I have something a little different for you today, friends. Writer Paul Jessup is stopping by as part of his Virtual Blog Tour, and he's chatting a little bit about his thoughts on Urban Fantasy.
Welcome, Paul!
****
Urban Fantasy as a Reaction to Classic Horror
I make no bones about it, I love me some classic horror. In the movies, on television, in my books, whatever, whenever I can find it. The pitch perfect time was those three decades where low budget meant bad acting and limited special effects, but it was made up for with sheer terror.
But let's be honest. The golden decades (60's, 70's and 80's) had a small problem. Especially in serial killer/slasher films, but in monster films as well. And that was, plainly put, sexism. It continues onto this day, and it's not just sexism, it's violence towards women glorified to pornographic levels. Especially any woman that's not the "last girl" (the good girl who doesn't have sex or do drugs and ends up surviving the terrifying ordeal somehow).
Look at most most posters for Horror Films. It shows women crying, screaming, or abused. What does that say, when this is your advertisement for a movie? What does it say about your genre?
IMHO, Urban Fantasy is a straight up rebellion against that. Their is no Last Girl. The Last Girl was a victim who fought back. Urban Fantasy protagonists are not victims and they are definitely not good girls who don't have sex or do bad stuff. It's a moral grey area, the entire existence of the heroine of an UF novel. The good guys do bad shit. And they kill. And they are the ones fighting monsters.
And it's not like Epic Fantasy where the good/evil lines are drawn clearly in the sand. No. A lot of UF protags end up risking becoming the very monsters they fight. They are the ones in power, and they are the ones taking risks. Sure, it uses all the horror tropes and horror monsters, but it turns the very groundwork of the horror genre on it's head.
For the longest time I wondered why there was so much vile hate in the Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror community towards Urban Fantasy. Esp. from the old guard. And now I realized this is the core of it- they want their female characters abused and victims. They don't want strong, sexy woman kicking the crap out of some terror that walks in the night.
***
Paul Jessup is a guest blogger, going on a small virtual tour of the internet to promote his new book Werewolves. It's an illustrated book about the journey of one High School teen named Alice, and her voyage into the violent werewolf community. She tries to find a cure, help her brother, and survive violent pack conflicts. You can purchase a copy here. The art is done by Allyson Haller, and it's published by Chronicle Books. You can view the rest of the blog tour as it chugs along this week at his website, http://pauljessup.com.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
I Am Thrilled to Finally Announce....
You remember that "other good news" I was teasing about early this summer, but couldn't talk about yet? I can talk about it now!
Here it is (cribbing from the original Publisher's Marketplace announcement):
So that wasn't exactly how it appeared in PM. I might have embellished one part.
*happy dance*
For those of you who've followed my publication struggles these last few years, I wrote WARDEN'S TRANCE a year before I wrote THREE DAYS TO DEAD. I submitted TW to agents, received a lot of rejections, and a handful of requests. I admit now that the book did need some work. And through the wisdom of a lot of people, including my agent and an amazing crit partner, plus what I learned by writing TDtD and its sequel, I whipped WT into shape and we sold it to Pocket!
So my advice to folks who are querying agents, feel they have a strong query, but find that they aren't having any luck? Write another book. Not all good books are good FIRST books.
Also, the awesome site i09.com did an interview with me back in late May, when the deal was first announced. You can read it here.
The first in this new superhero series, WARDEN'S TRANCE, should be out some time next summer/fall. Book two, QUEEN'S CAPTURE, will follow at some point after that. :)
Here it is (cribbing from the original Publisher's Marketplace announcement):
Kelly Meding's WARDEN'S TRANCE, the first book in a new series in which adult children of the world's slaughtered heroes suddenly regain their lost superpowers after a mysterious, fifteen-year absence, only to face a fearful public, a leery government, and the villain responsible for the deaths of their parents, to Jennifer Heddle at Pocket, in a two book deal, by MY SUPER-AWESOME, AMAZING AGENT!
So that wasn't exactly how it appeared in PM. I might have embellished one part.
*happy dance*
For those of you who've followed my publication struggles these last few years, I wrote WARDEN'S TRANCE a year before I wrote THREE DAYS TO DEAD. I submitted TW to agents, received a lot of rejections, and a handful of requests. I admit now that the book did need some work. And through the wisdom of a lot of people, including my agent and an amazing crit partner, plus what I learned by writing TDtD and its sequel, I whipped WT into shape and we sold it to Pocket!
So my advice to folks who are querying agents, feel they have a strong query, but find that they aren't having any luck? Write another book. Not all good books are good FIRST books.
Also, the awesome site i09.com did an interview with me back in late May, when the deal was first announced. You can read it here.
The first in this new superhero series, WARDEN'S TRANCE, should be out some time next summer/fall. Book two, QUEEN'S CAPTURE, will follow at some point after that. :)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Peeking Out of the Cave
The last two weeks have just flown by, and I truly cannot believe it's already August 11th. What's happening to my summer????
I'm all moved into the new apartment. There were only three casualties on moving day - two glass tumblers and the carafe of my big coffee pot (the little one survived). The apartment is just as spacious as I remember, and except for a few minor tweaks here and there, all decorated. Kitteh is settling in, as well. We're settling into a routine, and the new place is starting to feel like home.
So here's the laundry list of stuff to catch y'all up on....
BOOK SIGNINGS - I have two events coming up.
Following that is the sad news that I'm no longer able to attend Dragon*Con this year. Something came up, and it was a hard decision to make, but it had to be made. However, I have every intention of being there next year (and some other cons/events, as well).
I'm thrilled to say that AS LIE THE DEAD is an August Pick for the Barnes & Noble Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Book Club. It's easy to become a member and join in the discussion.
Reviews for AS LIE THE DEAD have been popping up on various sites and blogs.
The wonderful Carol, at Bitten By Books, had some lovely things to say. On Evy's emotional journey:
ALTD also received 4.25/5 stars at Nite Owl Reviews. Among the lovely comments was this gem that just made me squee for joy:
*loves*
We'll see what happens, shall we?
Now it's time to go back to my cave. I have Dreg City 3 edits due back in two weeks, plus Dreg City 4 due to my editor by October 1 (and hoo-boy, is this one going places I didn't expect...).
I'm all moved into the new apartment. There were only three casualties on moving day - two glass tumblers and the carafe of my big coffee pot (the little one survived). The apartment is just as spacious as I remember, and except for a few minor tweaks here and there, all decorated. Kitteh is settling in, as well. We're settling into a routine, and the new place is starting to feel like home.
So here's the laundry list of stuff to catch y'all up on....
BOOK SIGNINGS - I have two events coming up.
Saturday, August 14th, 1-3 pm
Borders
Camp Hill, PA
Saturday, September 11th, 4-7pm
Barnes & Noble, Christiana Mall
Newark, DE
Following that is the sad news that I'm no longer able to attend Dragon*Con this year. Something came up, and it was a hard decision to make, but it had to be made. However, I have every intention of being there next year (and some other cons/events, as well).
I'm thrilled to say that AS LIE THE DEAD is an August Pick for the Barnes & Noble Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Book Club. It's easy to become a member and join in the discussion.
Reviews for AS LIE THE DEAD have been popping up on various sites and blogs.
The wonderful Carol, at Bitten By Books, had some lovely things to say. On Evy's emotional journey:
Evy’s struggle to accept and embrace the melding of her former identity with that of Chalice’s memories, emotions, and physical reality results in confusion and pain, but she never doubts that her purpose remains the same – to fight to protect the innocent and those unable to defend themselves.
ALTD also received 4.25/5 stars at Nite Owl Reviews. Among the lovely comments was this gem that just made me squee for joy:
But it did bring Phineas to the forefront so, there you go. If there was going to be teams, I would so be Team Phineas!
*loves*
We'll see what happens, shall we?
Now it's time to go back to my cave. I have Dreg City 3 edits due back in two weeks, plus Dreg City 4 due to my editor by October 1 (and hoo-boy, is this one going places I didn't expect...).
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The End is Nigh!
Well, the end of living in this lovely old house with my roommate of seven years. Tomorrow, I'll be packing up my stuff (way too many boxes of books, God help us), and Saturday, moving into my new apartment with Kitteh. I'm both excited and terrified.
Preparing for the move is one of the reasons the blog has been kind of boring lately (huge apologies for that). But once I get settled in, I hope to post more regularly again. My brain can't seem to concentrate on much besides the move, and trying to write Dreg City #4.
So the internet goes out tomorrow night, and it won't be back at my new place until Monday afternoon. Until them, my lovelies, happy reading!
Preparing for the move is one of the reasons the blog has been kind of boring lately (huge apologies for that). But once I get settled in, I hope to post more regularly again. My brain can't seem to concentrate on much besides the move, and trying to write Dreg City #4.
So the internet goes out tomorrow night, and it won't be back at my new place until Monday afternoon. Until them, my lovelies, happy reading!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Release Day: As Lie the Dead
It's here! It's here! I'm a multi-published author!
AS LIE THE DEAD is now available for purchase from Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Powell's, Book-A-Million, and other retailers nation-wide, in both paperback and e-book formats. It's a HUGE release day for urban fantasy, with new titles from Stacia Kane, Jeaniene Frost, Jeri Smith-Ready, Seressia Glass, Marjorie M. Liu, Kelley Armstrong, Jocelynn Drake, and Mark Del Franco, so I hope you've been saving those pennies!
Two new interviews are available for your perusal.
At Larissa's Bookish Life, I'm chatting about Urban Fantasy, writing, and my favorite characters. I'm also giving away a signed copy of AS LIE THE DEAD.
