Jeri Smith-Ready

Tidbit Tuesday #2 - new books, music & MISHA IS FAMOUS(ish)!

Don't faint. I'm actually doing a weekly feature more than one week in a row. If you need help with the shock, put your head between your legs, or breathe into a paper bag. An empty paper bag.

First, as always, les livres! (Sometimes I break into French for no good reason.) Two more of my fellow class of 2K10 members had releases last week. We're already more than 25% of the way through our year's debut novels, and it's only (*checks calendar*) some day in January.

Jennifer Hubbard's debut, The Secret Year, came out on Thursday. I picked it up to "leaf through" and spent the next half hour standing in my living room reading the first several chapters. All while the five books I'm in the middle of reading glared at me from various spots in the house (most had to glare through the ceiling and walls). Jennifer also has a wonderful blog that fills me with awe.

Irene Latham's Leaving Gee's Bend arrived on the same day. I was psyched to see that it's set in 1930s Alabama and concerns a sharecropper's daughter who sets out on her own to find help for her ailing mother. Being a giant fan of early Delta blues music, that place and time has always fascinated me. For a great interview, check out our fellow classmate Denise Jaden's blog.

In music, Vampire Weekend has a new CD out today! They were not a love-at-first-listen band for me, but the songs from their last album really grew on me over the months. The new stuff sounds even better.

I've gotten three minor pieces of good news from my agent in the last two days, none of which I can share at the moment (but they're minor, so you're not missing much). But by far the most exciting thing to happen today occurred in this video interview with Jason Scott, owner of and Twitter transcriber for Sockington, the world's most popular cat.

Sockington has over a million followers on Twitter (listen to the interview to find out why), including my cat Misha (who has his own Twitter account). Misha, along with several thousand other cats, dogs, rabbits, hamster, geckos, etc., is officially part of Sockington's army. Back in May (May 16, to be exact, three days before the release of Bad to the Bone), I happened to be passing by Socks's page and noticed he was about to pass 500,000 followers.

Ten minutes later, he did, then asked Socks Army to "represent" with the American Sign Language sign for cat. Somehow I managed to get Misha in the proper position and sent a link to the photo to Sockington. It was a fun moment of goofing off with my cat, nothing more.

Three days later, Socks had a new video up, and holy crap, Misha was in it (at minute marker 1:47, to be exact)! Yes, it was the release day of my new book, and the happiest moment was my cat appearing in another cat's video. (You might wonder if authors get blase about their new books, maybe when they're not the beginning of a new series and when they know it has a snowball's chance in hell of hitting a bestseller list. Instead of "blase," I would use the word, "calm.")

Fast forward to today and the interview with Jason Scott (aka Fatty). Our little man-cat's picture can be found at minute marker 2:58 (disturbingly, as Jason is talking about people whose cats are no longer with them, which I can assure you Misha is. With us. Demanding food, so I better go.)

Labels: class of 2K10, pets, reading

• posted by Jeri @ 10:20 PM
• 4 comments

Happy Release Day to Alexandra Diaz & OF ALL THE STUPID THINGS!

One of my fellow Class of 2K10 authors is kicking off our year a week early with the release of her debut contemporary YA novel, Of All the Stupid Things.

You might remember Alexandra from her Blogtoberfest guest post. The lucky winner of the ARC in that contest has already posted her review. She tells a harrowing story of her worst trip ever on today's class of 2K10 blog.

You can learn more about Alexandra and her book through these interviews and guest posts:

Janet Fox's Through the Wardrobe blog
YA Edge
Author Denise Jaden

My copy just shipped from Amazon today. I can't wait to read it! I absolutely adore that yummy cover.

Coming tomorrow, my Top 9 Reads of 2009! (If you missed my Top 9 Songs of 2009, check 'em out in yesterday's post. Crank it up!)

Labels: class of 2K10, reading

• posted by Jeri @ 3:01 PM
• 0 comments

Winner of TEMPTED and speaking of beautiful books

The winner of a signed copy of PC Cast and Kristin Cast's TEMPTED is...Patti! Congrats!

Thanks to everyone who commented, and a special thanks to PC who popped it during her whirlwind book tour to say hi.

We have two more Blogtoberfest contests still open:

Jeri Smith-Ready and an ARC of Shade
Rachel Vincent and My Soul to Take or My Soul to Save (winner's choice)

I'll announce the final two regular prize winners on Monday, along with the super-mega-jackapotamus grand prize winner.

My own copy of Tempted arrived the other day, along with Scott Westerfeld's new YA steampunk novel, Leviathan. They're both deliciously gorgeous, inside and out. Tempted's book jacket has beautiful artwork on the inside--which I'd never seen before her last book, Hunted--as well as artwork on the hardcover face itself (under the jacket)--which I haven't seen since I was a kid.

Inside jacket art of Hunted:


Speaking of things I haven't seen since I was a kid, Leviathan has illustrations! I remember growing up, reaching the point where my chapter books had no pictures and feeling quite cheated. So I can't wait to dig into this one.

It's also a bit heavier than other books its size, and together with the illustrations and the metallic embossing of the cover art, the whole effect is classic, old-fashioned quality. Which makes sense, considering it's steampunk and meant to evoke an earlier age.

Here are a couple of fascinating interviews on Tor.com about the illustrations, one with Scott Westerfeld and one with artist Keith Thompson. There's also a blog about the gorgeous Grand Map, which is printed inside the front and back covers.

The problem is, I can't take these books traveling with me, and November is full of travels (yes, during a rewrite--madness, I tell you!). Not only do hardcovers provide extra weight, but their beauty could get marred.

