Contest Okay, sports fans, we’re making a change in the contest. Mario’s original idea—the dumbest thing I ever did—was more an excuse for him to share his story than a good contest subject. Either that, or everyone is (A) out of town or (B) unlike Mario, too embarrassed to tell the world what a dumb ass he/she had been. So, to make it less embarrassing, the contest will now be “What was I thinking…” stories. And it can be your own story or that of a “friend” (wink-wink). We’ll give away books and a tee shirt and some swag, all in a handy-dandy Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers tote. We'll also give you more time-- deadline July 23.

So what’s been going on in your world?



Ready for Harry Potter? The Half-Blood Prince starts next week. Watch clips and trailers here and here.



Guillermo del Toro is writing a vampire novel. From USA Today:

Director and screenwriter Guillermo del Toro, who indulged his love for the fantastical in hit movies including Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy I and II, now is letting his imagination loose on vampires — in his first novel.

The Strain (William Morrow, $26.99), written by del Toro and thriller novelist Chuck Hogan (The Prince of Thieves), hits stores today… Del Toro's vision of the reanimated dead is dark, gory and palpably grotesque. His vampires hunt their victims in their comfort zones: on the streets of Manhattan, in the family kitchen and suburban backyards.

Next up for HBO: ‘Middlesex’ as One-Hour Series

HBO has optioned Jeffrey Eugenides’ Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Middlesex and is developing a one-hour drama series based on the 2002 book.

Actor-producer Rita Wilson is executive producing, along with the project’s writer Donald Margulies.

The working logline for the potential drama series being used internally at HBO is that it "follows the life of Calliope Stephanides and the epic family history that may hold the answer to her complicated sexual identity."

How does one adapt a story about a hermaphrodite that spans 80 years? Should be interesting.

For you writers out there:
Open Submissions Call!

All Romance™ Needs You for the 28 Days of Heart Campaign to Benefit the American Heart Association

During the month of love, when everyone's attention is focused on matters of the heart, we at All Romance (www.allromance.com) want to help fight the number one killer of women, heart dis! ease, and we need your help and your submissions.

Beginning February 1, 2010, we will release one new short story per day for the entire month. All proceeds from the sale of these shorts, which will be offered exclusively on AllRomance.com as individual eBooks and also bundled into 4 eBook anthologies, will be donated to the American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org).

The 28 stories will be chosen from submissions received between July 1 and October 31, 2009. Any author who has an eBook available on ARe, or whose publisher lists eBooks with us, is eligible to submit. Submissions must be 10,000 to 20,000 words. Th! e preferred heat rating is 4 or 5 flames, though stories rated a hard 3 flames will also be considered. An explanation of the flame rating system can be found on our site. We are looking for a wide variety of themes and sub-genres, as long as the story is a romance.

The stories selected will be reviewed by an editor and provided with cover art, but please make sure submissions are as polished as you can make them before submitting. Previously published stories will be considered only if all rights have reverted back to the author and the story is no longer available for download elsewhere. Backlist and contact info for the authors whose work is chosen will be listed in the back of their story.

Submission details can be found at the link on the All Romance Home Page that reads Publishers/Authors

Questions should be emailed to cat.johnson@allromanceebooks.com. Final selection of participants will be made and announced in November 2009.

From the no f’n way department: Would you trust a glass floor that’s an inch and a half thick when suspended 103 stories in the air?



Only thing crazier than the Sears Tower platform above is this:




To leave you smiling, here's a product for all you e-readers out there.



The smell of e-books just got better

Does your Kindle leave you feeling like there’s something missing from your reading experience?

Have you been avoiding e-books because they just don’t smell right?

If you’ve been hesitant to jump on the e-book bandwagon, you’re not alone. Book lovers everywhere have resisted digital books because they still don’t compare to the experience of reading a good old fashioned paper book.

But all of that is changing thanks to Smell of Books™, a revolutionary new aerosol e-book enhancer.

