there are in the plots and subplots. How do you keep track of it all? Do you use a series bible, charts, maps, storyboards, and/or collages?
I have a detailed story bible (I used to maintain this on my own, but now my assistant keeps it updated), an overall series timeline, plus timelines for each book, birthdays for all major characters (helps with maintaining time continuity), maps, and tagged copies of all the books (physical copies tagged with Post It notes). I redo the tags for each new book I’m writing in terms of relevant information. (I also, of course, have full electronic files for reference, too.)
If it’s a character that’s been mentioned previously in the series, my assistant will pinpoint every single mention of them in the series, so I can reread those sections. This not only maintains plot continuity, it maintains character continuity.
A lot of it, however, is still in my head. I know the characters as individuals, and I remember them all the same way I remember my friends. As unique people. The plots are nowhere except in my head – each series is a vivid internal movie, full of color and life.
(I should state that the series’ (and their movies) are constantly humming at the back of my brain, pieces slotting into place, storylines developing. I’m not only thinking about them the months I sit down to write a particular book, and I’m not always thinking in linear time. Heart of Obsidian (book 12) for example, was set up in Visions of Heat (book 2). I actually wrote the first chapter of Heart when I wrote Visions. Again, it all comes back to knowing where I’m going.)
I’m a big Illium and Aodhan fan so I have to ask this: After Archangel’s Light came out, you mentioned in your newsletter that this was only the beginning for them. Does that mean another whole book focusing on them (please please pretty please)?
Yes, they will get a second book.
Yay! You have no idea how happy that makes me.
Spoiler (maybe): Show
Which of the characters we’ve already encountered in the Psy/Changeling series you are planning future books for?
Black and white image of a shirtless hot young man with tribal tattoos on his upper arms and chest, leaning against a wall with one arm above his head. He's looking down, kind of via his armpit. In his other hand he's carrying a rugby ball which is resting against his black trackpants-clad legMany, many! Malachai, Miane, Adam, all the bears (only slightly joking), and Remi, to name a few.
Spoiler (possibly): Show
The next two questions come from Kaetrin:
Are you planning more books in the Hard Play series?
If so, will there be a book for Viliame? (Please say yes).
The Hard Play series is complete.
However, I do like Vili a whole lot, as I do a number of other rugby players we met in that series. So there’s a chance I’ll go back and do a separate series focusing on players from both the Southern Blizzard and the Harriers. A spin off vs a direct continuation.
No promises yet though as I’m currently heavily scheduled to write other projects.
And here’s one from Jennie—
The majority of your books are set in alternate realities – is it easier to write books set in ‘the real world’ or are there challenges involved in having to hew more closely to reality?
I’d say it’s a case of different challenges rather than one being easier. With alternate worlds, I have to keep track of continuity on an intensive level – because those details are what brings the world(s) alive. For example, I don’t want to say “some time ago” – I want to say “three days and forty-seven minutes ago” – that level of detail adds immediate impact. I keep track of everything, from the layout of roads, to where people live, what their aeries or apartments or other residences are like, and more.
With real-world settings, I have to put in the same level of detail – but I have to research it to make sure it’s factual. For my second thriller, I had to make sure that the long and winding road from which I have a car going off and crashing into thick native forest, to be submerged for ten years, did in fact have spots where this could happen. Where a car could vanish without a trace.
In both cases, it’s detailed research.
Now for two purely selfish questions.
Years ago, you recommended Mary E. Pearson’s YA SF novel The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I read it and really liked it. So—what books have you read in the past few years that you love or that have excited you?
Oh, I remember that book!
So, for this, I’ll take the opportunity to shout out a few books that are more recent reads:
Breathless by Amy McCullough – a thriller set on a climb of one of the tallest peaks in the world, this debut took my breath away. Amy is an experienced climber, so there’s a level of realism in this book that had me racing through it.
Dance with the Devil by Kit Rocha – this book is the third book in KR’s Mercenary Librarians trilogy, so there’s a full story arc across the three. Their post-apocalyptic world is brilliantly built and peopled with a fantastic set of characters, and is deeply romantic. I hope they do write more in this world.
Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death by Amita Murray – this is the darkest and quirkiest cozy mystery I’ve ever read. The protagonist (from the descriptions we get in the book) appears to have Tourette’s, makes “macabre” cakes complete with bloodshot eyeballs and sugar cobwebs, and doesn’t really like people – but beneath that outer layer is a painful vulnerability. The writing is lyrical and lovely, and even if I’m not sure I always understand Arya, I find her fascinating as a character. I’ve already preordered book two.
In terms of authors who were new to me in recent years but who I now follow: Martha Wells and her Murderbot books (can’t get enough of Murderbot’s voice!), P. Djeli Clark’s work (I started with A Dead Djinn in Cairo and just kept going!), Vivien Chien’s Noodle Shop Mysteries (love both the mysteries and the sense of family), and Sharina Harris’s books about friendship and family and romance (she just hits straight at the heart).
