Crossroads Blog Chat

A few very exciting things, at least from my perspective!  I’m over at Book Swarm today, continuing with the Crossroads Book Tour.  They’re giving away two grand prizes – a book by Amanda Ashby and one by Judith Graves – so I highly recommend throwing your name in the ring!  Also, a bunch of us authors (see list here) are chatting tonight with The Mundie Moms at 8 p.m. CDT.  There will be more chances to win more prizes and, of course, you can lob questions at us until your hearts’ content…or until the moderator yells “Halt!”

I promise later today the pics I’ve barely had time to upload from the tour Elaine Spencer and I took up the Rhine River the day we got into Frankfurt, jetlagged from the overnight flight on which neither of us slept!  It was certainly a wonderful way to keep ourselves awake until we could go to sleep at the appropriate time and get immediately acclimated.

 

New release!

I’m over at Magical Words today with a quick post about cyberbullying, flame wars and the importance of first-hand information.

Over here, I want to highlight a very special novel releasing today, the stunning conclusion to N.K. Jemisin’s award-winning Inheritance Trilogy, which began with THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS, continued into THE BROKEN KINGDOMS and is now back in THE KINGDOM OF GODS.  The series has thus far sold in France, Germany, Poland, Spain and Turkey and hope for more big things in the year to come!

Check out this great featured interview with the author in Fantasy Magazine.  Or this write-up from the Washington Post of all the World Fantasy Award finalists.  The winners are announced this weekend at the  World Fantasy Convention.  Wish I could be there to cheer them on!  If you’re going to WFC, you can check out Nora’s schedule here on her blog.

Frankfurt and beyond

So crazy busy that it would be easy to just post some beautiful pics from Germany and be done with it, but the Frankfurt Book Fair is so much more than the few hours you can steal away for sightseeing that even the gorgeous photos would not do it justice.  For one thing, it is amazing to see so many buildings and booths taken up with books and the business of buying and selling them.  So affirming to see the agents’ center awash in activity and to hear all about what’s hot in various countries.  As a quick wrap-up and very general overview, young adult was definitely the hot genre rights-wise.  Paranormal romance and the more romantic urban fantasies are also sought after most places, historical romance was hot in some countries and not in others.  Fantasy and science fiction are still going strong.  Romantic suspense and thrillers are very promising, but traditional and cozy mysteries are, sadly, a struggle.  Unlike the US where e-books have risen to approximately twenty percent of sales (give or take, depending on the author/series and other factors), most countries are just this year getting e-book readers.  Digital sales account for approximate 1% in most places.  It was enlightening and thrilling that our own rights list was so in-line with the market.  New sales have already begun, and we’ve been alerted to a lot more coming down the pipeline, so it’s all very exciting.

That said, I do have some gorgeous pictures to show off, today of Heidelberg, tomorrow of the boat tour Elaine Spencer and I took up the Rhine (Rhein).

But before I get to those, two quick things:

I hope you’ll join The Knight Agency on Thursday, October 27th at 9 p.m. ET for a chat with Kristen Painter, author of Blood Rights from Orbit.  Where?  TKA chatroom.

Also I hope you’re joining in the fun of the Crossroads Blog Tour.  Jackie Morse Kessler (author of Hunger, Rage and Loss) and I have been paired up for the tour.  So far, our interviews are up at Narratively Speaking, Electrifying Reviews,  Just Your Typical Book Blog.  Later today, we’ll be at Late Bloomer Online.  But, hey, there are many other tremendous authors participating as well (Rachel Vincent, Stacey Kade, Amanda Ashby, Linda Joy Singleton, Jeri Smith-Ready, Angie Frazier, etc.), so follow along with the whole tour and enter to win prizes, details here!

And now, I present to you, Heidelberg, beginning with a photo of Jamie Ford, Kristin Nelson, me and Elaine Spencer, intrepid explorers.

