Jeri Smith-Ready

Novel Chopper, Beyond Her Book blurb (and John & Abigail play on our conscience)

Making this quick, as I’m heading into the Abject Panic phase of this Bad to the Bone rewrite. This always happens, because to make the book better, I have to dismantle and rebuild it. Right now it’s like an engine that’s been taken apart, and all the little pieces are lying around on the garage floor. If this were American Chopper, Big Paul would be screaming his head off and throwing wrenches at the head of his son Paulie and that other guy, the one I always liked (I looked it up, it's Mikey). There’d be a lot of bleeped words.

Anyway, yesterday Joyce Ann McLaughlin blurbed THE REAWAKENED for Publisher’s Weekly’s Beyond Her Book blog, saying,

The Reawakened concludes the Aspect of Crow trilogy, and fulfills the expectations raised in Eyes of Crow and Voice of Crow. I read and enjoy a lot of books, and series of books, and when I'm done, I can move along. Sometimes, though, there are stories that are special enough to touch me, and I will go back to them again and again. This is one of those. Aspect of Crow is more than just enjoyable; it is memorable.

Another Aspect of Crow fan who doesn’t want to kill me—yay!

Thanks to everyone who participated in Margie Lawson's guest blog appearance this week, and congrats to the winners of the lecture packets!

Today’s Voter Registration nag video (see below) was sent to me by fellow author Alex Bledsoe, who writes science fiction and horror for Tor Books. I had the privilege of giving a cover quote for his first vampire novel BLOOD GROOVE, which comes out April 1. Scary and funny stuff.

(Also, I forgot to give a hat tip to author Victoria Dahl for yesterday’s BotherVoting.org e-card site.)

Usual spiel: below are the states where voter registration is still open, and the blinking states close tomorrow, Friday October 10, Brett Favre’s 39th birthday,through Sunday, October 12, which is probably the next time you'll hear from me.


As always, visit VotersUnite! for rules and regs pertaining to your state of mind.

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

Labels: reviews, The Reawakened, vampire series, voter registration, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 10:47 PM
• 0 comments

Top Pick for The Reawakened

The third book in the Aspect of Crow trilogy, The Reawakened, just received a Top Pick from Romantic Times Book Reviews. This makes it three Top Picks for three for the trilogy--hat trick, baby!

Here's the review (and a link for subscribers--it'll be up for everyone in two months):

You don't want to miss the powerful conclusion to the Aspect of Crow trilogy. Smith-Ready tells the story effortlessly and from shifting perspectives. The tension increases and never lets up. Unforgettable characters portray every emotion in a heart-wrenching, hopeful tale. Multiple storylines and escalating conflict reach an uplifting conclusion.

Summary: In Rhia's world, everyone has magic bestowed by their animal spirits. Her gift, the spirit of the crow, shows her a vision of a future that fills her with terror. Her world is threatened by The Descendants, those who disregarded their Guardian spirits to embrace technology. The nonbelievers are determined to conquer Rhia's people and suppress their magic, and Rhia's crow spirit demands sacrifices that will change her life forever. (LUNA, Nov., 480 pp., $14.95)
—Gail Pruszkowski

I was thrilled to read this, because a) did I mention 3 for 3? and b) as I mentioned in my post yesterday, I went for broke with this book, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go over with current fans. Since this reviewer loved the previous two installments (and was partly responsible for Eyes of Crow winning the Reviewers Choice Award for Best Fantasy Novel of 2006), I was anxious to see what she thought.

Big whew!

The November issue of RT should be on newsstands on October 1. No doubt my issue will arrive in the mail much later.

(Read the Top Pick reviews for Eyes of Crow and Voice of Crow. If, you know, you want, and haven't got anything better to do, or maybe need convincing to check out this series NOW before it's ALL OVER!)

