Jeri Smith-Ready

Top 9 Songs of 2009

Unlike my vampire DJs, I'm not stuck in time--musically, at least (let's not discuss my wardrobe--shoulder pads are coming back, right?).

I owe my contemporary awareness entirely to my Sirius satellite radio service. One of my player's features allows me to skip back to the beginning of a song and play it again. Maybe again and again. Maybe again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again.

Most of the songs below were ones I fell in love with at first listen. For five of the nine, I'd never heard the band before. Nothing makes a music lover happier than that moment of discovery and infatuation. It gives us hope for the future, or at least the present.

These top 9 tunes are in chronological order rather than order of preference, although the last one is also my favorite. Everyone should go out (or stay in) and buy XX by XX. Show the recording industry that a truly original sound can succeed.

Below the playlist are some bonus videos and my rambly, amateur music appreciator thoughts.




1. Dead Confederate - "The Rat"

A bit of a cheat, since it actually came out in 2008. But it didn't start getting major play until early 2009. It's Nirvana meets R.E.M. You can hear the original song in all its grungy goodness on the playlist below. Here's a video of them doing it acoustically on a street corner in Amsterdam, courtesy of the Amsterdam Acoustic series:




2. Shiny Toy Guns - "Ghost Town"

Also technically released in late 2008, it started getting a lot of airplay in February or March. It's the only tune I've ever downloaded as a ring tone, before realizing I can never hear my phone ring in a crowded room unless it sounds like a freaking PHONE.

Click the link above to see the very cool animated official "Ghost Town" video (it won't let me embed it here).

3. Bouncing Souls - "Gasoline" (Jan)

This was the first of twelve singles released this year to celebrate their twentieth anniversary. I couldn't find a good video of it, so just listen to it on the playlist. I find it really captures the (dis)spirit of 2009, and of Generation Xers dragging our moshingly energetic self-loathing into middle age. I sing the chorus at maximum volume:

Sedate me with anything
So I don't have to live with me
Tell me, tell me that I'm free
Kill me with everything
Until there's nothing left of me
Tell me, tell me that I'm free
Give me some gasoline.

4. Death Cab for Cutie - "Little Bribes"

This one grew on me. It's off their Open Door EP, stuff that didn't fit on Narrow Stairs. They were right to leave this off--it's much more upbeat. The live performance video I linked to also features "Cath," one of the songs that totally fits the brilliant, somber, emotionally cohesive Narrow Stairs.

5. Silversun Pickups - "Panic Switch"

This bass line could eat a horse. Listen to it on the playlist for best sound, then come back and space out to the video.



6. Cocktail Slippers - "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" (4.28)

When I first heard this on Little Steven's Underground Garage station*, I only caught the last, I'm not joking, twenty seconds. I proceeded to play those twenty seconds over and over (you can only rewind the portion of the song that's been playing since you tuned into that station--if you switch stations, the playback memory is wiped).

I later found out that Steven Van Zandt produced this record after hearing the Slippers' first album. So it has his Official Stamp of Cool in more ways than one. Playlist.com didn't have "St. Valentine's Massacre," only their more popular "Give it to Me," which also rocks.

*This channel alone makes Sirius a worthwhile addition to any music lover's life. Cool songs from every era. Real rock 'n' roll, with DJs who actually know their stuff. And where else can you hear a former E Street Band member and fake mobster spin records?




7. Green Day - "East Jesus Nowhere"

I'll talk about this amazing concert in my "Top 9 Moments of '09," but I had to share this live clip of Billie Joe Armstrong "saving" a child at their Chicago show (listen to the playlist for the full song). In the earliest performances of the song, he would just have the kids dance, but by this point, they were doing something much cooler:



8. The Raveonettes - "Last Dance"

When I heard the first single off the new CD by my favorite band (as of 2008's Lust Lust Lust), I wasn't overly impressed. It lacked the brain-blasting distortion I've been such a fan of lately. But I bought the CD anyway the day it came out (something I rarely do) and soon found myself singing this song all around the house. Here's a video of the Raveonettes performing it acoustically in their native Denmark:




9. XX - "Crystalised"

Last but first, my favorite song of the year. I was entranced the moment I heard it. It's rare that a new artist comes along that sounds completely different from anything that's come before. The vocals and instrumentation wind around each other in a jaw-dropping, mesmerizing way.

When I first heard them, their self-titled debut CD wasn't even available on iTunes, so I ordered the physical CD as an import from Amazon. I had to wait six weeks, because it sold out that fast. It was worth the wait.



And as a bonus, here's their Amsterdam Acoustic session.



and my favorite song on the CD, "Infinity" (not a real video, just audio with an image). It always makes me stop, pull out the laptop cooler to reduce the background hum, close my eyes, and just listen. It's so good it almost hurts.



Come back tomorrow for my Top 9 Books Read in 2009. Thanks for listening!

