Tuesday, March 31, 2009

League Release Trifecta

Three intrepid members of the League of Reluctant Adults have new releases today, so if you're in the market for something paranormal, check them out! Two are debut authors!

Stakes & Stilettos, by Michelle Rowan. Book 4 in her Immortality Bites series.

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs, by Molly Harper. Debut for the Jane Jameson series.

Red-Headed Stepchild, by Jaye Wells. Debut for the Sabina Kane series.

Yay for you, ladies! Happy sales!

*throws confetti*

Friday, March 27, 2009

Seven Months Until Due Date

Yes, I'm counting down. Why do you ask?

Waiting for my book release day is starting to feel like prepping for a baby. To wit:

*Getting the nursery ready = setting up a website and maintaining a blog.

*Baby shower = launch party.

*Collection of clothing, diapers, wipes, and assorted baby paraphernalia = creation of marketing tools and giveaway items, such as business cards, bookmarks, pens, buttons, etc...

*Baby weight gain = too much stress-relieving chocolate consumption.

Fortunately, the birthing of this particular baby will not require a hospital stay or maternity leave, and I won't have to send it off to college in eighteen years. But I do expect to take at least one copy with me everywhere I go for at least a month or two afterward.

What else is a proud mama to do? *g*

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Mmm....Brains....

It's Zombie Week over at the League of Reluctant Adults, complete with guest blogs and lots of squishy pictures.

Stop on by if you love brains!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

League Post

New (rambling) post over at The League of Reluctant Adults, re: age and the urban fantasy hero(ine).

Besides "How Much Do You Weight?" What Is...?

R.I.P. Battlestar Galactica


Four amazing seasons.

Dozens of inspiring performances.

Millions of loyal fans.

One truly awesome show.

Frakkin' A! And don't miss this post-finale interview with creator Ron Moore.

Monday, March 16, 2009

#dayfail

My productivity was shot to hell first thing this morning, because I didn't sleep well and had a hard time dragging my butt out of bed. Should have seen that as a sign.

The majority of my day was spent making sure the state of Maryland had proof that I AM an insured driver (Note to Self: never assume government agencies have a clue what they are doing when you move state to state). That was quite fun, especially the letter I received today (3/16) telling me that as of 3/12 I was considered uninsured. Uh, HUH? Anyway, after a brief panic attack in front of my insurance agent's assistant and a trip to the MVA, all is well. Case closed.

So get home around 3pm, thinking there's still time to salvage and get some stuff done. Until my computer gets spyware. And an attitude. And slooooooooooooow. Another two and a half hours of downloads later (and a lot of swearing that would make Evy proud), all seems well.

Except I haven't had dinner, it's almost 7pm, and "House" is on in an hour.

*eyes the TO DO list*

Yeah, major #dayfail.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Now Playing...er, Twittering

I've given in and joined the world if Twitter.

Let it never be said that I don't submit to peer pressure.

Well...the good kind of peer pressure.

Friday, March 13, 2009

FlyCon 2009

If you've never attended an online convention, now's the time!

FlyCon is an international, round-the-clock LiveJournal-based SF/F convention. Panels will be running all weekend, at all hours. A schedule can be found here (complete with multiple time zones).

Even if you can't attend them live, be sure to check out the archived threads. I've already skimmed a few, and there's lots of great information to be found.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

A Surprise Blurb

Q: What's more exciting that receiving a new author blurb on your debut novel?

A: Receiving one from an author you didn't even know had the manuscript!

Yesterday I read and reread part of an email forwarded by my agent. I kept trying to figure out if I knew someone named Patty. Then I looked at the last name, and finally figured it out (bit of a dumbstruck, blond moment, I think).

Three Days to Dead is gritty, imaginative and a terrific read. Debut
author Kelly Meding is a real storyteller and I look forward to reading
more of her work. --Patricia Briggs, Mercy Thompson series

A real storyteller. As an author, I don't know if there are any three better words to hear about your work (except maybe "you're a best-seller," hehe). Thank you, Patricia!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Fun With Used Books, aka Take Away That Girl's Wallet!

So I have a weakness for used books. Not books that are currently still available via booksellers or Amazon, but older books. Out of print books. Weird titles I've never seen on a shelf in Borders.

