Wednesday, July 27, 2011

News, Reviews, and a Little Trance

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

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

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

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


From The Spinecracker (5 stars):

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


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

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


In other news....

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

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

And finally...

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

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Round 'Em Up!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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8. RIP Borders...

Thursday, July 14, 2011

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

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

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

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

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

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Featured Author and Q&A

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

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

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

Friday, July 01, 2011

Six in One, Half Dozen in the Other

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Any top three years this year?