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Now playing: Architects of Sound - Government Salami - V/A
via FoxyTunes

Labels: reviews, The Reawakened

• posted by Jeri @ 9:33 PM
• 7 comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: appearances, MySpace, reviews, vampire series

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

Eclectic Review pods again

Stuart and Glory Jaffe's Eclectic Review discussed Wicked Game again, even more in depth than in last month's episode. This time it was in the context of recycled art and how the novel puts unique twists on the old vampire conventions.

Stuart also remarks on the unobtrusive use of first person present tense (something that usually annoys him) and how he didn't even notice it until a third of the way through. I discussed my choice to use that technique in my answer to the first question in the Fangs Fur & Fey interview, if you're interested.

Speaking of which, I'm posting over there today on the Topic of the Week (today's is pen names), because that's how I deal with Mondays.

Labels: craft, interview, reviews, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 12:17 AM
• 0 comments

Wicked Game featured on The Eclectic Review

Podcasters Stuart and Glory Jaffe of The Eclectic Review discuss the evolution of the portrayal of vampires, from Dracula to Anne Rice to the Anita Blake books to Buffy to...Wicked Game in their latest episode, "Vampires are Deadly and Fun Part 2".

Very interesting discussion. Check it out! Apparently there'll be more about Wicked Game in a future podcast, so stay tuned.

And here's a new shot of Tommy:


It's very hard to get them to stay still for a photo, as I mentioned before.

That's all for today--I plan to finish a rough draft of my sample chapters by tonight (note to self: rough draft means it doesn't have to be perfect. Let yourself put in too much backstory this time around.), so I'll be offline most of the day.

Have a good one!

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Now playing: Home Of The Blues - Johnny Cash
via FoxyTunes

Labels: foster dogs, reviews, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 8:56 AM
• 3 comments

New review site, Ciara's fear-ah, and a trip to the vet

Time for a few sundry items.

Bitten by Books reviewed Wicked Game yesterday. I post a link not only so you can read the review (Five Headstones!), because I don't blog about every review (seems a bit brag-alicious, and besides, if you're reading my blog regularly you've probably already decided whether or not to buy Wicked Game), but also to introduce you to this fabulous new site. Rachel Smith has put together a great design and a very active community, so if you like paranormal fiction, it's the new place to be!

Ciara has blogged again, this time about her fear of being interviewed by Dante from A Rush of Wings. It'll happen soon, whether she likes it or not. I mean, I give her free room and board--the least she can do is field a few interviews for me.

Misha was walking wobbly this morning, with his back legs giving out on him, so I rushed him to the vet, fearing a thrombosis (blood clot). Of course, once we got there, he steadily improved and now seems a lot better. (Probably regretting getting into the Jim Beam.) The vet said to keep an eye on him all weekend to make sure he doesn't get worse. He's a very athletic cat, so it's sad to see him sort of feeble.

Speaking of beasts, Baron went into a foster-to-adopt home, so we're not sure which foster dog we're getting and when. I'll be sure to update you and post pictures when I find out.

Still working on Monroe's story and planning to have it up on this site Monday. Will post when live! Have great weekends.

Labels: foster dogs, pets, reviews, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 1:43 PM
• 3 comments

Anyone get Realms of Fantasy?

There's a review of Wicked Game in the May issue of Realms of Fantasy magazine. I got an electronic copy of the review ("a fun, fast read" with "sexy, witty banter"), but I'd really like a hard copy or two.

So if you have a copy of the May issue, please contact me.

There might be something sweet in it for you. :-)

UPDATE: Duh, I just realized it's the August issue, not the May issue. I have one offer from a reader to mail a copy to me, and I can get further copies on the newsstand if they're not sold out by the time I drag my butt to B&N. So never mind! Thanks!

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Now playing: Arco Arena - CAKE
via FoxyTunes

Labels: reviews, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 2:00 PM
• 0 comments

*dies happy*

Guess which book Charlaine Harris just mentioned in this week's Book & Blog post?

Just when I think the vampire genre must be exhausted, just when I think if I read another clone I’ll quit writing vampires myself, I read a book that refreshed my flagging interest. Jeri Smith-Ready’s WICKED GAME was consistently surprising and original.

