Snippet: Trance

Who wants a snippet?



With the release of TRANCE (MetaWars #1) looming on the horizon (October 25, in case you forgot), I thought I'd offer up a snippet from the book. I hope to post a few of these over the next two months, as well as some fun character interviews in October.

This is from Chapter 2. Teresa "Trance" West has just been fired from her waitress job, and has gone home upset and with an upset stomach that she hasn't yet realized is the return of the superpowers she lost fifteen years ago.


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I curled onto my side and pondered the tip money in my back pocket. Five hours and only twenty extra bucks. My jackass of a boss docked me for kicking that guy in the crotch. As if firing me wasn't humiliating enough.

I wished I'd controlled my temper.

This was the fourth time in three years that I'd been fired for not reining it in. Sooner or later, I'd run out of noncareer opportunities in Portland and then I'd really be screwed. And I had to go job hunting tomorrow if I didn't want to end up on the street by the end of the week. Work and sleep—there had to be more to life than this. Oh yeah, there was. Pain.

Those invisible hands returned and twisted my intestines into knots. Scalding tears pricked the corners of my eyes. Drawing my knees up to my chest, I ground my teeth and waited for it to pass. No such luck. I tried to stand, preparing to run to the toilet and yak. Threadbare sheets had tangled around my ankles and legs. My left elbow scraped against the industrial carpet as I hit the floor.

Had to be my appendix. I was going to die after all.

The pain spread as I lay on my cold apartment floor—had I bounced another check on the heating bill? The water-stained plaster ceiling pressed down on me. No, it couldn't be my appendix. That pain stayed in the abdomen and lower back. This pain was spreading all over, from my stomach to my chest to my throat. It radiated outward from my belly button, nothing like what I'd earlier mistaken for heartburn. Gooseflesh dotted my arms. My nipples hardened. Searing heat, like swallowing a gallon of boiling water, raced through my veins and arteries, heating my extremities and curling my toes. My mouth opened to scream—no sound came out. My eyes burned; I squeezed them shut.

Had I really worked so hard and survived so much only to die alone, on the floor of my crappy apartment?

The blazing heat ended as abruptly as it began. I curled into a ball and pressed numb hands against my chest. Chills tore up and down my spine. Something was happening to me, something bad. Fear warred with an odd sense of déjà vu. I longed to cry, but no tears came. My eyes still burned. I slit one open. The chilly apartment air cooled the hot cornea, and I opened the other for similar relief.

I tested the muscles in my abdomen. Nothing twinged. Legs and arms seemed equally okay for use. I rolled onto my right side. A lock of hair fell across my face and into my mouth. I spat it out. It tasted as bad as it smelled. A flash of misplaced color caught my eye. I grabbed a handful of hair and inspected the strands. Thin streaks of purple colored half of the light brown.

Crap.

Five Items of an Everyday Sort

Item the First: Wednesday seems to have become my default blogging day. I'm not sure how that happened. Probably because I tend to have the day off from my Day Job, and I usually have time to come up with witty, scintillating posts (*cough*). Alas, I don't really have a single awesome topic with which to fill an entire post, so I figured I'd break it down into a few bite-sized chunks.

Item the Second: I put a call to Twitter for blog topics, and I got an awesome suggestion to talk about Audiobooks. Unfortunately, I don't know a lot about audiobooks. The only audiobooks I own are copies of my first three Dreg City novels (all available from the lovely folks at Tantor Audio). But I know people who listen to them all the time. I'm actually a little jealous of them. My best friend's mom travels a lot to dog trials and she keeps them in the car (I don't travel much, and my drive to the Day Job is about ten minutes). And I can't listen to them at home, because my mind tends to wander (trust me, I've tried), and then I have to rewind to see what I missed. So yes, jealous of the folks who get to absorb the awesome talents of so many audiobook narrators.

Item the Third: DEADLINE, by Chris Crutcher. If you haven't read this book, go read it. Now. Bring tissues.

Item the Fourth: Dante's Cove. This show will never win any acting awards, but does that really matter with these guys to drool over? I think it's sparked an unhealthy obsession with actor Charlie David (the hawtness in the center).



Item the Fifth: TRANCE has received it's first review! I'm excited that it was very positive and from a new-to-me reader. I really hope Dreg City fans embrace this new series, as well.

Cover Art: Wrong Side of Dead

The cover art for WRONG SIDE OF DEAD (Dreg City #4) has been floating around the internet for about a month now, but I wanted to wait to show it off here until after ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD came out. Mostly because the copy for WSOD has spoilers for AKOD.

It looks like the same cover model from THREE DAYS TO DEAD. I really like the city street background in this one, as well as the green font.

Monster hunter Evangeline Stone woke up on the wrong side of dead this morning—and now there’s hell to pay.

Barely recovered from her extended torture at the hands of mad scientist Walter Thackery, Evy can use a break. What she gets instead is a war, as the battered Triads that keep Dreg City safe find themselves under attack by half-Blood vampires who have somehow retained their reason, making them twice as lethal. Worse, the Halfies are joined by a breed of were-creature long believed extinct—back and more dangerous than ever. Meanwhile, Evy’s attempts at reconciliation with the man she loves take a hit after Wyatt is viciously assaulted—an attack traced to Thackery, who has not given up his quest to exterminate all vampires . . . even if he has to destroy Dreg City to do it. With Wyatt’s time running out, another threat emerges from the shadows and a staggering betrayal shatters the fragile alliance between the Triads, vampires, and shapeshifters, turning Evy’s world upside down forever.

Three Links and a Good-Bye

It's another small Event link round-up kind of post.



I had the good fortune to be invited to participate in the Fantastic Fables: Paranormal Edition event, hosted by Dark Faerie Tales and Tynga's Reviews. My offering is a little Rapunzel-inspired bedtime story told by our favorite were-osprey, Phineas. Check it out and leave a comment for a chance to win one of four copies of ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD!



Event number two is Book Faery's Battle of the Sexies: Sidekick Edition. And once again Phineas is getting some time in the spotlight, as I try to argue why he's the sexiest sidekick of them all. As a giveaway prize I'm offering a signed copy of ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD, a TRANCE postcard, and a little stuffed falcon toy!

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For added fun, I did a guest post at Urban Fantasy Investigations, in which I talk about writing a series.

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The excitement of release week has also been tempered with a lot of sadness, as we all learned yesterday that author LA Banks passed away from adrenal cancer. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends. Fellow League of Reluctant Adults member Michele Bardsley did a wonderful tribute post here. I never had the opportunity to meet Leslie, but those who did have nothing but wonderful things to say about her. She will be missed.

Release Day!!!!

It's finally here! ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD (Dreg City #3) is in the wild!



All formats are available today: print, audio, Nook, Kindle, and other electronic formats, so pick your poison.



My friend and fellow writer Phil Giunta has a new interview with my posted on his blog, in which I ramble about inspiration and other things.

And Another Kind of Dead has been chosen as one of the AUGUST FEATURES on the Barnes & Noble Book Club SF/F Forums, so check out the discussion thread there!

News, Reviews, and a Little Trance

Countdown: Six more days until ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD hits shelves (and Kindles and Kobos and Nooks)!!!!

Some very awesome early reviews have been popping up around the blogosphere. This is definitely helping to keep my blood pressure down as the release date looms ever closer. It's been a year since your last new Dreg City adventure, and AKOD is a difficult book (emotionally, anyway). So it's wonderful to see some positive advance reviews!

A Book Obsession (4 Butterflies) pretty much nails the complicated relationship between Evy and Wyatt:

Their love for one another is so incredibly strong, yet so very fragile as well. They need each other more than anything, yet neither one seems to know what to do with that fact.

From The Spinecracker (5 stars):

Around page 125 I sucked air and expelled horror and a little excitement.... exactly what I want from my UF books.

Smexy Books gave me something nice to wake up to this morning (B+):

There is a deeper emotional aspect in here then the other books. Evy is tested in ways that would destroy a less indomitable person and your heart breaks for her. We are also given a more in depth look at the intricate relationships between the members of the Triad which paints a different picture than what we have thought.

In other news....

I have a guest post up at Paranormal Haven, where I discuss the villain from ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD, Walter Thackery. I also talk a little about other mad scientist characters in books and movies. Stop by and tell me about some mad scientists you enjoy!

Nocturne Romance Reads has posted an interview with me, in which I discuss my inspiration for Dreg City, a day in the life of me, and my favorite guilty pleasure.