Labels: best of 2009, music

• posted by Jeri @ 8:16 PM
• 2 comments

Bring on the Night

Yesterday I turned in the rewrite for Bring on the Night (WVMP Book #3 and sequel to Bad to the Bone). I spent the last seventeen days working 10-12-hours a day on it,* so I've been living (and unliving) with these vampires almost every waking moment since Thanksgiving.

To ease myself out of Sherwood and back into the bright, shiny, scary palce called "reality," my first post-Bring on the Night blog entry will be about...Bring on the Night.

Official release date: August 1, 2010. You can already pre-order it at Amazon. And check out the spiffy fake cover--much better than the old "No Image Available" option. (I haven't seen the cover art at all yet, but I'm sure it's cool.)

Bring on the Night will be released in recession-friendly mass market paperback. Speaking of which, Bad to the Bone will be reissued in mass market on February 22, with a Bring on the Night "teaser" first chapter that is no longer the first chapter (rewrites, you know).

What it's about: The usual WVMP gang of vampire DJs, picking up two-and-a-half years after the end of Bad to the Bone.

We've got a near-final version of the back cover copy. I'm particularly psyched about this one, because my editor and I wrote it ourselves.

---


Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin seems to finally have it all: A steady job at WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ‘n’ Roll. A loving relationship with the idiosyncratic yet eternally hot DJ Shane McAllister. A vampire dog who never needs shots or a pooper-scooper. And after nine years, it looks like she might actually finish her bachelor’s degree!

But fate has other plans for Ciara. First she must fulfill her Faustian bargain with the Control, the paranormal paramilitary agency that does its best to keep vampires in line. Turns out the Control wants her for something other than her (nonexistent) ability to kick undead ass. Her anti-holy blood, perhaps? Ciara’s suspicions are confirmed when she’s assigned to a special ops division known as the Immanence Corps, run by the Control’s oldest vampire and filled with humans who claim to have special powers.

To a confirmed skeptic like Ciara, it sounds like a freak fest. But when a mysterious, fatal virus spreads through Sherwood—and corpses begin to rise from their graves—Ciara will not only get a crash-course in zombie-killing, but will be forced to put her faith—and even her life itself—in the hands of magic.

-----

As part of my culture shock therapy, I spent last night putting together the Bring on the Night chapter title songs playlist. It's not final--I will definitely be changing a few in the copyedit stage.

Some notes:

1) Most of the songs fit the chapters better than in the two previous books. B y that I mean the lyrics and mood, as well as the title, should resonate with the story. This makes it more of a soundtrack than previous chapter title collections. They don't tell the story, but there's a bit of extra truth in each one.

2) No Nirvana. Shocker! Everything about this book is a little different from Wicked Game and Bad to the Bone, right down to the music. Instead of ending with a Nirvana song as usual, I chose to frame the book with Neil Young & Crazy Horse's two versions of "Hey Hey My My," Out of the Blue and Into the Black. Kurt Cobain quoted the line, "It's better to burn out than fade away" in his suicide note, so his spirit still haunts the soundtrack. (The song also includes the phrase "Rock 'n' roll can never die," one of the WVMP series taglines. Bonus! And there's also a line about Johnny Rotten, who sings the song "Rise" (with Public Image Ltd.), which comes a few chapters earlier. Self-referential bonus!)

3) More songs from this decade. By the time the book takes place (and comes out), the 00's will be over. And they'll have their very own DJ to represent them on WVMP.

So here it is! Enjoy trying to figure out the plot from the chapter titles. Or just enjoy the music.





Missing tunes (unavailable from Playlist.com):
"How Many More Years," Howlin' Wolf
"Help Me," Sonny Boy Williamson
"Sugar and Spice," The Searchers
Also, "Home of the Blues" should be Johnny Cash, and "All That Heaven Will Allow" should be Bruce Springsteen.

I hope to fix these holes by replacing the playlist with an iTunes iMix, as soon as I figure out how to do that. Definitely on my 2010 to-do list.


*Lest you scoff, thinking, "Pah, I stay at my desk until 7pm all the time," I don't mean I sit down to work and then get up ten hours later to spend a few hours leisure before I go to bed. I mean 10-12 hours as measured by a timer, which gets paused when I check e-mail, walk the dog, get food, take a bathroom break (or, more rarely, a shower). So a 12-hour day for me runs from 8am to midnight.

Labels: music, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 9:12 AM
• 9 comments

Music and the Muse - Wicked Game playlist

A few weeks ago several authors got together (online, of course--it's our usual habitat) and decided to do simultaneous blog posts on the topic of "Music and the Muse," inspired by the article of the same name in a recent issue of RWA's member magazine. We were supposed to show how music intersects with our writing.

I didn't know where to start. All of my contemporary fantasy books are built around music. It's an obsession of mine. So asking me to blog about music and writing is like asking Oliver Stone to blog about the 1960s.

For example, the creation of my first published novel, Requiem for the Devil, was sparked by a performance of Verdi's Requiem. In the book, Lucifer is (among other things) a virtuoso on the piano and violin, and his girlfriend Gianna is the guitarist for a Washington, DC riot grrl band called Public Humiliation. (My friend Greg helped me write the lyrics for their hit, "Dick for Day," the ultimate penis envy song.)