Now you can finally enjoy reading e-books without giving up the smell you love so much. With Smell of Books™ you can have the best of both worlds, the convenience of an e-book and the smell of your favorite paper book.

Smell of Books™ is compatible with a wide range of e-reading devices and e-book formats and is 100% DRM-compatible. Whether you read your e-books on a Kindle or an iPhone using Stanza, Smell of Books™ will bring back that real book smell you miss so much.
Copyright © 2009 • DuroSport Electronics

Comes in New Book Smell; Scent of Sensibility; Classic Musty; Crunchy Bacon; Eau, You Have Cats  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 6:50 AM  14 comments links to this post

 


Animations provided by MySpaceGraphicsandAnimations.com


All together now, one, two, three--

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIO!!!!!  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:34 AM  8 comments links to this post

  Contest! Man, was I dumbass! Mario here:
Happy Independence day and a Happy Fourth of July!

We're starting our summer contest today. Why today? Because nothing says Dumbass like the revelry of July 4th combined with the temptation of fireworks. At least to me.

Idle hands can't resist:











But first, the prizes:
A T-shirt from the Tattered Cover bookstore in Devil Duck red. And a Devil Duck, of course. Plus shwag (Check back on Thursday for those pics).

The contest, in 75 words or less: Man, was I dumbass! Post your submission as a comment. The contest will be judged by our panel of crack contest judges in India. (Yes, in order to reduce costs, Biting-Edge has off-shored our contest judging.) Submissions will be graded on originality, spelling, and of course, the all important dumbassness. Contest decision will be final and not subject to appeal or bribery or complaining. Contest ends Midnight, Thursday, July 16, 2009.

Me first:

As a young man, I loved explosions. Firecrackers were fun but I wanted the challenge of making a bigger boom, as in a bomb. I ordered a book which showed how to make all kinds of devices such as silencers, rockets, and bombs. I gathered explosive powder made of matchheads and from cheap Mexican firecrackers. The book suggested a detonator made with a cartridge and a spring contraption. I didn't have the suggested bullet so I substituted a much smaller .22. The spring contraption wouldn't set off the cartridge so I used a hammer to beat on the primer of the .22. Finally, on the third whack, the cartridge went off, shot backwards out of the detonator, and made the hammer sting my hand. But the bomb hadn't gone off. Well then, let's try it again. At that point, just before I struck a fresh cartridge, with the bomb attached to a wooden board that I was kneeling on, I realized that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. So I dismantled the bomb and waited until I was in army before I blew things up.

Your turn.

The Blog Beat.

Witches on the loose. Juliet Blackwell, known to us by her other pen name, Hailey Lind, has a forthcoming book, Secondhand Spirits, about a naughty witch in San Francisco. Check out Juliet's blog on Pensfatales.com

Our favorite real life P.I.s , Guns, Gams, and Gumshoes is holding an "open house party" the first week of July--post a comment July 1-7, and you're eligible to win books from Colleen Collins's backlist, cool "Writing PIs in Novels" T-shirts, and other giveaways!

Vampiri in Italia. My latest Lego vampire movie was featured on this Italian blog.



Movies:

Saw Public Enemies. Very stylish. People were so fashionable back then, especially the killers and their molls. Johnnie Depp does a great job acting in a role other than a looney pirate or fantasy candy maker. Christian Bale likewise pulled off playing a straight-laced G-man without making me think he was Batman in civilian clothes.

Then there was Transformers that a friend wanted to see. The movie started okay but got beyond stupid after the first half hour. Unless you suffer from advanced ADD, then save your money.  ¶ posted by Mario @ 1:22 PM  11 comments links to this post

  Some weeks are like that... Ever had a week when although nothing really bad is happening, you have the creepy sensation that it might? Premonition? Presentiment? Foreboding?

I’ve finished Chosen, got two pretty good ideas for the anthology stories due in August, am making plans for Comic Con and Dragon*Con and have signed contracts for the German and Norwegian editions of the Chronicles. So why do I feel depressed?