And finally...



In my last week as the Featured Author at Drey's Library, I wanted to offer something a little bit different for you guys. So I've posted a snippet from my upcoming Pocket book TRANCE (MetaWars #1). If you're curious to see a little bit more about this new series, check it out and let me know what you think!

Round 'Em Up!

I have a bunch of links today, so it's more of a roundup kind of post.

1. "Throwing Grandma Down the Stairs!" Before you think I've gotten totally violent on you, this is a guest post over at Larissa's Bookish Life. And it's about writing. With a video clip!

2. Part three of my month as Featured Author on Drey's Library is up. I'm chatting about my Top Five Reads.



3. My post for Deadly Destinations takes you on a tour of Dreg City with Hunter Milo Gant. Milo got roped into this because...well, Evy wouldn't do it, and as the newest member of his Triad, he got volunteered. Plus Random House is giving away three copies of ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD to commenters!

4. Fellow Leaguers Jaye Wells and Nicole Peeler have some awesome Kindle Deals happening on their UF novels, so if you haven't checked out those ladies, run over to Amazon and stock up your Kindle!

(Edit: There is a slight glitch happening, so Nicole's book isn't showing up at $1.99 yet, but she says they are working to fix it!)

5. Speaking of deals, my fellow A GLIMPSE OF DARKNESS co-author Harry Connolly's CHILD OF FIRE is only 99 cents on Kindle! This is another series you really should be reading!

6. Less than two weeks until ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD hits shelves!!!! Remember, it's releasing 8/2, NOT 7/26. The audiobook version from Tantor releases the same day!

7. Amazon is having a 4-for-3 sale on paperback books, and all of mine are included. It looks like even pre-orders for my new releases. There are over 9,000 SF/F books in the sale, so check it out!



8. RIP Borders...

So I totally missed my day to blog at the League yesterday. Even though I had it written down on my calendar, I didn't even look at it once. Probably because I spent the morning in an insane amount of pain, and then the afternoon at the doctor's office, followed by a long nap.

The good news is, it's not life threatening. The bad news is, it's my right wrist, and the orthopedist I saw isn't sure what's causing the pain and swelling (I had no apparently injury to the wrist). So we're in a "wear a brace, take pills, don't work, and we'll see you in a week" kind of place. Which beats the hell out of him ordering a bunch of expensive tests, since I'm self-pay. But this brace makes typing very hard, and I can't go back to the day job for a week (we don't have "light duty").

This is going to make a very, very bored Kelly over the next week or so. It's not how I'd choose to take some vacation time, since I can't really write or lift anything, and going to the beach would give me a very freakish tan line on my arm. But I guess I can catch up on some serious reading. And movie watching.

One of the few highlights of my week was getting a glimpse of cover art for WRONG SIDE OF DEAD (Dreg City 4, 1/31/12). It is a little different from the other covers, but also similar in composition and elements. I don't think I want to show it off until after ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD comes out, though, because there is a spoiler for that book right on the cover. *grin*

But soon. Only eighteen more days until AKOD releases!!!!

Featured Author and Q&A

This month I'm delighted to be the featured author at Drey's Library. We'll be doing a few different posts on the Wednesday's of this month, along with a giveaway.

Today kicks off the month with a Q&A. You can find out what I'm listening to, what my writing space looks like, and what I think would happen if Evy and Wyatt ended up in the ring together. I'm answering questions in the comments stream, as well!

I'm super-stoked to be leaving for Shore Leave on Friday. If you see me there, stop me and say hello!

Six in One, Half Dozen in the Other

Happy July! The year is officially half over. Six months down, six to go. It's so true that the years go by faster the older you get. It feels like 2011 just started.

It's odd to think that a week from today I'll be heading out to Shore Leave 33. It's my first year as an Author Guest, and I'm really excited. I'm on a handful of panels, including one on "Commercial vs. Self-Publishing," and the 2-Hour Writing Workshop. I can't wait!

In case you missed, I announced the winners of the Audiobook giveaway.

I'll be doing quite a few guest blogs this month, leading up to the August 2 release of ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD (Dreg City 3). I know I keep saying I'm super-excited about this book, because I am. So much drama and lots of changes for some of your favorite characters! I'm working on WRONG SIDE OF DEAD (Dreg City 4) galleys right now, which deals with the fallout of those changes. It's a little sad, in some ways, because as of right now there aren't any more Evy books to work on. Sales are always a factor, and I'm not done with Evy's story yet. So keep your fingers crossed, and make sure you're pre-ordering or buying the book release week. It's sales that keep these stories coming! *grin*

I also thought I'd also do a mid-year reading roundup. According to Goodreads, I've read 61 books so far this year! That's awesome, considering last year my entire year's tally was only 44. Now to be fair, about a dozen of what I've read this year would count as a novella (shorter word count), rather than a novel. But that's still really good. I'll be curious to see if I can match that number for the last half of the year.

I can quite a few five-star reads in the bunch, but if I had to go through and pick three to recommend, they would be:

PRECIOUS AND FRAGILE THINGS, by Megan Hart.
DIRTY SECRET, by Jessie Sholl
LAST NIGHT'S SCANDAL, by Loretta Chase

Any top three years this year?

Xe Sands Interview/Giveaway Winner

I know I'm a day late posting the winners of the THREE DAYS TO DEAD audiobook giveaway. My apologies (if it helps any, my copies still aren't here, so I can't mail them yet anyway).

So, I've added together the commenters from both Organized Chaos and The League of Reluctant Adults, and Random Number Generator has declared the winners are:

Erik and Moishe Moose!

Congrats!

Please send your mailing info to mail(at)kellymeding.com and I'll get you set up!

Thanks to everyone who commented! Xe has been amazing about the entire audio process, and I can't wait to settle in and listen to her narrate some of my favorite scenes.

Summertime Roundup

First: HAPPY SUMMER!!!!!

It's strange, but knowing that it's finally, officially summer kind of makes it okay for the weather to get hot and humid. And it will. Because it's already been pretty gross. The temperature has bounced between 75 and 102 over the last few weeks, as I've tried to take advantage of spring. I'm much rather have my windows open than my air conditioning running, but I think the days and nights of open windows will end very soon. And I'm okay with that. Because it's summer.

As I'm sure many of you are aware, author LA Banks is battling cancer, and two different charity auctions have been set up to help with her medical expenses. I've donated here, and the auction is for a signed set of my first three Dreg City books (Three Days to Dead, As Lie the Dead, and Another Kind of Dead). I'll mail the books to the winner as soon as my author copies of AKoD arrive. There are lots of amazing things up for auction, so head over and check it out!

The audiobook version of AS LIE THE DEAD is now available from Tantor Audio. The Audible site has an interesting alternate cover (winged hawtness is there, but poor Evy looks like she thinks she holding a sword, rather than a knife). As always, Xe Sands has done an amazing job narrating.

Pre-order links for WRONG SIDE OF DEAD (Dreg City 4) are going live on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, which is awesome! And there is a sales rank, so you lovely folks are already ordering the book. *love* I just want to warn folks DO NOT READ THE COVER COPY YET!!!!! The cover copy for WSOD has a few big spoilers for ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD, so don't read it if you want to avoid being spoiled before AKOD releases on 8/2.

A little reminder to folks in the Baltimore area: I'll be attending Shore Leave as a guest this year, July 8-10. It's a fun multi-media SF/F convention that I've been going to for ten years, and it's always a blast. Actor guests this year include the amazing John de Lancie, "Warehouse 13's" Eddie McClintock, and "Battlestar Galactica's" Tricia Helfer. So if you need something to do that weekend, check it out!

And it tickles me to end this blog post with some fun news. The first review for ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD is in, and it's from Romantic Times:

"Meding brings back her indomitable heroine Evy for a third installment in her fast-paced, memorable series. The bonds of friendship and love can be uplifting or devastating as these protagonists learn. This mad scientist-run-amok tale will grab you by the throat and never let go. -4.5 stars"

*dances*

This was a difficult book for me to write, because it was a difficult book for Evy to endure. Her strength and love is tested to the limit, and she's not given any easy answers to the questions she faces. So it's a great relief to see those four-and-a-half stars, and to know the story did what I hoped it would do.

I can't wait for you guys to get this book. Six more weeks!

A Narrator, an Actor, and a Superhero Walk Into A Bar....