At Writer's Grove, I'm chatting about superheroes, comics, coffee versus tea, and vampire trends. Stop by and say hello!
I'll also be doing an event at Bitten by Books tomorrow, with a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. RSVP for extra contest entries!
***
I can't quite believe I'm moving in four days. The house is mostly packed, and I have a list. I'd be lost without my lists.
AS LIE THE DEAD is now available for purchase from Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Powell's, Book-A-Million, and other retailers nation-wide, in both paperback and e-book formats. It's a HUGE release day for urban fantasy, with new titles from Stacia Kane, Jeaniene Frost, Jeri Smith-Ready, Seressia Glass, Marjorie M. Liu, Kelley Armstrong, Jocelynn Drake, and Mark Del Franco, so I hope you've been saving those pennies!
Two new interviews are available for your perusal.
At Larissa's Bookish Life, I'm chatting about Urban Fantasy, writing, and my favorite characters. I'm also giving away a signed copy of AS LIE THE DEAD.
At Writer's Grove, I'm chatting about superheroes, comics, coffee versus tea, and vampire trends. Stop by and say hello!
I'll also be doing an event at Bitten by Books tomorrow, with a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. RSVP for extra contest entries!
***
I can't quite believe I'm moving in four days. The house is mostly packed, and I have a list. I'd be lost without my lists.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Seven/Eleven Isn't Just a Convenience Store...
Are you excited yet? I'm excited. For two reasons. In seven days, AS LIE THE DEAD hits store shelves nationwide! And in eleven days, my cat and I are moving into our brand-new, beautiful apartment (with an office, I'm so happy to have an office!).
I have lots of stuff coming up in the next two weeks or so, including somethings going on right now. There's a fun interview up at Book Lovers, Inc, in which I'm answering questions about Evy, Wyatt, and their future shenanigans, so please stop by and ask me something. I'm giving away a signed copy of AS LIE THE DEAD to one lucky commenter!
The ladies at Book Lovers,Inc, were also awesome enough to post an ARC-review of AS LIE THE DEAD. There are very minor spoilers, and it's a great review, so thank you!
Okay, I think I've used quite enough exclamation points for one post. *g*
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Anyone who is waiting on a prize from me - everything is in the mail and should be arriving shortly.
Also, I'm happy to announce that Dreg City #3, ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD, has a release date. Brace yourselves. It hits stores July 26, 2011. I know it's a whole year from now, but I hope to write a couple of short stories in the interim to keep y'all jazzed for book three (I know I am, I just loooove the bad guy in this one).
I have lots of stuff coming up in the next two weeks or so, including somethings going on right now. There's a fun interview up at Book Lovers, Inc, in which I'm answering questions about Evy, Wyatt, and their future shenanigans, so please stop by and ask me something. I'm giving away a signed copy of AS LIE THE DEAD to one lucky commenter!
The ladies at Book Lovers,Inc, were also awesome enough to post an ARC-review of AS LIE THE DEAD. There are very minor spoilers, and it's a great review, so thank you!
The characters are wonderful and the story is full of revelations and has it's fair amount of action. A highly recommended read that will keep you on the edge of your seat and won't let you stop till you read the last page.
Okay, I think I've used quite enough exclamation points for one post. *g*
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Anyone who is waiting on a prize from me - everything is in the mail and should be arriving shortly.
Also, I'm happy to announce that Dreg City #3, ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD, has a release date. Brace yourselves. It hits stores July 26, 2011. I know it's a whole year from now, but I hope to write a couple of short stories in the interim to keep y'all jazzed for book three (I know I am, I just loooove the bad guy in this one).
Friday, July 16, 2010
Twitter Giveaway
I've run giveaways on my blog before, but I haven't done one on Twitter yet. Until today. It's open to all of my followers (I Tweet as @KellyMeding), today only. At around 10am today, I will tweet that the giveaway is open. All you have to do is Tweet back the answer to my question, and you'll be entered.
I'm posting this here on my blog for easy reference.
Rules:
1. One entry per person. Even if you tweet me six answers, you're entered once.
2. You have to tweet me an answer. Just RT-ing my question isn't enough.
3. Open to international Twitter peeps.
4. Contest is open all day, until around 8pm Eastern. I'll tweet when it's over.
5. Winners will be randomly chosen.
What do you win? A signed, early copy of AS LIE THE DEAD (due in stores July 27!). TWO lucky winners will be announced later tonight!
I'm posting this here on my blog for easy reference.
Rules:
1. One entry per person. Even if you tweet me six answers, you're entered once.
2. You have to tweet me an answer. Just RT-ing my question isn't enough.
3. Open to international Twitter peeps.
4. Contest is open all day, until around 8pm Eastern. I'll tweet when it's over.
5. Winners will be randomly chosen.
What do you win? A signed, early copy of AS LIE THE DEAD (due in stores July 27!). TWO lucky winners will be announced later tonight!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Linkage Round-Up and Stuff
Two more weeks! Fourteen days! Wheee!!!!!
Bitten By Books hosts weekly polls over on their site, and this week AS LIE THE DEAD is nominated in their Best Paranormal/UF Cover for July 2010 poll. There's some stiff competition and lots of lovely covers, but if you have a moment to stop over and vote, please do. Several fellow Reluctant Adults (Dakota Cassidy, Stacia Kane, Nicole Peeler) are also nominated!
I was also interviewed by the talented and very funny Shennandoah Diaz here on her blog. I talked about writing a series, plotting, and the future of Dreg City.
There's also a fantastic review of THREE DAYS TO DEAD up at Book Lovers, INC. It's wonderful to know that even eight months later, folks are still reading, enjoying, and talking about the book. I also have an interview coming up on their site on July 19th, so keep an eye out for that.
For anyone who followed my #ShoreLeave tweets this weekend, much fun was had. I met some really cool people, networked a bit, and even signed two copies of TDTD for the con bookseller! But the best part of the weekend? Three words: Edward James Olmos.
SO SAY WE ALL!
Bitten By Books hosts weekly polls over on their site, and this week AS LIE THE DEAD is nominated in their Best Paranormal/UF Cover for July 2010 poll. There's some stiff competition and lots of lovely covers, but if you have a moment to stop over and vote, please do. Several fellow Reluctant Adults (Dakota Cassidy, Stacia Kane, Nicole Peeler) are also nominated!
I was also interviewed by the talented and very funny Shennandoah Diaz here on her blog. I talked about writing a series, plotting, and the future of Dreg City.
There's also a fantastic review of THREE DAYS TO DEAD up at Book Lovers, INC. It's wonderful to know that even eight months later, folks are still reading, enjoying, and talking about the book. I also have an interview coming up on their site on July 19th, so keep an eye out for that.
For anyone who followed my #ShoreLeave tweets this weekend, much fun was had. I met some really cool people, networked a bit, and even signed two copies of TDTD for the con bookseller! But the best part of the weekend? Three words: Edward James Olmos.
SO SAY WE ALL!
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Reading, Reviewing, and Ranting (just a little)
So people who aren't me, my agent, or my editor are reading AS LIE THE DEAD and liking it. Larissa's Bookish Life has a lovely ARC review posted here.
A favorite quote:
AS LIE THE DEAD was also reviewed in the August '10 issue of "Romantic Times Book Reviews," and received a 4-star rating!
The reviewer had some super-cool things to say:
Yay!
It certainly balances out the craziness that was this past weekend. I supposedly had an apartment all lined up, move-in ready on July 31. I even put a $100 GOOD FAITH deposit down on the apartment on June 25. The leasing agent called me July 3 and said the current tenants were no longer vacating, so the apartment was no longer available. So sorry, and by the way, we only have two other empty units for $200 more a month than what we promised you.
Er...uh...?
Alas, I'm a non-confrontation person, so I didn't give this guy hell on the phone. I hung up and cried (yes, I'm that person). I got really, really mad. It pretty much ruined my weekend.
I'm better now that I'm distanced from it. I'm looking at a place tomorrow, and I have a good feeling about it. I'll still be writing some very angry letters to this other management company, but overall, I'm over it. Stay tuned...
A favorite quote:
If you haven't checked out Kelly Meding’s Dreg City series yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. There are so many Urban Fantasy novels and series out there, it’s great to read something that at the same time is faithful to the classics and brings something fresh to the table.
AS LIE THE DEAD was also reviewed in the August '10 issue of "Romantic Times Book Reviews," and received a 4-star rating!
The reviewer had some super-cool things to say:
Solving her own murder was just the warm-up for newly resurrected dreg hunter Evy Stone. Rising star Meding returns to the ominous world and gutsy heroine first introduced in her exceptional debut. Menace oozes from the pages, as Meding places her heroine in the middle of a maze where deceit and betrayal run rampant. Evy is an unforgettable heroine and Meding an author to watch!
Yay!
It certainly balances out the craziness that was this past weekend. I supposedly had an apartment all lined up, move-in ready on July 31. I even put a $100 GOOD FAITH deposit down on the apartment on June 25. The leasing agent called me July 3 and said the current tenants were no longer vacating, so the apartment was no longer available. So sorry, and by the way, we only have two other empty units for $200 more a month than what we promised you.
Er...uh...?
Alas, I'm a non-confrontation person, so I didn't give this guy hell on the phone. I hung up and cried (yes, I'm that person). I got really, really mad. It pretty much ruined my weekend.
I'm better now that I'm distanced from it. I'm looking at a place tomorrow, and I have a good feeling about it. I'll still be writing some very angry letters to this other management company, but overall, I'm over it. Stay tuned...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Big Birthday Giveaway Winners!
Huge thanks to everyone to left a comment in the Big Birthday Giveaway! It was great to see such an amazing response, so thank you, thank you!
