Suvudu Wants YOU!

Okay, maybe they don't want you, exactly, but they want your art.

The Suvudu Cage Match is a yearly feature in which fictional characters go head to head in a March Madness-style bracket. This year, Evangeline Stone is one of the characters competing (full list here). It's kind of exciting, even though I shudder to think who poor Evy will be pitted against. So when everything starts March 5, Evy's going to need your support!

But that's not the best part. The best part is that Suvudu is calling on SF/F artists to create artwork featuring the characters participating in the cage match. It will also give any selected arists a chance to have their work featured on Suvudu during the cage match!

If anyone out there ever had an urge to create some Evy-centric art (or art featuring any of the other characters participating), now's a great time to put pen/pencil/pastels to paper! Check out the link above for entry details.

And have fun!

This 'n That

I'll start this one off with a bit of good news. I found out that the release date for WRONG SIDE OF DEAD, Dreg City #4, has been moved up! Instead of being Spring 2012, it's now scheduled for release on January 31, 2012! I hope this makes up for the long wait between books two and three, with book four coming only six months after three.

I also have a contest coming up on June 13th. Stay tuned for deets. The contest itself will be posted on the League of Reluctant Adults blog on Monday, and it has to do with June being Audiobook Month.

Tomorrow I'm heading to Rockville, MD to hang with some of my awesome writer friends. There will be food and fun, and probably crabs. Er, the kind that come from the ocean, folks (gutter brains!).

I also learned a very important lesson today: don't assume all restaurants make fish tacos the same way. Despite the name on the menu, what I had for lunch today was not a fish taco. It was depressing.

See you Monday!

Shades of Gray Contest

Nope, not my contest. But friend and all-around awesome lady Jackie Kessler (remember that serial novel she's posting on her blog? Good...) is hosting a ginormous pre-order contest for the release of SHADES OF GRAY, the second book in the superhero series she co-writes with Caitlin Kittredge.



Run, don't walk, over to Jackie's site for more information on this huge giveaway.

SHADES OF GRAY releases June 22, so don't wait!!!

Zero Day

There's something altogether exciting and terrifying about looking at that countdown widget and realizing the DAYS column says 0. Big fat zero. Only hours left.

The good news is Amazon seems to be shipping Pre-orders of THREE DAYS TO DEAD, so yay!



Today is the last day to enter the GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!!!! If you haven't already commented in either the 2K Quiz, the Charlie Madigan interview, or the Evy Stone interview, and you still want a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card, send me an email with the header: Enter Me! If you've already commented on all three, you can still send me that email! We're giving lots of chances to win!

I have a new interview up at Number One Novels today, so stop by and comment for a chance to win a signed copy of THREE DAYS TO DEAD. I'm talking about character names and why Joss Whedon is my patron saint of writing.

"The Hoarder" short story serial continues. Part 3 and Part 4 are posted, and be sure to tune in tomorrow for the conclusion to the serial!

In a completely non-book note, I've been rewatching one of my favorite TV shows from the nineties. How remembers "The Pretender?"



A genius named Jared who could be anyone he wanted to be, chased by the cold-hearted Miss Parker who had deeper issues than anyone thought. Sydney, Broots, Mr. Raines, Lyle...great, great cast of characters on this show. I've had the entire series on DVD for a while now, but just yesterday I put in Season One, Disc One, and have been half-watching the show while doing other things. And it's been great fun re-discovering it. Watching Jared discover new things with the fascination of a child--Oreos, Pez, roach motels, Curious George, ice cream--is one of the best things about the show. It died off in later seasons as Jared became more worldly, but in the first half of the first season, his innocence is refreshing.

Cat & Muse, A Winner, and Other Things

I very much meant to blog about this stuff yesterday, but a minor cat crisis stole my evening and my concentration. Anya is fine now, so no worries. But after what happened to my other cat, Hannah, last summer, I'm admittedly very paranoid. :)

So what else is happening?