A few weeks ago, I asked folks what they wanted to know about TRANCE, the first book in my MetaWars series with Pocket. I've combined some of the questions, but hopefully this gives everyone something to look forward to.

But before we get to that, a few housekeeping things:

My interview with audiobook narrator and voice artist Xe Sands is here, and I'm running a giveaway. And since everyone loves free stuff, go forth and comment!

I spent some time on the super-fun site StoryCasting.com, where you can cast your favorite books. I've put up my dream cast for THREE DAYS TO DEAD. Check it out, and then add a cast of your own. You have to register, but it's free and it's fun!

I feel like there was a third thing I wanted to add, too, but it's slipped my mind. Oh well...on with TRANCE!

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*Who's the heroine? What is special about her? Is there a hero?*

The heroine of TRANCE is Teresa "Trance" West, and the book is told from her first-person perspective. She was raised by superhero parents and trained to one day become a superhero herself, but she lost everything (including her parents and powers) before she was able to fulfill that role. After growing up alone, tormented by what she sees as personal cowardice during the end of the MetaHuman War, she's basically skating through her life—until her superpowers unexpected return. But while Teresa's original powers were telepathic in nature, her new powers are telekinetic, and much more violent. She can create power orbs strong enough to blast holes in walls (and in people). She's tasked to not only deal with these new, strange powers, but also to in discover why she and her former classmates lost their powers to being with, all while being hunted by an old villain out for revenge. (*cue dramatic music*)

And yes, there is a hero. This series is heavier on romance than my Dreg City series, without actually being romance books. Gage "Cipher" MacAllister is the guy that Teresa had a childhood crush on, and the crush is still there fifteen years later when he comes back into her life—older, hotter, and with a lot of his own inner demons. And it's the battle between her personal life and her duty to her teammates that challenges Teresa the most. She never wanted to be a leader, and she never wanted to fall in love—now she's on the precipice of both.


*Why did you create this world? Why did you write it?*

Various incarnations of this world have been swirling around in my head since I was a teenager, but most of the specific world-building (especially the violent history between the Rangers, who are the heroes, and the Banes, who are the villains), came about in the last couple of years.

Mostly I created this world because of my love for superheroes. The first real comic I picked up and read was "The New Teen Titans #9".



I remember digging it out of a box of comics, looking at the cover and thinking, "Dude, Robin was part of a team of heroes?" I had no idea what reading that book would spawn, but the issue hooked me on the Titans and I began hunting down every issue I could find. I loved the concept of a team book, and I've always been a fan of the "family you make" theme, and I use that a lot in the MetaWars books. These heroes aren't related by blood, but they're still family.

When I was fourteen, I decided to create my own superheroes. I still have a notebook full of character ideas and costume sketches that will never be used, and storylines that are more soap opera than novel-ready. But pulled out that notebook around….2006, I think? Because I needed a new novel idea, and I figured I could scavenge some parts and put together a new book. The original draft is pretty different from what will be coming out from Pocket, but the overall concept is the same, and I truly love writing in this world.


*What troubles lie in the world? Does she [Trance] seem to find trouble, or trouble find her?*

One of the major troubles of this world is something that always irritates me about big Hollywood spectacle movies: the collateral damage. Homes and businesses get blown up, bystanders get crushed, lives are ruined by whatever catastrophe strikes next. And I wanted to really touch on that in these books. The battles between Rangers and Banes have ravaged the country—major cities are devastated, thousands of innocent people have been killed, water sources are contaminated, the economy is in the toilet. People are angry and scared, and they blame the Metas for it all.

So when all of the Meta powers suddenly return, the new Rangers are not immediately embraced. There are political ramifications. Even Trance and her friends are reluctant to reveal themselves, because they don't want to be attacked by terrified citizens. It's not a happy world to be a MetaHuman in.

Personally, Trance is not a trouble-magnet. She tries hard to maintain a low profile, and she spends most of her time working three jobs just so she can eat and keep a crappy apartment. So she's pretty unbalanced when her life turns on its head, and she's suddenly forced to confront not just old Bane enemies, but also federal agents.


*The process from idea, to characters, world-building, outlining, planning, pantsing, etc*

I think I touched on some of these in the paragraphs above. Because I created the initial world so long ago, and because it's been about 4 years since I wrote the first draft of what became TRANCE, it's hard to remember the process anymore. I didn't outline, which became a bit of an annoyance when it came time to write the climax, reveal the villain, and tie up the loose ends. Plus the original the Meta powers changed between initial draft (don't ask what it was, because in retrospect, it was pretty silly) and what finally went on submission to publishers.

The characters were, I think, the most fun to create. Since I was writing a team book, I needed several unique people, and I think I settled on an arbitrary number of six. Trance was easy enough to figure out. She goes from the timid girl with somewhat useless powers to the mega-powered leader of five other people—and she isn't happy about that. Leadership isn't her strong suit, and she leans heavily on Gage for advice.

Of all the characters, Gage gave me the most trouble. Gage has enhanced senses—he can see farther, hear better, smell stronger, etc…than the average human, and he has to learn to control his senses again. He was also a very private character, and as much as he disliked discussing personal issues with Trance, he wasn't much better with his author. It sounds goofy to say a character won't talk to me about his past, but Gage really wasn't talking. It was several rewrites before I figured him out and finally understood why he acted the way he did (some secrets are worth waiting for, let me tell you).

My other favorite of the group is Renee "Flex" Duvall. I love her because she's bubbly, big-mouthed, not afraid to say what she's thinking, comfortable in her sex appeal, and very proud of her boob job. She also has blue skin and can bend, stretch and contort into crazy lengths and shapes (think Mr. Fantastic meets Angelina Jolie). But she's also very fragile inside, and while we don't get to see a lot of that side of her in TRANCE, Renee will have her moment in the spotlight if the series is picked up past book two.

Rounding out the sextet of heroes are Marco "Onyx" Mendoza (shapeshifter, able to take the form of a raven, a panther, and a black house cat), William "Caliber" Hill (super-strength), and Ethan "Tempest" Swift (control of the air, including tornadoes and windstorms).


*Is the series YA or adult?*

The series is definitely adult. While the main characters lose their powers as children, they regain them and come together again as adults (twenty-five to thirty is the age span). There has been a little confusion about that, so I wanted to clear that up. :)

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So that's what I've got so far. Feel free to ask anything else that's on your mind! October is only four months away! (I can't believe I just typed that....)

Interview: Xe Sands, Audio Narrator

Cross-posted to the League of Reluctant Adults.

So before reading this post, who knew June is Audiobook Month? Anyone?

I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't been recently been involved in the creation of audiobooks for the first three Dreg City books (although when I say involved, that mostly means signing the contract, helping my amazing narrator with pronunciation questions, and then pimping the project here and there). The books are with Tantor Audio, and THREE DAYS TO DEAD is currently available for purchase. AS LIE THE DEAD will be available June 20, with ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD releasing August 2 (same day as the print version).

My absolute favorite part of this whole process was "meeting" Xe Sands, who is the voice behind these audiobooks. She's a fabulous lady and her enjoyment of my books has meant the world to me. And since the process of audio narration is brand new to me, I decided to pick Xe's brain and share the results (kind of sounds like I'm inviting you to a zombie buffet, doesn't it?). Xe was kind enough to do an interview with me, and the results are below. Stick around to the end, too, because there will be a giveaway!

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First off, how did you get into this kind of work?

You know, so many narrators come from an acting or performing arts background, but me? Well, I didn't. Although I do have experience with public performance, what really shaped my entry into the field of narration is my daughter's love of reading - specifically, how much she enjoyed me reading aloud to her. I joke that she's my harshest critic, but it's actually true, because as she matured, so did her taste and her preference for a more nuanced and authentic performance of the stories we shared together. Now how did that shared experience and love for storytelling parlay into a career as an audiobook narrator - ah, bit more complicated, of course. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just wave a magic microphone, utter a few choice words and suddenly be imbued with the necessary training and a contract in hand? Right.

