My Year in Books – what I edited during 2014

To put it mildly, I'm a wee bit in love with editing. Here is a selection of some of the works that I put under my scalpel blade during this year gone by. The books are presented here in alphabetical order by author name.

The Dom with the Kink Monsters by Sorcha Black
Sorcha’s Badass Brats are fun, when she’s writing on her own AND when she’s writing with her partners Leia Shaw and Cari Silverwood. If you’re looking for kink in all flavours, with characters who’re often full of tattoos and oodles of attitude, then look no further. I’ve had the opportunity to edit a few of the Badass series, so these stories are like old friends whenever a new one lands on my desk. I needed to fan myself all the time while working on this.

Ein by Sorcha Black
Ein is really difficult to classify. It’s full-on fantasy but with lashings of kink and a strong central theme of femininity. This novel touched me on an emotional level, and while there’s *a lot* of heat, the characters are nonetheless touching and well fleshed out. Sorcha takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster ride.


One Step Ahead by Amy Lee Burgess
This is number seven of Amy’s The Wolf Within series. Though each novel can be read as a standalone, I do recommend that readers start from book one. Amy allows us a glimpse into the lives of Pack, wolf shifters who coexist as a secret society among humans. While there’s a degree of heat, Amy places emphasis on her characters’ interpersonal relationships and their emotional sides. It’s fantastic to be on board with this series again.

The Necromancer’s Apprentice by Icy Sedgwick
Icy Sedgwick takes a story that’s familiar to many of us – that of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice – and she gives it a somewhat darker twist. Her sorcerer is a necromancer, and the apprentice runs afoul of his overweening desire to overreach himself. What I love the most about Icy’s writing is the way she combines dark subject matter with a whiff of whimsy. If you find the idea of nefarious, evil mummies appealing then this novella’s for you. Oh, the illustration on the cover is by the super-fab Daniël Hugo, one of my preferred artists. Design by Carmen Begley.

Intimidator by Cari Silverwood
Cari Silverwood and I go back a long way, and I’m always happy to edit a few of her novels during the course of the year. Intimidator takes us on a journey with alien warriors who arrive on earth and cut a devastating swathe through a greater evil while taking their pick of earthling women while they’re at it. Lots of action. Lots of kink here. Oh, and I must brag just a wee bit about the cover art, which was designed by my wonderful husband, Thomas Dorman. If you're looking for cover art at a reasonable price, mail him at thomas@helicopterdesign.co.za

Seize Me From Darkness by Cari Silverwood
Cari’s Pierced Hearts series is dark, dark, dark, and definitely not for the faint of heart. Not only does she put her characters, male and female, through the emotional wringer, but there’s huge, heaping piles of danger and kink, and one is never quite sure whether the hero is the good or bad guy. Or maybe he’s a bit of both. Either way, she pushes boundaries with these books. You have been warned. Oh, and the cover design is also by my lovely husband.

Erased by Liz Strange
Liz has a handle on telling a kick-ass story that ratchets along at a rapid pace. If you liked Fire Fly, Star Trek and Blade Runner, then this one will appeal to you. Especially awesome is the strong female lead in this space opera. Oh, the illustration is by one of my favourite artists, Milan Colovic.

Crooks & Straights by Masha du Toit
For those of you who’ve a yen for YA urban fantasy that doesn’t have all the Crooks & Straights will offer you a breath of fresh air. The story takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, and plays on our Rainbow Nation’s reputation of being a melting pot of cultures.
usual trappings you’ve grown weary of, then

The Sea anthology
I collected a handful of my favourite authors, and combined them with another handful of fresh voices, to put together The Sea, a collection of short speculative fiction themed around, well, exactly as the title suggests. Unfortunately this anthology fell prey to the closure of Dark Continents Publishing, but we are on the cusp of releasing the revised edition via Crossroad Press, so stay tuned. Cover photography by yours truly, with illustration by Norman Begley, and design by Carmen Begley.

If you’d like further updates about my editing endeavours, and just life as per usual for a madcap wordy person who writes and edits because anything else is unthinkable, then stalk me on Twitter.

Though I am currently focusing on my BA studies in languages and literature, while holding down a day job, I am still available to take on select editing projects during 2015. I can be emailed at nerinedorman@gmail.com.