Along similar lines, what are the books you loved as a kid? And what are the books that turned you on to each genre you now write in or that made you say, “I can do this”?
Hmm, this is hard to say because honestly, I devoured every book I could get my hands on as a kid. Maxed out my library card and was done within the week, then read the newspaper or the cereal box or my dad’s TIME magazines!
I have a tome of beloved fairy tales that I was given as a birthday present and that I read over and over, so clearly, I’ve always loved other worlds.
Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey were definitely seminal authors during my teen years – they taught me how to build worlds by doing it so seamlessly that I didn’t truly understand the beauty of what they’d done until much, much later. At that time, I was just swept away by their storytelling.
Then I discovered Mills & Boon romances and in some part of my brain, I began to realize that the two (romance and speculative fiction) might be able to exist in the same space. Still took me a long time to stumble onto PNR, but that didn’t stop teenage-me from writing what I now know was SF romance.
As to when I thought, “I can do this”, I truly don’t know. I began trying to write books as a very young teen. It was just something I wanted to do, so I did it and didn’t really think about the next step (publication) until a long way down the track. (This was pre-Internet, with no ability to put work online in any fashion, which I’ve come to see as a gift. It meant I developed my voice as an author without any external input.)
By the time I began to think about publication, I’d already written multiple full-length books (and made my best friend read them!) so I figured, hey, why not? The worst the publisher can say is no. They did. Many times!
Lastly, can you tell us a little bit about the book(s) you have in the works right now?
I recently turned in the next Psy-Changeling book, and all I can say this early on is that it features bears. I adored being back with StoneWater, and I love the pieces of the jigsaw that become clear in this book.
Now, I’m beginning work on my next New Zealand-set thriller. Right now, I’m getting to know the characters and allowing the story to take shape in my mind.
Singh, Nalini SILVER SILENCE Berkley (Adult Fiction) $27.00 6, 13 ISBN: 978-1-101-98779-7
After a murder attempt on Silver Mercant's life, she is sheltered by a bear changeling clan, and just as she decides to bond with the StoneWaters' alpha, a long-dormant genetic mutation threatens her health and happiness.As head of the psychic network known as EmNet, heir apparent to the renowned Mercant family, and high-profile supporter of the Trinity Accord, Silver has collected a few enemies, but when someone poisons her, she's saved by the timely intervention of the alpha of a nearby bear changeling clan. Valentin Nikolaev is fascinated by the brilliant Psy beauty and has tried to woo her, an aspiration aided when his clan harbors her in its heavily protected compound. Their enforced proximity allows her to see the many facets of his complicated personality and feel the power of his attraction. Silver has always appreciated Silence--the state of shut-down emotions previously mandated by the Psy race--but is intrigued by her newfound feelings for Valentin, his clan, and her family. Unfortunately, once she decides to explore emotions, she is overwhelmed by an ability to psychically "hear" an avalanche of feelings around her, long-suppressed by her Silence training. Some of the best scientists in the world are willing to help her, but it's possible that by being healed, she'll lose her ability to feel emotion--and therefore her love for Valentin. Meanwhile, she must navigate attacks around the world, threats to the Trinity Accord, and the investigation into her attempted murder. The next chapter of the Psy-Changeling world begins with new, shadowy villains and a new changeling race, bears. Hero Valentin's gregarious bearlike demeanor and affection are an interesting, effective match for the cool, collected Silver--especially in Singh's talented hands. A worthy addition to a must-read series.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Singh, Nalini: SILVER SILENCE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A489268564/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bc6253c3. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Silver Silence: The Psy/Changeling Trinity, Book 1
Nalini Singh. Berkley, $27 (464p) ISBN 978-1101-98779-7
Singh (Allegiance of Honor) opens a subseries (which she refers to as "season two") of her near-future Psy/Changeling saga with a powerful examination of what happens in the wake of a new world order. Ever since childhood, psy Silver Mercant, scion of the powerful, secretive Mercant family, has held to the protocol called Silence: all of her emotions trained away to simple efficiency. Her commitment to this ideal is tested by Valentin Nikolaev, a large, lovable Russian bear changeling who delights in poking at her defenses. Valentin has many responsibilities: as alpha of the Stone Water bears, he is the heart of his clan, and is trying to repair a damaging rift caused by his father. He's deeply attached to Silver, and when an attempt is made on her life in Moscow, he moves heaven and earth to keep her safe and find the ones responsible. With the Human Alliance making waves and prohuman sentiments gaining political ground, it's up to Valentin, Silver, and their loved ones to keep the fledgling Trinity Accord, a compact of agreement among the psy, changelings, and humans, from being perverted for the gain of any one group. Fans of earlier Psy/Changeling books will delight in the return of familiar faces as well as the perfect blend of humor, action, and intrigue, but new readers will be at sea. Agent: Nephele Tempest. Knight Agency. (June)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"Silver Silence: The Psy/Changeling Trinity, Book 1." Publishers Weekly, vol. 264, no. 17, 24 Apr. 2017, p. 74. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A491250833/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=32f8b787. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Singh, Nalini ARCHANGEL'S VIPER Berkley (Adult Fiction) $7.99 9, 26 ISBN: 978-0-451-48824-4