In my upcoming YA novel, Shade, the main character's boyfriend is the frontman for an up-and-coming Celtic-flavored punk band, the Keeley Brothers. When Logan dies and becomes a ghost, his love of music lives on (as does his craving for fame, and hey, who's more famous than a dead rock star?).

Then there are the vampire DJs. The WVMP Radio series was inspired by a song on the radio ("Bad Company," which was the original title for Wicked Game), and music is woven into the text, both in the background and as plot points.

Soooooo, what to blog about? I know! Last week at a book club meeting I received a question that's also been asked in several interviews:

In WICKED GAME, which came first, the playlist or the story?

A bit of background for new visitors (welcome, by the way!): In the front of Wicked Game, you'll find a list of songs called a "Playlist." This is not the kind of playlist you see on a lot of authors' sites, where they share the music that helped inspire the story, or that they listened to while they were writing it, or even that they imagine the characters would love and that would resonate with particular scenes. All of that is extremely cool, but it's not what I did.

The Wicked Game playlist is, rather, a list of songs that are mentioned in the actual text. My publisher asked me to compile it, and I was thrilled at the chance to spotlight some spectacular music.

The cool thing was, in several scenes I hadn't specified a song, only the artist. I might have written that Shane played a Led Zeppelin song on the guitar for Ciara during their romantic platonic picnic. But for the playlist I had to figure out which song would fit the scene and character best ("The Rain Song," which also has the advantage of being very playable on acoustic guitar, according to my husband).

The even cooler thing? I got this request during the copyedit stage, when I still had a chance to go back and change the text. So I actually added a song or two to give some scenes more texture.

For example, in one scene Ciara comes home to find Shane in her apartment, sorting her CDs (it's a thing for him). He's playing one of her (and my) favorite CDs, Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville, and the song in particular, "Flower," fits exactly with the way she feels about him, much to her chagrin. For readers familiar with the song, it adds another layer of subtext and maybe even a wee chuckle. (But I must warn you if you decide to Google the lyrics--they are not for the easily shocked.)

So by giving me the opportunity to share the playlist, my publisher allowed me to add some subtle finishing touches (to "decorate" the story, you might say) with a dab of this or that mood. Readers who want a deeper experience of the book can look up the songs (or better yet, visit the WVMP Music page and listen to the playlist themselves).

Oh, look, here it is, for your enjoyment (but you should still check out the WVMP Music page for the three other playlists. Just sayin'.):




Other Music & the Muse bloggers:

Bryan Bliss
R.R. Smythe
Marley DeLarose
Tara Kelly
Stephanie Kuehnert
Jennifer Linforth

What does music inspire you to do? Write? Paint? Dance? Kiss? Spend money on more, more, MORE music? Talk to me. I'll be traveling all day Tuesday, but I'll try to respond on Wednesday to any comments.

----------------
Now playing: White Zombie - More Human than Human

Labels: craft, music, Requiem for the Devil, vampire series, YA series

• posted by Jeri @ 12:37 AM
• 6 comments

The Ballad of Shane McAllister

I'm back! Bring on the Night is finished and turned in. Forks sticking out of it and everything. I am very happy with how it's turned out so far (realizing, of course, that I am in for the usual massive rewrite). For the second book in a row, I came up with an ending that changed almost everything I thought was true about its sequel. All part of the adventure, right?

Anyway, appearing today at Stephanie Kuehnert's blog, "Life, Words, & Rock 'n' Roll," is the hero of my WVMP Radio urban fantasy series, vampire DJ Shane McAllister (why I feel like I need to keep introducing him to you is beyond me. But you might be new, so hi!).

Shane is sharing his "ballad," a story of a pivotal point in his life and the music that formed the background, or, in his case, the foreground. It's all part of Stephanie's cyber-launch party celebrating the release of her amazing new novel, Ballads of Suburbia (which I talked about a few weeks ago).

Shane discusses how seeing Purple Rain changed his life, and not in the way he planned. If you leave a comment at Stephanie's blog, you can be entered to win a choice of Wicked Game, Bad to the Bone (signed, of course), or $20 worth of WVMP merchandise (new stuff added recently, including dog T-shirts and "Feed the Need" baby bibs).

Only three weeks until my next deadline (revisions for Shade), and loads of e-mail, etc., to catch up on before I go all hermit again. We should be getting our first foster cat either this week or next, so I'll have fun stories about her. In the meantime, go visit Twinkle's page and say, "Aww!"

Labels: blog tour, cq, foster cats, music, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 2:38 PM
• 6 comments

Guest blogger Danielle Joseph, author of SHRINKING VIOLET

For our next installment in the Mostly Debut Author interview series, I'm thrilled to have Danielle Joseph, whose first novel, Shrinking Violet, came out last month.

Danielle and I first met in that decrepit old bar known as MySpace (just kidding--it wasn't decrepit back then). It turned out that we had the same editor, the lovely and brilliant Jennifer Heddle. Not only that, we each wrote about radio stations! How cool is that?

