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When one looks in the box, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the cat.

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Who else do you know who can write suspenseful urban fantasy, timeless paranormal romance stories, and kick-ass action in comic-books—all at the same time? Oh yeah, and she’s also a lawyer!

Since Marjorie M. Liu has so many fans out there across different genres, she thought she’d give you a little treat with a special letter that comes out of her urban fantasy Hunter Kiss (Ace Books) series. It’s a letter you won’t be able to find in any of the books—instead it will be posted in four different sections on a few different websites. Check out the first half of the letter (both in prose and audio—Reading and recording by Rob DiCaterino, Web Manager at rtbookreviews.com) after the jump.

Marjorie says of the special letter—from the desk of Grant Cooperon to be only opened by his daughter: “I’m excited about this promotion because I love being able to reach out to you, my fans—in person at romance conventions, or ComicCon, or online through my blog or twitter. This summer is a busy one for me because I’ve got the new Dark Wolverine series and the special NYX: No Way Home collection, both from Marvel, coming out in the next two weeks, followed by Darkness Calls on June 30 and The Fire King at the end of July. I’d love to get all my characters at the same 4th of July BBQ and see what happens…but that’s not in this letter!”

You can also post a comment on this thread to be entered into a drawing for an iTunes gift certificate; you can enter to win a Darkness Callsthemed prize (one per day from June 15-30th: music, signed book, tote, etc.) by tweeting with the hash tag #darknesscalls

* * *

From the desk of Grant Cooperon, to be opened only by his daughter.

To my darling daughter,

You do not know me. Maybe you never will. You do not exist yet, but you are coming. You are part of me already.

I am going to be your father.

Maybe that is presumptuous of me, but in this I can be bold. I have no alternative left but certainty. I love your mother. I will always love her. Not with blind eyes, but with truth.

Because I can see her soul.

A long story, another letter. Maybe you will have the same gift. Maybe it would be better if you did not. It can be a burden, knowing the truth about people. Always seeing the truth, and the darkness.

You learn about yourself when you see the darkness. You learn what you can tolerate and what you can forgive, and what you cannot. You learn how dark your own heart is when you see the darkness in others, and you learn how strong your light can be, when confronted with the endlessness of human suffering. Everyone, baby, feels alone. Everyone aches for kindness.

Your mother is kind, though she would deny it. She would be embarrassed. But she is kind, and against the odds, sweet—and she is filled with that rarest form of compassion, a sympathy for the suffering of others demonstrated only by saints, and the fearless.

 

Don’t mistake me: Your mother is not fearless. But she is brave. Never doubt it. Your mother cannot walk away. You understand, baby? Your mother, when she sees something wrong, cannot walk away. No matter what. No matter who stands in her path, no matter how much she might want to. Your mother’s heart is relentless.

So let me tell you about your mother, because no one else will, certainly not her. She will never say these things out loud. Not because she doesn’t love you—because she will love you, she does love you, she will fight for you and die for you, and be your friend past death. But she will not tell you about herself—her real self—because she will never believe that there is anything worth telling. Because she does not see herself as I see her. Your mother is too close to her own life, as we all are too close to ourselves, but her burden is unique—and she is blinded by it, and the hard choices she has had to make.

Your mother saved my life. She might tell you that, I suppose. She saved me from being murdered, but that’s a story for another time. What I want to tell you is that she saved me, in more ways than one.


Section 3 of letter is now up on Smart Bitches, Trashy BooksBorders, B&N, and Ace/Penguin!

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Marjorie Liu

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