Holly Chang, formerly known as Sorrow, is still coming to terms with the brutal attack that left her uniquely immortal, but when she discovers there's a hefty reward for her capture, she has to work with the powerful but aggravating vampire Venom to get to the bottom of the mystery.Nearly four years have passed since Holly Chang was attacked by the psychotically insane Archangel Uram and forced to drink his blood, changing her into an immortal being who's not quite vampire but definitely not human. No one is quite sure what to do with her, but she knows it's time to move away from the deeply angry and violent persona Sorrow and reconnect with her old self, including re-establishing ties to her human family. She also thinks her journey may be tied in a very deep--and possibly romantic--way to Venom, the vampire member of the powerful Seven, immortals who serve Raphael, the Archangel of New York. Venom is also a unique being, more vampire than Holly but also possessing snakelike aspects, like the capacity to mesmerize and a poisonous bite, two paranormal facets that Holly shares, though no one is sure why. Holly is learning to control her strength and these elements, but everything is disrupted when she's nearly kidnapped and learns there's an enormous bounty to capture her alive. Meanwhile, Holly is feeling a psychic pull to Europe, and she worries that somehow Uram may be trying to control her from beyond the grave. As Viper and Holly race for answers, they may find salvation in each other by healing their profound, shared sense of otherness. Another Guild Hunter title replete with complex worldbuilding and the perfect balance of horror, heroism, passion, honor, and, always, always, a message of redemptive love.Readers just can't get enough of Singh (Silver Silence, 2017, etc.) and her exquisitely rendered paranormal romance.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Singh, Nalini: ARCHANGEL'S VIPER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A502192399/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0c62d6f7. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Singh, Nalini OCEAN LIGHT Berkley (Adult Fiction) $27.00 6, 12 ISBN: 978-1-101-98782-7
With life-threatening injuries, Bowen Knight is spirited away to a lab deep in the ocean where he meets Kaia, a BlackSea changeling who considers him the enemy despite the disconcerting attraction they share.
Human Alliance security chief Bowen Knight is fighting for his life. Not only has he been shot through the heart, but he's also facing a degrading brain implant that was originally developed to help humans block invasion from the Psy race but is now failing, becoming a life-threatening time bomb. Installed in a supersecret underwater medical research facility run by BlackSea, the oceanic changeling pack, he wakes after two months in a coma to learn he has healed from the gunshot wound thanks to a new robotic heart and that the BlackSea medical team has developed a possible treatment for the brain implant. Humans across the planet have these implants, so a successful treatment would be a huge relief. However, his chances of surviving the experiment are slim. That makes it a problematic time to meet Kaia, his BlackSea doctor's cousin and the first woman who's attracted him enough to consider a relationship. Kaia can't deny she's attracted to him too, but she's also convinced that he's directly responsible for the disappearance of a number of members of the BlackSea clan, including her best friend, Hugo. Bo and his BlackSea security counterpart, Malachai Rhys, begin investigating the disappearances and realize Hugo has a few secrets of his own. Meanwhile, the bond between Kaia and Bo intensifies and they try to pack a lifetime of experiences into the limited time they have before Bo's treatment might fail, but when the chemical compound at the heart of the treatment is stolen, a whole other set of threats may come between them. Paranormal romance author Singh continues her Psy-Changeling Trinity series with her typically impeccable worldbuilding, and fans will enjoy the foray into the oceanic world of BlackSea. This installment captivates with its intensity and liveliness despite an oddly zigzagging final quarter.
Another intricately plotted, vividly sensual love story from a romance favorite.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Singh, Nalini: OCEAN LIGHT." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A543008977/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=43af6343. Accessed 12 July 2024.
* Archangel's Prophecy
Nalini Singh. Berkley, $7.99 mass market (368p) ISBN 978-0-451-49164-0
Prophecy and unbending devotion collide in Singh's game-changing 11th Guild Hunter novel (after Archangel's Viper). Unexpected humor and quick-paced plot shifts expand the setting and advance the action without leaving new readers in the dark. Archangel Raphael and his consort, former mortal Elena, are center stage as the power-enhancing Cascade again unsettles the world. Raphael tries to contain its unnatural phenomena, such as lava sinkholes; master his new abilities; and prepare his territory for the return of the power-hungry Archangel of Death.