I learned this lesson the hard way. I once loaned my hardcover of one of my favorite books, Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, to someone who took it with them every day on the subway. It got some ugly damage, and what's worse, the person didn't even like the book! (It later won the Pulitzer, so there.)

Luckily, I have a couple dozen mass market paperbacks I haven't read yet, in a pile so high I literally can't reach the top to add another. And with paperbacks, I actually prefer them a little worn out--it shows I've loved them well.

Do you treat your books differently based on the format? Coddle your hardcovers and abuse your paperbacks? If a hardcover book has particularly amazing artwork, are you more likely to buy it rather than waiting for the cheaper paperback, or do you base that decisions solely on the book itself and how much you need it now Now NOW?

Whatever your preferred form of book, be it hard or soft or electronic, I hope you have a happy weekend of reading!

Labels: Blogtoberfest, reading

• posted by Jeri @ 8:03 AM
• 11 comments

Ballads of Suburbia release date and cyber-launch party!

Every few years, or maybe once a decade, I read a book that humbles and crumbles me, a book that cores my psyche with the jagged edge of a diamond drill. A book that reminds me why we write.

Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert is one of those books. If you read my blog, you know that Stephanie and I are friends, and we have the same editor, Jennifer Heddle. But I have a lot of writer friends, and while most of them thrill and entertain me with their stories, and I will happily plug their books on my blog when I get special enjoyment from them, this is a whole other realm of awe.

Ballads tells the stories of several teenage characters growing up outside Chicago in the 1990s, but the book centers around Kara, an intelligent, ordinary girl who escapes the pain of parental alienation, friendship betrayals, and abusive romances in ways that are sadly all too common.

Yet the telling of the stories is anything but ordinary. Ballads opens with Kara returning to her Oak Park home at age 22, fearing that the toxic environment she left behind will pull her back in. We learn that she left the area when she was 16 so she could survive and make something of herself after a heroin overdose. She encounters the man who helped her down that near-fatal path and left her to die.

How did she get here? Kara's story is told in flashback, interspersed with a series of "ballads," first-person pieces scribbled in a notebook that gets passed from friend to friend. In each of the stories I recognized little pieces of myself--not so much because I grew up in the suburbs, but because I'd once been a confused young woman figuring out who I was and where I belonged (still working on that one sometimes).

It takes a lot of guts to tangle with hard emotions such as grief, guilt, and anger to the extent needed to produce great fiction. It's easier to skim the surface or make a funny. Stephanie's book has given me the courage as a writer to dig deeper, punch harder, peel away more protective layers, even as the very thought of doing so brings tears to my eyes.

Anyway, I was lucky to receive an early ARC of Ballads, but now the world has the privilege of experiencing this book, too, because today is the release day!

Stephanie is holding a cyber-launch party (which started last Monday, her thirtieth birthday), featuring a month's worth of authors sharing their own personal ballads. Here's a little promo for it that shows some of the folks stopping by:



I (or possibly Shane) will be appearing there some time in the next month, and Stephanie will come 'round here on the same day for an interview, at which point I'll tell you more about this fantastic book. But you should definitely stop by her blog each day to check out all the great authors, artists and musicians. And win stuff!

Today Stephanie told her own ballad of how she came to write this incredible book. Oh, and you can also see her very first "vlog," her ballad of a birthday tattoo, along with a live reading from her book. She is incredibly sweet and real, as a writer and a person, so go check them out!

---
P.S.: I'm uploading photos from ALA and RWA one by one to my Twitpic page, and after I turn in my book next Friday I'll do a little montage here on the blog. Stories, I got stories!

Labels: reading

• posted by Jeri @ 9:31 AM
• 4 comments

Forever books & food moods

Over on Facebook, my friend Kayley tagged me on a meme that I couldn't resist (which is saying a lot). The instructions were:

Don't take too long to think about it: fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. Make sure it's the first fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

Then we were supposed to tag 15 friends, but I didn't do that. I have a (nonexistent) sign on my (nonexistent) desk that says, "The Meme Stops Here."

With each of these books I remember something different--a scene, a character, a concept, or the way it made me feel in that moment. With most, I can remember where I was when I first read it, the same way I associate certain songs with certain stretches of highway where I first heard them (or where I played them on infinite repeat).

In no order other than when they popped into my brain:

1. Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker
2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
3. Call of the Wild by Jack London
4. Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane
5. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
6. "Notes from the Underground" by Fyodor Dosteyevsky (technically a novella)
7. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
8. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
9. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
10. A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engel
11. Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones
12. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
13. The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
14. L'Etranger by Albert Camus
15. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell


Rather than discuss the rationale for each one (because it was meant to be quick, after all), I wanted to point out one book that I was just thinking of a few minutes ago (which led to this blog post): Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.

In a central scene, the novel's protagonist Tita is forced to cook the wedding food for her older sister Rosaura, who is marrying the man Tita loves (and who loves her back but for custom's sake has to marry the oldest girl because the youngest has to stay home forever and take care of her mom--bogus!).

Anyway, Tita cries bitter tears as she's preparing the cake, and the tears kinda get mixed into the batter. At the reception, everyone who eats the cake starts crying. These episodes continue throughout the book, as Tita's repressed anger and passion infuse her cooking.

Takeaway message: the spirit in which food is prepared affects its taste. So ever since I read this book, I try to be merry or at least calm when I cook. I have certain carefully chosen CDs that can play while I make dinner. (Most of my favorite music would make food taste really nasty.)

Oh, and a glass of wine or beer helps a lot, but not until I'm finished with the knives.

----

What are your "Forever 15" books? If you only have a minute, give me five, or even one, and tell me why. What parts of the book will you always remember--the characters, a scene, the philosophy, or the feelings it gave you?