Summer doldrums? Or postpartum depression because I’ve finished another book? Nothing good on TV (except Merlin, that’s pretty good. Here's a link furnished by Gina to catch up if you'd like. And Leverage starts again soon)? What the hell is it?

Anyway, besides Farrah’s funeral and Michael Jackson’s family squabbling over who gets his kids (and their trust funds), there were a couple of other newsworthy tidbits this week.






Johnny Depp confirms he’s doing Dark Shadows. From SFX UK:

Johnny Depp has told Collider.com that work on Tim Burton's big screen remake of legendary US supernatural soap will commence next year, and that he'll be fitted for the fangs for the role of vampire Barnabas Collin.

“Dark Shadows is happening,” says Depp. "Tim is working on Alice in Wonderland which is obviously quite a large piece of work there. So when Tim is done with Alice and we get the script, which is very, very close, in order we’ll probably attack it next year. It’s exciting, very exciting. It’s like a lifelong dream for me. I loved the show when I was a kid. I was obsessed with Barnabas Collins. I have photographs of me holding Barnabas Collins posters when I was five or six. I’m very excited to do it.”

BTW, this great pic of Depp was one included in People Magazines 16 Sexiest Men—Some interesting choices. Check it out.

Something else to check out: Derek Tatum’s new/revised blog Mondo Vampire wherein he’ll …grab and discuss five random things that I like about vampires. Books, movies, art, odd facts, music, thematic elements...if it is vampire-related and I enjoy it, it's fair game. Now don't mistake this feature as a "best of," or even a comprehensive "favorites," list; my goal here is to show the wide variety available in the world of vampire lore and entertainment.

Derek is one of the multi-talented programmers for Dragon*Con and knows more about vampire lore (and lure) than I ever will.

Since I now know how to do this, I found another great video to share. Edward Cullen meets Buffy Summers.



We know this is exactly how it would go down, too, don’t we?

Now this did make me laugh this week so all is not lost. One of the winning entries for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest:

Winner: Detective
She walked into my office on legs as long as one of those long-legged birds that you see in Florida - the pink ones, not the white ones - except that she was standing on both of them, not just one of them, like those birds, the pink ones, and she wasn't wearing pink, but I knew right away that she was trouble, which those birds usually aren't.

Eric Rice
Sun Prairie, WI

For the complete run down of winners, follow the link above.

Lest you forget what prompted the wretched writing competition, I give you:

"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."

--Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford (1830)

Great stuff.

Actually, two things made me laugh this week. Maureen Dowd, NY Times Columnist talking about SC Gov Mark Sanford:

When there’s an Associated Press bulletin saying that he has found his soul mate but he’s going to try to fall back in love with you, change the locks…

Okay, so there were three things. From the New York Observer:

A movie review for (wait for it…) Nazi zombies! From Rex Reed.


Dead Snow
Running time 90 minutes
Written by Stig Frode Henriksen and Tommy Wirkola
Directed by Tommy Wirkola
Starring Charlotte Frogner, Ørjan Gamst, Stig Frode Henriksen, and Vegar Hoel

Dead Snow is a Norwegian horror film, if you can envision such a thing without developing a cataract, about a group of randy skiers in a mountain cabin without cell phone signals (or indoor plumbing) who are attacked by Nazi zombies. You can’t make up this stuff.

He ends with: The result piles on relentless thrills and unimaginable horrors, with a shock ending guaranteed to make you scream out loud. Director Tommy Wirkola mixes gore with humor (the Nazi zombies are pretty funny, like Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein); the cadaverous makeup is outstanding; the actors do an admirable job portraying authentic-looking terror; and the fact that there is no conventional happy escape ending is refreshing. The director calls Dead Snow “Scandinavia’s first Nazi-zombie-horror-slasher-feel-good film.” I’m not sure about the feel-good part. The potential for tension and suspense is also diminished by screeching rock music that diametrically opposes the mood the film is trying to create. But as zombie movies go, it sure scared the hell out of me.