So of course I had to read her book, especially when I discovered that the main character, Tere Adams, is painfully shy. This may come as a surprise to those who have met me at a convention, but I could totally relate.

Like all shy people, Tere has an amazing imagination, and often dreams of being someone different, someone "better." Her secret fantasy alter ego is Sweet T, the hottest new DJ on Miami's SLAM-FM. She knows the new music scene inside and out, and senses in her heart that given the opportunity, she could be a fabulous disc jockey.

As an intern on her stepfather's radio station, she gets her chance. Of course she's terrified--millions of people hearing her voice? What if her classmates recognize her? What if the hot, sensitive guy from English class--the one who loves the same bands and who actually talks to her--finds out she's been living a double life?

Despite her fear, she goes on the air as Sweet T, and that's when her life changes.

I fell in love with Tere as she struggled to find her voice, both literally and figuratively. Her pain at being looked at and expected to speak--speak now, speak up, for crying out loud!--I could feel in my gut. I loved that she lived out her dream not because she wasn't afraid, but in spite of her overwhelming terror. That's true courage. I also loved that the Hot Dude in Question, Gavin Tam, appreciated her for everything she was--her real self and the Tere she knew she could be.

Though the book is ostensibly targeted at a teen audience, there's a lot here for us over-twenties, particularly music lovers and anyone who's had to overcome the fear of being oneself.

Danielle was kind enough to subject herself to my silly questions, and generous enough to offer a signed copy of Shrinking Violet to one lucky commenter.

***BREAKING NEWS: THE DISNEY CHANNEL JUST BOUGHT THE FILM RIGHTS TO SHRINKING VIOLET! WOO-HOO!!***


Q. I saw on your website that you were a DJ yourself for a few years in Boston. Care to share any funny or just plain odd stories with readers? What was it like the first time you went on the air?

Danielle: I will say that I had a lot of creeps call when I was on air. I don’t know what possesses people to let you know intimate details about what they’re doing while listening to the show. For awhile there I thought maybe the station’s phone number got mixed up with a phone sex line! And as for my first time on air, I was definitely nervous but it was also thrilling!

You've probably had this question a million times, but were you shy like Tere growing up?

I was shy growing up, especially when I started Kindergarten and had just moved from South Africa a couple of months before school started. I was never as shy as Tere but certainly experienced many of her fears.

I loved the lyrics you wrote for the song contest in SHRINKING VIOLET, both the funny ones and the poignant winning entry. Have you always written poetry and songs, or was this your first effort? Do you have melodies in mind for the songs in the book? If so, can you hum them for us? ;-)

Thanks! Well, if this interview came with sound, you’d probably run—lol! I am not the best singer in town! But I do love music and did write poetry in high school and college. I also wrote a song in college and a friend used some of the lyrics for a CD that he recorded with his band. I wouldn’t mind getting into songwriting one day!

What's the most surprising/thrilling thing about being a debut author?

I really love mostly everything about being a debut author. The whole ride is a thrill. But one thing that really makes me happy is hearing from readers that can relate to Tere and how much they enjoyed the book.

If you could inhabit the life of any of your characters, enter their world and deal with it as that person, which one would you choose?

Hmm, tough question but I think I’d chose Gavin. First off, I’d find out what it’s really like to be a guy and I’d love to be a musician. Through Gavin’s eyes I’d really see Tere evolve at a peer level.

Conversely, which of your characters would you most like to bring to life in our world (as a friend or a little bit more ;-) ?

Again Gavin comes to mind. Actually, an old high school friend wrote me after reading Shrinking Violet and said she had one question: “Who was my Gavin in high school?” My answer, “I didn’t have one.” So I’d bring him back to high school with me!

Which author, living or dead, would you most love to collaborate with?

Oh, I have so many authors that I admire but if I could only pick one untouchable, I’d pick Maya Angelou. I think her poetry is amazing and would love to write a young adult novel with her. Although even talking to her would probably put me into a state of shock!

What's the weirdest tidbit of research you've ever incorporated into a book?

It’s not necessarily weird but for Tere’s first kiss I did surf the internet and found some very interesting sites that actually teach you how to kiss. The kid in me giggled reading the how-to’s!

What's your earliest memory?

One of my earliest memories is of my nursery school in Cape Town, South Africa. I remember my dad walking me into school one day and I told him I was going to walk in backwards. I thought I was so cool!

Do you have any phobias?

Can I just stop and say, I love your questions, Jeri!! I hate rats! The fear started in college when I looked under my bed and all my hot chocolate packets were chewed to bits by a rat. I called my mom and told her that I wanted to come home!

My husband hates when people use the word 'barometer' to mean 'measure.' Which word usage faux pas drives you berserkest?

I always cringe when people say ant instead of aunt. I know it’s pretty common in the U.S. so I’m finally getting used to it.

Let's say there's a TV show, movie, or recording artist that has a cult of you. Which is it? (i.e., what do you like that no one else you know likes)?