Labels: food, reading

• posted by Jeri @ 6:25 PM
• 10 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

My favorite book & a BTTB giveaway

Starting to crawl out of my post-deadline cave (it's even messier than the deadline cave) and hope to start blogging again on a regular basis, at least for the next few weeks.

Today I'm guest-blogging at Silk & Shadows, the group blog of several wonderful paranormal romance/urban fantasy authors, including Jessa Slade. I was honored to read her upcoming debut novel Seduced by Shadows for a cover quote. I had great difficulty finding the words to describe how much I loved it without using the phrase "OMFG!!", but I managed:

SEDUCED BY SHADOWS blew me away! Sera and Archer won my heart at first glance. Slade creates a beyond-life-or-death struggle for love and redemption in a chilling, complex, and utterly believable world--one I can't wait to return to again and again.

It's coming out October 6, and you must Must MUST read it. It features demons and angels battling it out here on earth, but also a separate group in between, the humans possessed by teshuva, repentant demons who are attempting to escape eternal damnation by fighting the really bad demons (djinn, ferales, and malice, to name a few). It's freaking awesome.

So anyway, speaking of other people's books, today at Silk and Shadows I'm talking about my favorite childhood book (the blog's topic of the week). You won't be the least bit surprised what it is. Leave a comment and enter to win a signed copy of Bad to the Bone. If you already have your copy, give it as a gift! Hope to see you there.

----------------
Now playing: Cake - Haze Of Love
via FoxyTunes

Labels: blog tour, Contests, reading, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 10:17 AM
• 1 comments

Guest blog (and giveaway!) by Ann Aguirre, author of BLUE DIABLO

Hooray, the Guest Blogging Karma has come back to me in the form of one of my favorite authors, who also happens to be a good friend. Ann Aguirre's blog is one of the few I still take the time to read on a regular basis, as she's consistently thoughtful, funny, and sharp. (Not that other bloggers aren't, mind you.)



Anyway, her latest release, Blue Diablo, starts a new urban fantasy series starring (and named after) the heroine Corine Solomon.

And when I say "new urban fantasy series" I don't just mean "this is the first one" (although I do mean that). I mean that if you're looking for something fresh and new, look no further. Blue Diablo features a heroine with a unique power (psychometry, the ability to read things about a person by handling an object they once touched), in a unique setting (Mexico, which I hear has been in the news a bit lately), and best of all, a unique style.

Like many urban fantasy heroines, Corine's been damaged. She's had a lot taken away from her by the intolerant bastards of the world. And while she's built a shell to protect herself, she's maintained a core of compassion that comes across in her poignant narrative. This is no wise-cracking, chip-on-her-shoulder urban fantasy heroine.

My husband observed that I said, "Hm" out loud several times as I was reading the other night, which usually means I've come across a perfect way of saying something. (Of course, there's always a touch of envy, like, "Damn, I wish I'd thought of that beautiful phrase. Now that way of describing things will never be mine.") Then, just when I least expect it, Corine makes a wry, often self-deprecating observation that had me laughing out loud.

Anyway, you're probably wondering what the story's about. Corine is hiding out in Mexico City, making a living as a pawn shop owner, when her ex-flame shows up needing her gift. (No, not that gift, although he'd definitely like some of that, too, bow chicka bow.) This time, it's not for just another contract job. This time, it's personal. His mother, a woman Corine loved dearly, has been captured--by whom or why, no one knows.

Road trip! Chance and Corine head north and pick up a charming ensemble cast of people who feel as real as my own friends. And that's where this guest blog picks up:

>>>>
On secondary characters

Thanks for having me here, Jeri.

I hear a lot about how urban fantasy is populated with superwomen who don´t have any female friends, unless the other woman is (a) jealous of the heroine, (b) evil, (c) lost in the heroine´s shadow or (d) secretly in love with the heroine.

I'm here to say that´s not always the case, at least not in my Corine Solomon series. I made sure I had more than one strong female character, apart from the heroine, and I think they all stand in their own right. First, there´s Eva, who is happily married, and guess what else? She´s gorgeous. I think that´s noteworthy because she´s actually more attractive than the heroine, but there´s no envy between them. Then there´s Jeannie, also happily married. And we can´t forget Twila, who is...mysterious. It's best to read the book to learn more.

As for the men, I talk about them elsewhere, so you´ll want to check out my post at http://cubiesconfections.blogspot.com on April 20th. (That´s next Monday.)

Moving on...I thought it was important to include some healthy relationships in the series, so everything is not completely dysfunctional. Chuch and Eva were a lot of fun to write. They had a realism I enjoyed, a gritty back and forth, but also some sweet tenderness in the way they relate to one another. I like layers and hints and secret histories. I enjoy giving the reader a sense that they don´t know everything, even about my supporting characters, so they feel compelled to keep reading. And like any puzzle, the pieces come together slowly, over the course of many books.

In books two and three, you find out more about Corine and Chance, as well as Chuch and Eva. In book four, you´ll find out more about Booke. I´m very proud of this series and I can´t wait to discuss it with you!

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have or comment on the book. If you haven´t read it, I´m giving away a copy to a random commenter. So as not to discourage people who already read it from participating, if you win (and you already have Blue D) you can pick out any other book that also costs $6.99. Ready, set, go!
>>>

Please leave a comment below to enter, a question for Ann, or a note about your favorite secondary characters. I'll draw a name at random at 11:59pm eastern Friday. So show some love, and win a book!

Labels: Contests, guests, reading

• posted by Jeri @ 10:51 AM
• 34 comments

Realms of Fantasy apparently closing

Sad news for the genre broke yesterday: Realms of Fantasy magazine, purveyor of great short fiction and incisive reviews (one of which I've been meaning to post since July), will be closing as of the April 2009 issue. Even though subscriptions and advertising purchases were steady, apparently newsstand sales had plummeted.