Fun Fridays

I almost always have something to post on Fun Fridays, but it’s been a heck of a week.  Mostly really wonderful (look for another big announcement in Publishers Weekly’s deal section on Monday), but not without its frustrations.   In any case, I am finally hear to post about two fun things.  One, the Crossroads Blog Tour, which begins tomorrow (details here), featuring amazing authors among whom I’m privileged to keep company:

Rachel Vincent – Mira / Harlequin Teen – Soul Screamers series, Shifters series

Judith Graves – Leap Books – Under My Skin, Second Skin, Skin of My Teeth

Joy Preble – Sourcebooks – Dreaming Anastasia, Haunted, Again and Again

Stacey Kade – Hyperion – The Ghost and the Goth, Queen of the Dead

Angie Frazier – Scholastic Press – Everlasting, The Midnight Tunnel, The Eternal Sea

Linda Joy Singleton – Flux – Dead Girl Walking, Dead Girl Dancing

Amanda Ashby – Speak – Zombie Queen of Newbury High, Fairy Bad Day

Lucienne Diver – Flux – Vamped, Revamped, Fangtasic

Kiki Hamilton – Teen / Macmillian – The Faerie Ring

Jackie Morse Kessler – Harcourt Graphia – Hunger, Rage, Loss

Kitty Keswick – Leap Books – Freaksville, Furry & Freaked

Carrie Harris – Delacorte Books for Young Readers –Taste In Boys

Shannon Delany – St. Martin’s Griffin – 13 to Life, Secrets and Shadows, Bargains and Betrayals

Jeri Smith-Ready – Simon Pulse – Shade, Shift

Dawn Dalton – Leap Books – Spirited Anthology

Maybe you swung by last year.  Maybe you were even the grand prize winner.  If not, maybe this is your year!  Follow along for the fun.

I’m going to be a little late to my own party, which begins tomorrow at Narratively Speaking, because I’ll be emceeing the 2nd Annual Trash to Fashion event at 11 a.m. at Cooper Memorial Library in Clermont, Florida.  All the stylistas will be there!  However, I’ll check in to the blog when I can, and in the meantime, they’ll also be hosting Jackie Morse Kessler, so she’ll be there to keep you entertained.

Interview and Giveaway with PJ Schnyder!

Back from the Frankfurt Book Fair.  I promise to post pics and a short wrap-up as soon as I get all caught up on everything that came in while I was away and all the new requests received at the fair.  In the meantime, a wonderful Halloween-themed interview with PJ Schnyder.  Comment below for a chance to win a copy of her new book, Hunting Kat!

With Halloween right around the corner I find myself fascinated by Black Cat superstitions.

There’s black cats and good fortune:

In Scotland, there’s a belief that a black kitten on the porch meant future happiness and riches. And while having a black cat cross one’s path is considered bad luck in America, in some European countries it could be good OR bad. If the black cat crosses from left to right, it portends good luck, while crossing in the other direction brings the opposite.

Then there’s black cats and health:

A black cat lying on a sick bed will bring death. Stroking a black cat ensures health and wealth. Cats suck the breath from babies. (I remember a creepy movie where the cat was actually protecting a boy from a troll stealing the child’s breath.)

PJ Schnyder: Author of sci-fi and paranormal romance, steampunk and urban fantasy

And what about black cats aboard ship?

In certain fishing communities, fishermen’s wives keep cats indoors to protect their men from peril while they’re away at sea. Also, there’s a sailor superstition that throwing a cat overboard would cause the ship to go down in a storm.

And here’s a personal favorite:

If a cat leaps over a corpse, the dead body will reanimate as a vampire.

So with all these superstitions, will a black cat lying in my lap as I write bring good word count? (Maybe…) Will a black cat lying on my keyboard mean I won’t get any words? (Seems likely unless I move the cat.)

