Jeri Smith-Ready

Winner of CAPTIVATE and a blog about blogging

The winner of a signed Advance Review Copy of Carrie Jones's Captivate is...Bella! Bella, please send your mailing address to jeri AT jerismithready DOT com within the next week.

Remaining open Blogtoberfest contests:

Jennifer Echols and The Ex-Games (for the next few hours only!)
PC Cast and Tempted
Jeri Smith-Ready and an ARC of Shade
Rachel Vincent and My Soul to Take or My Soul to Save (winner's choice)

I really loved doing the Blogtoberfest. It reminded me how much I enjoy daily babbling--I mean, blogging. It's a great way to connect with other people using more than 140 characters (a la Twitter). Assuming I can still communicate using more than 140 characters.

So my plan going forward is to blog more often. Hopefully every weekday, although probably not as much over the holidays and near deadlines (which this month is the same thing--fun for the whole family!).

To help me keep up the habit, the blog posts won't always be long (remember, I've lost stamina due to Twitter), and they will no longer be copied and pasted to LiveJournal and MySpace (if you're reading this here, you're obviously cool with that part). And unlike during Blogtoberfest, they won't always involve free stuff (unless you count words, which hey, aren't always free, right?).

But the posts will always, always, ALWAYS include at least two parentheses (if a set of parentheses counts as two, and probably even if it doesn't).

And they will often include random crap that cracks me up, like this video (hat tip to Curtis Brown agent Nathan Bransford:



See you back here tomorrow, when I talk about my typical rewriting process and how I'm applying it to Bring on the Night!

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Now playing: Dave Sasscer - Quiet Mind

Labels: Blogtoberfest, LiveJournal, MySpace

• posted by Jeri @ 8:40 PM
• 6 comments

Dante & Ciara Interview Part One

Since Dante Baptiste (of Adrian Phoenix’s A Rush of Wings and In the Blood) and Ciara Griffin (of Jeri Smith-Ready’s Wicked Game and the upcoming Bad to the Bone) are from two different worlds, it seemed likely (and sad) that they’d never meet.

But then the dimensional fabric between their worlds thinned for a brief time, so that they could share a few (okay, make that a lot of) drinks at the Bar Between the Universes (not to be confused with the Restaurant at the End of the Universe—the Bar only serves basic pub grub) and got to talking:

ROUND ONE (see yesterday's blog for an explanation of rounds)

Dante (drinking Absinthe King Gold): Hey Ciara, bon soir. We’re the only ones in the club, and I’m content to play bartender. Name your poison.

Ciara: Hmm, given your choice of words, I’ll take a Coke. In the original container. Unbroken seal.

Dante: (snorts) So you’re saying that the drink used world-round to clean car batteries is safer than anything I’d pour for you? Oh-kay. (Hands Ciara an ice-cold short bottle of Coke. Unopened. Offers her a bottle opener.)

Ciara: Hey, I’m new in your world. Lots of scary-ass folks, including nightkind. Always gotta watch out for numero uno, right? Trust no one. Well, almost no one.

Dante: C’est vrai, but you gotta trust yourself, yeah? It gets old always watching out for Numero Uno. You never know when he’s gonna blindside you with a flying tackle. I ain’t trying to be cold, but I think it’s time Numero Uno was told he ain’t with the Saints no more. D’ya think there’s an assisted living center for delusional ex-football players?

Ciara: (blinks)

Dante: Oh. Wait. You meant numero uno as in (points a finger at Ciara’s chest, then points at his own). Gotcha! See, there’s this . . . never mind, ain’t important. (Downs his drink)

So I read Wicked Game.

Ciara: And you told all your friends, right? Maybe talked about it onstage? Been my ever-lovin’ pimpalicious baby?

Dante: (pouring himself another tumbler of Absinthe King Gold) Oui, I told all my friends about WVMP and its vampire DJs, and I think I mentioned you. And Shane. And all the hot sex.

(A smile tilts his lips)

I even told them there was another book on the way full of action, hysterical one-liners, deadly fanatics, and – oh, yeah – more hot sex. I ain’t mentioned it onstage, but where do I sign up to be your ever-lovin’ pimpalicious baby? What are the perks?

Ciara: Gold chain medallions, ankle-length leather coat with arctic fox trim. The standard pimp accoutrements. I think you’d look cute in one of those big purple hats.

Dante: (chokes on his drink. Turns around so Ciara can lean across the bar and pound on his back as he gasps for air.)

Ciara: Anyway, I’ve read both of your adventures, A Rush of Wings and In the Blood, which puts me one ahead of you. I’ve even read the sections you didn’t narrate, which means I know seeeeeecrets. Which I’m willing to sell.