*shakes fist at economy*

Labels: magazines, reading

• posted by Jeri @ 9:28 AM
• 0 comments

Interview with David B. Coe, author of the Blood of the Southlands trilogy and all-around cool guy

Last year's RavenCon in Richmond, VA was one of those cons so close to a deadline that I never had time to blog about it. But if I had, one of the things I would've mentioned was meeting David Coe. We did several panels together, and he even let me yak during his Koffeeklatsch. He was (presumably, still is) one of the nicest, funniest people I've ever met at a convention.

Back in the real world, we friended each other on LiveJournal, where David provided one of my favorite weekly blog features, the Buffoon of the Week (BOW) Award, which was particularly enjoyable during the election year.

Speaking of which, the results of that election made me totally forget to post this interview on Tuesday, when his new book, The Horseman's Gambit, was actually released.

Sorry David! I hope this is the last time your books are upstaged by Change^TM.

David B. Coe (www.davidbcoe.com) is the Crawford Award-winning author of ten fantasy novels and several short stories. A refugee from academia, David has a Ph.D. in history and has taught at the university level. In a life prior to that prior life, he was a political consultant. The Horsemen's Gambit is the second book in his Blood of the Southlands trilogy. It is to be published on January 20, 2009, which is good because there's nothing else of importance happening that day to draw attention away from the book's release....

Q) Can you tell us a bit about The Horsemen's Gambit and the Blood of the Southlands series?

DBC) Blood of the Southlands begins with The Sorcerers' Plague as a sort of medieval medical thriller. An old woman named Lici has set out to avenge a injury done her decades before by conjuring a plague. Before long though, the plague spirals far beyond her control, and in The Horsemen's Gambit, the damage done by the plague to the Qirsi, the sorcerers of the Southlands, convinces their enemies, the Eandi, to attack Qirsi lands in the hopes of winning back territory lost during the Blood Wars. Along the way there's political intrigue, some romance, and a web of personal interactions tinged with all this ethnic baggage.

Those are the basic plot points. In a larger sense this series, like my five-book Winds of the Forelands sequence [Rules of Ascension, Seeds of Betrayal, Bonds of Vengeance, Shapers of Darkness, Weavers of War], which is set in the same world, deals with issues of race, ethnic identity, and prejudice. My characters, particularly those who seek to control the chaos unleashed by Lici's curse, are constantly fighting against the destructive power of ancient hatreds. Ultimately this newest book -- like those that came before it and the one that remains -- is about overcoming history and transcending bigotry.

Q) Race, prejudice, ethnic identity -- That all sounds pretty familiar. Is Blood of the Southlands set in a created world or our own?

DBC) It's definitely a created world, but as with all my work, Blood of the Southlands touches on issues of great importance in what we call, for lack of a better term, the "real" world. My LonTobyn series [Children of Amarid, The Outlanders, Eagle-Sage] touched on ecological themes. Winds of the Forelands and Blood of the Southlands deal with race. I have another project that I'm working on that focuses on drug addiction. I write books that I hope will entertain. I strive to make them fun -- as I said, there's lots of action and intrigue, romance and even humor. But they also deal with serious issues that resonate with social concerns in our own lives. I do this because I find it more interesting to write books that grapple with big questions. And if some of my readers come away from the books thinking about race or ecology or substance issues in a new way, all the better.

Q) What is it about fantasy that attracts you?

DBC) Well, in part I'm drawn to fantasy precisely because I can create worlds that then serve as mirrors for our own world. Admittedly, these are imperfect mirrors, but they're mirrors nevertheless. I can make the Forelands/Southlands universe and create racial tensions that are complex and compelling, and yet different enough from the racial problems in our own world that no one will be offended by the books. Speculative fiction offers us a unique opportunity to look at ourselves through a lens that both distorts and magnifies. The distortions allow us to distance ourselves and perhaps examine an emotionally fraught issue without so much emotional heat. The magnification can make us see things that we might otherwise miss.

I'm also drawn to fantasy, as well as science fiction, and dark fantasy, and horror, and all the other subgenres in our field, for the simple reason that they're so much fun to read. I love magic. As a friend of mine wrote elsewhere just the other day, I believe in magic on some level. And being able to write magic into the lives of my characters, giving them the ability to shape their world in ways that I can only dream of doing myself, is enormously entertaining.

Q) Why did you decide to make Besh, one of the protagonists of Blood of the Southlands, an old man?

DBC) Well, let me start by saying that I'm not certain I "make" any of my characters, any more than I'm certain that I control their actions. My characters present themselves to me. They clamor for my attention, and when I finally turn my mind's eye on any one of them, he or she tells me his or her story. When I first started conceiving of the Blood of the Southlands trilogy, Besh was the first character I met. I didn't know at the time why it was important that he tell so much of the story, but I trusted him and also my instincts as a writer, which told me that he was crucial to the entire series. I think I was drawn to him, at least in part, because he was so different from other protagonists I'd written and other heroes I'd encountered as a reader. Yes, he's old. He's also got that stubborn sense of "I know myself, and I know the world, and by God you're going to listen to me," that we sometimes find in our elderly friends. He's not particularly strong physically, and he wields little influence or political power. But he's clever and wise and uncommonly brave. He has a profound moral sense and is intensely loyal to his people and his family. Over the course of writing the three books of the Southlands series he became just about my favorite of all the characters I've ever written.

Q) You've been a historian, you've worked in politics -- it seems you came to writing relatively late in life. How did it happen?