I can say, though, that including a black cat in my sci-fi romance turned out pretty awesome and I don’t regret it. 😉

In Hunting Kat, Kaitlyn Darah shape shifts into a black panther. And  those superstitions about black cats might pop up to haunt her someday.

As a mercenary, Kat Darah doesn’t have to pass for a normal human. On the edge of the solar system, she’s just another biped. Most of the time.

Nearing the end of his military tour, Lt. Christopher Rygard debates the idea of hanging up his uniform for good. Looking for answers at the bottom of a glass of scotch, he meets Kat.

One shared night of mutual desire seems harmless. But when their tryst is interrupted by attackers hunting Rygard, Kat must reveal her other form, the predator beneath the human façade. Together they embark on a dangerous mission—a race against time to meet the enemy’s demands, while trying to deny the passion between them.

Rygard is faced with a terrible choice in the face of duty: Report the existence of a human turned shape-shifter. Or forget he ever met her.

You can purchase Hunting Kat in eBook format at Carina Press and Amazon.com.

You can purchase Hunting Kat in Audio book format at Audible.com.

Visit PJ on her blog: http://pjschnyder.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/pjschnyder

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pjschnyder

Interview with Kristina Springer

Before I run off to the Frankfurt Book Fair, I’m pleased to present the latest Girlfriends’ Cyber Circuit interview with Kristina Springer for her new release JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS  (check out the great cover!).  It sounds like such a wonderful fall read.

BLURB:

Jamie Edwards has loved everything about growing up on a pumpkin patch, but ever since her cousin Milan Woods arrived, things have really stunk. Jamie can’t imagine it was easy for Milan to leave her life back in Los Angeles and move to Average, Illinois, population one thousand. But it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for her since (a) Milan’s drop-dead gorgeous; (b) she’s the daughter of two of Hollywood’s hottest film stars; (c) she’s captured the attention of everyone in town, including Danny, Jamie’s crush since forever; and (d) she’s about to steal the title of Pumpkin Princess right out from underneath Jamie!

PRAISE:

“This cheerful and heartwarming novel set in a small town will appeal to teens who enjoy YA chick lit.” –VOYA

“It was such a quick and cute read! The dialogue contained a generous amount of wit and snark. As a fan of both, it heightened my enjoyment  of Just Your Average Princess even more. I really enjoyed Kristina Springer’s style of writing as well as the cast of characters she created in Just Your Average Princess.” – The Fiction Enthusiast

“Springer does an excellent job capturing the fall setting, and describing the pumpkin patch. So much so, that I found myself wishing I could find the place and go there! Overall, this is a fun lighthearted read that is sure to entertain. Definitely a perfect fit for the season” -Melissa from Goodreads, Teen Librarian

INTERVIEW:

What is your writing process like?  Are you a plotter or a pantser?  Do you schedule time to write each day or are you a spree writer?

I’m a little of both! When I’m working on a proposal I plot to show my thoughts to the editor. When I’m writing something new that isn’t for a particular editor (like I’m doing right now and I did with my first book) then I’m pantsing it.
What is the hardest part about the publishing process for you and how do you get through it? (For me, it’s copyediting and sour cream and onion chips.)
Line edits! I pout, curse under my breath, and eat chocolate.

We drop your hero or heroine on a deserted island.  Quick, what are the three things he or she can’t live without?

Cell phone, caramel apples, and M&Ms.
If your story were a film, who would you cast?

Bridgit Mendler (from Lemonade Mouth) would be a great Jamie.  Jane Levy (from Subergatory) would make an awesome Milan. And the middle Hanson brother, Taylor Hanson, would be a cute Danny.

Are there any contests or upcoming appearances/interviews/etc. you’d like to plug?

Nothing at this time, thanks!

Fun Friday: I’d Like to Buy the World A Book

For Fun Friday, publishing world lyrics for “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.”  I have a whole video in mind to go with but no time to produce it.  Sigh.