After getting somewhat lost looking for an auction house today, my parents and I discovered a small thrift store/indoor flea market tucked away in a little town north of Wilmington (DE, not NC). Okay, so not really small, since it was three stories of an old furniture store building.

I love walking through places like that. Full of antiques and mystery and the PAST. It always gets my writer-brain working. And those places are ripe for discovering awesome and unusual books. I bought too many, but four of them really stood out.

WOMEN, WAR AND WORK, by Maurine Weiner Greenwald. The impact of WWI on women workers in the US. I love learning this stuff.

TEXANS, GUNS & HISTORY, by Col. Charles Askins. If it's western US history pre-1920's, I am so there. The American old west is my favorite period of history, and this book is right up my alley. My dad (the non-reader) even expressed interest in reading this one.

THE WORLD GUIDE TO GNOMES, FAIRIES, ELVES AND OTHER LITTLE PEOPLE, by Thomas Keightley. It's a 1978 reprinting of a book first copyrighted in 1880 as The Fairy Mythology. Persian, Arabian, Oriental, Scandinavian, Iceland, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Greece, Italy, Spain, Eastern Europe....lots and lots of mythology to be found here.

And perhaps what excited me the most: PET SEMETARY, by Stephen King. 1983, Hardcover, First Edition. For twenty-five cents. No joke. Whoever sold this had no idea....

Time to go update Goodreads. :)

What books have you bought recently? Anything that excites you?

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Three Ways...

...I geeked out today.

1. I saw Watchmen, and I loved it. It's not a perfect movie, but it could easily become one of my favorites. And someone give Jeffrey Dean Morgan some sort of award for his tour de force performance. Holy crap!

2. I bought the soundtrack for Repo! The Genetic Opera. Awesome music. Definitely rocks out well in the car with the bass up. *g*

3. I splurged on a pair of earrings from Hot Topic! that are silver angel wings inside of large hoops, because the wings remind me of a favorite character in AS LIE THE DEAD.

Geeking out is fun. Embrace your geekiness!

Thursday, March 05, 2009

H.S.S, or Hit Send, Stupid!

A year ago, back when I was still querying, I'd have these little moments of hesitation. I'd have the query letter formatted into an email space, with the first few pages pasted into the bottom. I'd double and triple-check the agent information, my salutation, everything. If it was a request for pages, I'd double and triple-check the attachment. Anything to avoid hitting SEND.

Then my finger would hover on the mouse, with the pointer over the SEND button. And hover. And hover. Until a little voice cried out, "Hit send, stupid!"

Hesitation anxiety is not, apparently, chased away by having an agent or a deal. I had a H.S.S.-moment last month when I sent book two to my agent. I had it big-time last night when I emailed a draft of book two to my editor. After spending all morning tweaking. After staring at the blank email for five minutes. After hovering the mouse over SEND for five more minutes. Finally, that little voice popped up and cried, "Hit send, stupid!"

And I did.

Hesitation anxiety: does it ever truly go away? Or should I just make a t-shirt with H.S.S. emblazoned in large, bloody letters?

*
Cross-posted at The League.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

When Is a Twist.....

....not really a twist?

When it's a cop-out. Or when you know a show still has at least one season left, and one of the major story lines can't possibly continue in the same direction it's been going, so the big, last-scene revelation isn't all that shocking. Okay, it's not even a tiny bit shocking.

I'm looking at you, Nip/Tuck. You had me up until that final phone call. Argh!!!

I love it when writers make the hard choices. I love it when difficult situations have difficult solutions. I love it when an author or a series GOES THERE. Not many of them do. Maybe it's why I don't like watching sitcoms anymore--the majority are neat little packaged problems, solved within twenty-two minutes, and tied up with a bow.

Nip/Tuck pushes boundaries, sure. It shocks and surprises, and it'll go places a lot of shows won't (having sex with a sofa, for example). Alas, tonight's season finale "twist" had me rolling my eyes, wondering when I'd wandered into a bad episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Writers' Rooms

If you were ever oddly curious about what a writer's work area looks like (or mine, in particular), hop over to the League of Reluctant Adults for Jeanne C. Stein's lastest post.

And yes, my work space really looks like that. Only messier. And often with a cat perched in front of the monitor, obscuring my view.