Determined to keep her family safe, Elena refuses to stop hunting for the killer targeting her sister's husband, but she increasingly falters in the air. Soon Elena and Raphael realize she's regressing toward mortality. Singh heightens tension in this spellbinding paranormal romance as familial bonds deepen and a heartbreaking mystery unfolds, leading to a destiny-defying climax certain to stun fans. This book can be read as a standalone but will lead a new reader to gobble up the entire series. Singh is in a class all her own and knows just how to leave readers wanting more. Agent: Nephele Tempest, Knight Agency. (Nov.)
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"Archangel's Prophecy." Publishers Weekly, vol. 265, no. 40, 1 Oct. 2018, p. 50. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A557369773/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ca412b74. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Singh, Nalini ARCHANGEL'S PROPHECY Berkley (Adult Fiction) $7.99 10, 30 ISBN: 978-0-451-49164-0
Elena--the first human to be made into an angel in memory and consort to a mighty archangel--is failing, and while she, her lover, and their friends race to heal her, they must also stop a serial killer and meet the growing threat from a powerful and mysterious enemy.
Elena has been turned into an angel by her true love: "Raphael had kissed her with ambrosia as she fell, her back broken and the rest of her wounded beyond repair, and now she soared in the sky." No one knows how long the full "journey from postmortal to immortal" will take, since any records from past angel-Mades have been lost. Suddenly, however, Elena is regressing, and powers she's come to rely on are receding. Even her wings are disintegrating. Bad timing, since she's on the hunt for a serial killer who's attacked her brother-in-law, and the closer she gets to the killer's identity, the more she realizes she'll need all the hunting skills she possesses; tracking him while her body is undependable and her other powers are vanishing is daunting. Meanwhile, an odd voice in her head--that seems to be a powerful being communicating with her from some unknown place--is hinting that she's going to die, sort of; Raphael is developing powers that surprise even him; odd geothermal phenomena are erupting around the world; and an old nemesis is rising, though in ways no one is expecting. Singh takes her remarkable Guild Hunter series (Archangel's Viper, 2017, etc.) in a new direction, threatening Elena and Raphael's relationship with changes harkened by an ancient sage who chooses to communicate with Elena in her head. Though her prophecies indicate death, the end of the book hints at a more metaphorical interpretation than a literal one and introduces some major changes to look forward to in the next title.
Intense, astonishing, and radiant.
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"Singh, Nalini: ARCHANGEL'S PROPHECY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A557887250/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=cca1a9d8. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Singh, Nalini WOLF RAIN Berkley (Adult Fiction) $27.00 6, 4 ISBN: 978-1-9848-0359-7
After saving a woman from a serial killer, a wolf changeling will do anything to keep her safe, but the stakes get higher when her unique powers may signal the worldwide rise of aggressive rogue energy.
Nearing the first anniversary of his brother's death, Alexei Harte picks up an overwhelming psychic broadcast of grief and discovers an empath imprisoned in an underground bunker. When he rescues her, at first her only emotions seem to be rage and grief for her recently deceased cat. But as Memory begins to trust Alexei and the world he helps her enter, her conflicted, negative emotions begin to calm. The other empaths she meets help her understand that her gifts are unique and powerful and reframe them beyond her violent past which forced her to use them to help a psychopath. The more they work with her, the more they come to believe that she might be particularly positioned to help strengthen the complicated PsyNet, the vast psychic network on which the Psy depend to keep them connected and healthy. Alexei, meanwhile, is wrestling with the death of his brother, who went violently rogue one year earlier. He's definitely interested in making Memory his mate but worries he carries the rogue genes that threaten her even as he's trying to keep her safe from a variety of other dangers. The Psy/Changeling Trinity series continues with another complex, fascinating angle to the fall of Silence and its manifestations. Alexei's family represents the rogue component in the Changeling world, while Memory both represents and acts as the first line of defense against a rising rogue element within the Psy. Favorite alpha characters weave through the story, meeting the new challenge with their typical intelligence, flexibility, and collaboration.
Another Psy/Changeling page-turner from the brilliant Singh.
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"Singh, Nalini: WOLF RAIN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A587054446/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2602bb2e. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Singh, Nalini ARCHANGEL'S WAR Berkley (Adult Fiction) $7.99 9, 24 ISBN: 978-0-451-49166-4
Still reeling from recent battles (Archangel's Prophecy, 2018, etc.), Raphael and Elena must rally their grudging allies to protect New York from an ancient evil, because if their city falls, the rest of the world will follow.