For those of you outside the genre, Harris is the bestselling author of the wonderful Southern Vampire series (most recently From Dead to Worse), which is being turned into an HBO series called True Blood, written by Six Feet Under's Alan Ball and starring Anna Paquin, beginning this fall.

Needless to say, I'm weak-kneed with thrill-dom.

Don't forget, you have until Friday to comment on Nancy Haddock's interview and get a chance to win a signed copy of La Vida Vampire!

Back to work now...travels are over...time to hermit.

Labels: reading, reviews, television, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 6:54 AM
• 12 comments

Playlist and Editor's Choice

Is that the sound of my dancing feet? Yes, those are my slippers shuffling and sliding across the linoleum.

Two reasons:

1) I created a Wicked Game playlist:



It's also posted it on the book's page (click and scroll down). This is a "soundtrack" of most of the songs mentioned in the novel (all the ones I could get legally through Playlist.com). More playlists coming soon!

If you'd like to post the playlist on your own website, MySpace or Facebook page, send me an e-mail and I'll give you the secret code. Or you can just grab the HTML yourself if you know how to do it.

2) Wicked Game is this month's Editor's Choice at Love Vampires: The Website Dedicated to Vampire Fiction.

In her review, Amanda made herself my favorite person always and forever. Here's a long excerpt (all emphasis mine):

I have read a lot of vampire novels, some romance, some horror, some urban fantasy and some of just about every flavour in between. Some books have been so good I’ve spent the next week pimping the book to everyone I speak to. Some have been so bad I’ve wanted to bang my head (hard) against my desk and induce unconsciousness so I won’t have to think about what I’ve just read. A lot have been average, neither bad nor fantastically good, but a pleasant and entertaining way to pass time reading.

However, every once in a while someone writes a book that surpasses genre conventions and expectations, turning established ideas into something fresh and new. Books that have done this for me include J. R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Robin McKinley’s Sunshine, Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire series and Laurell K. Hamilton’s early Anita Blake. All in their own way original or unique, some of them eventually being consumed and becoming part of the established framework for that genre. It is in this way that Wicked Game strikes me as original and unique.

The words different, original, unusual and unique are used a lot in reviews but hopefully I have managed to give some context of what I mean when I use them. It is hard to draw comparisons between Wicked Game and other vampire novels because nobody else is really writing like this at the moment.

Go read the rest if you like, or just admire the gorgeous website design. I'll be here dancin'.

Labels: reviews, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 7:47 AM
• 4 comments

Good week for Wicked Game

Four months before publication (and just in time to be printed in the front of the book itself), Publisher's Weekly gave this review to Wicked Game:

Newbie marketing intern Ciara Griffin lands a job at WMMP, a station threatened with being sold to Skyware, a giant communications conglomerate, unless ad revenue picks up. A former con artist with a canny way with people, Ciara soon learns that the DJs are undead and specialists in the musical eras in which they were turned into vampires. One of them, Shane McAllister (turned in 1995), is really hot and dangerously tempting. In order to attract more listeners, Ciara promotes a new marketing strategy and the Sherwood, Md., station becomes 94.3 WVMP, the “Lifeblood of Rock and Roll,” exploiting the fang factor (which no listener takes seriously) for profit. It works, until an ancient vampire cult wants to pull the plug. Also playing in is “The Control,” an equally ancient paramilitary group created to protect good vampires and kill bad ones.

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

Here's where I become the pointyheaded pseudo-intellectual version of Beavis & Butthead:

Heh. They said, 'hegemony.'

Seriously, I'm beyond thrilled about this review, because it's my first ever in Publisher's Weekly. It means a lot. And, heh, they said 'creeping airwave hegemony.' I'm thinking Bill Moyers might love this book.

The other great news is that my editor, Jennifer Heddle, was just promoted to senior editor at Pocket Books. She absolutely deserves it, though whenever someone younger than I am has the word 'senior' in front of their title, I feel like an underachiever.