Dante: Secrets? To sell? How much? (works hand into pocket of leather pants, then his gaze lights on the cash register. He grins and pulls his hand free of his pocket.)

Ciara: Actually, I’m not sure I want to be around when you find out some of those not-so-fun facts. Maybe I could mail them to you and you could wire the money to one of my offshore accounts. After I’m far, far away. Out of “unmaking range.”

Dante: (blinks) Offshore accounts? What, are you Le Chiffre from Bond? Does that make me Bond or the Bond chick? And I ain’t one of those ‘unmake the messenger’ types, p’tite.

Ciara: That’s good to know. So where was I? Oh yeah, your books. I tell all my friends about your antics, and once I have some free time in between all the not-getting-killed, your stories will be the first ones I review on our dormant website. Because they officially rock.

Do people still say things “rock”? Sometimes I worry I spend so much time with Nineties Boy, my slang gets out of date.

Sorry. You were saying. Or maybe I was saying. Who was saying?

Dante: (reaches over and yanks the bottle of Coke out of Ciara’s hand.) You’ve had waaaay too much caffeine, p’tite. Choose a non-caffeinated drink.

Ciara: (sighs) Okay. Give me a Smithwick’s. That’s Shane’s favorite beer. But again, sealed, please.

And when you get a chance, come sit with me. You hovering behind the bar feels too much like a shrink with his patient. Unless you feel threatened, in which case, hover all you want. I know better than to threaten a vampire.

Dante: (snorts) Threatened. (Moves in a blur of latex and gleaming steel and sits on the stool beside Ciara, unopened bottle of Smithwick’s in hand, which he extends to her.) You still have the bottle opener, yeah?

Ciara: (gapes) Uh…yeah. (presses cold bottle against neck to cool off)

Dante: I’m impressed by how you’ve been able to play the book off as fiction, but given your skills in the persuasive arts, not surprised. You got any other promotions for WVMP coming up?

Ciara: (recovers at the mention of marketing activities) You bet! We had a rockin’ Halloween party, and then a Happy Hell-iday celebration for Christmas. Eight fanged reindeer pulling Santa’s coffin, devil horns on my elf costume, and of course, the classic holiday songs like “Little St. Nick” by the Beach Boys, and “Christmas Sucks” by Tom Waits and Peter Murphy.

(pops top of beer bottle)

See, some annoying people insisted we were going to hell, so we decided to milk it. Ratings, you know. You can read all about it in my next adventure, BAD TO THE BONE, coming out in May, in stores everywhere!

(looks around for someone to hand a bookmark to, sees no one, is deflated)

Dante: Leave some bookmarks on the bar, I’m sure people will pick ‘em up. I’d like one, too.

Ciara: So what about you? How’s the Inferno tour going? Any more onstage, um, episodes like the one in Seattle that Heather told us about in IN THE BLOOD? That looked pretty rough. I’m not surprised people thought it was a stunt. Tabloid rumors really sell concert tickets! But seriously, I hope you’re feeling better.

(reaches out to pat his shoulder, thinks better of it)

Dante: People thought what happened on stage was a stunt? Wow. I didn’t know that. Tabloid rumors . . . hell, I didn’t even think about that! I don’t even remember what happened, to be honest. But I’m good, merci beaucoup for asking.

Ciara: Good. I want to keep you around for those next two books I hear are coming down the pike. You know anything about them? Any hints for your cutest fan? (bats eyelashes)

Dante: Shane’s here?? Oh. You meant cutest female fan. (Wicked smile.) Umm . . . well, the title is BENEATH THE SKIN. And the series now has a name – THE MAKER’S SONG. I can’t really give you any hints because it might spoil ITB for those who ain’t read it yet. I can say there’ll be fights for survival, sex, love, blood, oh, and a fight for sanity. I know . . . generic. (Shrugs.) Can’t be helped, p’tite.

Ciara: Ooh, your series has a name. I’m jealous. But congratulations—it all sounds very intriguing.

Dante: Your turn. List the DJs in order of hotness. I think it’s a given Shane’ll be numero un. Gotta admit, I think he’s hot too.

Ciara: Why, thank you. In order? Definitely Noah is second—he’s got a kind, gentle soul, and the dreadlocks are a work of art. I also like that he sometimes wears glasses, though of course he doesn’t need them.

Dante: Dreads are smokin’ for true.

Ciara: Then probably a tie between Spencer and Monroe. They’re both so aloof and magnetic, although Spencer, frankly, is a major tightass. But he has piercing eyes, so point in his favor.