My husband often makes fun of the TV shows that I like to watch. I don’t watch much TV but for some reason I am drawn to shows like: Unsolved Mysteries, Deliver Me and plenty of TLC specials.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?

I’d sleep in at a hotel on the beach and have breakfast on the balcony. Then I’d swim in the ocean, read on the beach and go back to the balcony to do some writing. After that, I’d meet my family for a lovely dinner at the hotel restaurant and watch the sun set with them.

If you could ask your favorite author one question and they had to answer honestly, what would it be?

I would ask Toni Morrison for her writing secrets.

If you could write in a totally different genre than your current one, which would you choose?

I would choose poetry because I never really had the guts to share my poetry with too many people.

What are you working on now, and what new releases can we expect to see from you down the road?

Right now I am working on a YA, Graveyard Shift, which involves humor, love and spirits. My next book is scheduled to be released in Fall 2010 from Flux. It’s called Indigo Blues and is told in two points of view, in which a songwriter's hit tune tells the world about his break-up with his girlfriend, but the two have no concept how much their lives are going to change.

If you could tell a stranger just one thing about SHRINKING VIOLET (other than what it's about--no cheating by quoting synopses or back cover blurbs), what would it be?

I’d tell that stranger that it’s about a girl who chased her dreams, despite her obstacles and that it comes with its own soundtrack if you check out the play list on my web site.

---

To enter to win a copy of this sweet (in all senses) novel, just leave a comment or question for Danielle--or tell us the biggest fear you've ever overcome--in the comments below.

I'll draw a name Friday night at 11:59pm Eastern Daylight Time. Anyone is welcome to comment, but the prize will be limited to U.S. residents.

As they say in radio, thanks for listening!

Labels: Contests, guests, music, reading

• posted by Jeri @ 10:09 AM
• 20 comments

Bad to the Bone playlists & thoughts on punk rock

Today would have been the fifty-eighth birthday of Jeffrey Ross Hyman, better known as Joey Ramone, had the world not lost him to lymphoma in 2001. (By the way, if you're in New York City, there's a Birthday Bash for Joey tonight at the Filmore--click on that link for details.)

I bring up The Ramones to highlight an aspect of Bad to the Bone I haven't discussed much, what with all the attention on vampires and dogs and, well, vampire dogs.

The music.

Like Wicked Game, Bad to the Bone is steeped in rock 'n' roll. It plays an integral part, not only for the characters' internal wellness, but in the plot itself. Songs are used to send messages, including a life-saving one, when our heroine Ciara is in the worst jeopardy.

(Speaking of music, before I forget, Shane McAllister will be live-tweeting the rebroadcast of his "Whatever" radio show tonight from 6-9pm Eastern in honor of Bad to the Bone's release. Stop by if you want to see what he plays and what he says about it.)

After completing the playlist (the songs that actually appear in the book, not the songs I listened to while writing it), I realized that nearly every era/subgenre of punk rock was represented:

• Classic (The Stooges, and the Sex Pistols on the Chapter Title playlist)
• Reggae Hardcore (Bad Brains)
• DC Hardcore (Minor Threat)
• Cowpunk (Meat Puppets)
• Riot Grrl (L7, Bikini Kill)
• Emo-core (Thursday)
• Punk-inspired Grunge (Nirvana, Hole, Garbage)

Of course, every other kind of rock (blues, psychedelic, goth, etc. ) is also represented, and the Chapter Title playlist skews much more mainstream (there's even a disco song and a Plain White Ts cover of "Do You Hear What I Hear?").

Here are the playlists, for your release day enjoyment and beyond. If you'd like to put them on your own page, go to the playlist page and simply click on "Get code for your own site" at the bottom of each playlist.

BAD TO THE BONE Playlist ("Soundtrack")





BAD TO THE BONE Chapter Title Playlist




Why I Love Punk Rock

Despite my harmless exterior (seriously, no one ever looked LESS punk on the outside, and I am completely incapable of changing this), I'm a pretty angry person. I don't know why. I've had a good life. No major traumas beyond the usual. Maybe it's brain chemistry.

Or maybe it's because when I was a teenager it became obvious that there are plenty of things in this world to be pissed about. Things that pop stars wouldn't sing about, like dictators and domestic violence. Things like rape and global warming and the systematic disempowerment of the poor and middle class. Things like--okay, I'll stop. Point made.

But it's not just the socio-political elements of punk that I love. I love its sound, the lack of pretension, the straightforward making of noise for the making of noise.

Like Shane from Bad to the Bone, I have musical skeletons from high school. For him, it was heavy metal hair bands; for me, it was progressive rock, or "art rock." I would actually measure a song's worth not by how much it moved me viscerally or emotionally, but by how many key and tempo changes it had.

(I won't list the bands I loved then that I hate now--I'm much less willing to offend than Shane is--but one of them worships Ayn Rand, and the rest had members who went on to become partners in the law firm of Anderson Bruford Wakeman & Howe.)