The 3 winners of the signed copy of THREE DAYS TO DEAD, a bookmark, two Dreg/Triad pins, and a "Note to Self" mini-notebook are:
unseelieme
RobinK
Marguerite Butler
Congrats!
Aaaaand, the Grand Prize Winner of all this stuff
is... *drumroll*
Jessica!
Congrats! To all the winners, please email your postal address to mail(at)kellymeding.com.
Thanks so much to everyone who participated!
The 3 winners of the signed copy of THREE DAYS TO DEAD, a bookmark, two Dreg/Triad pins, and a "Note to Self" mini-notebook are:
unseelieme
RobinK
Marguerite Butler
Congrats!
Aaaaand, the Grand Prize Winner of all this stuff
is... *drumroll*
Jessica!
Congrats! To all the winners, please email your postal address to mail(at)kellymeding.com.
Thanks so much to everyone who participated!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Babies, Vampires, and Shapeshifters, Oh My!
Wow! The response so far to the Big Birthday Giveaway has been awesome! You guys rock so hard! If anyone hasn't checked it out yet, scroll down or go here.
Author Scoop is running a series of posts in which they ask authors about the saying "my book is my baby." Head over to see what I have to say on the subject.
I also participated in a joint interview for Flames Rising, in which I sound off on vampires, along with fellow Reluctant Adults Dakota Cassidy, Mark Henry and Nicole Peeler.
Last but not least, I am guest posting in the Paranormal SummerFest over at All Things Urban Fantasy. Abigail was kind enough to invite my THREE DAYS TO DEAD heroine, Evangeline Stone, back for another round of information sharing. Check out Shapeshifters 101 and enter to win a signed copy of THREE DAYS TO DEAD, plus swag!
Author Scoop is running a series of posts in which they ask authors about the saying "my book is my baby." Head over to see what I have to say on the subject.
I also participated in a joint interview for Flames Rising, in which I sound off on vampires, along with fellow Reluctant Adults Dakota Cassidy, Mark Henry and Nicole Peeler.
Last but not least, I am guest posting in the Paranormal SummerFest over at All Things Urban Fantasy. Abigail was kind enough to invite my THREE DAYS TO DEAD heroine, Evangeline Stone, back for another round of information sharing. Check out Shapeshifters 101 and enter to win a signed copy of THREE DAYS TO DEAD, plus swag!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Big Birthday Giveaway!
ETA: GIVEAWAY CLOSED
In less than four hours, I officially leave my twenties behind and enter my thirties. And I'm way more okay with that than I thought I'd be. When I think back to where I was ten years ago, as I entered my twenties, it's boggling to see how far I've come.
Since I turned twenty, I....
lived in four different states.
interned for John Wells Productions, in California.
graduated college pretty high in my class.
wrote ten novels.
wrote three full-length screenplays.
wrote two television episode scripts.
wrote a LOT of fanfiction.
welcomed my niece into the world.
made some amazing new friends.
lost my paternal grandmother.
said goodbye to two kitties.
bought my first car all on my own.
signed with a wonderful agent.
sold six novels.
sold foreign rights to two of those novels.
realized my dream of being a published author.
There are a lot of in-between things I'm missing, for sure. A lot of milestones, heartbreak, excitement, and boredom. There are things I haven't done yet and am sad to be turning thirty without those experiences. But I have time. And I came to a very Zen-like conclusion the other day: my twenties were about work, and my thirties will be about play.
I want to travel more. I want meet that someone special. I want to experiment more with my cooking. I want to learn a foreign language (my Spanish is terrible, and Pig Latin doesn't count).
So...this post has been all about me so far. Time to make it all about you, my loyal blog followers and fans. Talk to me. In the comments, I want you to tell me one thing you want to do if you were granted the wish. You'd be given the money, the access, the opportunity to do one cool thing (realistically, no "I want to grow six inches taller" or "I want to colonize the moon").
Do you want the chance to meet a famous person? Do you want to take a bike tour of Italy? Do you want a week-long Alaskan cruise with your significant other? Tell me a little dream in the comments section, and I'll enter you in the giveaway.
What am I giving away?
Glad you asked.
Three lucky winners will each get a signed copy of THREE DAYS TO DEAD, a bookmark, two Dreg/Triad pins, and a "Note to Self" mini-notebook.
One Grand Prize winner will get this loot:
What's in the photo: a signed copy of THREE DAYS TO DEAD, a bookmark, two Dreg/Triad buttons, a "Blah, Blah, Blah" sticky note pad, Romance Novel magnetic poetry, a little vampire VooDoo doll keychain, and an AS LIE THE DEAD cover flat (signed or un-signed, as the winner prefers).
The giveaway is open until 10pm Eastern, Monday, June 28. I will randomly select and announce the winners on Tuesday, June 29.
Remember, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me something you really want to do, given the chance. What's your fun wish?
In less than four hours, I officially leave my twenties behind and enter my thirties. And I'm way more okay with that than I thought I'd be. When I think back to where I was ten years ago, as I entered my twenties, it's boggling to see how far I've come.
Since I turned twenty, I....
lived in four different states.
interned for John Wells Productions, in California.
graduated college pretty high in my class.
wrote ten novels.
wrote three full-length screenplays.
wrote two television episode scripts.
wrote a LOT of fanfiction.
welcomed my niece into the world.
made some amazing new friends.
lost my paternal grandmother.
said goodbye to two kitties.
bought my first car all on my own.
signed with a wonderful agent.
sold six novels.
sold foreign rights to two of those novels.
realized my dream of being a published author.
There are a lot of in-between things I'm missing, for sure. A lot of milestones, heartbreak, excitement, and boredom. There are things I haven't done yet and am sad to be turning thirty without those experiences. But I have time. And I came to a very Zen-like conclusion the other day: my twenties were about work, and my thirties will be about play.
I want to travel more. I want meet that someone special. I want to experiment more with my cooking. I want to learn a foreign language (my Spanish is terrible, and Pig Latin doesn't count).
So...this post has been all about me so far. Time to make it all about you, my loyal blog followers and fans. Talk to me. In the comments, I want you to tell me one thing you want to do if you were granted the wish. You'd be given the money, the access, the opportunity to do one cool thing (realistically, no "I want to grow six inches taller" or "I want to colonize the moon").
Do you want the chance to meet a famous person? Do you want to take a bike tour of Italy? Do you want a week-long Alaskan cruise with your significant other? Tell me a little dream in the comments section, and I'll enter you in the giveaway.
What am I giving away?
Glad you asked.
Three lucky winners will each get a signed copy of THREE DAYS TO DEAD, a bookmark, two Dreg/Triad pins, and a "Note to Self" mini-notebook.
One Grand Prize winner will get this loot:
What's in the photo: a signed copy of THREE DAYS TO DEAD, a bookmark, two Dreg/Triad buttons, a "Blah, Blah, Blah" sticky note pad, Romance Novel magnetic poetry, a little vampire VooDoo doll keychain, and an AS LIE THE DEAD cover flat (signed or un-signed, as the winner prefers).
The giveaway is open until 10pm Eastern, Monday, June 28. I will randomly select and announce the winners on Tuesday, June 29.
Remember, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me something you really want to do, given the chance. What's your fun wish?
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Happy Release Day, Jackie & Caitlin!
Today is the official release day of SHADES OF GRAY, the second book in the very awesome series co-written by fellow Reluctant Adults Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. Congrats, ladies! I can't wait to get my copy!!!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Moving Again...plus other stuff
So anyone who follows me on Twitter might have seen my hashtag #inpackinghell. What does this mean? It means I'm moving house again.
No, it's not a false alarm like last summer. Nor is it a move across state lines like the summer before. It will be a move up the highway, to a town closer to my day job, my sister and her family, and to more than one grocery store (ah, bliss!). While I will miss the small, historic town I've made my home for the last two years (neighborhood dogs who come up to your door, a mailman who knows my name, antique shops right around the corner), I'm looking forward to the change.
This move will also mark the first time I'll be living completely alone (not counting my kitty). I've always had a roommate (or several, counting college), so having a place of my own will be quite the change. I've already found a nice, affordable apartment in a quiet complex, complete with a pool and weight room (the complex, not the apartment). The biggest task now is sorting all of my stuff, boxing up things that I can temporarily store at my parents house, and packing the stuff that's coming with me.
Have you ever divided up a household that's been together for seven years? Minus the emotional angst, it feels a bit like a divorce. Yes, my current roomie and I have lived together for seven years. I made a long list of things that I have, things that I don't have, and it's a strange and scary list. For example, I have two coffee makers, but I don't own a vacuum cleaner. I have a tool box full of stuff, but no phone for land lines.
Also? I have a lot of books. A lot. I've already packed up nine banana boxes worth, and I could probably fill at least five more. My arms hurt just thinking about carrying those up two flights of stairs....
All this doesn't happen until July 31. And between now and then, I have to launch AS LIE THE DEAD (five more weeks, my pretties!), which will include a lineup of guest blogs, interviews, and giveaways. I also have to pack and clean the house, and keep working on Evy #4. And we're reorganizing the stock room at the day job next week, so that's going to be exhausting.
Busy, busy, busy.
But I'm enjoying it. I'd much rather have Teh Busy than Teh Bored.
What else? For anyone in the Baltimore area, I'll be at Shore Leave, July 9-11, so if you see me be sure to say hello.
I've also committed to Dragon*Con again this year. Four words: Jim Butcher, Sam Trammell.
Yum.
Check back later this week for a new giveaway to celebrate the release of AS LIE THE DEAD, and to mourn my birthday and the loss of my twenties!