Dante: Oui, I’d say piercing eyes earns points, tightass loses points, so maybe Spencer’s a wash, yeah?

Ciara: Overall, yeah, but he’s good to have around. At least the sanest patient is running the asylum.

Back to the hotness rankings. Last would be Regina and finally Jim. Not that they’re not gorgeous, but their personalities are kind of a turnoff. Regina’s a bully, and Jim…well, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. He’s definitely committed “bad touch” with me more than once. I’d give anything to be able to haul off and whack him upside the head, but that’d probably get me killed.

Shane put him in his place, though, in BTTB. He totally drank his milkshake. Well, he took a sip, at least.

Am I talking too much? Do I seem nervous? Don’t answer that.

Dante: I never really got that “I drink your milkshake” line in that “There Will Be Blood” movie. I mean, what the hell was that movie even about? Um…excuse that digression.

(C&D speak over each other)


Ciara: I didn’t actually see it--I spent most of that December trying not to get killed. But these days, the catch phrase is enough to fake one’s pop culture awareness.

Dante: You seem a little nervous, yeah. But I ain’t gonna do any “bad touch” stuff or let anyone else bother you – if anyone should walk in, that is, which they won’t. Club’s closed. Just you and me, chere. Whoops. I wasn’t supposed to answer that, yeah?

Ciara: Answer what? Huh?

Dante: (pours fourth Absinthe King Gold and waits for her to catch up)

Ciara: Anyway, instead, answer this: What’s your favorite song you’d never cover onstage? A secret guilty pleasure, like REO Speedwagon or Barry Manilow, perhaps?

Dante: My secret guilty pleasure--but it ain’t secret anymore--is Justin Timberlake. I’d love to do a cover of “Cry Me a River” that song’s just brimming with rage, but the guys would probably tie me up and stuff me head first into a laundry hamper full of smelly athletic gear. My other secret--dammit…not anymore!--guilty pleasure would be Kelly Clarkson’s “Addicted.” That song cuts to the core. But…the guys would probably tie me up, stuff me into a laundry hamper, etc.

You next. What song or band is your secret guilty pleasure?

Ciara: Does Coldplay count? I’m told they’re not cool, but they’re my musical Valium. Except for their new album, which I hate. Now that they’ve been praised for reinventing themselves, they’ll do it every time, and I’ll never get my mindless soothing Brit Pop melodies back. Ah well. There’s always Snow Patrol.

Dante: Oui, Coldplay counts. The reinvented Coldplay is too generic to be worthy of secret guilty pleasuredom. (Clinks his tumbler against Ciara’s beer bottle). Hey! While we’re starting to feel no pain, it’s the perfect time to indulge our secret guilty pleasures, yeah?

(Dante jumps to his feet, blurs back behind the bar, much clinking, clanking, and muttering ensues. He straightens, shaking his hair back from his face, a triumphant smile on his lips. He thumps a karaoke machine on the bar.)

Le voici! Ain’t never done this, but I think it’d be fun, yeah? Just you and me and any song we’d never sing in front of an audience. I can set this up, we can take turns singing in the Cage or on the bar! I totally want to sing “Like a Virgin!” Whatcha wanna sing? We can flip a coin or arm wrestle or kiss or something to decide who goes first!

Ciara: Ooh, I know—let’s start with a duet! Like maybe… (flips through karaoke book) Perfect! (programs machine and hands Dante a mic) First one to laugh has to sing anything the other one chooses.

Dante: D’accord. And drink anything the other one pours.

(We hear the opening strains of the world’s tenth cheesiest vampire song: Ozzy Osbourne and Lena Horne’s “Close My Eyes Forever.” Fade out as Dante snarfs absinthe out his nose.)

To be continued next month...

---

Um...yeah. Anyway, leave a comment or a question for Ciara and/or Dante between now and 11:59pm EST next Wednesday (January 7) to be automatically entered to win an autographed copy of In the Blood.

And since I'm still skeptical about the level of people's internet engagement over the holidays, I'll throw in a $10 Amazon gift certificate if we reach 50 comments, so you can buy another copy of ITB for a friend. That way you won't have to lend it out and get it back with coffee stains and cat-chewed cover corners.

If you don't have a Blogger account, no worries! Just sign your name and be sure to either check back next week to see if you won, or leave a way to get in touch with you (leaving an e-mail in the address not recommended, due to spam issues).

Get an extra chance to win by friending Ciara or Dante on MySpace. Be sure to let them know you're entering the contest and what name you've commented under, so I know which commenter to assign the extra chances to. Clear as mud?