What I don't love about punk is the scene, the cliqueishness, the pervading sense of judgment over whether you're "punk enough." I wouldn't last a minute in a hardcore club like Bad to the Bone's Outlander, because I'd be judged based on what I wear and how well I carried the 'tude. Since I'm only punk on the inside (where I keep it warm and safe), I'd be a total failure.

But that's okay. All by my little self I jam to new and new-ish bands like Anti-Flag, Flogging Molly, Bouncing Souls, NOFX, and Rise Against. I got all giddy over the new Green Day release last week (and oh please don't start the Green-Day-isn't-real-punk argument).

Frankly, I fret over the future of punk under an Obama administration. Not that there are no problems left to get mad about, but there's more a sense of everyone seriously trying to solve them in a mature, reasoned manner. Most people, I think, are willing to pitch in and figure a way out of our messes, rather than simply raging about them.

The Rock Against Bush CDs brought a lot of exposure to many of this decade's biggest punk bands. The Iraq War is our generation's Vietnam, but the personifications of that debacle (Bush and Cheney) are gone (okay, just Bush is gone--Cheney is on all the Sunday talk shows for some reason). It would take a truly bizarre turn of events to engender a Rock Against Obama compilation CD.

But punk has "endured" Democratic administrations before. During the nineties, after the long, punk-nurturing Reagan/Bush/Thatcher years, the genre turned towards pop (Green Day, Blink 182) and towards the more internal, personal stylings of emo (Dashboard Confessional, Weezer, Jimmy Eat World). So maybe all is not lost. ;-)

Enough musing. I hope you enjoy Bad to the Bone (which by the way comes out today). Drop me a line and let me know what you think, okay?

Labels: music, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 11:02 PM
• 9 comments

Bad to the Bone playlists (and an ARC giveaway)

As some of you know, my WVMP Radio novels (beginning with Wicked Game) have playlists in the front. Thanks to Playlist.com, you can hear most of the songs from those playlists right here on my website.

I decided to release the playlists for Bad to the Bone early, to give everyone a musical taste of what was to come. It probably won't help you guess what the story is about, but I won't tell you not to try. ;-)

What I mean by "Playlist": These are not songs I listened to while writing the book. It's cool that some authors post those--I love getting that glimpse into the creative process and seeing which songs remind them of which characters.

But that's not what this is. This is a list of the songs that actually appear in the book. They might play in the background, or they might play a crucial role in the plot itself. Maybe a better label would be "soundtrack," but music is so integrated with the stories, that word doesn't really cover it either. (I could make up a pretentious phrase like "narrative-enhancing auditoria," at which point you'd be within your rights to reach through your monitor and slap me.)

Anyway, the first one is the actual playlist/soundtrack. To see all songs, drag the white scrollbar on the right side of the playlist. You can also hear individual songs by clicking on their titles, or click the right arrow to skip a song you don't like (and by "you," I mean, "my mom").





P.S.: Merry Christmas.

Each chapter is named after a popular song, from the 1940s to our current decade. I chose them for how well the words of the titles (as opposed to the content of the songs) fit the chapters, so this list is much less of a “soundtrack” than the “Playlist” above. But it’s still a great bunch of tunes.


To enter this week's Bad to the Bone ARC giveaway, tell me a song, any song, that reminds you of a character or story you love. It could be from a book, movie, TV show, whatever. Extra points if it's one of my books*.

AND/OR

Tell me which of the songs from the above playlists most fits the soundtrack of your life. It could be the title alone, or the song's content or meaning. No need to explain, although you'll get extra points for scandalous stories**.

I'll randomly draw a name Tuesday night at 11:59pm Eastern daylight time from the combined comments from my jerismithready.com blog, MySpace, and LiveJournal, and announce the winner next week. Good luck, and as they say in radio, thanks for listening!

*not really, though it might help me with future books and get you a mention in the acknowledgments. Just sayin'.
**again, not really, but it'd feel good to share, no?

Labels: Contests, music, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 8:30 AM
• 30 comments

Sing a new song

No words can describe the way this day makes me feel, so as usual, I turn to music, reposting the playlist from another day:



Happy America, folks.

Labels: good, music

• posted by Jeri @ 10:37 AM
• 1 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
• 54 comments

A Veterans Day video tribute

At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Germans signed the Armistice agreement ending one of our planet's greatest tragedies of all time: World War One. Naturally, it wasn't called that at the time--in fact, Woodrow Wilson declared it the "war to end all wars." It wasn't.

Here in the States we observe this anniversary with Veterans Day. In most of the British Commonwealth it's known as Remembrance Day. Australian folk singer Eric Bogle (whose concert Chris and I saw in Wilmington, DE, in 1993) wrote a song called "No Man's Land." Lots of bands have covered it, and most refer to it by the name The Fureys gave it, "The Green Fields of France."

I like Dropkick Murphys' version best, due to the use of pipes and drums, just as the song describes. Here's a video an American soldier put together to accompany the song, honoring the fallen. (Some of the images are also shown in Dropkick Murphys' official video, but I liked this one slightly better.)