Once again the Archangel Raphael and his consort, Elena, have warded off an attack against them, but this one felt different. A powerful force known as the Cascade tried to force Elena into acting as a vessel for Raphael's power. While they were able to overcome the challenge, it feels like the experience was a precursor to the rise of something dark and powerful, which the Cascade was trying to prepare Raphael for. Even as Elena is learning to live without wings, she's discovering another set of inexplicable powers and growing closer to ancient, mysterious allies while Raphael is clearly stronger than ever. But a vanquished archangel has risen, bitter and power-hungry. She's out to control the world, and she'll stop at nothing to make it happen, even creating an army of zombielike creatures to help her succeed. Raphael may be one of the most powerful creatures on Earth, but even he can't confront Lijuan on his own. The question is, even if the Cadre--all the archangels on the planet--come together to fight her, will they be strong enough to stop her? Singh heightens the tension and the stakes of her Guild Hunter series even as she reintroduces a sprawling cast of friends and allies who are determined to keep each other safe and live their lives in peace. If only the world weren't such a dangerous place. Singh's worldbuilding and imagination never disappoint, and while the action is often brutal and harrowing, it is always tempered by Raphael and Elena's profound love and their affection and devotion toward their friends.
Another riveting entry in the Guild Hunter series.
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"Singh, Nalini: ARCHANGEL'S WAR." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A601050525/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3aa23606. Accessed 12 July 2024.
A Madness of Sunshine. By Nalini Singh. Dec. 2019.352p. Berkley, $27 (9780593099131).
There are plenty of ghosts waiting for Anahera Spencer-Ashby when she returns to Golden Cove on the remote western coast of New Zealand, but there are good things, too: the comfortable familiarity of her best friend, Josie, and watching young Miriama Tutaia grow up into a promising photographer. But when Miriama goes missing, even Anahera's fond memories seem suspect. Will Garrison has been exiled to remote Golden Cove, but he's a good cop, and he respects the way the tightknit community works. He relies on that in his investigation, especially as it seems increasingly likely that Miriama's disappearance is connected to a series of missing female hikers from when Anahera was a teenager. Two haunted people, whose ghosts make them sharp observers of others, connect as it becomes clear that Golden Cove is hiding secrets. Singh elevates the missing-girl trope with a compassionate cop and nuanced secondary characters. Readers are immersed in New Zealand, from the Maori language and culture to the rugged, dangerous beauty of the landscape. An immensely satisfying procedural, and, though the romance is secondary, it has the intensity that Singh's fans have come to expect.--Susan Maguire
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 American Library Association
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Maguire, Susan. "A Madness of Sunshine." Booklist, vol. 116, no. 6, 15 Nov. 2019, p. 30. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A608183683/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=dae1c9b6. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Singh, Nalini A MADNESS OF SUNSHINE Berkley (Adult Fiction) $27.00 12, 3 ISBN: 978-0-593-09913-1
Soon after a widowed pianist returns to her tiny hometown in coastal New Zealand, a woman disappears, echoing the events of a summer when she was a teenager and everything shifted for her and her friends.
After burying her husband, Anahera Rawiri leaves London to return to Golden Cove, which sits next to the South Pacific Ocean and inside a "primal and untamed landscape." Anahera has been gone for years, married to a rich playwright, living in London, traveling the world as a classical pianist. She's remained close to her best friend, Josie, but only vaguely kept in touch with other Golden Cove friends; the teenage dissensions that began along social and economic lines in their group of friends grew into adult schisms exacerbated by betrayals and rivalries. Almost as soon as Anahera settles into the remote cabin her mother left her, beautiful young Miriama, who works at Josie's cafe, disappears. When the village comes together to search for her, Anahera acts as a bridge for the local policeman, Will, who is still considered an outsider, and she soon realizes that her friends and the town may harbor dark secrets: "Everyone has hidden corners of their life, even the people we think we know inside and out." As she and Will follow the clues and discover more about her friends, the townspeople, and each other, they connect in profound ways even as they begin to suspect the search for Miriama may be connected to the disappearance of three female hikers one summer when Ana was a teenager. Popular romance author Singh shifts to a new genre, New Zealand gothic, in which nearly every character--including the dense, ferocious landscape--has something to hide, and studying them is nearly as fascinating and compelling as solving the multifaceted mystery.
Astute, insightful, and descriptive storytelling; a strong step in a new direction for Singh.
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"Singh, Nalini: A MADNESS OF SUNSHINE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Dec. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A608364783/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8a2d5faf. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Alpha Night
Nalini Singh. Berkley, $27 (368p) ISBN 978-19848-0362-7
Singh's exciting fourth Psy-Changeling Trinity romance (after Wolf Rain) is as erotic as it is eventful. Selenka Durev is the Alpha to a pack of shape-shifting changelings. When the pack's security is threatened by empaths who break into their compound and attempt to kill them, the attack is thwarted by telekinetic Psy Ethan Night. Ethan and Selenka are instantly drawn to each other and form an immediate, and unprecedented, mating bond. But when a member of Selenka's pack is found dead, she and Ethan must temporarily put aside their burning desire to consummate their unconventional pairing. As they work together to bring the murderer to justice, Selenka discovers an evil lurking inside of Ethan and must find a way to free him before it's too late. Singh's talent for lush, expansive worldbuilding is on full display. The nonstop action keeps the pages turning, and the sexual tension between Selenka and Ethan crackles with an intensity that will delight paranormal romance readers.