Happy New Year!

Labels: interview, music, MySpace, reading, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 12:53 PM
• 56 comments

Brief NAIBA recap and musings from people who don't exist

Just got back from the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Fall Conference in Cherry Hill, NJ. I love bookseller trade shows because hey, I love booksellers. But I also love them because I get a chance to mingle with people outside my genres, and because I get to see previews of books that aren't coming out for months. Oh, and I might have picked up a book or ARC or two. Or sixty.

My name is Jeri, and I'm a Bookaholic. {{hiiiii Jeriiiiii}}

Anyway, the work day is over for most people, but I've got a novel to revise, so I've got a full night's work ahead of me. So this'll be quick, another "They blog so I don't have to" moment.

In a post entitled "Eat your heart out, George Clooney," Ciara brags about a review in Green Man Review, which I have to admit is one of my favorites, too:

Wicked Game is clever, funny, creative, and way too much fun. Jeri Smith-Ready plays with a concept I always thought would work well with vampires, setting them up as nighttime radio DJs whose familiarity with the material comes from actual experience, and she does it well, throwing in a nice mixture of musical styles and character personalities. Honestly, this is a book I wish I'd written, so I'm glad someone went ahead and did it. Smith-Ready's treatment of vampires is slightly skewed from the average depiction; in her world, vampires need to find a balance between the time period in which they were alive, and the modern era, lest they become disconnected and unable to function. Moreover, they're essentially locked in to their "Life Time," unable to easily change or grow or learn new things as time marches on without them. This imbues this particular breed of vampire with a unique and satisfying vulnerability, which makes for some interesting complications in their society. She also plays with the nature of codependency between vampires and humans, showing various ways in which they each get what they want, be it sex, money, protection, or dinner (you guess which is which. . . .) Maybe it's not all entirely original, since there's only so much variation possible, but it's explored nicely here.

Ciara's a fun character in her own right, a natural con artist who's always looking for that extra angle to exploit, and that back door to escape through. She's pragmatic, and naturally skeptical at first when things get weird, reacting like any normal person would, but when the chips are down, she really shines. In fact, it's safe to say she's got some massive reserves of confidence to draw upon, and an amazing amount of chutzpah, given some of the plans she comes up with. It'll be interesting to see what she does next, after what she pulls off in this book.

Wicked Game is a sure-fire winner in my opinion, and the sequel will be one of my must-reads.

Delish. Read the rest and see if you can figure out Ciara's favorite line. By the way, I don't know why the last two paragraphs are italicized. Fun with Blogger!

Then in Shane's World, our favorite vampire DJ (well, my favorite, anyway) waxes nostalgic about 80s video games, and shares with us a clip from a hilarious spoof of "Pac-Man the Movie."

Off to eat my first real meal of the day and then get crackin' on the manuscript. Tomorrow I'll be back with the results of Spencer's story contest.

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Now playing: Calico Horse - Awake In the Clouds
via FoxyTunes

Labels: appearances, MySpace, reviews, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 5:29 PM
• 3 comments

I Hear Dead People

I didn't blog yesterday, but that's okay. I have people for that now.

When Rob Usdin of the Jersey Jamcast told me about a cool new online radio station, I passed it on to Shane, who blogged about it last night and started a discussion about who we think is already dead but isn't. Go say hi if you have a chance (you need a MySpace account to comment, but not to read).

Which prompted him to check the Abe Vigoda status. Hat tip to Rob at Laughing at the Pieces for showing me that one oh so long ago.

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Now playing: Muddy Waters - I Can't Be Satisfied (1948)
via FoxyTunes

Labels: music, MySpace, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 9:37 AM
• 0 comments

It's all about Shane (for once)

First, Happy Canada Day to my friends from the north!

If I were really organized and forward-thinking, today would be the big debut of Regina, the Canadian vampire from Wicked Game. But alas, I didn't think of that until now.

Instead, I'm giving Shane McAllister his day in the sun--er, moon. (Sun bad, very very bad!)

First, I'm telling the world a little more about him over at Part Two of my stay on the Desert Island Keeper island (why yes, the daquiris are divine). The drawing for a signed copy of Wicked Game (or one of my other books if you've got that already) will take place at 11:59pm eastern tonight, so put your commentin' boots on.

Also, his MySpace page is up at last! He even blogged a couple of times. Go friend him and make him feel all warm inside, because the only other way to do that is--well, you know.

I think part of his incentive to get off his butt and onto the social networking site was to referee the escalating tension between Ciara and vampire (sorry, nightkind) Dante Baptiste from A Rush of Wings. Things should really get interesting now. Shane's never been one for delicate politicking.