1. Well, the deadline for entering the drawing for the Charlie Madigan interview was yesterday. Randomizer.org has spoken, and the winner of four books (signed copies of THREE DAYS TO DEAD & THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS, plus a surprise book from each of us) is:

Wanda! Email me { mail(at)kellymeding.com } with your mailing address. Congrats!

And of course, everyone who commented is also entered to win the GRAND PRIZE of the 2K Giveaway!

2. You guys know what Cat & Muse is, right? The awesome radio talk show run by former succubus Jezebel, and overseen by super-talented author Jackie Kessler? Well, Evy had the unique experience of appearing on Cat & Muse, and the interview is now posted. So for everyone who enjoyed Charlie's interview with Evy, run over and see what she had to say to Jez!

She left Jez speechless! Woot! *evil grin*

3. I also have an interview up with Stephanie, at Juiciliciousss Reviews, as well as a giveaway (books! swag! fun Post-It's!). I chat about writing, my favorite character in THREE DAYS TO DEAD, and other exciting things. So stop by and leave a comment!

4. I also have a fun surprise coming for readers. I'll blog specifically about this tomorrow, but I'll leave you with a few hints: short stories, Suvudu.com, free. *g*

Don't forget to enter the 2K GRAND PRIZE giveaway, if you haven't! It's super easy! Just email me with the heading "Enter Me!" and you're entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card. See? Super simple!

Five more days! Squeee!

Saturday Round Up

The second Dreg City book, AS LIE THE DEAD, is up for pre-order on Amazon. Not that I expect anyone to pre-order it yet, since most of the world hasn't even read the fist one. But yay for being listed! Release is July 27, 2010. I expect the listing will pop up on Barnes & Noble, and other sites soon.

Still no cover art for it, but my editor has accepted revisions and the book is off to production. The cover should pop up soon. *fingers crossed*

Evy is still answering your questions over at ALL THINGS URBAN FANTASY. She's having a lot of fun (as am I) talking about the vampires in her world, so be sure to swing by!

Don't forget all the ways you can enter our 2K Event Grand Prize Drawing! The 2K Quiz at ENCHANTED BY BOOKS is still open until Monday, so put your guesses out there for a chance to win four books!

And in order to try and keep myself sane this month, what with all of the contests, giveaways, and oh yeah, BOOK RELEASE, I've got a new project. It popped into my head a few days ago, and on Thursday it demanded I start. It's pretty different from anything I've written before, the MC is male, and it's basically a 180-turn from the Evy books. But it's proven to be a worthy distraction (as 5700 words in two days proves), and I'll say three words about it: werewolves, ranch, Colorado.

Have a great weekend, all!

Vampires 101

Have a question about vampires?

Want to know their weaknesses and strengths?

Ever been curious what a bite really does to you?

Stop over to ALL THINGS URBAN FANTASY, where my heroine Evangeline Stone is talking about the vampires in her world. Ask her a question and be entered for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card!

2K Quiz!

The 2K Quiz is up at Enchanted by Books. Swing on over for a chance to win FOUR BOOKS! Just match the statements to the correct Kelly and answer in the comments. You don't have to guess correctly to be entered into the drawing.

And every entry is added to the GRAND PRIZE pot for the 2K Event!



On another fun note, book two in the Dreg City series, As Lie the Dead, is listed at the Random House home page for pre-order! I'm sure the Amazon and B&N listings will show up shortly. There's no cover art yet, but the release date is listed as July 27th!

2K Event Kick-Off!!!

It’s here!

The Same Name, Same Date, Same Genre – Two Awesome Debuts! Event! (Hereafter referred to as the 2K Event, for Twitter-friendly brevity sake.)



Join debut urban fantasy authors Kelly Meding and Kelly Gay for a month of giveaways, interviews, quizzes, and more as we celebrate the upcoming November 24th release of our debut novels: THREE DAYS TO DEAD (Kelly Meding) and THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS (Kelly Gay).

We have some great things in store for you! Please join us November 3rd for our Two Kelly’s Quiz at ENCHANTED BY BOOKS, and match the statements to the correct Kelly to win some amazing prizes! And join us again on November 12th for a double interview at our blogs where Evy Stone and Charlie Madigan interview each other! These gals have a lot to say, so don’t miss it (and the chance to win more freebies!).