Series fans will be thrilled by this high octane installment. Agent: Nephele Tempest, the Knight Agency. (June)
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"Alpha Night." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 16, 20 Apr. 2020, p. 56. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A623444696/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ceb6528a. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Quiet in Her Bones
Nalini Singh. Berkley, $26 (384p) ISBN 978-0-593-09910-0
The discovery of Nina Rai's vehicle in the bush of Waitakere Ranges Regional Park kick-starts this paranoia-fueled domestic thriller from New Zealand author Singh (A Madness of Sunshine). Ten years earlier, free-spirited Nina went missing, along with $250,000 that her domineering husband, Ishaan, had stashed in his safe. Ishaan told everyone Nina was a thief who abandoned her family, but her devoted son, Aarav, suspected foul play--a theory that gains credence when the police find Nina's skeleton in her passenger seat, wearing the clothes in which she disappeared. Aarav--now a 26-year-old crime writer--is certain someone in his parents' Auckland cul-desac is responsible, and since he's staying with his father while he recovers from a car crash, he decides to dig. The ensuing investigation uncovers myriad suspects, together with troubling gaps and inconsistencies in Aarav's own memories. Though the plot feels unfocused thanks to overabundant red herrings and some half-baked twists, Singh sustains tension throughout, delivering a lushly written, multilayered mystery that will keep readers guessing. Susan Isaacs fans, take note. Agent: Nephele
Tempest, Knight Agency. (Feb.)
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"Quiet in Her Bones." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 52, 21 Dec. 2020, pp. 60+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A650072582/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fc35b4fa. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Quiet in Her Bones.
By Nalini Singh.
Feb. 2021. 384p. Berkley, $26 (9780593099100); e-book, $13.99 (9780593099117).
A terrible car accident left playboy and thriller writer Aarav Rai with a broken leg and holes in his memory, and he is forced to move back to his father's house to recover. While there, his mother's car is found in the forest, proof that she did not run off and leave him ten years ago. The ultra-rich suburban neighborhood Aarav grew up in hides a multitude of secrets, but from his balcony, he has a better view than most of what is happening behind closed doors--except for his own, because his father is still bitter about his late wife's independent nature and won't discuss the fight they had on what turned out to be their last night together. Aarav uses his self-proclaimed sociopathic tendencies to charm information out of people, but his mind can't process what he finds, and readers will be left wondering if he's keeping the biggest secret from himself. Singh perfectly conveys the sleek architecture amid an unforgiving New Zealand forest, while the fuzziness and paranoia of Aarav's narration make this an unsettling thriller that deserves a wide audience.--Susan Maguire
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 American Library Association
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Maguire, Susan. "Quiet in Her Bones." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 9-10, 1 Jan. 2021, pp. 41+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A650393005/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=08e7487b. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Singh, Nalini ARCHANGEL'S LIGHT Berkley (Fiction None) $8.99 10, 26 ISBN: 978-0-593198-14-8
Two angels work to repair their friendship amid grief and trauma and finally give in to a centurieslong yearning in Singh's latest Guild Hunter romance.
Illium and Aodhan have known each other for 500 years. They grew up together, joined the same brotherhood, and have always been each other's emotional bedrock. Through it all, they remained simply friends. When Aodhan went missing, Illium was dogged in searching for him; when he finally rescued Aodhan from his kidnappers, he stepped into the role of protector and caretaker. While Aodhan appreciates all Illium has done, he feels suffocated by his concern and decides to put space between them by taking the role as Second to the new Archangel of China. Eventually, the pair are reunited, with Illium joining Aodhan in China, bringing their simmering issues to the forefront. Aodhan and Illium share a painful honesty with one another, and this feels like a relationship pushed to the breaking point as the men explore their shared trauma: Aodhan's capture and the loss Illium feared he had suffered. It's an emotional gut punch that would put any reader through the wringer. As in many Guild Hunter titles, there's a larger plot happening in tandem with the slow-burn romance. China is rebuilding after having been freed from the grasp of an evil archangel, but remnants of that time have started to appear once more. This isn't a book for the uninitiated--the ancient mythos of angels, demons, and vampires Singh has created in this series has progressed over a dozen books. However, as each chapter alternates between a present-day Aodhan and Illium and important moments in their past, there is an opportunity to fill in some gaps.
