A Glimpse of Fire Alarms in the Dead of Night

There's nothing quite so disorienting than being terrified awake by a loud, obnoxious noise.

Especially if said noise is a fire alarm, it's blasting in your living room, and it's 2 o'clock in the morning. That was my Thursday night. And being two a.m., it took me several seconds to have an actual, coherent thought, which was, "Shit, where's my cat?" I didn't know if it was a real fire somewhere in the apartment building, or if some bastard had pulled the alarm for kicks--but I wasn't leaving Anya behind.

Which lead to a frantic search for her carrier (I could remember the first place I put it, but not where it actually was). And then a frantic search for the cat, who I had to yank out from under the bed where she was cowering. All while this alarm is flashing and squawking loudly enough to give me a headache. Then I realized, "Hey, pants! Coat!" All good things when it's about forty degrees outside.

It occurred to me later that I had the forethought to grab three things (clothes notwithstanding) -- my cat, my cell phone, and my car keys. I didn't even *think* to grab my purse.

Fortunately, it wasn't a real fire. Alarms had gone off in multiple buildings, so it took a while for the fire department to get to ours and turn them off. Forty minutes of sitting in my car (some of you may have seen my Tweets on the experience), and I finally got back inside.

Not cool.

***

So who's excited to see how A GLIMPSE OF DARKNESS ends? I know I am. It's been such a blast participating and seeing this story come together, and I just can't wait to see how Lara Adrian wraps it all up tomorrow!

***

I'll see in New York City this weekend for Halloween! I've made day trips to NYC, but this is my first overnight stay, and I'm ecstatic to get away. I never managed a real vacation this summer, so this (along with June's D.C. trip) kind of make up for that. We aren't making too many plans, because part of the fun is discovering things to do, but we are going to take in a Broadway show, as well as hit Central Park and a recommended restaurant. I'm also going to meet Agent J!

Anyone else have fun plans for Halloween?

Darkness and Hunger

Chapter five of A GLIMPSE OF DARKNESS, by Stacia Kane, is now posted and open for voting! This is your last chance to vote on the course of the final chapter, which will be written by Lara Adrian. Voting is open until Thursday!

Also, HUNGER, by Jackie Morse Kessler, is officially on sale. It's a YA novel about an anorexic teenage girl who becomes the new Famine, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I've been waiting on this one ever since Jackie read an excerpt last year at Dragon*Con, and I'm eager to dive in. A portion of proceeds is being donated to the National Eating Disorders Association.

It Gets Better

Who let October in? Seriously, who's the blame? I had to turn the heat on last night, and I've begun the process of swapping winter clothes for summer clothes. *sigh*

You guys remember my post about the horror flick THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE? Well, I have to say, the French film MARTYRS? Way worse on the "what kind of fucked up things can one human being do to another?" level. *shudders*

Chapter Three of A GLIMPSE OF DARKESS, by Lucy A. Snyder is now live on Suvudu! Go vote! I'm up next, so this is your chance to tell me what to write about. And the two choices are awesome. I think I'll have a lot of fun, no matter which way it ends up going.

****

IT GETS BETTER

Recently in the news, there have been several different stories about teenagers committing suicide. Yes, teenagers. Committing suicide. Why? They were being bullied because they were (or were assumed to be) gay. It's heartbreaking.

Katiebabs, over at Babbling About Books, and More, has an amazing post on the subject. She has made a pledge to donate $500 to The Trevor Project and The Matthew Shepard Foundation, so please help spread the word. Stop by and comment.

Her post also directed me to a movement called It Gets Better. Started by columnist Dan Savage, he has this to say:

I've launched a channel on YouTube—www ­.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject—to host these videos. My normally camera-shy husband and I already posted one. We both went to Christian schools and we were both bullied—he had it a lot worse than I did—and we are living proof that it gets better. We don't dwell too much on the past. Instead, we talk mostly about all the meaningful things in our lives now—our families, our friends (gay and straight), the places we've gone and things we've experienced—that we would've missed out on if we'd killed ourselves then.

My heart breaks every time I hear about another child killing him or herself because of being bullied. It isn't just gay kids, either. Our children are being bullied for a lot of reasons--their weight, their looks, their religion, their sexual orientation. This should not be happening.

Don't turn your back on bullying. Ignoring is tantamount to participating.

And please spread the word that IT GETS BETTER.

Several Things at Once

So a funny thing happened last week - I finished writing another novel. This one is kind of special, though, for several reasons. The first of which is that it's my twelfth completed novel (I know, it boggles my mind, too). The second reason is that I started writing this particular novel back in the spring of 2007, before the Dreg City series was even a glimmer of an idea. It was one of my "what am I going to write next" beginnings, and it's started/stopped several times over the last few years. The third reason it's special, though, is also why I've stuck with it these years - it's my first real YA attempt, and I like it a lot.