No, it's not a false alarm like last summer. Nor is it a move across state lines like the summer before. It will be a move up the highway, to a town closer to my day job, my sister and her family, and to more than one grocery store (ah, bliss!). While I will miss the small, historic town I've made my home for the last two years (neighborhood dogs who come up to your door, a mailman who knows my name, antique shops right around the corner), I'm looking forward to the change.
This move will also mark the first time I'll be living completely alone (not counting my kitty). I've always had a roommate (or several, counting college), so having a place of my own will be quite the change. I've already found a nice, affordable apartment in a quiet complex, complete with a pool and weight room (the complex, not the apartment). The biggest task now is sorting all of my stuff, boxing up things that I can temporarily store at my parents house, and packing the stuff that's coming with me.
Have you ever divided up a household that's been together for seven years? Minus the emotional angst, it feels a bit like a divorce. Yes, my current roomie and I have lived together for seven years. I made a long list of things that I have, things that I don't have, and it's a strange and scary list. For example, I have two coffee makers, but I don't own a vacuum cleaner. I have a tool box full of stuff, but no phone for land lines.
Also? I have a lot of books. A lot. I've already packed up nine banana boxes worth, and I could probably fill at least five more. My arms hurt just thinking about carrying those up two flights of stairs....
All this doesn't happen until July 31. And between now and then, I have to launch AS LIE THE DEAD (five more weeks, my pretties!), which will include a lineup of guest blogs, interviews, and giveaways. I also have to pack and clean the house, and keep working on Evy #4. And we're reorganizing the stock room at the day job next week, so that's going to be exhausting.
Busy, busy, busy.
But I'm enjoying it. I'd much rather have Teh Busy than Teh Bored.
What else? For anyone in the Baltimore area, I'll be at Shore Leave, July 9-11, so if you see me be sure to say hello.
I've also committed to Dragon*Con again this year. Four words: Jim Butcher, Sam Trammell.
Yum.
Check back later this week for a new giveaway to celebrate the release of AS LIE THE DEAD, and to mourn my birthday and the loss of my twenties!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
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!!!
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!!!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Dreg City Series Continues!
Long-time followers of this blog know I had a pretty rough couple of months this past winter. 2010 wasn't going well for a while. Then my kitty got better. And then, at the end of April, I got the awesome news I can now officially share with everyone.
My awesome editor at Bantam bought two more Dreg City books! Yes, ladies and gents (and everyone else), the Dreg City series is now officially four books long. Evy gets to share a few more adventures with y'all. And I get to work with my editor and all the other fantastic people at Bantam again! Win!
The new books are tentatively titled Another Kind of Dead and Wrong Side of Dead. While I was fortunate that the first two titles in the series didn't change, I know there's always a chance these might so don't be surprised if they do.
For more details, there's an awesome write-up on Whitney Sullivan's Romantic Times blog. I didn't reveal any actual spoilers, but did drop a few hints as to what to expect as the series progresses, so please check it out!
Big thanks must go to my amazing agent. They say that a good agent is worth their weight in gold, and I have a great agent who is working on more fantastic things for me as I write this.
And of course, a huge round of thanks to you, Dear Readers. Without your support and your willingness to give Evy's story a shot, I couldn't type this post. You allow me to continue playing in her world for a while longer. So THANK YOU!!!!!
My awesome editor at Bantam bought two more Dreg City books! Yes, ladies and gents (and everyone else), the Dreg City series is now officially four books long. Evy gets to share a few more adventures with y'all. And I get to work with my editor and all the other fantastic people at Bantam again! Win!
The new books are tentatively titled Another Kind of Dead and Wrong Side of Dead. While I was fortunate that the first two titles in the series didn't change, I know there's always a chance these might so don't be surprised if they do.
For more details, there's an awesome write-up on Whitney Sullivan's Romantic Times blog. I didn't reveal any actual spoilers, but did drop a few hints as to what to expect as the series progresses, so please check it out!
Big thanks must go to my amazing agent. They say that a good agent is worth their weight in gold, and I have a great agent who is working on more fantastic things for me as I write this.
And of course, a huge round of thanks to you, Dear Readers. Without your support and your willingness to give Evy's story a shot, I couldn't type this post. You allow me to continue playing in her world for a while longer. So THANK YOU!!!!!
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Excerpt 2: As Lie the Dead
Seven weeks and counting until AS LIE THE DEAD hits shelves! I admit, I'm on pins and needles waiting for reviews. Second books always seem to carry more expectations than first books, and I really hope AS LIE delivers for you guys. I absolutely adore some of the new characters in this book, and I think at least one of them will capture your attention (*cough*wingedhawtness*cough*).
So to further entice you, here's the rest of Chapter One. I posted an excerpt several weeks ago that you can find here.
Enjoy!
Yeah, not my fault. Maybe if I said that a few more times, I'd even believe it.
The Hunters and Handlers continued collecting bodies as the sun inched higher into the morning sky, turning purples and crimsons into pinks and golds. The odor of rot intensified as the cool morning gave way to warmth. A different sort of body pile was rising near our Jeep—six dead Hunters, each carefully covered with a cotton blanket. While fewer in number, those losses hit much harder. Adding in the death of Rufus's entire Triad team yesterday, we had lost forty percent of our trained forces.
The battle had ultimately lasted only an hour, but the effects would be felt for a long time—not only among the Triads but also among the many species that inhabited both the city and the surrounding mountains. The goblins—a scavenger species that spent more time in the city's sewers and subterranean tunnels than aboveground—had shown their manipulative hands by joining forces with Halfies and openly attacking us. They'd be hunted mercilessly for it. The Halfies—not fully vampire but no longer fully human—had no real power other than as thugs and roving street gangs, but someone had managed to keep them organized long enough to cause serious carnage tonight.
Their collective status had just gone from Irritant to Public Enemy Number One.
The Triads could handle the goblins and Halfies. We'd been doing it for years, in secret, keeping the existence of such creatures from the general public. No, it was the orchestrator of their activities that had the potential to cause the most upheaval. The Fey Council, humanity's largest champion, had been betrayed by one of their own—an elf named Tovin, one of the very few elves known to exist. He had tried to release a demon into our world by transplanting the thing's consciousness into Wyatt. We'd stopped Tovin and trapped the demon.
Temporarily trapped. Amalie, Queen of the sprites, would likely send someone along shortly to collect the lemon-sized onyx crystal the demon had hardened into, for proper storage and disposal. She'd given me the magic spell to stop the demon; I trusted her to handle it from here.
But perhaps the most important outcome of tonight's battle was that the Triads had found a tentative ally in the vampires—something I'd never expected three days ago from a species who did their collective best to ignore us and, when they didn't, looked down their noses at us. It was an alliance that sprang out of more than just a unified view that all Halfies should be wiped out, only I couldn't put my finger on the more.
And I was too exhausted to worry about it now. "Let's just get the hell out of here," I said.
"You going to file an official report on this, Truman?" Baylor asked.
Wyatt snorted. "Are you offering me my job back?"
"Not mine to offer, but you had a huge part in this. Once a Handler, always a Handler, right?"
"Yeah." That time he seemed to mean it.
I grabbed Wyatt's wrist and tugged him away. He came without further prompting, seemingly as ready to get out of there as I was.
"Stone!"
Christ, what now?
Gina Kismet jogged over from the direction of the pavilion opposite the Visitors' Center and pulled to a dead stop in front of us, not even out of breath. Her left leg was bandaged, red already seeping through, but the red-haired, pint-sized Handler seemed unbothered by the wounds. She held out a black cell phone; I eyed it.
"Instinct tells me this isn't over," she said.
"Me, too."
"Then take this, just in case."
I did, slipping it into the rear pocket of my jeans. "Thanks."
"We'll see you."
"Undoubtedly."
She wandered back, already barking orders at someone else. I didn't know her well but decided then that I liked her. Ballsy and strong, like a Hunter—only not. Flaming red hair disappeared among the remaining figures, though I knew I'd see her again. Probably a lot sooner than I wanted.
Last night, Wyatt and I had come in via the forest, but we decided on a more convenient route back to our hidden car. Several dozen yards down the potholed access road, barely halfway back to the main road, he started laughing. I stopped in the middle of the leaf-strewn pavement and stared at him. He waved one hand at me, not overcome, just privately amused at something in his own head. I glared at him, waiting for an in on the joke.
"I was just thinking," he said. "Here we are walking a mile back to the car when you could probably teleport us both in less than a second."
I hadn't even considered using my newfound Gift to get us back. It would take time to orient to it, just as it would take time to orient to the fact that I'd just taken full possession of my current body. A week ago, I'd been tortured to death by goblins. Three days ago, I'd been resurrected into the body of Chalice Frost, recently deceased via suicide. Less than two hours ago, the magical bargain that gave me only a three-day afterlife had been broken in a flurry of memories and physical sensations. Permanent possession of someone's body apparently also came with the memory of that body's life experiences.
Weird didn't even begin to cover it.
Wyatt and I had also stumbled onto the fact that, unbeknownst to her, Chalice had a Gift. A direct tether to the Break—the source of magic for the world. Only a handful of humans possessed that tether, giving each a unique Gift. Wyatt's was summoning inanimate objects; Chalice's—now mine—was teleportation. I just needed to learn to use it better.
"Not this morning, pal," I replied. "I'm barely over teleporting three people through the force field Tovin put around the Visitors' Center; I haven't slept more than a few hours at a time since, oh, I was dead; and I'm so hungry I could close down a buffet house. I'm done teleporting for the immediate future. Come to think of it, I'm done doing a lot of things for the immediate future."
"Like?"
