I’ve had such a blast writing the Lady Lazarus trilogy. In the process, I’ve visited strange and dangerous places without ever leaving the comforts of my writing lair. The protagonist of the series, the beautiful young witch Magdalena Lazarus, is trying to avert total war in the summer of 1939, and she traverses Europe and beyond in order to fight a supernatural battle.
Here’s a quick overview of some of the places you will visit
if you crack the spine of the Lady Lazarus books and dive in after Magda:
·
Budapest, Hungary: The heroine, Magda Lazarus,
is a denizen of this golden city, the “Paris of the East,” in 1939. Her
Budapest is a magical and deadly world, filled with vampires, demons,
werewolves, and magical creatures of all sorts.
·
Paris, France: In search of her family’s magical
inheritance, Magda heads west, and falls headlong into the demimonde of Paris,
filled with refugees, spies, intrigue, and smoky cafes. She runs into an old
friend and finds danger of a spiritual kind along the Seine in the dead of
night.
·
Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Magda encounters a
worldly courtesan with a wealth of magic to share, a mysterious American
bookseller with tangled loyalties, a dear friend in grave danger, and a trio of
demonesses intent on destroying her.
·
Krakow, Poland: Magda finds a conquered city,
one filled with desperate partisans and patriots. The ancient cobblestone
streets teem with cruel Nazis, werewolves of the SS, brave members of the
underground, and earth spirits determined to defend their land.
·
Baku, Azerbaijan: This land of fire angels and
magic flying carpets is the gateway to Magda’s last hope to finding her
family’s magic. Secret agents attack her at a caravanserai, and she seeks
sanctuary at the Temple of Fire, filled with a magic more ancient and dangerous
than her own.
I’m such a homebody
writer, and yet I love to travel, and have visited many of the places that
Magda finds herself in these books. Cities have their own personalities, and
meeting them is like meeting a beautiful, mysterious stranger. It’s not the
same as getting the chance to live in a place, but I find that once I’ve
visited a city or a foreign country, the memory of it stays with me and plays
on my imagination.
What is your favorite
place in the world? And where would you visit if you had the chance?
Spotlight: The LADY
LAZARUS series by Michele Lang
Book 1: LADY LAZARUS
ADVENTURE, ROMANCE,
AND MAGIC ON THE EVE OF WORLD WAR II
Summer 1939: In Budapest, the magical city where East meets
West, beautiful, young Magda Lazarus has managed to make a life for herself in
a dangerous world that teeters on the edge of war. But then her sister has a
terrible vision: Nazi Germany overruns all of Europe, and their family and
millions of others are exterminated.
Magda, the last of a long line of witches descended from the
legendary Witch of Ein Dor, must find the secret of her family's magic. Alone,
pursued by SS werewolves, a Nazi wizard, and demons, including the one that has
possessed a willing Adolf Hitler, she has no choice but to summon the family's
guardian angel, the dark keeper of secrets Archangel Raziel.
And when she stands in his celestial presence, her heart is
utterly, completely lost…
"An absolutely unique protagonist in an engaging tale
set against the backdrop of the greatest clash of good and evil in human
history. What's not to love about LADY LAZARUS?"
-Jim Butcher, #1 NYT Bestselling Author of THE DRESDEN FILES
Book 2: DARK VICTORY
THE REMARKABLE SECOND
STORY IN THE LADY LAZARUS TRILOGY
Magda Lazarus was a reluctant witch, until the dire threat
of Nazi Germany convinced her to assume the mantle of her family's ancient
powers. But though this young, beautiful woman has fought Hitler's werewolves
and the demon who would rule through the Fuhrer, she has been unable to prevent
the outbreak of World War II.
There is still a chance of saving the millions slated for
destruction, but Magda knows she cannot fight the Nazi supernatural war machine
alone. With the power to summon an army
of spirits, Magda stands with her guardian angel Raziel in a battle against the
human and unholy forces of evil arrayed against her people and all of Europe.
Magda is desperate to win at any price, but the victory she
seeks may be at the cost of her soul…
"The best entry yet in a groundbreaking, rich,
enthralling series set in the darkest days of World War II with magic, very
human characters, and stakes that couldn't be higher. A tour de force!"
