If Wishes Were Curses
by Janeen Ippolito
Book Description:
So I accidentally killed a shifter. On purpose.
With genie powers I shouldn’t be able to use, thanks to my curse-mark.
In my defense, the damn grizzly was threatening civilians and might have been a vampire as well. Pittsburgh is safer without him. Only the Fae court doesn’t believe my story, and the shifters are out for blood.
Now I’ve lost my job as a romantic investigator, and I’m on death row. My only hope is an oddly outgoing vegetarian vampire lawyer who seems strangely familiar. Too familiar.
Almost like we’ve met before, and this whole thing was a set-up to take us both down.
Wishing won’t get us out of this mess.
But my forbidden wish magic just might.
A snarky urban fantasy with a heart, some romance with heat (nothing graphic), and gleeful send ups of many tropes, all wrapped up with an otter-shifter in the bargain.
My Review:
If Wishes Were Curses is a heart pounding urban fantasy romance. There's lots of action and humor. All kinds of messed up stuff happens to Allis, who has out-of-control magic. That's why she's been subjected to curse-markings by the Fae courts to keep her magic under control. She has a pathetic love life and even her friends don't fully trust her. Allis has a big heart and likes helping people, so she doesn't understand all the animosity. While trying to protect herself and innocent bystanders, she ends up killing a rabid bear shifter who is behaving like a vampire. Now all the shifters want her dead, except for her half brother, Gideon. The only one who can help her now is a lawyer named Cendric who also happens to be a vegetarian vampire.
You'll want to clear your day or weekend when you start reading this book! I was stressed out for Allis and really worried for her well-being. Things just go from bad to worse, but it's really exciting too with a good dose of romance and witty banter. It also ends on a high note with some new mysteries to solve. I can't wait for Book 2!
You'll want to clear your day or weekend when you start reading this book! I was stressed out for Allis and really worried for her well-being. Things just go from bad to worse, but it's really exciting too with a good dose of romance and witty banter. It also ends on a high note with some new mysteries to solve. I can't wait for Book 2!
Disclosure: I received an eARC of this book. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Author Interview:
Janeen Ippolito
I read on my lunch breaks, tea breaks, and just before bed. During the day I’ll read more intense fiction or intellectually stimulating nonfiction books that get my brain going. Just before bed I’ll read something that’s more lowkey for me, with humor, a lighter plot, or a more distant narrative style—so nothing with zombies, nightmares, or challenging questions that might keep me up at night thinking.
2. How do you prefer to write your books - with a pen/pencil, typing, or dictation?
I usually do my first draft in Google Docs so I can share easily with my alpha readers, and then I’ll copy and paste into an MS Word document and use that for the rest of the drafts.
3. Do you use your own name or a pseudonym?
I use my own name. However, if I ever turned towards something completely contemporary, I’d probably go for Janeen Allison, which is my first and middle names. I wouldn’t hide that it was me, but it would signal to readers “no magic or spaceships or tech in this one.”
4. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Keep at it. You might feel like just when you “make it”, things fall through, but you’ll get there. And when you get there, you’ll realize that no one really “makes it.” We’re all just practicing writers trying to make our mark on the world.
5. What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Every single writing conference I’ve been to. I really enjoy that classroom environment and the interaction with other writers. Writing is so solitary, and I’m an extrovert. Going to writing conferences is still one of my favorite ways to refresh my brain, network, and have a good time.
6. If you didn’t write full-time, what would you do for work, or if you write part-time, what other job/jobs do you have?
My day job is as a freelance author services provider. I provide market-focused editing, author coaching with an aim towards problem-solving, and online courses (coming soon!). When I first stepped away from my career as a classroom instructor, I contemplated going full-time as an author. But I find deep satisfaction and meaning in helping other writers get their stories into the world—which is probably a carry-over from my love of teaching. So I doubt I’ll ever be a full-time writer. Working with others is half the fun! I also run a small science fiction and fantasy publishing house, Uncommon Universes Press. We’re on our fourth year, and it’s been an incredible journey publishing books, building a team, and mentoring my staff. I love it!
7. What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
The 11th hour edits! My brain is the sort that really doesn’t find the final details of a story until I’ve gone over the manuscript and pondered it many times. So between the line edit and the final copy are about three passes of 11th hour edits where I wake up in the middle of the night going “wait! THAT’S what I should do. I must tweak the things!” I’ve recognized this as part of my process, and my writing critique partners are good at forcing me to step back when enough is enough.
8. Does your family support your career as a writer?
Yes, 100%. My husband is my biggest fan. Even when we were newlyweds with a very tight budget, he squeezed out enough for me to attend my first writers conference. Alas, he’s a slow reader, so he tries to read my books—but then I publish more! Whoops. My other biggest fan (yes, I can have two) is my mom, who raised me with a deep love of stories, especially science fiction, fantasy, and mystery (which all influence my own writing). She’s amazing. And I have to shout out my in-laws, who were always very tolerant when I would visit on school breaks and vanish upstairs for hours at a time to get in my word count, which was hard to do as a full-time teacher!
About the Author:
Janeen Ippolito
Janeen Ippolito writes steampunk fantasy and urban fantasy, and creates writing resources, including the reference book World Building From the Inside Out and the creative writing guide Irresistible World Building For Unforgettable Stories. She’s an experienced teacher, editor, author coach, marketer, and is the leader of Uncommon Universes Press, a small traditional science fiction and fantasy publishing house. She’s also the cohost of the podcast Indie Book Magic. In her spare time, Janeen enjoys sword-fighting, reading, pyrography, and eating brownie batter. Two of her goals are eating fried tarantulas and traveling to Antarctica.