What really happened is...after reading to my daughter for nearly ten years, I began to realize that I derived an immense sense of satisfaction from performing for her, from her emotional reaction to the experience. At that point, a fire was lit inside me and once that happens...well, there isn't much to be done except move forward really! I began researching how narrators get their professional start, and at the same time, found and starting recording for librivox.org, which publishes audio of work in the public domain. Such an amazing learning experience in an incredibly supportive community! After volunteering for several years, I realized that raw talent was the foundation, but that professional coaching/training was the walls of the house of my dreams (hey, did I say I was a writer? No I did not). Fortunately, I was granted a scholarship to attend a working session with the amazing Pat Fraley, then followed that up with ongoing coaching with Carrington MacDuffie, and attendance at my first Audio Publishers Association Conference (APAC) last year. I made several invaluable connections at APAC 2010, one of which led to my initial work with Tantor Audio, an ongoing relationship which eventually led me to recording the Dreg City series :)

But the short answer? I am where I am because of my daughter's love of ,and relentless appetite for ,storytelling...and her belief in me.


Was it something you always wanted to do, or that you found later on in life?

I would love to say that I was caught reading aloud to an audience of stuffed animals, using rudimentary accents and characterizations at the tender age of 5 - ha! But reall, until I realized how very much I loved doing it, and more importantly, how much she and other children enjoyed it too, I just didn't view myself that way. However once I had that epiphany, I realized that *this* was the passion I had been waiting for all these years, the one you always hope you will find. It's what I want to do until I'm physically incapable of continuing.



How do you get jobs? Are they assigned? Are they offered and you can say yes/no based on the material?
(Let's assume you mean after you are established with a publisher)

Getting the job/job assignment: In my experience, this happens in one of two ways: (a) I'm asked to audition for a particular project, based on a short sample of text; (b) I'm sent an offer to narrate a particular project sans a custom audition. I find this completely depends on the publisher. Some prefer to audition narrators for each project, send those samples on to the author/agent/client, and then base their decision on client feedback. Some prefer to do the casting internally, based on demo samples and prior experience with a particular narrator (and perhaps author/client request). I've experienced an equal mix of both approaches to casting.

Can I say no? Yes, I can and I have - although I have not yet had to turn down an actual offer. I have, however, chosen not to audition for a particular project based on concerns over the content. I'm a bit of a "method" narrator and tend to really "live with" the characters of my projects and the worlds they inhabit pretty thoroughly, so if there is material that is truly offensive to me or with which I truly cannot connect, I may turn down the project. That said, I do not reject projects based on genre preferences. I feel that being open to many genres, even those outside my personal comfort zone or interests, encourages me to grow and open myself to new experiences...and bring my discoveries of new worlds into my narration.



Can you briefly take us through your process for narrating an audio book? From receiving the manuscript to final editing?

Sure! Course I'm laughing about this because I can't imagine I've ever been able to be brief about anything - but I will try! Going to number these to keep myself honest in the length department. Let's use the recording of Three Days to Dead as our model, shall we?

1. I receive the text from the publisher and begin my pre-read (pre-reading is a MUST! No cheating!)
2. Pre-read the book, taking notes along the way - specifically for characterizations, pronunciation questions, accent questions
3. Contact the publisher (and/or author, depending) for confirmation on any pronunciation and/or characterization questions
[Intermission: time permitting, I let the book percolate a bit, come together in my head/heart/voice*]
4. Head into the studio (usually my home studio) to begin initial character studies and narrative voices. Play around with character voices and narrator tone. Meet/conference with coach to go over tone, any tricky characterizations, etc.
5. Begin recording the book in earnest (using one of two recording methods, depending on the publisher I'm working for). Proof each day's work the following morning, paying special attention to narrative flow, characterization consistency.
6. Finish initial recording and go back for final round of proofing and tweaking
7. Send files back to publisher (most publishers do not want any processing on the completed files; if they want editing/processing, this is when that happens).
8. Complete any corrections reported back to me once final proofing is completed by publisher, and send the corrected version back to the publisher.

*And as in the case of one of my other recent projects, meet with a dialect coach in order to develop a specific accent for the project.



What were three of your favorite titles to narrate?

Thank you for not asking me to name only one! That's impossible, really, as they are all so different and I almost always fall in love with them in some way.

The Sweet Relief of Missing Children, by Sarah Braunstein
Three Days to Dead, by Kelly Meding (and I'm not just saying that - there are three powerful scenes that pushed this into my top three)
Fire and Ice, by Anne Stuart (bad boys, simply can't resist them!)


Is there a book you wished you could have done, but someone else got the job?

Yes. I auditioned for a poignant memoir...first person narrative, tortuous, darkly humorous - my favorite thing! And although I was disappointed upon hearing that I wasn't selected, I was blown away by how perfectly suited the chosen narrator was for the project. That was actually a very lovely feeling in the end, and a great reminder that the perfect casting is so essential. Yes, I wanted it...but someone else was perfect for it. And I can respect that.



Is yours a competitive line of work, or are you guys pretty supportive of each other?

Such an interesting question, and one that came up at APAC just a few weeks back. You know, when I first started, I assumed it would be a very competitive business...but it just doesn't feel that way. The casting is so individualized and each of us has a unique sound and "thing" that we're perfectly suited for, that I don't feel I am in competition in the same way I assume other performing artists might feel. The community of audiobook narrators feels much smaller and more tight-knit than I expected it would, as well as feeling incredibly supportive. I have been very blessed by the generosity of time and spirit of more established narrators - offering their guidance, sharing their experience, and introducing me to various individuals in the industry. I hope to be able to do the same for others that come into the industry after me.



Do you do any other kinds of audio work, other than book recording?

I have been fortunate to have worked on several video games, the last of which had me playing a sexy, ancient vampire created by Charlaine Harris. Character was essentially a sexier, snarkier, more confident version of Evy (like that's possible!) and it was a blast. I really enjoy working on video games...it's like performing only the emotional dialog from a novel :)


What do you do for fun when you aren't working?

Believe me when I tell you that now that I'm narrating full-time, work IS my fun. I'm completely addicted to it and find myself sneaking into the studio at every opportunity. The medium combines all of my interests - emotional performance, inhabiting other worlds and characters, reading, creative expression. But when I do manage to surface [read: am dragged kicking and screaming from the booth], I merge back into the life of my family and friends. Recording projects require my full attention and energy, so when I come up for air, free time is spent reconnecting with loved ones. And of course, no big surprise, I love to read! The only downside to my work is that I no longer have as much free time to read books outside of project work...my to-be-read pile is seriously going to topple right over very soon...and with all the amazing bloggers I interact with on Twitter, it grows daily.



Is there anything you'd like to add? Plug? Chat about? Warn against?

I suspect this is where I'm supposed to be extraordinarily clever and "WOW" you with my witty banter, isn't it? Sigh. Well I'm afraid that between you, Joss Whedon and Neil Gaiman, all the charming witty banter the world has to offer has been just about used up and I will need to leave it up to the characters you create to be charming, snarky and witty in my stead. Me? I'm just the narrator ;)

#

Thank you, Xe, for taking the time to do this!

And if y'all have made it this far, I'm giving away two copies of the THREE DAYS TO DEAD audiobook! All you have to do to be entered is leave a comment. You can enter twice by leaving a comment on both blogs (here and the League). The contest is open until June 27, so there's lots of time! Winners will be announced on my blog.

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!

A Buffy/Angel fan trailer

I found this video via a tweet from Karen Mahoney. As a long-time fan of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," this video just rocked my socks off! I had to put it here for posterity.

If you haven't seen these shows yet, maybe this will convince you!




Edit: Blogger seems to be cutting off the side of the vid, so here's the link to the YouTube page where you can probably see it better.

The Dialogue: Talking about the Darkness

I sometimes wonder if adults forget what it was like to be 11, 12 and 13 years old, teetering on the cusp of childhood and being a teenager, and wondering how to make sense of it all. If adults forget that insatiable curiosity they had about all things "grownup" and how anything that your parents told you was off limits was something you wanted More Than Anything.

It's been eighteen years since I was in that group of awakening tweens, and the kids who are in it now are so different from me that it's kind of scary. They're smarter, they're more tech savvy, they are more connected. They were raised using digital technology, so they know how to get the answers they want. And if Mom and Dad won't talk to them about things, they'll get those answers from friends or from the Internet. Or from books.

Books were my life force as a kid. I was always very shy (and still am, to some degree). But during those awkward adolescent years, I had very few books to help me transition, to help me face those darker times ahead. I had Sweet Valley High (hard-hitting stuff there, /sarcasm). I liked those books well enough, but I wanted more. Which is why I loved the books by Norma Klein--books that touched on sexuality and teens. I still remember reading "It's Okay If You Don't Love Me" as a twelve-year old and being shocked that the author was writing an actual sex scene, and that the girl was the experienced one!