Warning: you will cry. But the twenty million soldiers and civilians who died in that war deserve a few tears.

Labels: holidays, music, videos

• posted by Jeri @ 11:00 AM
• 0 comments

Songs to vote by

I took a half hour out of my busy revision schedule to make a cross-generational, cross-genre playlist to psych you up to vote. I figured it was the least I could do, seeing as I kinda fell off the voter registration nagging routine.

Below the playlist are some more words that are important.







Go to Vote411.org to find out all the information you need about where and when to vote and what you need to bring to the polls.

And please, even if you think your presidential candidate of choice is sure to win or lose, VOTE ANYWAY. Be part of the process. Do your sacred duty as an American.

Besides, the people running for Senator, Governor, House of Representatives, School Board, Sheriff, and Dogcatcher all need your vote. Not to mention the bajillion ballot questions up for consideration.

And if you think you might have to stand in a long line, consider bringing a brand-new, very thick, truly awesome book, perhaps a book that prompted one reviewer to say, "Never have I read a trilogy that exemplifies the spirit of freedom in so meaningful and poignant a way!"

If you don't believe me, listen to these people, like you did last time.






Happy Election Day.

Labels: good, music, videos

• posted by Jeri @ 12:21 AM
• 2 comments

Deep Caving (and the blues cures all)

I'm drowning in deadline, and nursing a very sick dog and a mildly sick cat this weekend (they're feeling better now) set things even more in arrears. So don't expect me back until, well, until I'm back.

Today’s voter registration nag video has nothing to do with voter registration. I just really like Guy Davis (I wrote about him a few years ago in this post), and this song makes me happy, despite the fact that it's about economic woes. It's a song called "Things About Coming My Way," and it describes the moment when you think things might just might turn around. At least, that's what it means to me.

Here's your semi-daily update of the dwindling list of states that are still registering voters. The blinky states are closing their voter registration rolls this Monday through Wednesday.

As always, visit VotersUnite! for rules and regs pertaining to your own personal state.

Alabama
California
Connecticut
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
North Dakota
Oregon
South Dakota
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin



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Now playing: Volcano - Beck
via FoxyTunes

Labels: music, videos, voter registration

• posted by Jeri @ 10:06 PM
• 1 comments

Drinking songs

If there's any booze left in the city of Denver after the World Science Fiction Convention and the Democratic National Convention got through with it, that's about to end.

A quick aside: I need a research assistant. Someone I can turn to (virtually or for real) and say, for instance, "How much did a shot of cheap whiskey cost in 1959?"

Because looking these things up for myself usually means I end up at sites like this: Modern Drunkard Magazine's World's Best Drinking Songs.

I was going to save that link for a later post, but I thought it was important to inform you of this weekend's National Drunkard Convention, running today through Sunday in Denver.

From the website:

What to Expect: The tribe uniting. The elite inebriates finding each other. The best and the booziest. Ever go to a bar and wish there were some real goddamn boozers on board?

So what's your favorite drinking song (mine is "Streams of Whiskey" by The Pogues)? And how do I avoid massive distraction when doing online research?

And what was the price of a shot of cheap whiskey in 1959? Help!

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Now playing: Little Milton - My Baby Pleases Me
via FoxyTunes

Labels: music, research

• posted by Jeri @ 12:55 PM
• 2 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

I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE by Stephanie Kuehnert

As you know, I rarely do book reviews. I suck at summing up the events and themes (you'd never know I was an English major for a time), and have difficulty articulating what I love about a book, so for me to make the effort, I need to feel strongly about it.

Which I do (do I ever!) about I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert (pronounced Keen-ert, by the way, mentions Jeri Smith-Ready-as-in-ready-to-go-NOT-reedy). Stephanie will be joining us Monday for an interview, and will be giving away a signed copy to one lucky commenter. But first, to whet your appetite:

IWBYJR follows Emily Black from her early teens to early twenties, as she navigates the rough waters of adolescence and young adulthood. She's got a tougher time than most of us: her mother Louisa left her in the care of her father when she was just a few months old. Growing up, Emily painted a glamorized portrait of her mom, telling herself that Louisa left to "follow the music," especially punk rock in its nativity. She followed in what she thought were her mother's footsteps by getting as close as she could to the music itself, first through the boys and men who played it, and then by taking the guitar in her own hands.

We discover, through Louisa's point-of-view, that her life is anything but glamorous, and her reasons for abandoning her family are tragic and complex. Kuehnert shows us the parallel odysseys of mother and daughter as they try to find themselves (and by extension, each other) in music, drugs, and relationships.

I expected to like this book. What I didn't expect was how much it would worm its way inside me and make me think about it when I least expected it. My life was nothing like Emily's, but I think anyone who's ever been a teenager (i.e., all of us, whether we want to remember it or not) could relate to this book. You don't need to be a fan of punk music or even music at all to feel this novel's heart. Its themes--family, friendship, betrayal, and the kind of hope that simultaneously lifts us up and makes us crawl--are universal.