DBC) I suppose I did come to it a bit late, but the irony is that I've wanted to be a writer since I was a kid. I wrote and illustrated my first books in first and second grade -- and given the quality of my illustrations, it's a good thing I can write. I went to college with every intention of majoring in creative writing, but got sidetracked by concerns with practical considerations, like making a living. I tried political consulting, but found it disillusioning. So I went to grad school, got my degree in history, and applied for a bunch of teaching positions. But the summer after I completed my degree I found myself with lots of free time on my hands. My grad work was done, but the academic jobs hadn't been listed yet. And my wife said to me, "You know, since the day we met you've been talking about writing a book. You have some time now. Why don't you spend the summer writing?"

I did, and by the end of the summer I had several short stories written (none of them has ever seen the light of day, and none of them ever will) as well as the first five chapters of what would eventually be Children of Amarid, my first novel. A friend of mine agreed to act as my agent and he shopped the book around while I applied for teaching jobs. I got the perfect academic job offer -- teaching environmental history in Colorado -- and my first nibble from Tor Books within 24 hours of each other. I chose writing and have never looked back.

Q) Aside from writing, what do you do for fun?

DBC) Well, I'm a husband and a dad, which are the two things that mean the most to me. My daughters are 13 and 9, and a lot of my non-work time is taken up with stuff I do for or with them. I've been a Soccer Dad, a Swim Dad, a Dance Dad, a Music Dad, and a Theater Dad. And because my wife is a full-time college professor, I do most of the grocery shopping, a fair amount of laundry and house stuff, etc. In addition, I'm active in my community -- I run a local food cooperative, I'm on the parents' council of my older daughter's school, and I'm on the town council here in our little village. But when I'm not doing any of that I have quite a few outside interests. I like to hike and birdwatch. I'm a dedicated amateur photographer and actually had my first one-man exhibit in 2008. Nature and landscape photography mostly. I play guitar and sing -- folk, rock, a bit of bluegrass. I listen to music all the time. I look at butterflies and run a local butterfly census here in my home town. I'm a bit of a political junkie, and I'm confident that my professional output will be greater in 2009 than it was last year, simply because I won't be checking political web sites every 3 minutes.

Q) What's a typical day like for you?

DBC) A typical day? I'm not sure there's any such thing -- did I mention that I'm the father of a teenager? My routine looks something like this: We're up at 6:30 am. I make lunch for my younger daughter and do what I can to get the girls moving. After my wife and I get the girls to their schools, I go to the gym for an hour or so. Exercise is crucial for me; without my morning workout I'm not sure I could function. I get back, have a light breakfast, check my email, and begin the day's writing. I shoot for 6-8 manuscript pages a day, which translates to about 1500-2000 words. I'm not a particularly fast writer, but if I can write 35 to 40 pages a week, that's a book every 6 months or so, which isn't too bad a pace. I might have to pick up one of the girls from school or take them to dance or sports practice, but I can usually get back to work for a while longer. I knock off around 5:00 or 5:30 and the rest of the evening is family time. I don't work on weekends, and I don't work many nights. I work at home, so it would be very easy to be sucked into working all the time. To prevent this, I set strict boundaries. I have work time and family time. I'd probably get more written if I was less strict about this, but that's a choice I'm comfortable making.

Q) What are you working on now?

DBC) The third and final Blood of the Southlands book is finished and handed in to my editor (it's scheduled for release in January 2010). I'll have revisions to do eventually, but for now I'm working on a new project that is completely separate from anything I've done before. It's alternate world fantasy set in a place that's roughly analogous to early Renaissance Europe. There's a magical element and each book is a stand alone mystery with recurring characters. I don't generally like to talk too much about works in progress until I'm further along than I am with this series. Suffice it to say that I'm very excited about this one. I hope to see the first book in print sometime in 2010.

David B. Coe's personal website can be found at www.davidbcoe.com. He blogs with some regularity on both LiveJournal and WordPress, and he is part of the MagicalWords.Net writing blog with fellow fantasy authors Faith Hunter, Misty Massey, and C.E. Murphy. The Horsemen's Gambit, book II of his Blood of the Southlands trilogy, can be purchased through Amazon.com. (Release date: January 20, 2009)

Labels: guests, reading, SFNovelists

• posted by Jeri @ 7:52 PM
• 0 comments

Interview with Jim C. Hines, author of THE STEPSISTER SCHEME

Jim C. Hines is one of my fellow SFNovelist folks, as well as a LiveJournal friend. His posts never fail to entertain, and he provides what I think is so desperately needed in fantasy these days: humor. I've heard great things about his Goblin War trilogy, and even bought one on impulse in the bookstore, only to find out it was the middle installment--d'oh! Which means the first one is on order, along with his new release, which looks like a hoot and a half.

Enough of my yakkin'. Here's Jim to tell you more:

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Last year, Jim C. Hines finished his humorous goblin trilogy with GOBLIN WAR, which made the Locus Bestseller list the month it came out. January 6 marked the release of THE STEPSISTER SCHEME, the first in a new series of butt-kicking princess tales. This one has earned advance praise from the likes of Esther Friesner and Jane Yolen, and was a January Top Pick from Romantic Times. Jim is currently in full book-release freakout mode, but took some time to answer a few questions about the new series.

Labels: guests, reading, SFNovelists

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

Contest winners and Wicked Game nominations

The winner of a signed copy of Adrian Phoenix's In the Blood is...macbeaner! Macbeaner, please e-mail me your mailing address (jeri AT jerismithready DOT com), so I can send your Amazon gift card and Adrian can send your book.