-Rachel Caine, NYT Bestselling Author of the MORGANVILLE
VAMPIRE series
THE THRILLING
CONCLUSION OF THE LADY LAZARUS TRILOGY
Magda Lazarus, the Witch of Budapest, has returned from the
dead time and time again to fight the Nazis' devastating conquest of Poland. To
prevent the Holocaust her sister has seen in terrible visions, Magda will need
the Heaven Sapphire, a gem powerful enough to defeat even the demon Asmodel.
With the future of all Europe in the balance, Magda and her beloved, the angel
Raziel, begin a perilous journey to the Caucasus, the resting place of the
fabled stone.
Surrounded by Nazis, Stalinists, and wary Azeri tribesmen,
Magda must summon all of her magic to battle her supernatural foes. But more
dangerous yet is the power of the Sapphire itself, which could stop Hitler --
or destroy Magda.
At the end of this long road Magda's epic quest will end…in
love and redemption, or with annihilation. REBEL ANGELS, the climactic book of
the LADY LAZARUS trilogy, filled with suspense, magic, and action, will have
readers on the edge of their seats until the riveting conclusion.
"REBEL ANGELS is a satisfying, powerful conclusion to a
series that is as moving as it is thrilling. Rooted in a compelling version of
history, peopled with unique and intriguing characters, the tale of Magda
Lazarus combines the action of a modern urban fantasy with the atmospherics of
CASABLANCA. With this final volume, Michele Lang establishes herself as
one of the leading voices in historical urban fantasy."
-D.B. Jackson, author of THIEFTAKER
Michele Lang writes supernatural tales: the stories of
witches, lawyers, goddesses, bankers, demons, and other magical creatures
hidden in plain sight. Author of the LADY LAZARUS historical fantasy series,
Michele's most recent book in the series, REBEL ANGELS, released March 2013.
Michele is also a lawyer who has practiced the unholy craft
of litigation in both New York and Connecticut. She returned to her native New
York shortly before 9/11, and now lives in a small town on the North Shore of
Long Island with her husband, her sons, and a rotating menagerie of cats,
hermit crabs, and butterflies.
Find her on the web at www.michelelang.com and on Facebook
at http://www.facebook.com/michelelang
TRILOGY GIVEAWAY!
We have three sets of the entire Lady Lazarus trilogy to
give away! Please enter the giveaway by leaving a comment below. Since these are
print books, winners must be residents of US/Canada.
Here is a giveaway for everybody: Michele will send a free
ecopy of her novella, “The Magic of Fabulous,” to everybody who supplies an
email address. Please send in your email address and she will send you a
Smashwords coupon.
Thanks for stopping by!
**Michele's winners are Mary Kirkland, Laurie G. and Pat Cochran. Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing info!**
**Michele's winners are Mary Kirkland, Laurie G. and Pat Cochran. Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing info!**
6 comments:
I've been interested in reading angel
books, but haven't as yet begun. I've
just added the Lazarus Trilogy to my
TBR list and your name to my new-to-
me page. My bucket list includes the
possibility of visits to Scotland and
Australia. The place I enjoyed visit-
ing was Venice, Italy.
OOPS! Forgot my email address:
p-cochran@juno.com, thanks for
the giveaway coupons!
Pat C.
Wow, those covers are amazing. I'm looking forward to reading the books. Thanks for the great giveaways.
miztik_rose@yahoo.com
Dark Thoughts Blog
Michele,
Good luck with your writing!
Favorite place :
Stuart, Florida/Hutchinson Island - Gorgeous beach, lots of outdoor activities, low rise condos along the beach
Places I want to visit: Tahiti, Bali, Switzerland and Austria.
johns lake at usa dot com
The Lady Lazarus trilogy sounds captivating and special. best wishes. My favorite place is a relaxing, quiet beach with wonderful beach homes and a beach that stretches forever. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
Wonderful post which took me to other realms. Your trilogy is unforgettable and the era memorable. I would love to read the Lazarus trilogy. My favorite place to visit is Italy. Wishing you success, and fun. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
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