If you loved Buffy, but you didn't notice it went off the air until a year later, or if you grew up wanting to be Samantha, but you were surprised when someone told you last year there were two Darrens [No way! And Uncle Arthur was gay!] then stick the kid in the Sweetpeace, and put Little Einsteins on auto-replay, has Julie Kenner got a book for you!
Four of them, actually, about a "Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom," and each one has a catchier, demon-related title than the next. [Carpe Demon; California Demon; Demons Are Forever; and now Deja Demon] With a fast-paced, this-happens-then-that-happens style that feels like the best of reality television, we follow Our Heroine as she squeezes saving the whole town from destruction by the forces of evil into her busy, strip mall shopping schedule, all while throwing impromptu Important Dinner Parties for her diaper-phobic husband's work people:
My cell phone rang. I checked the caller ID, then leaned against the grocery cart as I answered. "Hey, hon."You and me, both, sister. Ay caramba."I'm having the day from hell," Stuart said, which was a poor choice of words considering that got me thinking about demons all over again. "And I'm afraid I'm going to ruin your day, too."
"I can hardly wait."
"Any chance you were planning something fabulous for dinner? Enough to serve eight, with cocktails before and some fancy dessert after?"
"Frozen pizza and Harry Potter," I said, certain I knew where this was going to end up.
Read excerpts from the first three, then pre-order the fourth "Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom" book at Kenner's website [juliekenner.com via obscurestore, thanks dt reader ponch]
I bought Carpe Demon at a bookstore closing sale somewhere and it was so profoundly lame I could barely get through it. Between the 50's-style housewifery and the forced emoting about her ex partner/lover (I could practically hear Celine Dion belting out "My Heart Will Go On"), it read like some bad piece of fanfic. I was actually relieved when my cat barfed on it a month later because it meant I could justify throwing it away.
Just read the Buffy comics if you want demons, for crying out loud. And your kid will like the pictures, too.