Longtime fans will be delighted by the torturous pining in this slow burn, but this isn't a book for series newbies.
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"Singh, Nalini: ARCHANGEL'S LIGHT." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A678748459/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=22fae119. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Singh, Nalini. Archangel's Light. Berkley. (Guild Hunter, Bk. 14). Nov. 2021.400p. ISBN 9780593198148. pap. $8.99. PARANORMAL
ROMANCE
Singh returns with a new M/M "Guild Hunter" romance (following Archangel's Sun). The angels Illium and Aodhan have been best friends for centuries: when Illium lost his mortal lover, Aodhan supported him; when Aodhan ventured back into the world after a horrific attack, Illium protected him. But since the Cascade and the destruction of Archangel Lijuan, Aodhan has been in China to help the new archangel Suyin, while Illium stood by Raphael to rebuild New York. Suffering from the distance, the two are at a breaking point in their relationship--made worse when Aodhan gets the chance to become Suyin's permanent aide. Aodhan and Illium reunite in a destroyed Chinese village to track down more of Lijuan's corrupted reborn, where they're forced to confront romantic feelings in their friendship. VERDICT Every "Guild Hunter" reader has strong feelings about Illium and Aodhan, and Singh has a talent for turning readers inside-out with her outstanding worldbuilding and characterizations. Fans will either love or hate this installment, depending on their feelings about the protagonists' formerly platonic/newly romantic friendship, but it will be in high demand regardless. An essential purchase.--Melanie C. Duncan, Washington Memorial Lib., Macon, GA
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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"Archangel's Light." Library Journal, vol. 146, no. 11, Nov. 2021, pp. 75+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A684818914/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d2023db7. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Singh, Nalini STORM ECHO Berkley (Fiction None) $27.00 7, 26 ISBN: 978-0-593-44067-4
A Psy and a cat shifter separated by trauma and amnesia reunite and take on an unknown enemy.
The Psy-Changeling series continues with a new pair of lovers whose personal connection might strengthen the links among the human, Psy, and shifter groups just as the Psynet is under attack. In sections that alternate between the recent past and present and between the points of view of the two protagonists and a mysterious villain, we learn about the abruptly ended budding romance of Psy Ivan Mercant and ocelot-shifter Soleil Bijoux Garcia and then see them renew their bond. Ivan has always been self-contained. His in-utero exposure to a drug, followed by a childhood with his troubled single mother, has affected him emotionally as well as cognitively. Though eventually embraced by the powerful Russian Mercant family, despite not having a biological connection to them, he is convinced that the drug's effects will eventually make him a danger to everyone. A chance meeting with a playful healer briefly gives him hope, but losing her seems part of his inevitable solitary existence. Even when he finds her again, she doesn't seem to recognize him. Orphaned young when her shifter-human parents died in an accident, French Latinx ocelot Lei is now reeling from the recent massacre of her shifter pack. But her shifter half is drawn to an intense stranger in the midst of a Psy crisis. Once Lei realizes the love they could have, Ivan must contend with her determination that they stay together and his own protective instincts. While an amnesia plot may not be for everyone, the novel deftly balances Ivan's grief with sweet flashbacks to the couple's initial dates and then ramps up the electric attraction between them in the present. The author's signature warm scenes involving new changelings and the changeling families familiar to regular series readers reinforce a tone of communal love and support. While the external threat mounts and Ivan and Lei work with Psy and changeling leaders to combat it, the sexual chemistry between the couple reaches a joyful culmination. Some readers, however, may grumble at how late in the book the scene occurs.
An engaging paranormal romance in which love triumphs over isolation.
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"Singh, Nalini: STORM ECHO." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A708486976/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=04e9867c. Accessed 12 July 2024.
There Should Have Been Eight
Nalini Singh. Berkley, $28 (416p) ISBN 978-0-593549-76-6
Seven friends reunite in New Zealand's Southern Alps in this dull outing from Singh (Quiet in Her Bones). After 28-year-old Luna learns that a "genetic time bomb" is causing her to slowly lose her sight, she accepts an invitation for a reunion at the dilapidated mountain estate owned by Darcie Shepherd, whom she was friends with as a teenager. The party will include seven members of Luna's old social circle; the eighth--Darcie's sister, Bea, withwhom Luna was especially close--died nine years earlier in an apparent suicide. While she's reluctant at first, Luna decides to attend, hoping the reunion will enable her to unlock "the bitter box of questions [she'd] kept stifled" about Bea's death. The group's arrival is preceded by ominous events: the Shepherds' longtime family doctor dies in a freak car accident, then the mansion is vandalized by unknown patties who paint the words "Judas" and "Judgment" on the walls. After the group arrives, a snowstorm strands them at the estate, causing old rivalries and buried secrets--particularly about Bea's death--to rise to the surface. The characters are strictly one-dimensional, making it difficult to invest in their fates, and most genre veterans will be able to see the climax coming from a mile away. Singh has done much better before. Agent: Nephele Tempest. Knight Agency. (Nov.)