So at a healthy 70k words, the Untitled YA of 2007 is finally complete! It needs some work, of course, including the ironing out of world-building details. Stayed tune...

Also happening around the internets: I have a new interview up HERE. The very awesome Ray Wong (The Pacific Between) asked me to partake in his "I, the Author" interview series, and he asked some pretty cool questions about writing, my adventures in fanfic, and why I write "dark and twisty."

Two of my fellow Leaguers have releases tomorrow, so be sure to check them out! First is the mass-market release of JF Lewis's REVAMPED (Void City #2). Second is fellow Dell/Spectra author Carolyn Crane's DOUBLE CROSS (The Disillusionists Trilogy, #2).

Copy edits for Another Kind of Dead have landed, so I'll be working on those this week, as well as crossing my fingers and turning Wrong Side of Dead (Dreg City 4) in to my editor.

And make sure you check out Suvudu.com later today for Chapter 2 of A Glimpse of Darkness, this one written by Harry Connolly!

Goodnight, Jennifer

It's with a heavy heart that I say goodnight and good-bye to a fine lady and very talented Urban Fantasy author. Jennifer Rardin (the Jaz Parks series, Orbit) passed away Monday, June 20th.

I never met Jennifer in real life, but had the good fortune to know her online, via the League of Reluctant Adults. My thoughts are with her family, friends and fans.

A Glimpse of Darkness

If you haven't seen this yet on Suvudu or Twitter, let me explain: A Glimpse of Darkness is a multi-author, fan-driven original story featuring myself, Lara Adrian, Stacia Kane, Harry Connolly, and Lucy A. Snyder. Each week, one of us writes a different chapter based on what you, the readers, decide should happen.

I'm a little late in posting about this, because Chapter One is UP! And the voting deadline is today! Then it's Harry's turn!

Spread the word and join the adventure! My turn is the second weekend in October, and I'm very excited to play in this amazing world we've created together.

The Bad Kind of Excitement

So this has been a mostly uneventful week for me. I'm fond of saying I'd rather have boring than the bad kind of excitement, which is very true.

Although last night was kind of fun, in a voyeuristic sort of way. My sister, her SO (significant other), and their 3 kids were at the Outer Banks this weekend, and they came back last night to return SO's sons to their mother (school and all), and to turn their daughter (Lovely Niece) and house (cats and dog) over to me until Saturday. The plan was to go back to the OB last night and finish up the vacation.

I was expecting them back around dinner time; arrival ended up being 8pm. Not terrible. The boys got picked up, Niece was in bed, things were unpacked...and then SO realized the water pump wasn't working. Uh oh.

So he spends the next hour and a half trying to fix the thing, with Sister and me in the kitchen flipping switches and faucets. Eventually, he gets it working around ten. He still wants to drive back (it's about 4 hours from their house). So they pack up and plan to go. I'm exhausted, so I go to bed. A bit later, I hear something creak, open my eyes and there's a person in the doorway.

Yes, I kind of screamed.

They came back because the engine was leaking anti-freeze. SO plans to try and fix it. Plans go awry. They decide to take the other car. I think they eventually hit the road around 11:30 pm, arriving back in the Outer Banks around 3:30 am.

*facepalm*

Yeah, bad excitement.

Anywho, Dreg City 4 is finished and now in my agent's capable hands. Lots of twists and turns in this book, so I'm curious to get some fresh eyes on it.

Also, just a reminder that I'll be signing copies of THREE DAYS TO DEAD and AS LIE THE DEAD at the Christiana Mall Barnes & Noble (Newark, DE), this Saturday at 4pm. So if you're in the area, stop by and say hi!

How Did It Happen?

I'm talking about September. About back to school, Labor Day weekend, the end of summer, and all of the things I didn't get to do yet. Like take any sort of vacation.

It has definitely been one of the most hectic summers in recent memory. Moving pretty much ate up a month of time during July and August. But I'm settled in, loving my new place, and about to go drop off rent (not loving that part so much, but what can you do?).

Book-related things are going well, too. My editor accepted my revisions for ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD (Dreg City 3) and it's heading off to production. What can you expect from this book? SPOILER BITS! More relationship development (and angst) for Evy and Wyatt, a brand-new paranormal creature, answers about the hybrids found at Olsmill, and a sacrifice or two.

I've also completed the first draft of Dreg City 4, and will be giving it a thorough read-through very soon. It had a huge twist I didn't see coming, and I'm excited to see how it affects things in the future.

Also a reminder for anyone in the Eastern PA/Northern NJ/DE area, I'll be at the Christiana Mall Barnes & Noble in Newark, DE on Saturday September 11th. The signing starts at 4pm!

Guest Blogger: Paul Jessup

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.

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):

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. :)

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.

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...).

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!

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.

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!

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).

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!

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!

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:

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...

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!

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!

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?