That book was pretty risque for me at the time. And in just a year, I was moving on to adult authors like Stephen King and John Jakes. I was hungry for books and for information, and my parents encouraged me to read.

Did they always like what I was reading? No. Did they say I couldn't read certain books? Yes. Did I read them anyway? Absolutely. (Sorry, Mom and Dad)

Teens are going to do what you tell them not to do. How is it that we grow up and forget that little tidbit of information?

So why the sudden long post on YA and reading? Because of a Wall Street Journal article that's been making the blog and Twitter rounds since Saturday. "Darkness Too Visible" made me laugh, and then it made me angry. Because the author seems sincere in thinking that our children should be shielded from difficult topics like sexuality, rape, and self-injury. Hello?!! That stuff is happening RIGHT THE HELL NOW in our schools, to our children, and your answer is to pretend it's not? To hide these scary facts from tweens and teens, and tell authors to write happy books?

*snorts*

There is a lot going on in YA literature right now, but you only have to look as far as "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson to understand why it's important that authors write about these topics.

Graphic violence/sex is not new to adolescents (sorry, parents). It's all over television and movies, and it's in every magazine and billboard. It's there. So rather than trying to cover up their eyes and pretend it isn't, talk to your kids. Ask THEM questions, instead of waiting for them to come to you (because they probably won't). It's easier for teens to talk to other teens, instead of talking to a grownup, so you need to start the dialogue. Not the lecture. Not the "don't do this/don't read this."

The dialogue.

A few other great blog posts have popped up in response to the WSJ piece, and I want to link to those.

The awesome Jackie Morse Kessler has a piece, as her book "Rage" was mentioned in the article. Leave Jackie a little love on her blog, and then go buy her book. You won't regret it.

Booking Through 365 has an article, written by an actual teenager. Good stuff there.

And from Publisher's Weekly. From that article:

Teens are committing suicide because of bullying, eating disorders are common, even kids in “nice” neighborhoods have drug problems, and kids sometimes get pregnant. And sadly, some kids grow up in abused households with alcoholic parents. Reading about kids with alcoholic parents can make a kid feel better. Kids reading about cutting will not make them cutters. It might, however, make them recognize when one of their friends is cutting and could use help.

We can't hide our kids from the darkness in the world. But we can talk to them about it. And that, dear parents, starts with you.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

(I couldn't resist the thread title. It's one of my very favorite Christmas songs.)

It's finally June. June means summer, my birthday, Father's Day, and (most importantly), it means only two more months until ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD finally releases! Can I get a WOOT!?

It also means that THREE DAYS TO DEAD is available for purchase from Tantor Audio. It's narrated by the fantastic Xe Sands (if you don't already follower her on Twitter, go follow her. It's okay, I'll wait....). I'll be posting an interview with her later in the month, so look out for that.

TDTD is currently 50% off at Tantor's site, so go order! They also gave the book a super-sexy cover!



I like this version of Evy and Wyatt. It's true to the original cover, while still being original and sexy. For some reason, the model makes me think of Kate Beckinsale.

June is also Audiobooks Month, which I only learned yesterday. If you want to learn more, search the Twitter tag #JIAM. Help me celebrate the month by listening to an audiobook or two! I'll be doing a giveaway for audio copies of TDTD soon, so stay tuned.

Remember

Release Date Change

So that year-long wait for Dreg City 3, Another Kind of Dead, is going to have to last for another week. The on-sale date has been pushed back from July 26 to August 2, 2011.

Remark your calendars folks, and help spread the word!

To Fong Who? Thanks For Nothing, Kevin Hearne....

Okay, so the blog post title only makes a funny pun if you've heard of a certain drag queen movie starring Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes. If not...well, go watch it!

Today is the day that fellow League of Reluctant Adults member Kevin Hearne pops his cherry! Not just by guest blogging here (although that must be pretty spiffy, too), but also by having his first novel released by Del Rey!



HOUNDED is the first Iron Druid Chronicles book, and it's fabulous. I'm not just saying that--I've read it. And blurbed it. And it's fabulous. Ever wanted to get in on the inner workings of the mind of an Irish Wolfhound? This is your book. (Oh, and the Druid dude is pretty cool, too.)

So without further blathering, here is Kevin's post. And with his post, a challenge for me. Because what goes around, comes around....

#######

The Challenges of Writing

Hi there, fans of Evy Stone! I’m not here to talk about the challenges of picking the right word for the right moment. I’m here to talk about the challenge of having the word picked for you and finding someplace to stick it in your book, or suffer the relentless taunting of your peers. Authors do this to each other, because the pressure of meeting deadlines and doing publicity and stuff just ISN’T ENOUGH.

A few months ago, Kelly challenged me to put Rocky Mountain Oysters into my next book. For those of you who don’t know, that’s the polite term for fried bull balls. It’s not the sort of thing that casually comes up when you’re writing about a Druid caught in the middle of a vampire territory war. But she double-dog dared me to do this, so of course I had to accept. I successfully inserted them into Chapter 14 of my current work in progress, TRICKED, which will be the fourth book in The Iron Druid Chronicles. (Book one, HOUNDED, is available now, and the next two books, HEXED and HAMMERED, will be released on June 7 and July 5, respectively.)

Now I get to challenge Kelly in turn. No, wait: I get to TRIPLE-DOG DARE her! Without further ado, here it is: In Dreg City #5, Kelly must use the word “fong” as a running joke. To fong is an endearing verb that means to kick the living poo outta something, and since this is an activity Evy and her cronies rather enjoy doing, I don’t think that’s going to be especially difficult. (Fong was used most famously in the movie A Knight’s Tale. You should watch it again!) The trick here is going to be turning it into a joke. Knowing it has to be a joke will freeze Kelly at the keyboard for WEEKS. I can already taste the victory, and it is sweet, my friends. Sweet.

Challenge delivered, I can now confess to you that Kelly has been completely sweet to me and does not deserve to be cruelly fonged by my evil machinations. She’s been a tremendous font of wisdom as I’ve tried to figure out the publishing biz as a newbie author, and she was even kind enough to write a blurb for the back cover of HOUNDED for me. I still think the first chapter of THREE DAYS TO DEAD is one of the best in all urban fantasy, and I’m as addicted to Dreg City as you are. Personally, I cannot wait for books three and four, much less the epic fonging to come in book five! Please give Kelly all the support you can in the comments, because she could always use the additional pressure of your high expectations.

Mwah-ha-ha-ha!

Cover Reveal: TRANCE

I saw this cover a few weeks ago, but now have a final version to show off. TRANCE is the first in my (what I'm currently referring to as) MetaWars series from Pocket, due October 25, 2011. I really love this cover--from the L.A. setting (palm trees!), to Trance's hair and powers.

Enjoy!



The cover copy:

Kelly Meding’s war-ravaged Los Angeles is ground zero for the ultimate Meta human showdown in this sexy, action-packed new series.

Fifteen years ago, Teresa “Trance” West was a skilled telepath and a proud member of the Ranger Corps. But ever since the Rangers were inexplicably rendered powerless at the climax of the devastating Meta War, she’s bounced from one dead-end job to another. Now her powers have reappeared just as mysteriously as they vanished— only they’re completely transformed and more potent than ever. And they’re threatening to destroy her.

Trance heads to Los Angeles to track down the surviving Rangers and discover who restored her powers—and why—but a phantom enemy is determined to kill them before they can reassemble. As they dodge his deadly attacks and come to terms with their new role as heroes, Trance and the rest of the team set out to annihilate the sinister madman . . . only to discover their own powers are his greatest weapons.

ETA: Artist is Don Sipley.

Third Snippet: Another Kind of Dead

Three months to go until ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD hits shelves! So here's another snippet from the book, this time from Chapter Seven. There are, of course, minor spoilers for this story's plot.

###

Five minutes or so before the call was expected, I was in the bathroom, hands braced on either side of the porcelain sink bowl, glaring at myself in the mirror. A wave of nerves had hit, leaving me completely unsettled. I'd walked into unknown situations before, faced unknown enemies alone, and even tackled one particularly nasty hostage situation involving my late partner Ash and three Halfies. I had no reason to be so scared of this phone call.

No, that wasn't true. [redacted name] had something that, if released, could be truly devastating to this city. He wanted us to give him two unknown vials of liquid, for his own unknown purposes. In an unknown location, with a very uncertain outcome.

I hated the word "unknown."