The characters are all well-drawn. In a lot (okay, most) novels about teenagers, the parents are either dead, absent, or have as much depth as indoor/outdoor carpet. That wasn't the case with IWBYJR. Emily's father Michael is appealing, and you can see how much of her strength comes from his unwavering and unconditional love. He's far from perfect--since Louisa's departure, he's placed himself in an emotional purgatory that sometimes prevents him from really living. I wished desperately for him to find happiness. Louisa, who shares the novel's narrative, is a fascinating portrait of an adult runaway. Even Molly, the mother of Emily's best friend Regan, is fully fleshed and sympathetic as both a parent and a person.

Supporting characters, including Emily's bandmates (Regan and her boyfriend Tom), along with her first love Johnny, are also richly nuanced and real. But Emily is the literal star of the show. She makes a lot of bad choices, and she raises self-deception to an art form. But her sense of perspective (to me it seemed as if an older, wiser Emily was telling the story), humor, and raw sincerity made her easy to love.

Now, the music: even though I didn't know most of the songs (seeing as many were fictional), the vivid descriptions put me right there with Emily in the mosh pit or on the stage. I could feel the way that music both enthralled and empowered her. Music was both a means and an end--meaning, it formed a path to what she wanted most, and was also something to be enjoyed for itself.

As I mentioned before, this is definitely a book that would appeal to adults and older teens alike. Some parents might object to the sexual situations and drug use, but they're handled with honesty and frankness--meaning they're neither demonized nor romanticized (believe me, no girl is going to want to run out and get laid after reading about Emily's first encounter). I can't even express how refreshing that is, and it's one of the many reasons I loved this book.

So join me Monday to learn more about Stephanie Kuehnert and I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, and enter to win your very own copy of this phenomenal new book!


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Now playing: The Gits - Snivelling Little Rat Faced Git
via FoxyTunes

Labels: music, reading

• posted by Jeri @ 3:11 PM
• 0 comments

Last day on the Island

Wahhh, it's already time to leave my new friends at the Desert Island Keepers blog. They really know how to treat a guest.

Stop by today to see which 6 books and which 7 CDs I'd bring with me to our desert island. Maybe a few surprises.

Ongoing contest update:

Signed copy of Wicked Game: Amberkatze's Book Blog (interview and giveaway)
Blues CD giveaway: My post about Monroe's story

I'm off now to scrutinize the typeset for The Reawakened. It'll be the last time I get to make changes to it. I'm a bit sad the series is over, but sad in a good way. And as long as people are reading it, I guess it's never really over.

----------------
Now playing: The Killers - Why Do I Keep Counting?
via FoxyTunes

Labels: blog tour, music, reading, The Reawakened

• posted by Jeri @ 1:13 PM
• 5 comments

Monroe's story is live!

In the nick of time (it's still June, barely), I've posted the short story "Crossroads" by Monroe Jefferson.

This is the "true" tale of how vampire DJ Monroe was turned, back in July 1940, at a Mississippi crossroads. It's slightly different than the story he told in Wicked Game. That version was just to impress the crowd at the Smoking Pig, but this here is the real deal.

It even has a playlist at the bottom if you want to listen to the music while you read. (Personally I think it has more impact if heard afterward, but hey, it's a free country).

To celebrate, I'll give away a brand-new copy of the first CD that turned me on to the blues, Alvin Youngblood Hart's Big Mama's Door. To enter, just send me an e-mail telling me what you think of the story, or post a comment here. I'll draw one name at random a week from now, at 11:59pm eastern time, Monday, July 7.

But wait, there's more! Beginning with Spencer's story in August, my newsletter subscribers will get to read the stories a week before the rest of the world. So subscribe now (or stay subscribed) and get in on all the vampire action early.

Enjoy!

Labels: Contests, music, short stories, vampire series, website

• posted by Jeri @ 9:53 PM
• 6 comments

Interview and giveaway on Amberkatze

Thanks to everyone who stopped by last night to chat with me on Jacquelyn Frank's Marathon Chat, and congrats to those who won books, WVMP swag, and the marvelous raffle bags Jacki was giving away. It was great to meet and hang out with some new readers.

There's an interview with me up at Amberkatze's Book Blog. You can enter to win a signed copy of Wicked Game. Enter once by leaving a comment or question, enter twice by blogging about the interview somewhere else, and enter thrice by joining Amber's newsletter. Triple the contest-entering fun! Entries will be taken until next Sunday, July 6.

I'm also excited to announce that the short story about vampire DJ Monroe Jefferson's 'turning' will definitely be up here at jerismithready.com tomorrow. It's done, just needs a bit of polish and formatting for the web. I finished it off last night while watching the DVD of Eric Clapton's Crossroads benefit concert, which is four hours of phenomenal music. Almost makes me want to learn to play the guitar. Almost.

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Now playing: Eric Clapton - Little Queen of Spades
via FoxyTunes

Labels: blog tour, Contests, music, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 4:32 PM
• 2 comments