So, does that mean he liked it? With Rex Reed it’s sometimes hard to tell.

Don’t forget to come back on Saturday to check out the contest info. Frankly, I don’t have a clue why Mario wants to announce on Saturday, but who am I to argue? I’m sure he has his reasons. Just like he had his reasons for posting the pic of Emily with her pasties. Artistic something or other…

And just in case any of you out there are having the same kind of week I am, take consolation in this.
  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:27 AM  9 comments links to this post

  It's so gay... Mario here:

Happy Pride Day!

But first.

I'm slogging through my revisions for Werewolf Smackdown and I feel like this osprey (which is better than the fish is doing).


Several weeks ago, I had received an invitation for the retirement party of John Zeck, sales rep for HarperCollins, my publisher. The party was yesterday (Sunday) at the Tattered Cover, LoDo. I've met John several times though I didn't know him well. He was roasted during the party and I learned a lot about him and what a great guy he is. Eccentric. Opinionated. Erudite. Fun. Here's John with Cathy Longer, lead buyer for the Tattered Cover (left), and his boss from HarperCollins, Kristin Bowers. John's taking a few weeks off, then he and his wife are off to Europe. Good luck and thanks for your support, John.


Since we are a vampire blog, check out Jason Henderson discussing his first draft process for a forthcoming Van Helsing novel on his Blog of Dracula. Then cruise on over to Vampire News for your fix on undead happenings. Tell 'em we sent you.

Contest...but not yet. Check back on July 4th. Why the Fourth? Well, the contest topic is appropriate for the holiday. Jeanne and I have been squeezing the brain parts to think of cool, new prizes.

On the literary front, this from Publishers Lunch:

Film

"Larry Doyle's forthcoming GO, MUTANTS!, set in an all-American high school whose juvenile delinquents are the offspring of the giant-brained aliens and atomic monsters immortalized in the golden age of Hollywood B-movies, to Universal Pictures, with Brian Grazer at Imagine producing, and Doyle adapting, by CAA and Sarah Burnes at The Gernert Company." I give this three slices of cheese.

UK

"PunkScience.com blogger and science writer Frank Swain's ZOMBOLOGY: The New Science of Zombies, Reanimation and Mind Control, exploring the 100-year scientific quest to control the bodies and minds of fellow humans, tying together seemingly disparate subjects from the most incredible annals of scientific literature - unsuspecting citizens dosed with zombifying drugs by secret agents; Soviet experiments in which organs are kept alive when separated from the body; parasites that force unnatural behaviors, sex changes and suicide; psychologists reducing crime through urban design; doctors treating schizophrenia with antibiotics in Ethiopia - to reveal how, despite our supposed intelligence, we all remain extraordinarily susceptible to manipulation, to Marsha Filion at Oneworld, for publication in Autumn 2010, by Peter Tallack at the Science Factory (UK/Commonwealth, excl. Canada). info@sciencefactory.co.uk" I like this. Stay tuned.

In memoriam:

I won't be telling you anything new but I'd be remiss if I didn't note the passing of these two American pop culture icons.

Farah Fawcett.
When I was in college, even women's dorm rooms had this poster:






And King of Pop Michael Jackson (without mentioning his troubles as Wacko Jacko). A lot of the modern rethinking of zombies from smelly monsters to Dumpster-fashionistas comes from his Thriller video.







And now, PrideFest in City Park. Great weather (no rain, for once). Good place for people watching. Lots of booths, music, and dancing. Women in short skirts, like Jessy and Lucy, are best admired on a pedestal.







Emily caught my eye with her winning smile.










This is for Lori Armstrong and her penchant for men-on-men, gay cowboy, slash fiction.

Lori lives in South Dokata and I assumed, based from talking to her, that she and her husband own a pickup truck, which they don't. I wondered how you can live in the boonies (which includes all of South and North Dakota I've been told) and not own a pick up? Here's how:

Check out the power windows. This bull is riding in style.