I’d Like to Buy The World A Book

I’d like to buy the world a book
Get everyone to read
Of lovers found
And spells unbound
And epic things to see
 
I’d like to buy the world a clue
And send out mysteries
With private eyes
Misleading lies
And witnesses are key
 
(Chorus)
That’s the song I sing.
Take up the refrain
A song of books
And story hooks
To take the world away.
 
I’d like to buy the world a quest
Of high intensity
With heroic bent
And minions sent
At stake a world or three
 
I’d like to buy the world some love
Romance and all its thrills
An alpha male
A stunning tale
And tons of fantasy
 
(Chorus)
That’s the song I sing.
Take up the refrain
A song of books
And story hooks
To take the world away.

Guest blog today from Janice Hardy!

Janice Hardy, pictured here, is an agency mate (author-me is repped by the Nelson Literary Agency, because a) it’s wonderful just like The Knight Agency and b) I wanted my work at a remove from me and my day-to-day business handling my clients careers) and all-around wonderful writer.  I’m very pleased today to have her here, talking about war and her latest release, DARKFALL, which concludes her epic YA trilogy.  So, without further ado, I present to you:

War, Huh? What is it Really Good For?

I knew as soon as I decided my stand-alone fantasy novel The Shifter would turn into a trilogy that it would end with a war. I pretty much clinched that when we named the series “The Healing Wars.” So it was funny to get to the final book (Darkfall) and not be sure what to do with it. All I had to do was write the war, right?

Turns out writing a war isn’t nearly as fun as you’d think. While watching it play out on screen can be exciting, describing a lot of fighting and horror and all the terrible things that go into war get—if you can believe it—boring.

He stabs her, she stabs him, they scream, they fall down. Slice, dice, repeat.

The first draft of Darkfall was like that because I needed to know how the war played out before I could put my heroine, Nya, into the middle of it. I had to work out the mechanics first, understand how the bad guy would invade and how the good guys would fight back. And an interesting thing happened.

I discovered the bigger the battle, the more boring it was. The scenes I found the most compelling were the personal ones where Nya was dealing with the war from her perspective. It wasn’t about “the war” it was about Nya’s place in it and what it meant to her.

That’s when everything changed.

Draft one grew larger and less personal as the war went on. For draft two, I threw away all those epic fight scenes and made it more personal to Nya as it went on. She went from the big picture, the idea of war, to the personal choices and sacrifices of it.

What a difference that made. Not only did it fit the themes of the series, it actually made the “epic battles” more exciting because they were personal, with characters readers could care about.  The war also became the catalyst for Nya’s personal growth. It wasn’t just beating the Duke and gaining her people’s freedom, it was about accepting who she was and her place in the new world she was helping create.

This was even more important for this particular character, because fighting for Nya is very personal. She has the unique ability to heal by shifting pain from person to person, so to help one person she has to hurt another. While this is helpful, it’s also a powerful weapon—and makes her extremely hard to kill. Her fighting involves touch and making a literal personal connection to the person trying to hurt her—and who she’s being forced to hurt back.

Taking a broad, detached view of that felt wrong. I didn’t want it to be a book about a girl who caused a war. I wanted it to be the story of a girl who’d been shaped by war, and how that war forged her into the very weapon that would ultimately bring peace.

It made for a better story, especially since it had never been about the war to begin with. But Nya wouldn’t have become Nya without it.

 _________________________

Janice Hardy always wondered about the darker side of healing. For her fantasy trilogy THE HEALING WARS, she tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing was dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. Her books include THE SHIFTER, BLUE FIRE, and DARKFALL from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins.  You can visit her online at www.janicehardy.com or chat with her about writing on her blog, The Other Side of the Story.

_________________________

About Darkfall

War has come.

Nya’s the one who brought it. And the people love her for it.

With Baseer in shambles and Geveg now an impenetrable military stronghold, Nya and the Underground have fled to a safer location—without Tali. Nya is guilt-ridden over leaving her sister behind and vows to find her, but with the rebellion in full swing and refugees flooding the Three Territories, she fears she never will.

