More catching up

I told you there was a lot going on.  Yes, enough to merit two posts in one day!

The Knight Agency’s Say Yes to the Cover poll opened yesterday and runs to Thursday, April 26th at 11:59am ET. Help choose a new cover for Lauren Baratz-Logsted’s THE BRO-MAGNET and enter to win e-books by leaving a comment on the site about the silliest thing you’ve ever done to impress a guy or girl.  Personally, I plead the fifth.

Next, there are a few great posts I want to draw attention to:

Book Riot on the lack of a Pulitzer Prize this year for fiction

Charles Stross’s wonderful and insightful summary of Amazon’s business strategy, which I think leads right into the NY Times piece…

“Book Publishing’s Real Nemesis” about DOJ’s misplaced aim

And now, back to work.  These editorial notes won’t write themselves (more’s the pity).

A quick catch-up

Things have been moving so quickly around here that I didn’t even have the chance to post pics or blog about the wonderful Silken Sands Conference before I was away at Marcon, where I was able to spend time with the ever-awesome Faith Hunter, David B. Coe, Paula Guran (Prime Books) and others, like PJ Snyder and A.L Davroe, with whom I got to talk corsets and other frippery, and then Romantic Times in Chicago, where my authors Rachel Caine, Chloe Neill, Vicky Dreiling, Rosemary Clement-Moore and Christina Henry did many amazing things for which I, sadly, have no pictures. Other great Knight Agency authors were in attendance, like Louisa Edwards, Kristen Painter, Leigh Evans, Kerry Schafer….  A wonderful, wonderful event.

I return to all kinds of good news I have to make time to post!  First, Rachel Caine’s amazing Weather Wardens urban fantasy series was featured on Felicia Day’s web show The Flog as one of her Fave Five things.

ImageDebra Mullins’ digital release of her classic romance THE LAWMAN’S SURRENDER is new (today!) from Samhain publishing.  Love this book!

ImageAlso band new: Janet Mullany’s hot Regency DEDICATION as you’ve never seen it before.  Love this one too!

Much, much more coming up!

Crits for Water 2012

Over one billion people worldwide lack safe water.  Various publishing professionals (including me) are donating critiques to raise money for much-needed water projects.  My 20-page critique is being auctioned off today on Crits for Water. If you’d like a little insight into how I work, there’s a brief interview up here.  If you’re not interested in the critique but would simply like to donate, you can certainly do that too!

Conference schedule

A quick schedule of panels for my upcoming cons, Marcon and Romantic Times:

April 6-8 Marcon 47 in Columbus, OH
FRI 2:30 pm   Union C    Are You Bi-Speculative? Science Fiction vs. Fantasy
FRI 5:30 pm    Union C   How to be Edited
SAT 4:00 pm    Union C   The Urban Fantasy
SAT 5:30 pm    Union C    Standalone vs Series

SUN 11:30 am   Union C   YA literature: What’s hot, what’s not
SUN 1:00 pm  Union C     Point of View

*Note: lots of great people attending, including my incredible clients David B. Coe and Faith Hunter.  A full schedule is here.

April 11-14 Romantic Times Convention, Chicago, IL
URBAN FANTASY: Trends — What’s Hot, What’s Not & What’s Next in UF
(THURSDAY, 10:00-11:00 am)
Panelists: Kelley Armstrong, Jennifer Estep, Melissa Marr, Nicole Peeler
Moderator: Lucienne Diver (agent, The Knight Agency)

*Note: again, lots of fabulous people attending, including my authors Rachel Caine, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Vicky Dreiling, Chloe Neill and Christina Henry.  Program overview here.  You’ll find some that weekend at C2E2 as well.

Hunger Games book v. film

I loved The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  Devoured it.  Started to read it the day after RWA was in Orlando at poolside.  I’d moved to a different hotel to have a day to myself.  I was supposed to check out at 11 and start my drive home.  I hadn’t seen my husband and son in days.  (Yes, I’m starting a lot of sentences with “I.” Deal with it.)  Did things go according to plan?  No, they did not, because at 10:30 that morning, I called my husband to say that there was no way I’d be home on time, and not just because of my dead car battery.  I was simply going to have no life until I finished the book.  It was crystal clear to me.   I get possessed by books like that from time to time, frequently by my clients, I’m pleased to say, so this feeling isn’t unknown to me, but it’s always a gift.