See you on the Fourth!  ¶ posted by Mario @ 9:37 PM  3 comments links to this post

  Happy Birthday, Joss!
Have to begin with this greeting to Joss Whedon. Our boy turned 45 Tuesday, June 23. Happy Birthday and Many Bloody Returns!!

Here's a nice recap of all things Joss.



In keeping with things in the Whedonverse, I’ll continue with something in the scratch-your-head-in-dumbfoundment (if that’s a word)-category. Star Central Mag did a Top 10 Sexiest Vampires of All Time. Angel is # 5—I’ll let you peruse the rest of the list yourself. But Robert Pattison as Edward Cullen is #1????

Who picked? A ten year old?

And where the hell is Spike?????

Coming back to earth, Anthony Head talking about a possible Ripper TV series.

"Ripper is a kind of a - it’s a funny old thing," said Head. "Whether it ever gets made or not... if it does ever get made, I’ll probably be an octogenarian by the time it does. But it is something I actually introduced Joss to [Doctor Who producer] Julie Gardner, who was a producer with the BBC. She has long wanted to do something with the project. There are obviously complications with Ripper because there are lots of tie ins. There’s FOX, there’s the Kazuis. There’s all sorts of stuff that, basically it isn’t just a simple question of Joss making a series that he wants to make as far as anything concerned with Buffy. There are a lot of people down the line that would have a say. And that’s part of the equation."

Full interview here.

Head’s newest Merlin premiered Sunday, June 21st at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC. And I missed it—damn it! Did anyone see it? Comments?

Book biz news:


Brentano’s in Paris closes after 114 years –

Book trade printed the letter posted on the door on June 15—

Dear Friends,

It is with sadness, and astonishment - despite the prolonged agony of these last months - that we inform you of the official closing of Brentano's Bookstore - Paris, Monday, June 15, 2009. We who remained for the final voyage are a skeleton crew. Along with the many cherished former colleagues you have known, we thank you for your vital collaboration and consideration throughout the years. It has been our privilege to be a part of the special world of books and bookselling and a bridge between cultures.

After 114 years at the same address Brentano's - the American Bookstore in Paris, will no longer welcome the curious passer-by and the faithful regular. In these final days many, many customers have expressed sincere disbelief and genuine anguish upon learning that this institution (in their minds invincible) will cease to exist. This testimony to our combined efforts, yours and ours, we take to heart and share with you.

We will miss our unique universe. We are thankful to have had the rare opportunity to know so many good and talented people from many nations and to have lived and worked in the world of books.

Best wishes, Susan Rosenberg and Alain Queval for Brentano's - Paris

I remember visiting this store many years ago. Sad and astonishing, indeed.


Sebastian Faulks will not write another Bond after all—From BookSeller in the UK:

21.06.09 Benedicte Page

The "options are open" on a follow-up to the James Bond hit Devil May Care, agent Simon Trewin has said, though Sebastian Faulks has confirmed that he will not author a second Bond title.

"My contract did offer me a second go, but definitely not," he told The Bookseller. "'Once funny, twice silly, three times a slap', as the nanny saying goes. But I think it would be a good gig for someone to do."

Trewin, of United Agents, manages the literary rights to Bond on behalf of the Fleming estate. He said that no new author had been signed up to write and there were "no firm plans at the moment". But he added: "All options are open."

I'll do it, I'll do it!!!!

I wasn’t sure how to categorize this next one. Maybe things-I-never-thought-I’d-see.


The granddaughter of Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara is at the forefront of another revolution _ for vegetarianism.

Lydia Guevara poses semi-nude in a PETA campaign that tells viewers to "join the vegetarian revolution," said PETA spokesman Michael McGraw.

Okay…

It's time again for the annual Writerspace Beach Party, to celebrate summer and find some terrific beach reads for this year's vacation! Join dozens of your favorite authors at the 2009 Beach Party at Writerspace on Sunday, June 28th from 8pm ET to 11pm ET.