The Duke, desperate to reclaim the throne as his own, has rallied his powerful army. And they are on the move, destroying anyone who gets in the way.

To save her sister, her family, and her people, Nya needs to stay ahead of the Duke’s army and find a way to build one of her own. Past hurts must be healed, past wrongs must be righted, and Nya must decide: Is she merely a pawn in the rebellion, a symbol of hope—or is she ready to be a hero?

New books!

So many great things to announce, like the new Rachel Caine deal reported in this week’s Publishers Weekly, Kalayna Price’s incredible urban fantasy GRAVE WITCH winning a Maggie Award in the Published Paranormal category, the great interviews (including one with me), which the editors at The Write Place at the Write Time shared on the Inscribing Industry blog, Janet Mullany blogging over at Austen Prose with a giveaway of her latest novel, the special price on my own Vamped for Kindle right now and these fabulous new books, releasing today!

JANE AUSTEN: BLOOD PERSUASION by Janet Mullany (Avon/HarperCollins)

Other available series titles: JANE AND THE DAMNED

“Mullany (Improper Relations) pens an impressively compelling Jane Austen mashup full of humor (“You damned Damned!”) and poignant irony.… the bond between Jane and her father, the small scenes that reflect Austen’s novels, the sly humor of a vampire Prince Regent, and an abundance of moral dilemmas and vivid action make this a very satisfying page-turner for vamp-lovers and Austen fans alike.”      —Publishers Weekly

“A fast-paced adventure.”   —Booklist

“…a captivating and exhilarating good read!” —Austenesque Reviews

“Jane and the Damned wasn’t what I was expecting; it far exceeded my expectations.  I loved the action, I loved the vampire elements and I loved that Ms. Mullany kept many quirks and characteristics of the original Jane intact.  The fictional characters Ms. Mullany introduced were vibrant, flamboyant , excessive and seductive … Jane and the Damned is a vampire story for those discriminating readers who enjoy a more cerebral type of supernatural yarn.” —Psychotic State

Blurb: It is 1810, and the Damned are out of favor—banished from polite society. Jane Austen’s old undead friends have become new neighbors, raising hell in her tranquil village just in time to interrupt Jane’s work on what will be her masterpiece. Suddenly Jane’s niece is flirting dangerously with vampires, and a formerly respectable spinster friend has discovered the forbidden joys of intimate congress with the Damned (and is borrowing Jane’s precious silk stockings for her assignations). Writing is simply impossible now, with murderous creatures prowling the village’s once-peaceful lanes. And with the return of her vampire characteristics, a civil war looming between factions of the Damned, and a former lover who intends to spend eternity blaming her for his broken heart, Jane is facing a very busy year indeed.

Bloodhound Files #4: BETTER OFF UNDEAD by D.D. Barant (St. Martin’s Press)

Other available series titles: DYING BITES, DEATH BLOWS, KILLING ROCKS

“A steller addition to an already outstanding series.” –RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars! TOP PICK!)

 “This engrossing debut adds another captivating protagonist to the urban fantasy ranks…Barant’s well-developed world offers intriguing enhancements to mythology and history. Jace is remarkable, strong-willed and smart, and she sets an unstoppable pace. Look for the Bloodhound Files to go far.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)  

“A heroine with plenty of guts, moxie and a sense of the absurd.  [A] fresh and original take on urban fantasy…Huge kudos to Barant for spicing things up with a story that expertly integrates detective work, kick-butt action and a wacky sense of humor.  Make sure you get in early on the outstanding new Bloodhound Files series.”—Romantic Times 

“Barant does an excellent job introducing a whole new world where vampires make up the majority of the population…quick and engrossing…a great new series.”—The Romance Reader 