So it was with great excitement that I saw there was a movie in the making, even while I wondered how it could possibly live up to the book.  The short answer: it couldn’t.  No movie could, because the strength of the book is in the characters and what they’re going through, and their motivations and internal struggles were just too difficult to put on screen.  It’s no fault of the actors or the screenwriters (Suzanne Collins herself, based on the credits, was involved with the script).  It’s a matter of the medium.  Did I like the movie?  Yes.  Did it steal my heart and soul as the book did?  Well, no, but I’m glad it was made, particularly if it draws more attention, which, of course, it does, to such a brilliant series of books.  All that said, my favorite bit of casting was Lenny Kravitz as Cinna.  He made the role.  It was also a particular pleasure to see the girl on fire and other outré fashions mentioned in the book come to live.  Really incredible.

Amazing book birthdays

I have the song that was used in that old Popeye’s Chicken commercial, “What’s your flavor?  Tell me, what’s your flavor?” going through my head right now.  It might just be that I’m hungry or it might be that the amazing book birthdays I have to announce today are so diverse.  A little something for everyone!

BACK FROM THE UNDEAD by D.D. Barant

My two cents: D.D. Barant has one of the most original voices going on in urban fantasy. But don’t take my word for it, take a look at one of the 36 reviews up on Barnes & Noble for his last book, BETTER OFF UNDEAD.  Or even more for his previous Bloodhound Files novels: DYING BITES, DEATH BLOWS and KILLING ROCKS.

In this book:

Another work day, another case for the Bloodhound Files. But this time, Jace is truly stumped: How is she, a mere human, supposed to penetrate the dark heart of a child-trafficking ring of pire orphans—one that turns out to be part of a blood-farm operation, in the crime-ridden border city of Vancouver, British Columbia?

Jace is in over her head. But with the help of her former lover, Tanaka—whose family is one of the last samurai clans left in Japan—she stands a chance at seeking justice for the condemned children… Until the Yakuza tries to put an end to Jace’s investigation. Jace risks more than death—this time, it’s the fate of her very soul that’s in danger . . .

HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE by Vicky Dreiling

Vicky is a writer to watch.  I promise, you won’t be disappointed!  Already, she’s a triple RITA Award finalist for her novels HOW TO MARRY A DUKE (Best First Book and Best Regency Historical Romance) and HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL (Regency Historical Romance).  Her reviews are stellar, and she’s just plain fun!  Okay, not plain fun. Fun with heart, handsome heroes, scandal and seduction….  Need I say more?

In HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE:

SCANDALOUS DESIRES . . .

Amy Hardwick has one last Season to shake off her wallflower image and make a love match. If she can’t, she’ll set aside her dreams of romance and return home to a suitor who can provide security-if little else. What she doesn’t count on is the inappropriate-and irresistible-attention lavished on her in a darkened library by rake extraordinaire Will “The Devil” Darcett . . .

DEVILISH DELIGHT. . .

When Will is caught in a tryst with the ton‘s shyest miss, he knows he must offer for her hand. Yet Amy is not the shrinking violet she seems to be. Passion lies beneath her prim exterior and Will is eager to release it. But winning Amy isn’t simply a matter of seduction; first, Will must convince her that he’s mended his wicked ways . . .

Also, for anyone who missed it, the new Knight Agency newsletter is out, with a contribution from me on self-promotion, agency news, our conference schedules and much, much more!

Quick things

First, a quick but HUGE congratulations to Vicky Dreiling on being a triple RITA Award nominee for HOW TO MARRY A DUKE (x2) and HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL.  So awesome and well-deserved!

Another HUGE congrats to give out, this one to David Mack for making the Top Ten Tie-Ins ballot on Unreality SF for his Star Trek novel RISE LIKE LIONS.  You can click here to vote for your favorite story on the shortlist.

Also, the agents of The Knight Agency are doing a Twitter chat tomorrow, Tuesday March 27th at 12 p.m. ET.  We’d love you to join us!  Use the #knightagency hashtag.  Talk with you then!