Authors will be dropping in to chat all during the evening and we will be giving away 100s of new books and other fantastic prizes --autographed, hard-to-find, advance copies plus special treats like gift baskets and more. We hope to see you Sunday night! You don't have to be present to win, but you must be registered. To register, and for details on all participating authors and the prizes they're giving away, go here.

I’m giving away some books and swag but I don’t know when and if I’ll drop in for a chat. However, lots of great authors are and the chance at a lot of great prizes for simply registering makes it a no-brainer.

Ending with two fun things from pal Lorraine Mark. First a video that needs no explanation. Now, Mario assures me I can do this. We’re about to find out.










And this:

I'm enclosing a picture of my spinning my Galactic Sugary Yumminess at the local 'Bark In The Park' dog show (I wonder how many kids ate sugary dog hair in their cones! LOL) Ewww!

If you’re in the Croton Park NY area and want something novel (ha-ha) for your next party, look Lorraine up! As her banner says: A Spinner Of Galactic Sugary Yumminess!

I could use some sugary yumminess about now!!  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 6:12 AM  21 comments links to this post

  Check out the peepers Mario here:

Both Jeanne and I are on deadline death march. I'm neck deep in revisions for my new Felix Gomez book. Got the cover. Whatta ya think? Here's the freaky part. Compare it to the original cover for Jeanne's first book.





















Once Jeanne and I catch our breath after deadline, we'll post an awesome contest, the most exciting ever. Get your thinking caps on and set them to KA-ZAM! But the subject remains a secret to keep you type A's from jumping the gun.

In the meantime, to satisfy your contest jones, check this contest from RudyG about this anthology on La Bloga.

"Needles & Bones is a collection of poems and short fiction by a double handful of brilliantly creative artists-with-words. It begins gently, with fairy tales, but its tendrils of surreality spread from the stories of our childhood, into our adult world, and on to places beyond our own. We visit heaven, and hell, and places we might never imagine, peopled by creatures who are only sometimes like us."

"RudyG contributed Memorabilia, the crazy story of Tomás Chaneco Martinez, a near-immortal Aztec shaman-sorcerer, who finds himself in contemporary, rural, northern New Mexico. He's gotta clean out decades' worth of knick-knacks that somehow found their way into his adobe. It seems that his nemeses, some ancient dragons, have taken possession of the things and are threatening to disturb more than his sleep. What starts out as a spring housecleaning turns into a series of fantastical encounters that Harry Potter would never have survived. Anyway, if you enjoy fantasy, dragons, azteca lore, No. New Mexico, and maybe a little humor, I expect you'll like this one."


Fellow critiquer Terry Wright has updated his website. One of his new features is to spotlight his favorite authors and our own Jeanne Stein is on stage.



The fabulous Lit Fest is over. Last Friday, Lighthouse Writers Workshop hosted the final party that made you feel smart and beautiful just being there. (Yes, even me.) Here is Executive Director Michael Henry emceeing the ceremony for the Beacon Award, given to the best faculty member, which this year was screenwriter Alexandre Philippe.





SIGNING ALERT! Jeanne and I, along with Warren Hammond, will be signing this Tuesday, June 23, noon-2pm, at the Barnes & Noble, Arapahoe Marketplace 8555 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village, CO 80112.

And our favorite young adult vampire author, Richelle Mead, continues on her path for world domination. From Publishers Lunch:

Foreign rights to Richelle Mead's VAMPIRE ACADEMY, FROST BITE, and SHADOW KISS, to Agave Konyek in Hungary, by Blanka Daroczi at Andrew Nurnberg Associates; at IBIS in Bulgaria, by Kamelia Emilova at Andrew Nurnberg Associates, at auction; and to Mladinska Knjiga in Slovenia, by Jitka Nemeckova at Andrew Nurnberg Associates, on behalf of Lauren Abramo at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.
labramo@dystel.com



  ¶ posted by Mario @ 9:10 PM  25 comments links to this post