In case you missed my late-night posting, Monroe's story is up on my website now for your reading (and listening) enjoyment. To celebrate, I'm giving away a brand-new copy of my favorite blues CD. For details, read last night's post.

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Now playing: The Black Crowes - Horse Head
via FoxyTunes

Labels: blog tour, Contests, MySpace, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 11:57 AM
• 0 comments

Happy Release Day to You!

Not me. You.

When Wicked Game officially hits the shelves across North America today, my work is done (except for the small detail of handing in the sequel this Friday). Release days are about the reader, not the writer. The reader finally has a chance to form his or her own relationship with the book, outside of reviews and ads and endless blog posts stretching back to the day the contract was signed (eighteen months ago, in my case).

Getting ready for a book’s release is sort of like planning a big party or a wedding. Prepare as much as you can, handle the variables you can control (which, in publishing, isn’t much), then sit back and take the rest as it comes. And just like with a party, don’t let the stress get in the way of enjoying yourself. (I'm of course a total hypocrite--I've been on the verge of a nervous breakdown all day.)

If you're stopping by for the first time, here's a bit about the book. If you're sick of hearing about it, skip down to the new stuff.

Late-night radio you can sink your teeth into

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, 60s psychedelia, 80s Goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers how the DJs maintain their cred: they’re vampires, stuck forever in the eras in which they were turned.

Ciara’s first instinct, as always, is to cut and run. But communications giant Skywave wants to buy WMMP and turn it into just another hit-playing clone. Without the station—and the link it provides to their original Life Times—the vampires would “fade,” becoming little more than mindless ghosts of the past. Suddenly a routine corporate takeover becomes a matter of life and un-death.

To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara re-brands the station as “WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs’ vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. WVMP becomes the hottest thing around—next to Ciara’s complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister. But the “gimmick” enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren’t so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher-and the perils graver-than any con game Ciara’s ever played…

Smith-Ready’s musical references are spot on, as is her take on corporate radio’s creeping airwave hegemony. Add in the irrepressible Ciara, who grew up in a family of grifters, and the results rock. — Publisher’s Weekly

A colorful premise and engaging characters make the author’s (Aspect of Crow trilogy; Requiem for the Devil) latest a fun read. Recommended for all urban fantasy and paranormal romance collections. — Library Journal

WICKED GAME is an urban fantasy thrill ride. Not only is the story incredibly entertaining and exciting—even a little romantic—but it's also sexy as hell. — Simply Romance Reviews

New news:

— A sequel, Bad to the Bone, will be released May 1, 2009. That’s just fifty weeks away!

— The website for WVMP The Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll is now live! Visit WVMPradio.com to learn more about the DJs and hear their playlists, courtesy of the Playlist Project at Playlist.com. (Hat-tip to author Stephanie Kuehnert for telling me about the site.)

— WVMPradio.com also links to the station's official CafePress store, where you can now buy your own Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll merchandise.

— Our intrepid heroine Ciara Griffin is now on MySpace. Come friend her so she feels like a real person.

— Next signing: Borders Books in Winchester, VA--Saturday, May 17 from 3-5pm. Click here for directions, and check out my news page for more signings in the next few weeks.

And now, a humble request:

As with most series, the longevity of the WVMP vampires depends on reader enthusiasm, which is as it should be. So if you like Wicked Game, tell your friends, family, bookseller, librarian, and that guy/girl you’re always making eye contact with at the bus stop (no, not that one, the other one). That way, there'll be many more books to come.

Thanks to every one of you, whether you've known me since I was a wee bairn, or whether you've just heard of me for the first time this minute.

Now it's time for me to shut up and write. And let you read.

Order links:

Mysterious Galaxy

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Labels: appearances, MySpace, vampire series, website, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 5:00 PM
• 6 comments

Back from RT

More details tomorrow, but I had a phenomenal time. I met dozens of wonderful people, had a blast on the panels, and sold out of all my copies of Eyes of Crow at the Book Fair, which gave me time to buy other authors' books and get them autographed. Now I just have to decide which one to read first.

A bit brain-dead right now, so I'm spending the day unpacking, napping, working on my MySpace page, and waving this stupid fly away from my head.

By the way, I have a MySpace page. I've had it for awhile, but it's been on the lame side up to this point. It's better now, content-wise at least, so stop by and friend me!


A-Z Update: "Dracula Moon" by Joan Osbourne

Labels: appearances, Eyes of Crow, MySpace

• posted by Jeri @ 12:29 PM
• 2 comments