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"There Should Have Been Eight." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 38, 18 Sept. 2023, p. 40. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A767497291/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bb3dbf54. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Singh, Nalini. There Should Have Been Eight. Berkley. Nov. 2023.416p. ISBN 9780593549766. $28. M
Nine years after her younger sister Bea's death by suicide, Darcie invites six of their college roommates to the family's remote, rundown estate in New Zealand's Southern Alps. Luna, the novel's narrator, plans to confront Darcie. Why did she have Bea cremated without giving the group a chance to grieve? When Darcie's husband reveals that Darcie is pregnant, Luna reins in her anger. But new trouble is ahead. Bea's childhood doll appears, looking just like its owner, complete with Bea's hair. That's the first eerie event, but more follow. Accidents, injuries, poisonings, and finally, a death make it obvious that someone intends to harm the seven surviving college friends. A surprise spring snowstorm traps and isolates them, with no cell coverage, creating the perfect scenario for an opportunistic person intent on revenge. VERDICT While "Psy-Changeling" series author Singh's numerous fans will appreciate this intricate psychological thriller, there's nothing new in the plot. Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None set the bar high for this storyline.--Lesa Holstine
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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"There Should Have Been Eight." Library Journal, vol. 148, no. 10, Oct. 2023, pp. 105+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A767644949/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=68233f50. Accessed 12 July 2024.
There Should Have Been Eight. By Nalini Singh. Nov. 2023. 416p. Berkley, $28 (9780593549766); e-book (9780593549773).
Luna and her friends Darcie, Ash, Kaea, Vansi, Phoenix, and Aaron, along with Aaron's fiancee, Grace, gather for a reunion at Darcies crumbling family estate in the remote mountains of New Zealand. They all feel the loss of their eighth friend, Darcies sister, Bea, who died by suicide nine years earlier, about whom Darcie keeps suspiciously mum. Photographer Luna, who just received a devastating diagnosis, spends her time shooting the surroundings, capturing images of her friends for what she imagines will be the last time. Then strange things start happening. Bea's childhood doll appears out of nowhere. Darcie is attacked. Paintings are defaced. Kaea falls ill. When a polar blast barrels through the mountains, the group is trapped in the snowstorm, unsure of whom to trust as things turn deadly. Singh [Quiet in Her Bones, 2021) excels at creating atmospheric scenes, evoking dusty secret passageways and the dangers of the freezing weather to create a sense of dread. Told from Luna's perspective, this story of friendship and obsession unfolds gently at first, then at a breakneck pace until it reaches a shocking conclusion. Give this excellent thriller to readers of Megan Miranda's The Only Survivors (2023).--Susan Maguire
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
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Maguire, Susan. "There Should Have Been Eight." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 3, 1 Oct. 2023, p. 32. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A768548193/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2d3a9462. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Singh, Nalini PRIMAL MIRROR Berkley (Fiction None) $30.00 7, 23 ISBN: 9780593440735
The alpha of a leopard pack is enthralled with his mysterious pregnant neighbor.
Remi Denier was abandoned by his father and raised by a single mother who died when he was a teenager. After restless years of race car driving and loneliness, Remi accepted his dominant nature and created RainFire, a pack located deep in Tennessee's Smoky Mountains. He was joined by others interested in the challenge of building a pack from scratch. While scouting nearby land the pack was hoping to annex, Remi discovers heavily pregnant Auden Scott in a newly constructed cabin. Auden is a Psy, a race of humans with psychic abilities. Auden has a peculiar specialty: When touching objects, she can "read" the thoughts and feelings of anyone who has previously touched those items. Pregnancy has amplified her skill, and the machine-made cabin has been designed to give respite from the flood of feedback that overwhelms her Psy senses. Something about her scent disturbs Remi, but as an alpha, he also feels a deep-seated urge to protect Auden and her unborn child. Auden eventually confides the truth in Remi: Her powerful Psy parents experimented on her brain when she was a teenager, and her pregnancy seems to be reviving old symptoms. She experiences long blocks of missing time and is afraid her personality may have split in two. Even more frightening, she's sure her doctors have sinister plans for her baby. The romance between Remi and Auden is an afterthought; Singh's novel is focused on the continuation of a multibook arc describing the challenges facing the Psy as they race to save the millions of minds connected to their failing neural net. In previous books in this long-running series, Singh kept the romance arc at the center, but this installment feels noticeably off balance.
A compelling but lopsided read.
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"Singh, Nalini: PRIMAL MIRROR." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A797463140/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=74b87600. Accessed 12 July 2024.