I started walking again. A gentle breeze swirled from behind, bringing with it the acrid odor of burning things. Not sweet like charred meat but heavy and oily. Disgusting.
"I'm exhausted, Wyatt," I said. "Mentally, physically, emotionally, and any other l-y you want to toss into the mix. I just want to find a motel in the middle of nowhere and sleep for a week. Then take a long, hot bath and sleep for another week."
"And after you've slept for two weeks?" he asked, from somewhere behind me. A second, unvoiced question followed, hinting at the one thing I'd left off my list—him, sharing in these activities.
Maybe after the first week of sleep, I'd have the stamina to contemplate my new Evy/Chalice supercombo existence and his place in it. Part of me wanted to haul him into that hypothetical motel and physically celebrate surviving the battle until we were exhausted and sore. But fear of my reaction to him the last time we'd attempted intimacy kept sex firmly out of my near-future plans. My new body may have given me a physical distance from the memories of being tortured and raped by a goblin, but Wyatt was right—three days was nowhere near enough time to process it all. With my deadline over, I had time to figure out this thing I felt for Wyatt. The attraction had started in Chalice and been fueled by my memories of him, and it was now something entirely its own.
Something I was unable to articulate.
I'd figure out how to articulate it later. "After I've slept for two weeks, maybe I'll use this cell phone to give Kismet a call and make sure the world hasn't gone to hell in a handcart while I've been asleep."
"Hell seems pretty keen on crossing the Break."
"Well, Tovin's dead, the Tainted is contained, and the Fair Ones still guard First Break. I'd say their chances of getting across are looking pretty damned bleak, wouldn't you?"
"Sure, until someone else decides to take over where Tovin left off."
I sped up my pace, unable to outrun the stench of the bonfire that was raging out of sight. "There's always been someone trying to unite the species against us, Wyatt."
"Before Tovin, no one ever actually got them to do it. Especially the goblins, who are notorious for not playing well with others."
I didn't want to admit that he had a good point. Saying it would give his point power, and I was sick of others lording power over me. Sick of being spun around, manipulated, and used. The Triads had done it, Wyatt had done it, and Tovin had done it. No more.
"Hey, look at me."
He grabbed my left wrist. My stomach clenched. I pivoted, twisting my wrist at the same time, then ducked and spun around behind him, effectively bending his arm backward and up against his own back.
"Do not grab me," I said in his ear.
"I'm sorry."
I let go and stepped back, breathing hard for no good reason. Not like that little defensive move had winded me. No, it was the damned adrenaline pumping through me. My heart hammered as my body caught up to my brain. His grabbing my wrist should not have caused such a reaction. Of course, maybe it wasn't my reaction at all.
I had a lot of Chalice Frost to sort through while my brain became acclimated to her residual memories. Taking permanent residence in a dead woman's body was going to require some getting used to. Especially a woman dead by her own hand. My entire life was about not giving up no matter the agony or overwhelming odds. Chalice had killed herself rather than face the figurative demons fueling her depression. I knew now it was rooted in her undiscovered Gift, but she hadn't. She just gave up.
I wanted nothing to do with it. But did embracing her attraction to Wyatt mean embracing her fatal weakness, too? If I couldn't have one without the other…it wasn't in me to give up. Not the me that was Evy Stone.
"I really don't want to talk about this, Wyatt," I said. "I don't want to talk about Tovin, or the Fey Council, the goblins, the Bloods, or anything else that isn't related to me getting some time off from this unholy shit storm called my second life."
"You can't ignore it forever, Evy," he said as he turned to face me.
"I'm not planning to ignore it forever. Just for the immediate future."
"You also going to ignore Chalice for the immediate future?"
"Kind of tough to do now, wouldn't you say?"
"I don't know. You haven't exactly been forthcoming with the details of what happened when I died."
I looked at the ground, wishing he'd stop saying that. Stop talking about dying so casually—it was my routine, not his. Maybe Wyatt's death had broken the resurrection deal and allowed me to live, but the healing crystal I'd accepted from an elderly gnome named Horzt almost hadn't worked. We'd almost lost.
A single finger touched the bottom of my chin and pressed. I let him raise my head high enough to stare right into his coal black eyes. Full of curiosity and pain and life. And deep down, probably so as not to scare me, love. Not the platonic love of a Handler for his longtime Hunter but the love of a man who'd willingly exchanged his soul to give me a second chance at life.
The kind of love I wanted to return and couldn't. At least, not physically. Not until I reconciled Chalice's past with my own. "You really want to know what happened when you died?" I asked.
"Yes."
"My heart shattered in my chest. Metaphorically. Happy now?"
He made a strangled sound in his throat, caught between a gasp and a cry.
"About five seconds later," I continued, "I saw a blinding gray light, had about a thousand different memories flash through my mind, felt a hundred unfamiliar sensations all over my body, and nearly combusted when I realized how powerful my connection to the Break had become."
My new body's Gift of teleportation had been strengthened by this connection, in turn strengthening me. In the instant Chalice and I had finally became one entity, my perspective had changed. My senses had altered. The world wasn't quite the same shade as it had been two hours ago. I didn't know what sort of residual "self" remained behind when a body died, but bits of Chalice had made themselves at home in my brain.
"You saw her memories?" Wyatt asked.
"Some of them, I think, but it's not like how I remember my life. More like emotions and sensations attached to events. Growing up and feeling like an outsider, how she felt about Alex."
God, what about Alex? Chalice's best friend had given his life to help me. I knew nothing about his family, his job, his friends. People in his life would be wondering where he'd disappeared to. They'd want answers. I certainly couldn't tell them he'd been turned into a half-breed vampire, and that I'd shot him in the head to put him out of his misery.
Grief tightened my throat. My eyes watered. I bit the inside of my cheek—no more tears. I had to keep it together.
Wyatt's hand drifted to my shoulder and squeezed. I reached up, twined my fingers with his, and smiled.
"We should keep going," I said. "It's still a long walk back."
I knew him well enough to see how much he held back—the things he wanted to say or do, and didn't. "Okay," he said.
We reached the main road and continued along the shoulder. No cars passed this early in the morning, and we arrived at our hidden (stolen) car a few minutes later. The gas station was just waking up, its neon "Open" sign blazing orange in the window. I smelled bitter coffee—the kind you buy only when no other option presents itself and it's down to overbrewed sludge or falling asleep at the wheel.
My stomach grumbled. Too bad. We were both slathered in blood—human and other. The clerk would call the police before we got five steps inside the door.
"We'll have to ditch this car soon," I said once we were back on the road to the city. The guy we stole it from should be waking up soon—if he hadn't already—and reporting the incident. Regular cops knew nothing about the Triads, and I didn't like the idea of spending the day in a holding cell.
"We also need to figure out where we're going," Wyatt said. "A motel's a good idea, but we need food and fresh clothes."
"What about the were-cat's apartment? The one we stayed in a few days ago?"
He shook his head, slowing the car for an approaching intersection. We were coming out of the forest, into the outskirts of the city, and the road expanded into four lanes. "He'll be back in town today."
"Damn." It was my best idea. "I don't suppose they kept our old place on Cottage?"
"It was the first place the Triads ransacked when you went rogue."
Figured. The two-bedroom apartment on Cottage Place was a hole, but it had been home for the last four years. I'd inherited the closet-sized single room from the dead Hunter I replaced, while Jesse and Ash bunked in the moderately larger second room. It was big enough for sleeping in and close enough to Mercy's Lot for convenience hunting. I hadn't been back since the night before my partners were killed. It never seemed necessary. I had no personal possessions to collect, nothing sentimental to mourn.
Maybe it was why I kept the cross necklace close. I reached into my back pocket and pulled it out. A smudge of blood darkened one corner of the silver cross, but the words etched on the back—"Love Always, Alex"—were still visible. A little piece of her and a little piece of him.
"It's a safe place to rest for a while," Wyatt said.
My head snapped sideways. He was right, and I hated it. I didn't want to go back to the apartment Alex and Chalice had shared; I just didn't see much of a choice. The Triads knew about it, but now that we were on their side again, we didn't have to worry about a sneak attack. Kelsa knew me as Chalice, but she was dead—no reason to think the goblins had a clue. Isleen and her Bloods had no reason to attack us.
"What if Alex told the Halfies who he was?" I asked as I put on the necklace. "They could know about the apartment."
"Most of them are dead, Evy."
"The patio door is busted out."
"Then we won't stay long. But frankly, it's our best option."
"Fine."
The city passed by in a familiar blur. South into Mercy's Lot, then west on the Wharton Street Bridge, and into the nicer neighborhoods of Parkside East. I directed him to the correct block, more out of some strange instinct than actual memory. Chalice knew this place; it was part of her. The first time I was here, three days ago, I'd felt uneasy in the clean, wealthy surroundings. Coming back today felt natural. Like home.
I pointed out the building when we passed—just another apartment complex with clean walls, decorated balconies, and underground parking structures. Wyatt drove around the block and down an alley between the freestanding buildings. He parked near a row of Dumpsters. We wiped the car down before we exited.
"We're going to attract some attention," I said. The neighborhood was waking up around us, more and more cars emerging onto the road for their commute into the city. I joined him in front of the parked car.
Wyatt looked at his shirt, one sleeve dirty white and the other dark red. "Maybe we'll start a trend."
"Or a panic. Her apartment's a block away, on the fifth floor."
"You could—"
"I'm not teleporting us."
"You may have to anyway, once we get to the door."
I tilted my head. "And why's that?"
"Do you have keys?"