I splashed cool water on my face and patted dry on a frayed towel. Compared to the rest of their apartment, the bathroom was oddly tidy. I guess they had some standards of cleanliness when it came to their throne. Even the mirror lacked water spots or toothpaste spray. I had a clear view of my face. The tension bracketing both brown eyes, lips pursed so tightly they were almost gone. Familiar and foreign—mine and hers. Sometimes I still glanced in a mirror and expected my old face—blond hair cut short and uneven, wide blue eyes, pale skin. Not the dark-haired, curvy, freckled-nose woman I'd been for nearly two weeks.

The door opened and shut. "You okay?" Wyatt asked. He shuffled behind me, and our gazes met in the mirror's reflection.

"If I say yes, will you believe me?"

"Not while you're hunched over the sink like you want to vomit."

"What happens if we don't get the crystal back?"

"We deal with it."

"Deal with it?" I rounded in the tiny space, long hair whipping across my face. "I saw that entity in Tovin's body, Wyatt. I have never been so terrified as when I looked into its face and knew it could snap me in half before I could blink. It was the ugliest, most evil thing I've ever seen. We can't just deal with it."

Warm palms framed my cheeks. I wrapped my hands around his wrists. His outward calm helped, even though I imagined his insides quaked as hard as mine. No one else had seen the Tainted elf; my description could never do the terror justice. He couldn't understand.

"We. Will. Deal. With. It." Each word from him fell like a promise, driven home by the gentle crackle of energy around us. I tried to believe in that promise.

Then the damned cell phone rang, and my stomach clenched. We parted. I fished the phone out of my jeans pocket as I led the way back into the living room.

Audio Books Are Coming!

I mentioned this on Twitter a week or so ago, but now that contracts are winging their way to the appropriate parties, I'll officially announce it.

We've sold audio adaptation rights for the first three Dreg City books (Three Days to Dead, As Lie the Dead, Another Kind of Dead) to Tantor Audio! The books will be narrated by Xe Sands, and the first, Three Days to Dead, will be available May 30th. Yep, in just over a month! How awesome is that? As Lie the Dead will follow on 6/20 and Another Kind of Dead on 7/26 (same day as the paperback release!).

I'm really excited to hear Evy's world come alive, and I'll definitely be doing some giveaways once I have a few copies in my hands.

For now...

Happy Easter

No matter how you may (or may not) celebrate today, don't forget: microwaving marshmallow Peeps is FUN!

The Good, the Bad, and the WTF?!

THE GOOD

I'm a huge horror buff, which I bet is no surprise at this point. When the first Scream film came out in 1996, I was in high school. I'd seen the slasher films from the eighties, and I loved anything scary. But at the time, very few horror films were being made and released by major studios. And Scream was exactly the creative boost that the horror genre needed at the time. It revitalized the genre, while making fun of itself at the same time. I'm a huge fan of the entire trilogy.

Needless to stay, I was absolutely pumped when I heard that Scream 4 was being made, with original director Wes Craven, original screenwriter Kevin Williamson, and original stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox. How could a fan not be stoked for this?

So I admit to going into this film with pretty high expectations. And you know what? For once, my expectations were very much met, maybe a little exceeded. Scream 4 was brilliant. It does for the glut of horror film remakes what the original film did for the dying slasher genre: it exposed the cliches, makes statements on society, and it also (minor spoiler) remakes the first film! Remakes it in a hugely original way that I didn't always see coming.

Horror fans may still appreciate this film, but if you haven't seen Scream 1-3, then don't bother with Scream 4. You just won't have the same experience.


THE BAD

So there was once a time when I loved "Glee." I bought the boxed set of Season 1 at the end of last summer and I spent an entire weekend watching it. It hooked me. I loved the characters. I loved the stories. I loved what they were doing with the songs and musical numbers, and how everything flowed well.

Cut to the hot mess that's been Season 2 so far, and can I just say "Gah!"? Gah!

The show's been on a month hiatus, and the last aired episode was amazing. It was the Regionals ep, and the cast sang original songs. It was tense, it was emotional, and it was what the show used to be.

A new episode finally aired last night. I watched it this morning. Gah!

I just don't have the energy to rant on everything that I thought sucked about last night's episode. So I'll talk about the only good thing (besides the fact that Paltrow is gone for the foreseeable future). The corridor confrontation between Kurt, Blaine, Santana and Karofsky--pure gold. I loved Santana getting up in K's face, and I really hope this is setting up for what was promised to us earlier this year. There is a lot of potential with the Karofsky character, and I'm afraid the writers will butcher it, like they've managed to butcher most of this season.

One more "Gah!" for good measure....


THE WTF?!

Last week, ABC Daytime announced the cancellation of daytime soap opera staples "One Life to Live" and "All My Children," leaving the network's daytime lineup with one soap opera ("General Hospital"). GH joins what will become only four surviving soap operas on network television (ABC's "Days of Our Lives," and CBS's "The Bold & the Beautiful" and "The Young and the Restless"). OLTL and AMC become the third and fourth soap to be canceled in the last two years.

I watched "One Life to Live" for a few months last year and then stopped once the stories I was following ended, and most of the actors were fired. But it wasn't a terrible show, and I'll mourn its loss. I can agree that television is changing, and that maybe soap operas are a somewhat dated format. But there are still loyal viewers and fans out there, and it sucks that they are losing shows they've watched for THIRTY or FORTY YEARS. That's a lifetime.

I think my major complaint is that these dramatic serials are being replaced by more cookie cutter talk shows. I mean, really, do we need more groups of people gabbing at each other over inane topics? Really?

I don't know. But I do applaud Hoover for listening to their consumers and pulling their ads from ABC. Some might say it's counterproductive to pull ad revenue from a show that relies on it to stay afloat, but it's already canceled, no? I can't imagine ABC Daytime would eat humble pie and reverse the cancellations, so why not show them exactly how their fans feel about this betrayal?

Another Kind of Dead Cover Copy Reveal!

As previously splashed all over Twitter yesterday, the back cover copy for ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD is up. You can finally find out (more or less) what Evy's next adventure is about!

She can heal her own wounds. She can nail a monster to a wall. But there’s one danger Evangeline Stone never saw coming.

Been there. Done that. Evy Stone is a former Dreg Bounty Hunter who died and came back to life with some extraordinary powers. Now all but five people in the world think she is dead again, this time for good—immolated in a factory fire set specifically for her. Evy and Wyatt, her partner/lover/friend, can no longer trust their former allies, or even the highest echelons of the Triads—the army of fighters holding back from an unsuspecting public a tide of quarreling, otherworldly creatures—they can trust only each other. Because when the Triads raided a macabre, monster-filled lab of science experiments and hauled away the remnants, they failed to capture their creator: a brilliant, vampire-obsessed scientist with a wealth of powerful, anti-Dreg weaponry to trade for what he desires most of all—Evy Stone: alive and well, and the key to his ultimate experiment in mad science.

Evy and Wyatt are back, and they're facing a brand-new foe...who might not be so new, after all. *cue dramatic music*

What do think?

A Challenge Was Met -- At the League

I've posted over at the League of Reluctant Adults today about a book, a challenge, and probably one of the strangest things that most of us have never eaten.

Check it!

One Man Disney Movie

I'm an old-school Disney animation fan. My teen years were filled with such amazing films as "Aladdin," "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast." I'm also a huge fan of their own personal send-up, "Enchanted."

I found this video via Twitter, and it's amazingly well done. I just could not resist sharing it.

By Pixar modeling artist Nick Pitera:



EDIT: Apparently my blog is cutting off part of the video, so here's the link to YouTube for better viewing.

Happy Spring!

I have to admit, I'm happy to see spring finally arrive. I hate winter. I hate being cold. I like being warm, and I like sunshine. But in retrospect, this winter went by very quickly. VERY quickly. I can't even figure out where the time's gone.

This past week, though, I know exactly where my time has been spent: up to my ears in Dreg City. Edits for book four landed the week before last, and I've been digging into those. I really do love this book for a lot of reasons. The flashbacks are handled a bit differently than in the first three books, you get to meet some new shape-shifters, and--wait...that's just mean, isn't it? Talking about a book that won't be out for another year? *innocent smile*

Anyway, those edits are done. I'm letting it sit for a little while before I give a few sections another reread, just for clarity. Then it's back to Bantam! Yay!