In fact, I'm going to put a new sign on my office door:


Come back Friday for a new ARC contest, and soon thereafter to see the final cover! Then we'll figure out how to pass the time for the next four months until the actual book comes out.

I'm sure we'll think of something.

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Now playing: The Killing Lights - A.F.I.
via FoxyTunes

Labels: reviews, vampire series

• posted by Jeri @ 8:28 AM
• 12 comments

Voice of Crow an RT Top Pick

Following in its predecessor's footsteps (do books have feet? I mean, they have spines and sometimes jackets, so...), Voice of Crow has just received a 4.5 Stars Top Pick rating from Romantic Times Book Reviews magazine.

Here's the review (if you're a subscriber to the magazine you can go directly to the site to see that I'm not making this up):

A summary follows, but like many reviews it gives away a plot point that doesn't take place until almost halfway through the book. I'm not including it here because if I were a reader, I'd want to be surprised. And go, "Oh my God, no!" instead of, "Oh, I was wondering when that was going to happen."

But I realize it's hard to write a decent review without giving anything away, so no complaints here. Besides, it's partly given away by the paragraphs on the back of the book.

I'm very relieved at this rating, because reviewers tend to be a little harder on sequels, I've noticed. Partly because their expectations are higher, and partly because sequels don't always stand alone very well.

So that's two reviews that have said it's better than Eyes of Crow. So far so good, sophomore slump averted. But it's the readers' opinions that really count, so I'm anxious to see what everyone thinks. Not Valium-popping anxious. Just chamomile tea-sipping anxious.

A-Z Update: "So Much to Say" by the Dave Matthews Band

Labels: reviews, Voice of Crow

• posted by Jeri @ 7:10 PM
• 2 comments

Voice of Crow's first review!

The Romance Zone got in way early to be the first to review the sequel to Eyes of Crow. The author of the review is Merry Cutler, owner of Annie's Book Stop in Sharon, MA.

Many times, when the first book in a series is as good as “Eyes of Crow” was, the reader is disappointed by the succeeding volumes. This is not the case with “Voice of Crow” – if anything it is more powerful, more gripping, than the first book, as the characters grow and mature and are more fully developed by this skillful author.

Now that's what I like to hear. Sophomore slump, be damned!

Read the rest here. In the second paragraph, she gives a wonderful summary of the series in just a few sentences. I may have to steal it....

A-Z Update: "Serve the Servants" (Solo Acoustic version) by Nirvana

Labels: reviews, Voice of Crow

• posted by Jeri @ 9:18 PM
• 5 comments

Dear Grim Reaper

Oh Ye of the Shroud and Sickle, just a quick note before I hop aboard that big ol' jet airliner tomorrow....

Remember a couple of months ago, when I saw this review* by one of my favorite and most admired authors, godfather of urban fantasy and fellow corvophile Charles de Lint, in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction? Remember how I said, having gained the approval I coveted more than that of The New York Times Book Review, "I can die happy now"?

It was just a figure of speech, 'K?


*also note glowing review of friend and fellow Luna author C.E. Murphy's Thunderbird Falls. Go, Catie!

Labels: Eyes of Crow, reviews

• posted by Jeri @ 8:10 AM
• 0 comments

RT been berry berry good to me

The December issue of Romantic Times (on newsstands through the end of next week) has featured me as one of seven "rising stars" of fiction.

In an article entitled "Hot Commodities," reviewer Gail Pruszkowski (my new Favorite Person in the World) says,

Eyes of Crow, the first of her new trilogy, was an entertaining epic fantasy with unforgettable characters. She's a phenomenal writer with a great voice. I can't wait till the next book comes out.

In the November issue of RT, Eyes of Crow received 4.5 stars (out of 4.5--why they no longer give 5-star reviews is a long story) and a "Top Pick" designation, the only one in its category for that month. The full review is now available on their site.

Yeah, I said a long time ago I wouldn't turn this blog into a bragfest, but EOC hasn't gotten many reviews yet, and this is a biggie. In my world, at least.

Labels: reviews

• posted by Jeri @ 9:42 AM
• 7 comments