Justin Gustainis will be sending a signed copy of his latest release, Evil Ways, to...(I don't know why I bother with ellipses, it's not like it really adds tension. I mean how long does it take for your eyes to skim those three little dots. Now this, this is adding tension. I could do this forever, really, just blab on and on and on until eventually you have to scroll to find out who won. But I won't. I will, however, add another ellipsis)...Yolanda! Yolanda, do the thing I asked macbeaner to do in the previous paragraph so you can get your copy of this awesome book.

There's a sweet 'n' sexy excerpt of Wicked Game over at the Single Titles blog. This PG-13 snippet has been nominated for Smooch of the Year! You can vote at this post through January 15. But of course, only vote for WG's if you think it's the best.

Wicked Game has been nominated by Love Romances and More for Best Urban Fantasy of 2008. Members of the LR Cafe will be voting on the final winner, so if you want to have your say, join the Yahoo! group here. Note: this is a very busy list, so you definitely want to set your prefs to "Digest".

Now, back to the Steelers' game. If Shane were a real person, he'd be really nervous with the current score.

----------------
Now playing: Mr. Mastodon Farm - Cake
via FoxyTunes

Labels: awards, Contests, reading, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 5:46 PM
• 3 comments

Guest blogger Justin Gustainis on the Future of Urban Fantasy (and book giveaway!)

Today's guest blogger (oh, we've got lots more coming, so stay tuned, or at least the blog version of 'staying tuned') is Justin Gustainis, who visited us last year to tell us about his Quincy Morris Supernatural Investigation urban fantasy series, beginning with Black Magic Woman. Read on to find out how you can win a copy of his latest release, Evil Ways.

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The Future of Urban Fantasy
by Justin Gustainis

The start of a new year is often the time for prognostications, and I have decided to join the parade, get on the bandwagon, go with the flow, and generally embrace every cliché I can think of. Since urban fantasy is something I know a little about (I read it voraciously, and even write it occasionally), and because I have a number of important contacts in the publishing industry (several of who make more than minimum wage), I offer here my predictions of what we can expect to see in the urban fantasy field, in 2009 and beyond.

1. New occupations. Let’s face it, if you’re an urban fantasy protagonist, (hereafter UFP) you’ve gotta do something for a living. Not only does it give you a pretext for messing around in the weird shit, it also helps pay the expenses that inevitably come with the territory (the rising price of precious metals, for instance, means that silver bullets are increasingly becoming a luxury item). We’ve already got UFPs who are wizards, witches, disc jockeys, bounty hunters, waitresses, private detectives, exorcists, cops, secret agents, and mechanics. The writer’s ongoing struggle to find a new hook, a fresh face, and a nice three-book deal, means that we can soon expect to find at our local Barnes & Noble such characters as: Biff Buttcrack, Supernatural Plumber (“No clog too small, no monster too large”), Suzanne Menskowitz, Publicist of the Preternatural (her PR releases have meant the end to more than one evil being’s career), Murray Michaels, Occult Accountant (Just one spreadsheet error, Creatures of the Night, and he’s got you!) and Krystal von Hellsting, Paranormal Porn Star (who can instantly drain any vamp or werewolf of his, er, bloodlust).

2. New lifestyles. Many UFPs are more than human. Some are witches or wizards, with the ability to work magic; others are dhampires, powerful as vampires but resistant to sunlight; still others are werewolves, who can shapeshift with the best of them. In order to build a fan base, new writers are going to have to avoid these well-trod literary paths and come up with their own dual-nature UFPs. In 2009 we can expect to see books featuring werehamsters (those cheek pouches can hold a lot of wolfsbane), occult comedians (while you’re laughing at “Stake my wife – please!” they’ll drench you with holy water) and ghoulgles (half human-half ghoul creatures whose breath can repel a whole horde of enraged elves).

3. New weapons. Fresh supernatural challenges demand advances in occult weapons technology. In the future, UFPs will have access to “smart” invisibility cloaks, which will automatically make them disappear in the presence of demons, goblins, and Mary Kay sales reps; magically unflattering pants, which will guarantee that they will never appear on a book cover with their rears facing the reader, and supernatural staffs which, when the proper spell is cast, turn into solid dark chocolate – because, sometimes, you’ve just gotta have chocolate.

Will these predictions come true in the New Year? Only time, the desperation of publishers, and the tolerance of the reading public, will tell.

Happy New Year, everybody!

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Leave a comment or a question for Justin, or tell us your predictions for the future of urban fantasy (or books in general) between now and 11:59pm EST next Friday (January 9) to be automatically entered to win an autographed copy of his new release, Evil Ways.

If you don't have a Blogger account, 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 (signing your e-mail address not recommended, due to spam issues).

Labels: Contests, guests, reading

• posted by Jeri @ 12:01 AM
• 33 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...

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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

IN THE BLOOD by Adrian Phoenix

My pal Adrian Phoenix and I have something special planned for y'all over the next four months. The hero (hmm, maybe word that should be in quotes) of her vampire series, Dante Baptiste, and the heroine (that word should definitely be in quotes) of mine, Ciara Griffin, found a wormhole and met for a few drinks at the Bar Between Universes. (Not to be confused with the Restaurant at the End of the Universe--that's much more crowded.)

So we'll be presenting Dante and Ciara's mutual interview/drinking game in four rounds, beginning tomorrow and continuing the first week of every month between now and April. Each round will give you a chance to win one of our books, so stay tuned.

But first! I have to tell you about Adrian's latest, In the Blood, the second in her urban fantasy thriller series that began last year with A Rush of Wings. As you might remember, I loved Rush (click that link for my review, in case it's not obvious).

Full disclosure: over the last year, Adrian and I have gotten to be good friends, but that's honestly not why I'm telling you about In the Blood. I have a lot of writer friends, and unfortunately I read very few of their books. Most of them are too prolific to keep up with, or they write in a genre or subgenre that just isn't my bag. If I read nothing but friends' books (at my usual pace of 50 books a year, that would barely scratch the surface), I'd feel like I was reading out of obligation instead of choice. What fun is that?

