One of the joys of reading is that it can take the reader way beyond the confines of their environment and although I rarely feature science fiction writing here on the blog, when lovely Kelly at Love Books Group invited me to participate in this blog tour I knew I had to redress the balance. I’m delighted that she has brought me together with Jennie Dorny to stay in and chat about books.

Staying in with Jennie Dorny

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Jennie. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought Vengeance, volume two of Hybrids, as it is the follow up to volume one Trouble.

What can we expect from an evening in with Vengeance, volume two of Hybrids?

Fany Van Hemelen on Instagram and on her blog wrote about Trouble, volume one of Hybrids, the following:

What a great first book of a refreshing sci-fi series.
Trouble is a good start and I am sure the author will be growing even more with the next book. For now my compliments with the way she writes so I started to read and couldn’t stop anymore. Trouble is a book about fascinating worlds, difficult choices and destiny.

Now, with Vengeance, the second volume, massive clouds loom on the horizon as the characters get thrown one after the other into complicated situations. Readers will meet new characters – a cyborg with a weird mental disorder, an alien pet, a strange species called the rainrocks, as well as new planets – Earth Metropolis, Gambling Nova and Iglölü. Lovers are separated, friendships are questioned, characters’ motives are revealed.

My word Jennie. Both Trouble and Vengeance sound intriguing books. What else have you brought along and why?

In these anxious times when we must all stay at home, we are happy to find books, movies and music that allow us to escape. For fantasy and sci-fi fans and amateurs of gay and lesbian fiction, and every other reader, here is a recipe for an easy chocolate cake (which can be transformed into cupcakes as seen in this picture):

I love a cup cake. How do I make them?

Energetically mix 200g sugar, 150g flour, 200g butter, 4 eggs, 2 heaped tablespoons of unsweetened powdered dark chocolate and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Put in a buttered round or square mould in the oven at 190° for 30 minutes or less depending on the size of the pan. For cupcakes, perhaps 20 minutes.

For the icing, melt 75g dark chocolate with 25g butter. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons of warm water and add confectionary sugar until you reach the right consistency. Put on cold cake or cupcakes and add decorations. And enjoy while reading, watching or listening to any book, movie or music you like.

What a perfect way to accompany a book Jennie. Thanks so much for bringing along this recipe and for staying in to tell us all about Hybrids volume two: Vengeance.

Hybrids

Caught in a web of murder and vengeance, Theo must outsmart the Spylady to save her new friends.

Imprisoned in a male appearance, can Nand survive deportation without losing herself?

Forced to leave Eridan after her mental battle with Keith of Rain Forest, Theo travels to Earth Metropolis with SpaceSS agent Jack Finch. When Jack is arrested for murdering his husband, Farren, Theo’s plans for a new future collapse.

To impress Declan, Nand face-changes into her cousin’s appearance on the day of the Face Changer Assembly. But her moment of triumph turns into a nightmare when Keith launches an attack against the Face Changers.

Deported to Gambling Nova, the federal prison, with Ashta and a few Face Changers, will Declan be strong enough to overcome his guilt in order to help Nand keep her male appearance and safeguard Eridan’s future?

Convinced that Farren is still alive, Theo must outsmart the Spylady if she wants to get Jack released from the penitentiary and find Farren’s whereabouts. Yet when Sheer, the Savalwomen leader, orders her to rescue the Face Changers, Theo faces a new challenge: is she ready to return to Gambling Nova? And risk her life?

Hybrids is available for purchase here.

About Jennie Dorny

Jennie Dorny was born in 1960 in Newton, Massachusetts. She lives and works in Paris with her three cats. She is both French and American. She studied American literature and civilization, Italian and history of art at three Parisian universities. She wrote her Master’s thesis about contemporary Irish poetry after spending a year in Dublin. She loves words and languages, and she can spend hours exploring a thesaurus. Over the years, she has studied Spanish, Japanese, Hindi and sign language, and recently took up Italian again.

She has published in French Gambling Nova (1999), Eridan (2002) and Les Cupidons sont tombés sur la tête (Mischievous Cupids gone Crazy, 2007). Gambling Nova and Eridan are partial, earlier versions of Hybrids; science-fiction novels that in many ways deal with the question of gender.

You can visit Jennie’s website and join her club or find her on Facebook and Instagram.

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