My hands went to my pockets. I hadn't had Chalice's keys since… Well, I wasn't sure. Two days ago, when I returned to her apartment to ask Alex for help, I let myself in with her keys. After that? "I must have put them down in the apartment. Shit." I spun and slammed my heel against the car's fender. It scuffed but didn't dent. I didn't feel any better for it.
"It's not the car's fault, Evy."
"It's nobody's fault, right? It just happened."
His eyebrows furrowed. "What the hell—?"
Metal screamed and squealed. Glass shattered, tinkled to the ground, and pinged off nearby metal. Rubber popped; air hissed. Bits of debris hit my left arm and cheek. Wyatt grunted and we fell sideways, away from the noise. Pavement scraped my other elbow.
Something heavy had landed on the car. I looked up at a male figure, semi-backlit by the lightening morning sky. He stood on the sunken roof of the car, back straight and arms by his sides. Tall, lean, and muscular, in jeans and shoes and nothing else. I stared, my mouth falling open as two new shadows fell across us.
Shadows cast by his twelve-foot wingspan.
So to further entice you, here's the rest of Chapter One. I posted an excerpt several weeks ago that you can find here.
Enjoy!
Yeah, not my fault. Maybe if I said that a few more times, I'd even believe it.
The Hunters and Handlers continued collecting bodies as the sun inched higher into the morning sky, turning purples and crimsons into pinks and golds. The odor of rot intensified as the cool morning gave way to warmth. A different sort of body pile was rising near our Jeep—six dead Hunters, each carefully covered with a cotton blanket. While fewer in number, those losses hit much harder. Adding in the death of Rufus's entire Triad team yesterday, we had lost forty percent of our trained forces.
The battle had ultimately lasted only an hour, but the effects would be felt for a long time—not only among the Triads but also among the many species that inhabited both the city and the surrounding mountains. The goblins—a scavenger species that spent more time in the city's sewers and subterranean tunnels than aboveground—had shown their manipulative hands by joining forces with Halfies and openly attacking us. They'd be hunted mercilessly for it. The Halfies—not fully vampire but no longer fully human—had no real power other than as thugs and roving street gangs, but someone had managed to keep them organized long enough to cause serious carnage tonight.
Their collective status had just gone from Irritant to Public Enemy Number One.
The Triads could handle the goblins and Halfies. We'd been doing it for years, in secret, keeping the existence of such creatures from the general public. No, it was the orchestrator of their activities that had the potential to cause the most upheaval. The Fey Council, humanity's largest champion, had been betrayed by one of their own—an elf named Tovin, one of the very few elves known to exist. He had tried to release a demon into our world by transplanting the thing's consciousness into Wyatt. We'd stopped Tovin and trapped the demon.
Temporarily trapped. Amalie, Queen of the sprites, would likely send someone along shortly to collect the lemon-sized onyx crystal the demon had hardened into, for proper storage and disposal. She'd given me the magic spell to stop the demon; I trusted her to handle it from here.
But perhaps the most important outcome of tonight's battle was that the Triads had found a tentative ally in the vampires—something I'd never expected three days ago from a species who did their collective best to ignore us and, when they didn't, looked down their noses at us. It was an alliance that sprang out of more than just a unified view that all Halfies should be wiped out, only I couldn't put my finger on the more.
And I was too exhausted to worry about it now. "Let's just get the hell out of here," I said.
"You going to file an official report on this, Truman?" Baylor asked.
Wyatt snorted. "Are you offering me my job back?"
"Not mine to offer, but you had a huge part in this. Once a Handler, always a Handler, right?"
"Yeah." That time he seemed to mean it.
I grabbed Wyatt's wrist and tugged him away. He came without further prompting, seemingly as ready to get out of there as I was.
"Stone!"
Christ, what now?
Gina Kismet jogged over from the direction of the pavilion opposite the Visitors' Center and pulled to a dead stop in front of us, not even out of breath. Her left leg was bandaged, red already seeping through, but the red-haired, pint-sized Handler seemed unbothered by the wounds. She held out a black cell phone; I eyed it.
"Instinct tells me this isn't over," she said.
"Me, too."
"Then take this, just in case."
I did, slipping it into the rear pocket of my jeans. "Thanks."
"We'll see you."
"Undoubtedly."
She wandered back, already barking orders at someone else. I didn't know her well but decided then that I liked her. Ballsy and strong, like a Hunter—only not. Flaming red hair disappeared among the remaining figures, though I knew I'd see her again. Probably a lot sooner than I wanted.
Last night, Wyatt and I had come in via the forest, but we decided on a more convenient route back to our hidden car. Several dozen yards down the potholed access road, barely halfway back to the main road, he started laughing. I stopped in the middle of the leaf-strewn pavement and stared at him. He waved one hand at me, not overcome, just privately amused at something in his own head. I glared at him, waiting for an in on the joke.
"I was just thinking," he said. "Here we are walking a mile back to the car when you could probably teleport us both in less than a second."
I hadn't even considered using my newfound Gift to get us back. It would take time to orient to it, just as it would take time to orient to the fact that I'd just taken full possession of my current body. A week ago, I'd been tortured to death by goblins. Three days ago, I'd been resurrected into the body of Chalice Frost, recently deceased via suicide. Less than two hours ago, the magical bargain that gave me only a three-day afterlife had been broken in a flurry of memories and physical sensations. Permanent possession of someone's body apparently also came with the memory of that body's life experiences.
Weird didn't even begin to cover it.
Wyatt and I had also stumbled onto the fact that, unbeknownst to her, Chalice had a Gift. A direct tether to the Break—the source of magic for the world. Only a handful of humans possessed that tether, giving each a unique Gift. Wyatt's was summoning inanimate objects; Chalice's—now mine—was teleportation. I just needed to learn to use it better.
"Not this morning, pal," I replied. "I'm barely over teleporting three people through the force field Tovin put around the Visitors' Center; I haven't slept more than a few hours at a time since, oh, I was dead; and I'm so hungry I could close down a buffet house. I'm done teleporting for the immediate future. Come to think of it, I'm done doing a lot of things for the immediate future."
"Like?"
I started walking again. A gentle breeze swirled from behind, bringing with it the acrid odor of burning things. Not sweet like charred meat but heavy and oily. Disgusting.
"I'm exhausted, Wyatt," I said. "Mentally, physically, emotionally, and any other l-y you want to toss into the mix. I just want to find a motel in the middle of nowhere and sleep for a week. Then take a long, hot bath and sleep for another week."
"And after you've slept for two weeks?" he asked, from somewhere behind me. A second, unvoiced question followed, hinting at the one thing I'd left off my list—him, sharing in these activities.
Maybe after the first week of sleep, I'd have the stamina to contemplate my new Evy/Chalice supercombo existence and his place in it. Part of me wanted to haul him into that hypothetical motel and physically celebrate surviving the battle until we were exhausted and sore. But fear of my reaction to him the last time we'd attempted intimacy kept sex firmly out of my near-future plans. My new body may have given me a physical distance from the memories of being tortured and raped by a goblin, but Wyatt was right—three days was nowhere near enough time to process it all. With my deadline over, I had time to figure out this thing I felt for Wyatt. The attraction had started in Chalice and been fueled by my memories of him, and it was now something entirely its own.
Something I was unable to articulate.
I'd figure out how to articulate it later. "After I've slept for two weeks, maybe I'll use this cell phone to give Kismet a call and make sure the world hasn't gone to hell in a handcart while I've been asleep."
"Hell seems pretty keen on crossing the Break."
"Well, Tovin's dead, the Tainted is contained, and the Fair Ones still guard First Break. I'd say their chances of getting across are looking pretty damned bleak, wouldn't you?"
"Sure, until someone else decides to take over where Tovin left off."
I sped up my pace, unable to outrun the stench of the bonfire that was raging out of sight. "There's always been someone trying to unite the species against us, Wyatt."
"Before Tovin, no one ever actually got them to do it. Especially the goblins, who are notorious for not playing well with others."
I didn't want to admit that he had a good point. Saying it would give his point power, and I was sick of others lording power over me. Sick of being spun around, manipulated, and used. The Triads had done it, Wyatt had done it, and Tovin had done it. No more.
"Hey, look at me."
He grabbed my left wrist. My stomach clenched. I pivoted, twisting my wrist at the same time, then ducked and spun around behind him, effectively bending his arm backward and up against his own back.
"Do not grab me," I said in his ear.
"I'm sorry."
I let go and stepped back, breathing hard for no good reason. Not like that little defensive move had winded me. No, it was the damned adrenaline pumping through me. My heart hammered as my body caught up to my brain. His grabbing my wrist should not have caused such a reaction. Of course, maybe it wasn't my reaction at all.
I had a lot of Chalice Frost to sort through while my brain became acclimated to her residual memories. Taking permanent residence in a dead woman's body was going to require some getting used to. Especially a woman dead by her own hand. My entire life was about not giving up no matter the agony or overwhelming odds. Chalice had killed herself rather than face the figurative demons fueling her depression. I knew now it was rooted in her undiscovered Gift, but she hadn't. She just gave up.
I wanted nothing to do with it. But did embracing her attraction to Wyatt mean embracing her fatal weakness, too? If I couldn't have one without the other…it wasn't in me to give up. Not the me that was Evy Stone.
"I really don't want to talk about this, Wyatt," I said. "I don't want to talk about Tovin, or the Fey Council, the goblins, the Bloods, or anything else that isn't related to me getting some time off from this unholy shit storm called my second life."
"You can't ignore it forever, Evy," he said as he turned to face me.
"I'm not planning to ignore it forever. Just for the immediate future."
"You also going to ignore Chalice for the immediate future?"
"Kind of tough to do now, wouldn't you say?"
"I don't know. You haven't exactly been forthcoming with the details of what happened when I died."