In the Blood was different. In fact, I would've loved this book even if Adrian were my sworn enemy. Everything I said about A Rush of Wings is twice as true for the new installment. Phoenix's prose is breathtaking and, for a fellow writer, envy-inducing. Certain descriptions and gestures were perfect--and so deft they seemed effortless.

But it wasn't long before I was too absorbed in the story to notice the words that created it. The plot shoots off like a rocket, with Dante and Heather in immediate danger, targeted by a nasty secret FBI project called Bad Seed. Heather finds herself betrayed by those closest to her, and Dante is spiraling ever closer to the truth and the madness that it holds.

The stakes rise to universe-shattering levels (no, really--we're talking near-apocalypse), involving fallen angels in Gehenna and scary batshit humans on earth. Some fascinating new characters are introduced, including Heather's sister Annie and a mysterious assassin named Caterina, whose motives and passions are obscure enough to keep us wondering about her until the last chapter.

The ending absolutely blew me away. One unforgettable image after another imprinted itself on my psyche. (There was this one really bad guy Dante needed to shut up, so he kind of took his face and--oh, never mind, just read it and shudder for yourself.) These are definitely on the thriller/horror end of the spectrum, so if you like your urban fantasies gritty and scary, this one's for you! I can't wait for the next installment, Beneath the Skin, to be released next January.

If you're intrigued, you should definitely read A Rush of Wings first, as the story picks up pretty much where that book left off. Rush is currently available in trade paperback and will be out in mass market paperback February 24. But with Amazon's discounts on trade paperbacks, you're only paying $3 more for the larger, better quality version, so really you should buy that now. I'm just sayin', as a helpful financial tip.

Dante and Ciara will see you back here tomorrow morning, bright and early. Well, bright and early for them. And you'll have a chance to win that book I just talked about up there. ^^^

Labels: reading

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

Interview (and giveaway!) with Carrie Jones, author of NEED

It's currently nine degrees Fahrenheit here at our house, with winds of tropical storm strength, which makes it...(checks weather.com)...approximately...(subtracts five degrees for being outside of town)...hang on, running some numbers...(subtracts another ten for living on a hill)...Greenland.

Which is the perfect setup for the book I want to talk about (and give away!) today. Need is a brand-new young adult contemporary fantasy from Carrie Jones, and it's guaranteed to make you shiver. Not just because it's set in Maine, but because its bogeymen are not vampires or werewolves (though there are a few of the latter), but pixies.

That's right, pixies. And unlike Tinkerbell, who was evil but in an annoying way, you can't stomp on on these pixies. They're tall, fast, and like most fey creatures, have magically irresistible auras. And they're spooky. Trust me, you'll never look at gold glitter the same way again.

However, the pixies aren't the best part of this book. That honor goes to the heroine Zara, who feels as real as your best friend (assuming your best friend isn't imaginary--not that there's anything wrong with that). She's smart and funny and charmingly neurotic. I could totally have coffee with her.

Anyway, when the book opens, Zara is in a deep state of mourning over her recently departed stepfather, who is the only father she's ever known. To snap her out of her paralyzing grief, her mom sends her from their home in Charleston, SC (which has "warm air and flowers and ROADS WITH NO ICE ON THEM"), to live with her grandmother in East Nowhere, Maine.

I know! Instead of stabbing herself with an icicle like most of us would do, Zara handles this disastrous change with humor and a begrudging acceptance borne partly from her inner strength and partly from her general lack of giving-a-rat's-ass.

She meets a cast of characters at school who are beguiling without being obnoxiously quirky. Again, real. Two boys compete for Zara's attention, and at first we don't know which to trust. Once Zara makes her choice, the romance is sweet and unpredictable. She's smitten without giving up one iota of herself, which is nice to see. This is a definite winner for readers of all ages who like books such as Twilight and Wicked Lovely (especially the latter, because of the fey aspect and the not-being-completely-consumed-by-supernatural-dude thing).

Also, Jones manages to make her characters sound like real teenagers without using profanity, a talent I've yet to master (or even attempt, to be honest). So this would definitely be suitable for readers as young as 11 or 12, if they're not easily spooked.

So if you're looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for the young woman in your life, or a great read for yourself over the holiday vacation, check out Need.

Here's Carrie to tell us more, then check out the end of the post to find out how you can win a signed copy of Need, plus a special surprise goody!

Q. Your first novel (TIPS ON HAVING A GAY (EX) BOYFRIEND) was released last year (checks calendar--yep, it's still 2008 now). What was the most surprising/thrilling thing about being a debut author?

Carrie: Because I have absolutely no self confidence at all (Seriously, Tim Wynne-Jones mocks me for saying ‘sorry’ all the time) the most surprising things was getting published at all. I kept expecting Andrew Karre, my editor, to call up and say, “Carrie. We’ve totally been punking you.”

The most thrilling part? Getting letters and emails from people (men and women) who said that my book helped them. It’s about love and acceptance and identity and some kind of tough issues. I never imagined it would actually help anyone. Now I can die all happy.

Note to Fate: That does not mean I should die right now.

In NEED, the heroine Zara is obsessed with naming phobias. Fear obviously shadows and colors much of her existence. Do you see fear as something always to be conquered, or can it play a useful role in our lives?

I think fear works both ways. You know how at slumber parties everyone would freak themselves out because they heard noises in the kitchen or outside? I was always the kid who grabbed a weapon, made the other kids form a line behind me and investigated. “You have to face your fears” was my mantra. Honestly, I even said it out loud TO MY FRIENDS. I have no idea how they didn’t stake me.