Right now I'm preparing to dive into edits for TRANCE. Funny story about publishing to go along with this: when I went to open my digital file last night, it said the last time the file was modified was August 2009. I immediately thought that I'd misplaced/lost/corrupted the original file, and that I was in deep trouble. I searched my files, then searched my Sent emails. Surely it hadn't been a year and a half since I'd last modified the book!

And yet, it has been. That's the file that was sent to my agent, which was sent to my Pocket editor. It really floored me to think about the time frame, and then I got a good giggle out of it. It honestly didn't feel like it had been that long since I'd fiddled with this book, but it had.

But now I get to play again, in a world where superheroes are scarce, feared, and your own powers can be turned against you.... *cue dramatic music*

Critiques for Charity

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard about the disasters in Japan. I try not to look at the photos and footage of the destruction, because it always makes me cry. And it's easy to try and ignore the utter devastation of it all, because it's happening on the other side of the world.

Until you realize that the very nice lady who was about to buy a red sofa from you just got a phone call from her daughter, who was in Japan, and who she hasn't heard from in days.

This affects us all.

That's why my friends at the League of Reluctant Adults are auctioning some things off for charity. All of the money raised will go to the American Red Cross and relief efforts.

So what are we auctioning? Critiques, ladies and gents! Two different partial manuscript critiques by two different sets of Leaguers.

Team Claw.

Team Fang.

Get thee hence and bid!

Spring Colors, Slow Cookers, and Edit Letters - Oh My!

So I've had a mini-vacation of sorts. The interesting thing about working in retail, even part-time, is that your days off are never the same week-to-week. And sometimes they fall in such a way that you have days off at the end of one week and the beginning of the following week. The end results: five days in a row away from the day job.

It's been awesome.

I spent the weekend doing some really cool things. Namely, shopping. I don't generally like shopping (unless I'm in a bookstore or a thrift store). But I really wanted to put some bright, spring colors into my apartment (which is mostly neutral colors). So I did. And I love the way it looks. I'll post some before-and-after pictures in the near future, but I went with aqua and lime green accent colors, and it looks really nice. Fresh. Ready for spring.

I also spent time with my sister, niece, and parents on Sunday. We went over to belatedly celebrate my dad's birthday with presents and a cake. Yesterday I made a lovely pot roast in my slow cooker (first time I've used it since I got it for Christmas) with a mostly-made-up recipe. Much yumminess.

I've also been fiddling with getting my tax information prepared. Every year, I tell myself I'll be more organized with my receipts, rather than just throwing them into an envelope. Every year, I open up an envelope and spend hours sorting. But Tax Day is drawing ever nearer, and I must get this finished.

Meanwhile, my edit letter for WRONG SIDE OF DEAD (Dreg City 4) is here! I can't wait to jump back into Evy's world for a while and whip this book into proper shape. My lovely editor really likes the direction I've taken the series in this book, so yay! (yes, that was a tease, since this book isn't coming out until next spring)

I've also seen the cover for TRANCE (Pocket, 10/25/11), and I love it! I promise I'll share as soon as I'm able.

Happy March (Plus Someone Else's Giveaway)

Happy March! There's something wonderful about flipping the calendar out of the last winter month and into the first spring month (even though spring is still technically 20 days away). I have this adorable homemade calendar that my sister gave me for Christmas, and each month has a different picture of my niece. In March's picture, my niece is eating a piece of corn on the cob. It's so cute! And I get to look at it for a whole month!

Today is also a big release day in the urban fantasy realm. Here's a handy link to fellow Leaguer Carolyn Crane's blog, where she is hosting a cool giveaway for several of those releases. If you like free books (and who doesn't?), check it out!

As for myself, I don't have much to report. I admit, I'm insanely excited about the Food Network's new special, Chopped: All-Stars. I love Chopped and tend to Tweet about it if I'm home to watch new episodes. And this time, both regular judges and other FN chefs are the ones competing. It looks like a lot of fun.

Alas, I only read eight books last month. I know, some folks are thinking "ONLY EIGHT?!?!?!" But considering I read 21 in January, eight is a big step backward. Then again, I don't think I read anything the first two weeks of the month, so maybe it's not so bad. My reading choices were pretty evenly divided between urban fantasy and YA, plus one true crime and one contemporary romance.

Anyone else read anything good recently?

Teaser Tuesday: Another Snippet

And the countdown continues: five months and four days until ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD releases! In honor of that (and the blog meme called Teaser Tuesday), I have another snippet for you. The first, from Chapter Three, is posted here.

This one is from Chapter Four, is much shorter, and it does contain a plot spoiler. If you don't want any spoilers, skip this one.

Enjoy!

#

Giving Amalie my undivided attention, I asked, "What's going on that concerns me so much?"

"Something valuable has gone missing," she said.

"Gone missing?"

"Stolen."

Alarm bells clanged in my head, telling me I really didn't want to know the answer to my next question. "What's been stolen?"

"The crystal in which we sealed the Tainted One."

Wyatt made a soft choking sound. I couldn't tear my attention off Amalie, too mesmerized by what I saw in her face—fear. Never in my life had I thought to see a frightened sprite. They could manipulate so much power because of their direct ties to the Break. It was the reason sprites, and no other race, held the most sway over the Fey Council, and why we needed to keep them as our allies.

But more than that, my ears had filled with a dull roar, and even above the fear I saw in her, I didn't believe what I'd just heard. Heart jackhammering, I asked, "Say that again?"

She didn't. Instead, she started in on a story. "After your initial entrapment, we devised a method to more permanently seal the Tainted One's essence into a crystal. When the spell was cast, we sought a safe place for it elsewhere. We gave it to our brethren in the forest west of here, an expanse of mountains few humans ever hike into. They could cloak the Tainted's draw. I believed it was safe there."

I snorted, red fury creeping into the corners of my vision. "Why the hell did you take it out of First Break?"

"The power of the Tainted affects not only humans, Evangeline, but many of my kind as well. Having its evil so near was…unsettling. I feared its effects on our well-being. One does not allow disease to remain in one's orchard to infect all around it."

"So you let someone steal it?" I seethed, in no mood to understand her reasons. Only one thing was crystal clear to me. "The fucking Tainted is loose?"

Group Signing Event

This is kind of last minute, but I'll be participating in a group Signing/Conversation on Sunday, February 20th, from 2-4 pm.

Barnes & Noble
Annapolis Harbour Center
Annapolis, MD

Happy February 14th

I found this brilliant little video on YouTube, and I just had to share it.



To those of you celebrating today with someone you love, congrats and enjoy.

To the rest of us...well, enjoy the video. I know I did. :)

League Post

Today I'm posting over at the League of Reluctant Adults.

Check out: Susan Lucci is a Vampire!

Just a Few Things

The last few weeks have gone by in a bit of a blur, and I apologize for the lack of blog activity. I generally hate these final weeks of winter, because I've become sick of the cold and ice and darkness. Thankfully, though, it's only a few weeks until March. And spring. And warm weather.

Yay!

I've been spending quite a bit of time reading. I ended January with 21 books read for the month, including a few catch-ups (the last couple of releases in some favorite series). All in all, I read some really great books--a memoir, a nonfic about chemicals in our daily lives, a horror, five YA's, and a bunch of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. It was quite an eclectic month.
*
So bad news first. My book signing scheduled for February 12 in the Winchester, VA Borders has been canceled. If anyone had planned to attend, I do apologize. The cancellation was short notice for us, too.

On the upside, I'll still be attending Farpoint next weekend! And I can't wait!

The good news. Two things, actually.

My new superhero series with Pocket has changed titles. The title of the first book is now simply TRANCE, and it has a street date of October 25.

The other good news is that you may notice the League of Reluctant Adults blog has become much more active this week. We've created a posting schedule and hopefully this means lots more interesting, snarky, fun content for you guys. And if you haven't seen that blog yet...well, why not? ;) It also means that I'm up on Sunday.

Now I just need a topic....

February Appearances

Now that I'm thinking about it, just about a year ago this weekend I was doing my very first book signing up in Newark, DE. So much has happened since then that it's kind of mind boggling.

We're in the middle of winter here, and even though February is the shortest month, it always seems longest to me. Probably because it's the last month before warm weather starts (not to mention Valentine's Day, which I think should be renamed Singles Awareness Day), and by March I'm itching to spend time outside again.

So if you're looking for something to spice up the winter doldrums, I'll be out and around a bit in February.

February 12, I'll be doing a joint signing with Stacey Graham at the Borders in Winchester, Virginia. We'll be there 2 pm. Stacey has a story in the fun zombie anthology HUNGRY FOR YOUR LOVE, so come out and see us!