But here’s the best part: Our GRAND PRIZE. Oh yeah. We’re talking a $100 Amazon gift card for one lucky winner.

The GRAND PRIZE giveaway starts now, November 1st and ends November 23rd at noon, Eastern Standard Time. You'll have multiple chances to enter the drawing for the $100 Amazon gift card.

Here’s how:

1) Just comment at any of our events mentioned above and you’re automatically entered. Please note: One comment at one event will gain you one entry. For example: Comment at all three events (the Quiz, the Evy Stone Interview & the Charlie Madigan Interview) and not only are you entered to win those prizes, but now you’re entered THREE times in the GRAND PRIZE giveaway. (And, no, multiple commenting at each event will not gain you extra entries). So that's three chances right there!

2) Folks who do not plan on automatically entering by commenting at our events, may enter by sending an ‘ENTER ME!’ email to Kelly Meding's email address: mail (at) kellymeding.com. One email only, and please use the subject line "ENTER ME!" or your entry may get lost in the Spam Folder (and we don't want that). Please note: If you choose to participate in option #1, you can still enter this way, too. And we do encourage you to choose option #1 and play along with us!

3) Additionally, we want to say a special thanks to those folks who pre-order our books. So, if anyone has pre-ordered at any time, up to November 23rd, please send proof of purchase (scanned or screencapped image of online pre-order confirmation, scanned or photographed in-store receipt [with all private info smudged out, of course]) to: mail (at) kellymeding.com with the subject line "PRE-ORDER." Pre-order proof of one of our books gains you 5 entries. Pre-order proof of both books will gain you 10 entries in the GRAND PRIZE giveaway. (You are also free to enter via Rules #1 & #2). Please note: The GRAND PRIZE giveaway does not require purchase to enter. This rule is merely a way for us to give big, sloppy "Thank you!" kisses to those of you who have or will purchase our books. Both books do not have to have been pre-ordered at the same time; separate confirmation is fine.

Everyone with us so far? Awesome!

And guess what? Follow along and participate in our events and you might just win some additional entries in our grand prize!

Please help us spread the word by Tweeting and blogging the 2K Event, and feel free to use the above contest graphic.

We'll see you Tuesday at ENCHANTED BY BOOKS!!!

Contest Winner & New Interview

Phew. I finally made it. My laptop is about two steps from being broken in half out of sheer frustration. Nearly twenty minutes just to boot up and get online...lots of stops and starts between pages...popups...yeah, terrific.

But I got here, so I can post the winner of the Countdown: October Contest! And the winner, by random number drawing, is....

BILL BARNETT!

His favorite monsters are:

1. The "thing" from John Carpenter's The Thing

2. Amon Göth from Schindler's List

3. Mr. Gray from Stephen King's Dreamcatcher

Congrats, Bill! Send your mailing information to: mail (at) kellymeding.com and I'll get your prizes out (thanks to my Blackberry, I can at least read my email without this stinking computer).

#

And in other news, a new interview and giveaway is up today over at Dark Faerie Tales. Be sure to stop by and comment for a chance to win!

Countdown: October Contest!

It's finally here. October. The last Countdown Contest leading up the wide release of THREE DAYS TO DEAD. I can't believe I started these in April. The summer has flown by, and so has autumn. Release day will be here before you know it!

CONTEST CLOSED!!!

In honor of it being nearly Halloween, this contest has a Monster theme. I'm not doing anything flashy or too hard on my brain (that other, Super Seekrit Promo stuff has my brain a little wonked out already, but it's worth it!). So...wanna see the contest prizes?



It's a mixed bag of items that are in some way related to the monsters in the Dreg City world. There are three books: The Gargoyle (Andrew Davidson), Goblin Moon (Teresa Edgerton), and The Five People You Meet in Hell (a parody, by Rich Pablum). There is also a DVD of Gremlins, a Wee Little Garden Gnome, a vampire ornament, and some swaggish stuff: a signed bookmark and two buttons (one is anti-Dreg, the other anti-Triad).