More seriously, I’ve seen so many people crippled by their fear. One brilliant woman I know wants more than anything to be a writer but refuses to try because she’s so afraid of failing. My mom goes weak-kneed if she sees a pigeon. She won’t go in a house or a museum if there’s a bird cage. That kind of fear holds you back.

At the same time fear can push you to your limits, help you expand who you are, and sometimes make you do better at tests and with speaking. I am a MUCH better test taker and public speaker if I’m terrified.

Sherman Alexie wrote, “The dream he needed most was the dream that frightened him more.” If you think about that quote it seems that fear is terribly vital.


Why pick pixies over other paranormal peeps?

Because I was so sick of Tinker Belle being the ultimate of pixies. Pixies weren’t always Disneyfied. I wanted to get them a little closer to their roots.

Both Zara in NEED and Belle in your first two books (TIPS and its sequel LOVE (AND OTHER USES FOR DUCT TAPE), are passionately involved with Amnesty International. Is this one of your favorite causes as well? What can we do to help, and how can we find out more about
their most urgent Calls to Action?

I am passionate about Amnesty. There are links to Amnesty on my website, but you can also sign up at its web page and receive Urgent Action Appeals. Then you write letters to officials urging them to release political prisoners or asking them to uphold the tenets of basic human dignity and rights.

Will we see more of Nick and Zara in future books, or is NEED a stand-alone novel?

I just found out yesterday (officially) that NEED is not a stand-alone novel. Eek. This means I need to start writing.

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?

I’d like to be Zara’s grandmother who is about 75 and an EMT and used to be an insurance exec. She is one tough lady. She retired, got a black belt, ran a marathon and then decided she wanted to do something good for the community. So, she became a paramedic. That just rocks. Plus, she has nice eyes.

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

Oh, that’s such a hard one….. I fall in love with ALL my leading men. I am horrible really. So, it’s a bit of a toss up between Tom (from TIPS) and Nick (from NEED) and Paolo (from GIRL, HERO).

They are all good kissers.

To hang out with? I would love to hang out with Issie, Zara’s friend from NEED. She is just so huggable.

Same two questions, but use examples from another author's work (including television/movies/theatre)?

I would like to be…… Um………. Urck…… Puff the Magic Dragon, because, you know, he lived by the sea and he frolicked in the autumn mist. A lot.

I would like to bring Dumbledore into the world, because seriously… how cool would that be?


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

Steve Wedel. He writes adult horror werewolf novels. I know he’d be nice to me if we wrote something together. Plus, he is from Oklahoma.

What's your earliest memory?

When I was born the doctors thought I was blind and I had some severe vision issues. So most of my memories are of smells and texture. When I was one I had eye surgery and I can remember the stickiness of the patches on my face and the texture of the couch against my hand. It was bumpy and kind-of-tweed textured (totally unlike the smooth surfaces of the hospital) and it was home.

Do you have any phobias?

I am afraid of skiing.

I tried to take a lesson with this guy at Sunday River Resort and he looked just like Luke Wilson, which I told him. We spent the hour laughing hysterically. He spent it laughing hysterically at me. I ended up skiing maybe four feet total.

At the end he said, “You are the weirdest person I have ever taught. I mean that in a good way.”

And I said, “I don’t have much of a future in skiing, do I?”

And he said, “God, no, but I’ll teach you again for free.”

And I said, “You need laughs that bad?”

He just nodded.

He was so cute. I think the point of that story is that even though he was super cute and I had the best time standing on skis on the bottom of that mountain I still didn’t go back for a free lesson because I WAS SO TERRIFIED!!!!!!!

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

I am pretty darn mellow, but I guess when people say “vanilla folder” when they mean “manila folder” is what upsets me the most. Although, honestly, it basically just makes me snort tea out of my nose.

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)?

I like Postum, which is a wheat-based cereal beverage (served warm) made by Kraft. They stopped making it last year because only 98-year-olds and I were drinking it.

But that’s not a pop culture type thing… What do I like that nobody else likes? Hm…..

There’s this weather man in Bangor, Maine and he looks like Beaker from the Muppet Show and every time the weather is on he says, “Tonight’s weather is sponsored by Merrill’s Furniture in Ellsworth, Maine. Good furniture. Family feeling.” Yep. He’s so pathetic hawking his meteorological services that he’s hawt.

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

Sleep.
Kayak.
Kiss people.
Sleep more.
Hug dog
Fantasize about the weather man.

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

I don’t have a favorite author.

I would, however, like to ask Danielle Steele about her sex life.

Or I’d ask Charles Bukowski if he really thinks that “Sexual intercourse is kicking death in the ass while singing."


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

Poetry
Or
Hamster erotica.

It’s a hard choice.

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

I’m currently working on a super secret project and I’m also working on a sequel to NEED (which will be the next book to come out), a couple young adult novels that aren’t fantasy, and some nonfiction picture books.

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

NEED is a book. It is not about me. All my books are not about me. (Dad! Are you listening? Not me!) Does that count as three things?

---

Give Carrie a question or a comment, or share your secret or not-so-secret phobia, down in the comments, and be automatically entered to win a signed hardcover copy of Need, as well as a supah-secret bonus surprise goody! (I am curious about the latter, too.)

And as a special not-so-secret bonus, if we get at least 25 unique commenters (not counting Carrie), I'll throw in a $15 Amazon gift card for the winner, so you can buy another copy of Need for a friend.

So come on, people, prove that someone out there is still reading blogs this holiday week! Contest closes next Sunday night at 11:59 eastern. Have a great week!

Labels: Contests, guests, reading

• posted by Jeri @ 9:28 AM
• 121 comments