Blurb: Dark magic, unknown enemies, monsters of every stripe—FBI profiler Jace Valchek has seen it all. In this bizarre parallel universe, shape-shifting werewolves and blood-thirsty vampires don’t even warrant a raised eyebrow. That is, until Jace has to face what life might look like as one of them …

It starts off as just another run-of-the-mill assignment: to track down the rogue don of a mafia werewolf family before he upsets the delicate balance of the underworld. But Jace wasn’t counting on being bitten…and soon she’s fighting the growing wolf inside her with a startling antidote—vampirism. Stopping a bloody gangland war won’t be easy when Jace is feeling some new, and very inhuman, desires …

SONG OF THE BEAST by Carol Berg (Roc)

Awards won: 2003 Colorado Book Awards in genre fiction

“Carol Berg’s latest work shows the maturing of a prolific and dynamic writer.” — New York Review of Science Fiction

“Like Lois McMaster Bujold, Berg knows how to grip her audience from the first page and fling them on a rollercoaster ride.” — SF Revu

“The plot keeps twisting right until the end.” — Locus

“Fans of “THE DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN” series by Anne McCaffrey will love this novel.” — The Best Reviews

“Berg’s fascinating fantasy is a puzzle story, with a Celtic-flavored setting and a plot as intricate and absorbing as fine Celtic lacework….  the characters are memorable, and Berg’s intelligence and narrative skill make this stand-alone fantasy most commendable.” — Booklist

“Dragons’ voices and one man’s sheer, indomitable will blend to produce a powerful story of courage and faith. “Song of the Beast” is this summer’s sleeper hit.” — The Davis Enterprise

 

Blurb: Brutal imprisonment has broken Aiden McAllister.  His celebrated voice is silent.  His hands ruined.  His music is destroyed—and with it the visions he once gave a kingdom ravaged by dragon war.  The god who nurtured his talent since boyhood has abandoned him.

But no one ever told Aidan his crime. When pursuers threaten to throw him back in the prison he’s just left, he’s driven to discover the truth, risking his hard-bought freedom to unlock the mind of his god and the heart of his enemy.

Vamped special price

I just found out on Twitter that the first in my Vamped series (called, imaginatively, Vamped) is currently a special price for Kindle.  $1.99.  Get it while it’s hot!

Teaser:

“Valley Vamp Rules for Surviving Your Senior Prom” by fashionista Gina Covello

1)  Do not get so loaded at the after prom party that you accidentally-on-purpose end up in the broom closet with the surprise hottie of the evening, say the class chess champ who’s somewhere lost his bottle-cap lenses and undergone an extreme makeover, especially if that makeover has anything to do with becoming one of the undead.

Gina Covello has a problem. Waking up a dead is just the beginning. There’s very little she can’t put up with for the sake of eternal youth and beauty.  Blood-sucking and pointy stick phobias seem a small price to pay.  But she draws the line when local vampire vixen Mellisande gets designs on her hot new boyfriend with his prophecied powers and hatches a plot to turn all of Gina’s fellow students into an undead army to be used to overthrow the vampire council.

Hey, if anyone’s going to create an undead entourage, it should be Gina!  Now she must unselfishly save her classmates from fashion disaster and her own

Select Quotes:

“Those who enjoy a good giggle will respond eagerly to this brassy, campy romp.”  —Kirkus Reviews

“This quick read is filled with teen slang and fashion consciousness; it’s a lighthearted, action-packed, vampire romance story following in the vein of Julie Kenner’s “Good Ghouls” (Berkley), Marlene Perez’s “Dead” (Harcourt), and Rachel Caine’s “The Morganville Vampires” (Signet) series. A sequel is in the works.” —School Library Journal

“Diver uses wit and adventure to hook readers with this teen vampire story.” —VOYA

“Vamped has more than just a pretty cover, it’s got a great story to it, too! And it was exactly what I needed. It had the perfect amount of romance, suspense, and humor! …I recommend it to any vampire lover, and to those looking for something creative and fresh!” – The Book Blogger