A winner will be randomly selected from the comments section, and you get everything in the picture above.

So what's the contest part?

In honor of Halloween, I want to know your top Three Monsters. They can be movie monsters or book monsters, real people or imaginary creatures, unkillable or very mortal. Define "monster" in your own way, but tell me who they are!

I'll start off with my top three:

1. Freddy Krueger, from the Nightmare on Elm Street films.
2. General Woundwort, from Watership Down, by Richard Adams.
3. Randall Flagg, from Stephen King's The Stand.

What are yours?

Contest closes midnight on Thursday, October 29th!

Saturday Round-Up

I can't believe I've hit the One Month mark. One month from today, and THREE DAYS TO DEAD will finally (FINALLY!) be in the wild! *happy dance*

November promises to be an exciting month. I have a handful of interviews set up, as well as different giveaways. Not to mention the Big Seekrit Promo Thingie I was teasing about the other week. That will also include giveaways, an interview or two, and a nifty banner.

I'll be putting up the final, Countdown: October Contest soon. Since Halloween is right around the corner, it's going to have a Monster theme. So stay turned for that, as well!

I also feel the need to include a small Public Service Announcement: Don't sit in a public parking lot, in the driver's seat of your car, in broad daylight, and drink a conspicuous can of Budweiser while smoking a cigarette. Some concerned citizen may just call the cops on your ass.*

That is all.


*No, I was not the driver. I'm not that dumb. But I did witness the resulting drama.

Something's Coming....

...and I don't necessarily mean my book's impending release. Nor do I necessarily mean the Countdown: October! Contest.

No, something else is coming. And this new something may or may not include the following: free books, another author, receipts, one hundred bucks, Q&A's, a quiz, and/or shameless self-promotion.

Scared?

Excited?

Just plain puzzled?

Details to come...

September Winner!

You guys rock! There were so many awesome and hilarious captions for that photo that I want to make them all into t-shirts. Thanks to everyone who participated in the Countdown: September Contest!

Randomizer.org has spoken, and the winner is:

LADAMS!

"Do me a favor, Clark. Lose your sense of humor!" -Batman

Shoot me your info [mail (at) kellymeding.com ] and I'll get your books and secret prize out to you!

Happy October!

Happy October! Another month down, only three more to go in 2009. Can't quite believe it.

There's still time to enter in the Countdown: September! Contest, so be sure to check it out. Contest closes at midnight, Pacific time, which leaves about sixteen and a half hours to play. I love all of the entries so far. You guys rock!

Today also kicks off Halloween Havoc, over at the League of Reluctant Adults.



It's a month-long celebration that will include interviews, guest blogs, and any other random miscellany we can come up with to entertain you. So be sure to hang out over there!

September ended on a high-note for me. Not only did I connect a couple of dots in my series's over-all story arc, but I also got my editorial letter for AS LIE THE DEAD! Double-score! Dear Editor loved it, said it was tight and well-executed. I've heard so many stories from other authors who've struggled with "second book syndrome" that I feel extremely lucky. ALTD was almost easier to write than TDTD--I think because I'd already built the world and laid out the groundwork. All I had to do in the sequel was expand upon what was there, instead of starting it all from scratch.

The trick, of course, was matching or surpassing the emotional impact of the first book, and sounds like I hit the mark. Phew! And Dear Editor's suggestions will make the book shine. The value of a terrific editor is impossible to put into words, but she is amazing and I can't wait to dig into this.

Plus, five pages of edits versus nine for TDTD? *pumps fist*

Countdown: September Contest

CONTEST CLOSED!!!

It's that time of the month again! Second to last Countdown contest for THREE DAYS TO DEAD, although certainly not the last contest I'll run. Just wait until I get my author copies. *g*

So I mentioned books in my last post. Books I will be giving away (not all at once). Here they are:



This contest's winner will receive four randomly selected books from that stack. As you can see, there are all kinds and lots of popular authors. There will also be a bonus prize (no, I'm not telling) with the books.

So what's the contest this month?