I looked at the ground, wishing he'd stop saying that. Stop talking about dying so casually—it was my routine, not his. Maybe Wyatt's death had broken the resurrection deal and allowed me to live, but the healing crystal I'd accepted from an elderly gnome named Horzt almost hadn't worked. We'd almost lost.
A single finger touched the bottom of my chin and pressed. I let him raise my head high enough to stare right into his coal black eyes. Full of curiosity and pain and life. And deep down, probably so as not to scare me, love. Not the platonic love of a Handler for his longtime Hunter but the love of a man who'd willingly exchanged his soul to give me a second chance at life.
The kind of love I wanted to return and couldn't. At least, not physically. Not until I reconciled Chalice's past with my own. "You really want to know what happened when you died?" I asked.
"Yes."
"My heart shattered in my chest. Metaphorically. Happy now?"
He made a strangled sound in his throat, caught between a gasp and a cry.
"About five seconds later," I continued, "I saw a blinding gray light, had about a thousand different memories flash through my mind, felt a hundred unfamiliar sensations all over my body, and nearly combusted when I realized how powerful my connection to the Break had become."
My new body's Gift of teleportation had been strengthened by this connection, in turn strengthening me. In the instant Chalice and I had finally became one entity, my perspective had changed. My senses had altered. The world wasn't quite the same shade as it had been two hours ago. I didn't know what sort of residual "self" remained behind when a body died, but bits of Chalice had made themselves at home in my brain.
"You saw her memories?" Wyatt asked.
"Some of them, I think, but it's not like how I remember my life. More like emotions and sensations attached to events. Growing up and feeling like an outsider, how she felt about Alex."
God, what about Alex? Chalice's best friend had given his life to help me. I knew nothing about his family, his job, his friends. People in his life would be wondering where he'd disappeared to. They'd want answers. I certainly couldn't tell them he'd been turned into a half-breed vampire, and that I'd shot him in the head to put him out of his misery.
Grief tightened my throat. My eyes watered. I bit the inside of my cheek—no more tears. I had to keep it together.
Wyatt's hand drifted to my shoulder and squeezed. I reached up, twined my fingers with his, and smiled.
"We should keep going," I said. "It's still a long walk back."
I knew him well enough to see how much he held back—the things he wanted to say or do, and didn't. "Okay," he said.
We reached the main road and continued along the shoulder. No cars passed this early in the morning, and we arrived at our hidden (stolen) car a few minutes later. The gas station was just waking up, its neon "Open" sign blazing orange in the window. I smelled bitter coffee—the kind you buy only when no other option presents itself and it's down to overbrewed sludge or falling asleep at the wheel.
My stomach grumbled. Too bad. We were both slathered in blood—human and other. The clerk would call the police before we got five steps inside the door.
"We'll have to ditch this car soon," I said once we were back on the road to the city. The guy we stole it from should be waking up soon—if he hadn't already—and reporting the incident. Regular cops knew nothing about the Triads, and I didn't like the idea of spending the day in a holding cell.
"We also need to figure out where we're going," Wyatt said. "A motel's a good idea, but we need food and fresh clothes."
"What about the were-cat's apartment? The one we stayed in a few days ago?"
He shook his head, slowing the car for an approaching intersection. We were coming out of the forest, into the outskirts of the city, and the road expanded into four lanes. "He'll be back in town today."
"Damn." It was my best idea. "I don't suppose they kept our old place on Cottage?"
"It was the first place the Triads ransacked when you went rogue."
Figured. The two-bedroom apartment on Cottage Place was a hole, but it had been home for the last four years. I'd inherited the closet-sized single room from the dead Hunter I replaced, while Jesse and Ash bunked in the moderately larger second room. It was big enough for sleeping in and close enough to Mercy's Lot for convenience hunting. I hadn't been back since the night before my partners were killed. It never seemed necessary. I had no personal possessions to collect, nothing sentimental to mourn.
Maybe it was why I kept the cross necklace close. I reached into my back pocket and pulled it out. A smudge of blood darkened one corner of the silver cross, but the words etched on the back—"Love Always, Alex"—were still visible. A little piece of her and a little piece of him.
"It's a safe place to rest for a while," Wyatt said.
My head snapped sideways. He was right, and I hated it. I didn't want to go back to the apartment Alex and Chalice had shared; I just didn't see much of a choice. The Triads knew about it, but now that we were on their side again, we didn't have to worry about a sneak attack. Kelsa knew me as Chalice, but she was dead—no reason to think the goblins had a clue. Isleen and her Bloods had no reason to attack us.
"What if Alex told the Halfies who he was?" I asked as I put on the necklace. "They could know about the apartment."
"Most of them are dead, Evy."
"The patio door is busted out."
"Then we won't stay long. But frankly, it's our best option."
"Fine."
The city passed by in a familiar blur. South into Mercy's Lot, then west on the Wharton Street Bridge, and into the nicer neighborhoods of Parkside East. I directed him to the correct block, more out of some strange instinct than actual memory. Chalice knew this place; it was part of her. The first time I was here, three days ago, I'd felt uneasy in the clean, wealthy surroundings. Coming back today felt natural. Like home.
I pointed out the building when we passed—just another apartment complex with clean walls, decorated balconies, and underground parking structures. Wyatt drove around the block and down an alley between the freestanding buildings. He parked near a row of Dumpsters. We wiped the car down before we exited.
"We're going to attract some attention," I said. The neighborhood was waking up around us, more and more cars emerging onto the road for their commute into the city. I joined him in front of the parked car.
Wyatt looked at his shirt, one sleeve dirty white and the other dark red. "Maybe we'll start a trend."
"Or a panic. Her apartment's a block away, on the fifth floor."
"You could—"
"I'm not teleporting us."
"You may have to anyway, once we get to the door."
I tilted my head. "And why's that?"
"Do you have keys?"
My hands went to my pockets. I hadn't had Chalice's keys since… Well, I wasn't sure. Two days ago, when I returned to her apartment to ask Alex for help, I let myself in with her keys. After that? "I must have put them down in the apartment. Shit." I spun and slammed my heel against the car's fender. It scuffed but didn't dent. I didn't feel any better for it.
"It's not the car's fault, Evy."
"It's nobody's fault, right? It just happened."
His eyebrows furrowed. "What the hell—?"
Metal screamed and squealed. Glass shattered, tinkled to the ground, and pinged off nearby metal. Rubber popped; air hissed. Bits of debris hit my left arm and cheek. Wyatt grunted and we fell sideways, away from the noise. Pavement scraped my other elbow.
Something heavy had landed on the car. I looked up at a male figure, semi-backlit by the lightening morning sky. He stood on the sunken roof of the car, back straight and arms by his sides. Tall, lean, and muscular, in jeans and shoes and nothing else. I stared, my mouth falling open as two new shadows fell across us.
Shadows cast by his twelve-foot wingspan.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Number Two
This post is brought to you by the number 2.
All sorts of interesting things are coming together today, and they all have to do with the number 2.
For instance, two years ago today I received an email about a manuscript that had been referred from an agent I queried to an agent she thought might be interested. Turns out he was, and within that email was an offer of representation. Okay, so it was like a week later that I officially said yes and mailed back the agency agreement, but it was my first ever offer and turns out it was the only one I needed. I couldn't be happier, so Happy Two-Year Anniversary to my amazing agent Jonathan Lyons.
Going along with the theme of two's, said amazing agent has also brokered two new deals for me in the last month. I can't talk about them quite yet, but soon all shall be revealed! Yay for good news!
Today also marks two months before the release of AS LIE THE DEAD, book two in the Dreg City series.
Eep! In a couple of days I'll be able to say my book comes out next month, and that's when panic set in last time. I haven't seen any reviews yet, but I sincerely hope it lives up to THREE DAYS TO DEAD. I think it does. But I'm slightly biased. *grin*
And if I really want to stretch this out, two relatives who live in Nashville (and whose house was spared flood damage) came out to visit last weekend, so I got to see them. One is a cousin who spent five months in Los Angeles learning to do makeup and styling and effects. Check out her awesome website!
So what's happening folks? Good news? Great news? Any news at all?
All sorts of interesting things are coming together today, and they all have to do with the number 2.
For instance, two years ago today I received an email about a manuscript that had been referred from an agent I queried to an agent she thought might be interested. Turns out he was, and within that email was an offer of representation. Okay, so it was like a week later that I officially said yes and mailed back the agency agreement, but it was my first ever offer and turns out it was the only one I needed. I couldn't be happier, so Happy Two-Year Anniversary to my amazing agent Jonathan Lyons.
Going along with the theme of two's, said amazing agent has also brokered two new deals for me in the last month. I can't talk about them quite yet, but soon all shall be revealed! Yay for good news!
Today also marks two months before the release of AS LIE THE DEAD, book two in the Dreg City series.
Eep! In a couple of days I'll be able to say my book comes out next month, and that's when panic set in last time. I haven't seen any reviews yet, but I sincerely hope it lives up to THREE DAYS TO DEAD. I think it does. But I'm slightly biased. *grin*
And if I really want to stretch this out, two relatives who live in Nashville (and whose house was spared flood damage) came out to visit last weekend, so I got to see them. One is a cousin who spent five months in Los Angeles learning to do makeup and styling and effects. Check out her awesome website!
So what's happening folks? Good news? Great news? Any news at all?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Hell to Pay
Jackie Kessler was one of the first authors I met online (through AbsoluteWrite.com), and also the first author to read and blurb THREE DAYS TO DEAD. Naturally I was thrilled to meet her last fall at Dragon*Con, and she was just a blast to hang out with.