Also! I'm popping my convention guest cherry! February 18-20, I'll be at Farpoint, a multi-media/multi-fandom convention at the Crown Plaza hotel outside of Baltimore. I've attended this con in the past as a member, and this is my first year as a guest! I'm really excited to be there (and to see my name on a list of Confirmed Guests that includes Peter David and AC Crispin).

And you know who else is a guest at Farpoint this year? Tahmoh Penikett.



I will resist the urge to stalk him...

Snippet: Another Kind of Dead

It's still a little over six months before ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD (Dreg City 3) is released, but I wanted to start teasing--um, I mean, enticing you guys a bit. The official blurb isn't out yet, but I'm giving y'all a snippet from Chapter 2.

Enjoy!

#####

Wyatt was pacing in and out of the narrow kitchenette, lips pressed together, eyebrows furrowed. He dialed another number, then listened. He had to be getting a lot of voice mails, but he wasn't leaving messages. Unless they were ignoring him, which was also entirely possible. Apparently, while I was unconscious and recovering from my dive out a four-story window, Wyatt had said some pretty cruel things to both of his former fellow Handlers Gina Kismet and Adrian Baylor.

I perched on the arm of the apartment's faded sofa and watched him dial again.

His face brightened. "Morgan, it's Truman. Look, has anyone else reported a minor earthquake this morning?" He listened. "Claudia's Gifted, right? Yeah, thought so. I felt it, too." Another pause. "No idea what it could be, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining things. If you hear anything…. Yeah, thanks."

He snapped his cell phone shut and dropped it on the narrow counter.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

He started, gazing at me with surprise. As if he'd forgotten he should be able to see me. "I'm thinking I started out the day hoping to relax after the memorial, and now that hope has been shattered."

"How do you figure?"

"Come on, Evy. Anything strong enough to affect the entirety of the Break like that isn't going to just go away."

"Doesn't mean we'll automatically get swept up into it." But even as I said the words, I knew how ridiculous they sounded. Ever since my resurrection, I'd been at the center of every major event affecting the city and its nonhuman inhabitants. Factor in my training-born need to protect the innocents of the city, and I'd probably get myself sucked into it anyway. "Dead" or alive.

"We've put up with so much these last few weeks," he said, almost sulking. "I just want a couple of days of peace and quiet." He didn't have to say "with you." The words were in his tone and in the way he was looking at me.

Three days ago, after waking up from a brief coma, I'd finally told him I loved him and hadn't repeated it since. He didn't push. I didn't want the inevitable discussion that would come with a revelation of feelings. I didn't want to talk about it or us, or anything else. Avoiding it meant avoiding any potential "next steps" in our burgeoning relationship.

It wasn't like we'd never had sex. Well, that was half-true. We'd slept together once, two weeks ago, right before I died and left my old body behind. We hadn't had sex since my resurrection—although we'd come close once—mostly due to my inability to figure out my own emotional chaos.

Before I'd died, I hadn't been in love with Wyatt. I'd loved him, sure, as a coworker and a man I respected. But being born again into the body of Chalice Frost came not only with handy teleporting powers but also with a powerful physical attraction to Wyatt. My head and my heart were on two different wavelengths, and I just didn't know how to reconcile them.

Sex with Wyatt now, as the people we'd both become, was a step I both craved and feared. I wanted him; I also didn't think I deserved him.

"Peace and quiet don't come with the job description," I said.

"Need I remind you we're both unemployed?"

I slid off the arm of the sofa and sank into the springy cushions. It was the same sofa from when I'd lived here before; nothing had changed except the inhabitants. The apartment had always been a haven of sorts, a place away from the chaos and bloodshed of our daily (and nightly) lives. It still felt like that sanctuary. But with the ghosts of my old life so firmly entrenched in each piece of furniture and carpet stain, it also felt like a prison.

Wyatt sat next to me, sinking the old cushions toward the middle. I let gravity tilt me sideways and rested my head on his chest. He draped his right arm over my shoulders in a gentle embrace. His familiar scent—spice and cinnamon and male musk—filled my senses. Relaxing and safe.

"Five gets you twenty your phone rings in the next ten minutes," I said, "and shatters the mood."

He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest, against my ear. He didn't laugh nearly enough. Neither of us did. "You do realize you've jinxed us by saying that?"

Update

A belated Happy New Year to all!

It's been pretty quiet here on the home front, as I get things from 2010 organized, and prepare my goals for 2011. I'm also excited to finally be able to say "I have two books coming out this year!" The third Dreg City book, ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD, comes out in July, and the first superhero book from Pocket, WARDEN'S TRANCE, comes out in November. I also have several conventions lined up, and will be doing a handful of book signings, as well.

I've also managed to (finally) update my website. It has all of my new and upcoming releases listed. I also hope to add some things to the Free Reads section in the upcoming months. So check it out, and if you still get the original, un-updated page like I was, just clear your cache and close your browser.

The Year in Review

'Sup, folks? I hope everyone had a good holiday. Mine was much better than last year, and I got some nice things (new slow cooker, some gift cards, jewelry). We even had a white Christmas, and it got even whiter yesterday. The winter storm dumped about a foot of snow on us, which killed the big after-Christmas sales up and down the eastern seaboard. Right now the wind is gusting up to 45 mph, which is making it hard to keep the roads clear.

It's been an interesting weekend.

The year is winding down, and it's hard to believe that it's only five days until 2011. The new year is almost upon us, so I've been thinking a lot about the year that's almost over. After checking back through older posts, I realized I never did post my goals for 2010 here. I did post them over on Absolute Write, so I brought that list over.

1. Sell at least two more books in the Dreg City series to my editor
2. Submit a second adult series (if my current editor decides not to take it on)
3. Discuss and prepare with agent a YA project
4. Continue writing short stories and submit to short story markets
5. Promote the hell out of my July '10 release
6. Continue blogging
7. I hit my goal of reading 100 books/novellas this year, so I'm putting next year's goal at 115.
8. Write, write, write to keep those muscles limber

So how did I do?

1. Sold. ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD releases 7/26/11 and WRONG SIDE OF DEAD sometime in 2012.
2. Did that. Sold it to Pocket. The first book, WARDEN'S TRANCE, releases 11/1/11.
3. Did that, too. Details forthcoming.
4. Er, not so much. I've fiddled with a few shorts, and I suppose my chapter of A GLIMPSE OF DARKNESS counts.
5. Did that. My readers are awesome.
6. I didn't blog as often as I would have liked, and it's something I hope to do more often next year.
7. Epic fail. As of yesterday, my Read List is 40 books. It'll probably be 41 before the year ends.
8. Definitely did this. I wrote Dreg City #4, a spec novel that's currently in limbo, finished the aforementioned YA book, and dabbled in a few other side projects. Not to mention the rewriting/editing of some other works.

So 2010 was definitely a productive year for me. I haven't written up my 2011 goals yet. Turning in the second book in my Pocket contract is the only outstanding thing I have to do in the new year. I also hope to do a few more conventions this year, so stay tuned for those details.

How did 2010 treat you?

Cover Art: Another Kind of Dead

I can now unveil the cover for Dreg City #3, ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD. And can I just say how much I love this? I have truly been blessed with some amazingly awesome covers, and this one is no exception.



The background is a train yard, which see a little action this time around. And the super-cool lightning is a fun plot point, as well. Evy looks particularly bad-ass in this one, and the tag line says it all: She was born for this fight--no matter how many times it kills her.

Love. It.

Release Day: A Glimpse of Darkness

A GLIMPSE OF DARKNESS, my collaborative short story with fellow Del Rey/Spectra authors Lara Adrian, Harry Connolly, Stacia Kane and Lucy A. Snyder, is now available as an ebook! You can get the entire adventure for just 99 cents!

To help celebrate the release, each of us briefly blogged on the Kindle Daily Post about our experiences writing a collaborative story, as well as submitted questions to each other about the process. Check out the first post by Lara Adrian here.

In other news, I finished page proofs for ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD. It's always an exciting step to see what the actual book pages will look like. Couple that with having seen cover art, and it's starting to feel like a real book! I'll share the cover as soon as I can, promise!

Food Court Serenade

If this doesn't put you in the holiday spirit, I don't know what will.



How come I'm never at the mall when cool stuff like this happens?

Thanks to SciFiGuy for the link.