Y'all know I was at Dragon*Con earlier this month, and I had great fun snapping photos of all the folks in costume. Well, one night I caught this particular shot from across a hotel lobby, and it just makes me giggle every time I look at it.

It needs a good caption, folks! So...give me your caption ideas! Submit your captions in the comments section. Each caption is one entry, so if you submit six, you are entered six times in the drawing. Make them clever, make them funny, make them snarky! Just make them original!

The photo:



Entries will be accepted until Thursday night, 11:59 pm Pacific. So put your creative caps on and have at it!

New August Contest Winner & Future Contest Deets!

Alas, the original winner of the Countdown: August! Contest has gone missing, so I've drawn a new winner.

Congrats: UniquelyMoi! Email me [ mail@kellymeding.com ] your prize choices (any 3 in-stock mass market paperbacks) and I'll get them out to you.

On the September and October contest fronts, I've got a pretty neat prize packs accumulating. Every year for a few years now, my dad helps out after his local library's book sale is over by hauling away the leftovers. He knows a wonderful lady out my way who takes them off his hands. After helping him pack, haul, and unpack two van-loads of books (appox. 6000 or thereabouts), we still had a few boxes of paperbacks leftover that didn't fit. So instead of leaving them at the library, we went through them. Kept some. Tossed some.

I found some awesome titles in perfect shape hiding in amongst cracked spines and torn covers. Some I kept for myself (woot!), but also I will be giving away ten of them--urban fantasy, paranormal romance, historical romance, and SF. Names such as Briggs, Vincent, Green, Armstrong and Sizemore.

So stay tuned!

Calling August Contest Winner!

Yes, I can be somewhat scatterbrained at times. Between Dragon*Con, recovering from Dragon*Con, and other crazy things, I neglected to realize that I never heard from the Countdown: August winner.

faerywitch! If you're out there, please contact me by Saturday (9/26). If I don't hear from you, I'll have to draw a new winner. :(

Contest Winner

Thank you, all, for the amazing responses to the Countdown: August! Contest. There were some great books mentioned--some I've read, some I've been meaning to. Plus a few I've not heard of. Yay!

Reminder of the prize: choice of 3 mass market paperbacks that are available in stock at either Amazon or BN (nothing out of print, nothing not yet in print).

And the winnah is....

faerywitch!

Please email me your book choices by Wednesday of this week, if you can, because I'm leaving for Dragon*Con on Thursday. If I don't hear from you before I go, I won't be able to get them out to you until I get back early next week. :)

My email: mail (at) kellymeding.com

Thanks for playing, everyone!

Countdown: August! Contest

No worries, I didn't forget this month! I just haven't been online much this week. I've given myself a break from writing and decided to immerse in reading. Which has been fun, because I've read three books since Sunday--usually the max I can manage in a week, and it's only Thursday!

So far, I've read:

Red-Headed Stepchild, by Jaye Wells. I'm ashamed it took me this long to read my agency-sib's book, and feel equally dumb for putting it off because I enjoyed it so much. Hairless cats rule! So if you haven't read Jaye's book, what are you waiting for?

Stray, by Rachel Vincent. I'm equally ashamed to admit I bought this when it was first released. Why the wait? No idea. I've only heard good things about this series. But I finally read it (started it while waiting at the vet's with a cat, LOL!) and it was awesome. I was very annoyed my local bookstore didn't have any of the others in stock. I hate waiting!

The Darkest Whisper, by Gena Showalter. Devoured this, as with all the other Lords of the Underworld books. I can't get enough of this series. The side stories and subplots are continually as intriguing as the main couple's story, and the world continues to expand with each installment.

EDIT: CONTEST CLOSED!!!

THE CONTEST

This one is simple. Tell me about the last three books you read, and you're entered in the drawing. Contest is open until Sunday evening, at which time I'll draw the winner.

THE PRIZE

Prize is three In-Stock Mass-Market paperbacks of your choice. Mass-market means the small books, usually priced between $6.99-7.99 retail. They must be current releases (I can't get not-yet-published or out-of-print books, sorry) and available in-stock from either Amazon or B&N.

And....GO!