She's also the author of some of the best books you might not be reading. The "Hell on Earth" series (HELL'S BELLES, THE ROAD TO HELL, HOTTER THAN HELL) features a succubus who is on the run from Hell and hides on earth as a stripper. She's also co-author of the awesome superhero novel BLACK AND WHITE (with Caitlin Kittredge). That's not even counting her various anthology stories, and her new YA coming out this fall.
So why the Jackie bio? And what's up with the post title?
The post title is also the title of Jackie's new serial novel - the fourth book in the "Hell on Earth" series. HELL TO PAY launches today with the prologue, and Jackie will post a new chapter every Tuesday, concluding the novel on the last Tuesday in December 2010.
I think the wait is going to kill me.
If you haven't read anything by Jackie...well, first of all why the hell not? Second, get thee to a bookstore or Amazon or your online vendor of choice. The Hell series is amazing fun. Jezebel is sassy, sarcastic, sexy, and occasionally vulnerable. And who doesn't love a demon who has to learn to be human? (And no, the fact that I named my cat Anya after the former vengeance demon from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer does not mean I am biased in this matter.) Also, HOTTER THAN HELL has the honor of being one of the rare books that has made me cry buckets.
So check out the Hell series, and while you're at it, check out BLACK AND WHITE, too (sequel SHADES OF GRAY due out June 22!).
Your funny bone will thank you.
She's also the author of some of the best books you might not be reading. The "Hell on Earth" series (HELL'S BELLES, THE ROAD TO HELL, HOTTER THAN HELL) features a succubus who is on the run from Hell and hides on earth as a stripper. She's also co-author of the awesome superhero novel BLACK AND WHITE (with Caitlin Kittredge). That's not even counting her various anthology stories, and her new YA coming out this fall.
So why the Jackie bio? And what's up with the post title?
The post title is also the title of Jackie's new serial novel - the fourth book in the "Hell on Earth" series. HELL TO PAY launches today with the prologue, and Jackie will post a new chapter every Tuesday, concluding the novel on the last Tuesday in December 2010.
I think the wait is going to kill me.
If you haven't read anything by Jackie...well, first of all why the hell not? Second, get thee to a bookstore or Amazon or your online vendor of choice. The Hell series is amazing fun. Jezebel is sassy, sarcastic, sexy, and occasionally vulnerable. And who doesn't love a demon who has to learn to be human? (And no, the fact that I named my cat Anya after the former vengeance demon from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer does not mean I am biased in this matter.) Also, HOTTER THAN HELL has the honor of being one of the rare books that has made me cry buckets.
So check out the Hell series, and while you're at it, check out BLACK AND WHITE, too (sequel SHADES OF GRAY due out June 22!).
Your funny bone will thank you.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Never Judge a Movie by Its Trailer
I love movie trailers. Sometimes they can be as good as (or better than) the movie itself. I think two of my all-time favorite trailers are for THE GREEN MILE and WATCHMEN. They both give an amazing sense of their films' content, story, and overall atmosphere. I can watch them over and over.
This trailer has the distinction of being the only film trailer that's actually made me tear up.
Good movie trailers should sell the movie to audiences. But sometimes they are deceiving. I've seen comedy trailers that put all of the funny bits in the trailer, and the rest of the movie is spectacularly un-funny. I've seen trailers that highlight a certain sequence that is maybe a blip of the overall story.
And because it's so easy to edit clips together, movie trailers can make a film look like whatever they want. Have you seen some of the awesome mash-ups on YouTube? I love the one that turns SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE into a horror film.
My most recent encounter with "Good Trailer, Disappointing Film" was the remake of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. I admit, I was annoyed when the remake was first announced. I mean, why mess with a classic? (And if I had a good answer to that, I could probably put an end to the equally-pointless, upcoming remakes of POLTERGEIST, ARMY OF DARKNESS, ALIEN, THE THING, and HELLRAISER.)
And then the first trailer surfaced, and I was in love:
It looked dark, scary, creepy, and I didn't even mind the recast Freddy Krueger. I started getting excited that the remake would do justice to the original.
I wish.
While the the movie wasn't bad, it wasn't as good as it should have been. It was easy to pick Nancy as the lead in the original 1984 film. In this movie? I couldn't figure out who our main character was. And the actress who played Nancy was in a coma the entire film. I don't think she cracked an expression, even when she was supposed to be scared.
And the rewrite of Freddy's backstory? HATED IT. Why? (SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS) Because for a brief period of time, we were led to believe that Freddy was innocent of the crimes against him, and that killing the Elm Street kids (although it was never established that they all lived on the same street, just that they all attended the same pre-school, so what the hell?) was some sort of justified revenge. Not only that, but instead of Freddy being arrested for multiple murders and then let off on a technicality, the parents in the remake went after him on their own because of lack of evidence. *facepalm*
I did like a few things. It had good atmosphere, and the dream sequences were cool. Some of the deaths were interesting. And I just love me some Clancy Brown, even if he was completely wasted in his role. There were also some fun nods to the other films: the Springwood Diner, the pool party bit, a character on the swim team, burning her arm to stay awake.
And Jackie Earl Haley as Freddy? Meh. The problem was he kept using his Rorschach voice from WATCHMEN. He was creepy at times, and had a few good lines at the end, but overall...I'm undecided.
So yeah, Trailer Win, Movie Fail.
But on to the actual inspiration for this rather lengthy post.
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (The First Sequence)
The trailer is probably not work safe, but here you go:
The internet is abuzz with talk about this movie and it's "shocking" science. People are comparing it to SAW and HOSTEL and other gore-fest films that rely on shock value. Naturally, this caught my attention. After I watched the trailer, I was equal parts appalled and intrigued.
And now I'm determined to watch it, if for no other reason than I can say I SAW IT AND AM JUDGING THE MOVIE FOR MYSELF. About half an hour ago (as of this writing) I read a rant by someone online calling for people to boycott this movie, to not watch it, to not support such awful, disgusting filth, lest it turn into the next SAW franchise.
Erm, okay....
All this based on having seen the TRAILER. I mean, jeez. It's about as bad as people who say "don't read this book, it has magic and is therefore awful and satanic."
Also? Check out this review at Babbling About Books. It's from someone who's actually, you know, seen the movie. Which apparently isn't as awful and graphic as people are assuming.
It's what helped cement my decision to watch it. And when I do, I shall report back.
This trailer has the distinction of being the only film trailer that's actually made me tear up.
Good movie trailers should sell the movie to audiences. But sometimes they are deceiving. I've seen comedy trailers that put all of the funny bits in the trailer, and the rest of the movie is spectacularly un-funny. I've seen trailers that highlight a certain sequence that is maybe a blip of the overall story.
And because it's so easy to edit clips together, movie trailers can make a film look like whatever they want. Have you seen some of the awesome mash-ups on YouTube? I love the one that turns SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE into a horror film.
My most recent encounter with "Good Trailer, Disappointing Film" was the remake of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. I admit, I was annoyed when the remake was first announced. I mean, why mess with a classic? (And if I had a good answer to that, I could probably put an end to the equally-pointless, upcoming remakes of POLTERGEIST, ARMY OF DARKNESS, ALIEN, THE THING, and HELLRAISER.)
And then the first trailer surfaced, and I was in love:
It looked dark, scary, creepy, and I didn't even mind the recast Freddy Krueger. I started getting excited that the remake would do justice to the original.
I wish.
While the the movie wasn't bad, it wasn't as good as it should have been. It was easy to pick Nancy as the lead in the original 1984 film. In this movie? I couldn't figure out who our main character was. And the actress who played Nancy was in a coma the entire film. I don't think she cracked an expression, even when she was supposed to be scared.
And the rewrite of Freddy's backstory? HATED IT. Why? (SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS) Because for a brief period of time, we were led to believe that Freddy was innocent of the crimes against him, and that killing the Elm Street kids (although it was never established that they all lived on the same street, just that they all attended the same pre-school, so what the hell?) was some sort of justified revenge. Not only that, but instead of Freddy being arrested for multiple murders and then let off on a technicality, the parents in the remake went after him on their own because of lack of evidence. *facepalm*
I did like a few things. It had good atmosphere, and the dream sequences were cool. Some of the deaths were interesting. And I just love me some Clancy Brown, even if he was completely wasted in his role. There were also some fun nods to the other films: the Springwood Diner, the pool party bit, a character on the swim team, burning her arm to stay awake.
And Jackie Earl Haley as Freddy? Meh. The problem was he kept using his Rorschach voice from WATCHMEN. He was creepy at times, and had a few good lines at the end, but overall...I'm undecided.
So yeah, Trailer Win, Movie Fail.
But on to the actual inspiration for this rather lengthy post.
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (The First Sequence)
The trailer is probably not work safe, but here you go:
The internet is abuzz with talk about this movie and it's "shocking" science. People are comparing it to SAW and HOSTEL and other gore-fest films that rely on shock value. Naturally, this caught my attention. After I watched the trailer, I was equal parts appalled and intrigued.
And now I'm determined to watch it, if for no other reason than I can say I SAW IT AND AM JUDGING THE MOVIE FOR MYSELF. About half an hour ago (as of this writing) I read a rant by someone online calling for people to boycott this movie, to not watch it, to not support such awful, disgusting filth, lest it turn into the next SAW franchise.
Erm, okay....
All this based on having seen the TRAILER. I mean, jeez. It's about as bad as people who say "don't read this book, it has magic and is therefore awful and satanic."
Also? Check out this review at Babbling About Books. It's from someone who's actually, you know, seen the movie. Which apparently isn't as awful and graphic as people are assuming.
It's what helped cement my decision to watch it. And when I do, I shall report back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
