Welcome to Biting-Edge, a blog shared by authors and vampire experts, Mario Acevedo and Jeanne Stein. We’ll cover urban fantasy, vampires, pop culture, and all things Joss Whedon. Unlike other fantasy blogs, we don’t insist on body cavity searches (unless you ask politely). Snarkiness is most welcome...though we won't promise not to bite back!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
NaNoWriMo
Have to apologize to you, my friends. I’m doing the National Write a Novel in a Month thing and have not spent the time I usually do looking for interesting tidbits to share. Instead I’ve actually been (gasp) writing! Now the goal is to write 50,000 words in the month of November. I’ll be happy if I write 20,000 (I just went over the 10,000 word mark.) I’m working on the seventh Anna book, untitled at present. That’s odd in itself since I usually have a title picked before I start the book. In any case, joining the hundreds of thousands of other writers doing this crazy thing has been fun and great incentive to keep that butt in the chair.
Anybody else participating? How many words have you written?
I do have a couple of things, though. For your viewing pleasure, an Elvis impersonator serenades Charlaine Harris at the Tru Blood And Gold Party in New Orleans on October 30, 2009.
And some eye candy—My membership card to the Naked David Boreanaz Club.
This club was founded by Marta Acosta and if you go to her blog, Vampire Wire, not only can you request membership for yourself, but you get to read a great interview by pal Molly Harper. There’s a contest, too, and prizes will ensue.
Now, no one is denying that a naked David Boreanaz is pretty nice, but my question is, who is going to start the naked James Marsters Club?
When I posted this to The League of Reluctant Adults, I was chastised for not including something for the men. So, here’s a possibility for the Naked Sarah Michelle Geller Club.
Okay. Back to earth. Mario and I think it’s time for another contest. This time, we want your input. What kind of contest should we run? Come on—give us your ideas. If we use yours, you get a prize, too.
PS Tonight New Moon opens....so come on...fess up. Who's going?
PPS Mario just sent this to me-- He's being interviewed on Bitten by Books here. Check it out if you dare. ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:19 AM 13 comments links to this post
Anybody else participating? How many words have you written?
I do have a couple of things, though. For your viewing pleasure, an Elvis impersonator serenades Charlaine Harris at the Tru Blood And Gold Party in New Orleans on October 30, 2009.
And some eye candy—My membership card to the Naked David Boreanaz Club.
This club was founded by Marta Acosta and if you go to her blog, Vampire Wire, not only can you request membership for yourself, but you get to read a great interview by pal Molly Harper. There’s a contest, too, and prizes will ensue.
Now, no one is denying that a naked David Boreanaz is pretty nice, but my question is, who is going to start the naked James Marsters Club?
When I posted this to The League of Reluctant Adults, I was chastised for not including something for the men. So, here’s a possibility for the Naked Sarah Michelle Geller Club.
Okay. Back to earth. Mario and I think it’s time for another contest. This time, we want your input. What kind of contest should we run? Come on—give us your ideas. If we use yours, you get a prize, too.
PS Tonight New Moon opens....so come on...fess up. Who's going?
PPS Mario just sent this to me-- He's being interviewed on Bitten by Books here. Check it out if you dare. ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:19 AM 13 comments links to this post
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Writers mano a mano!
Mario here:
Ever wonder what happens when authors don't make nice at a signing? It can look like this:
Ain't pretty. And there's more. See Jaye Wells and Nicole Peters trade cheap shots in Shreveport, LA.
And coincidentally, my fifth Felix Gomez comes out in March and it's vampires against lycanthropes. Bring Alpo.
¶
posted by Mario @ 5:29 PM
4 comments
links to this post
Ever wonder what happens when authors don't make nice at a signing? It can look like this:
Ain't pretty. And there's more. See Jaye Wells and Nicole Peters trade cheap shots in Shreveport, LA.
But not all signings turn into bloodlettings.
Jennie Shortridge's recent signing at the Tattered
Cover LoDo was not only well attended but also violence free. Jennie was here from Seattle to promote her newest book, When She Flew, an awesome novel about a Portland police officer torn between duty and compassion when she investigates an Iraq war vet and his daughter living in the woods.
Publishers Weekly says: "Examining people willing to sidestep the rules in pursuit of a greater good, Shortridge's fourth novel recalls Barbara Kingsolver's Pigs in Heaven..."
More weekend author hijinks included the Eclectic Mike in the Northglenn Borders, hosted by the talented Dave Jackson, seen here about to give his pipes a workout.
RudyG turned me onto this awesome blog, scifilatino.com, run by Sophia Flores.
The blog includes this great video of an attack by giant robots (how cool is that!) on the Uruguayan city of Montevideo. And you thought the aliens only had it in for us yanquis. Plus, this video was made for $300! Pixar, eat your heart out.
Last week Jeanne showed us some Brad Pitt eye candy. I know that women also have the hots for Benicio del Toro. In this trailer for The Wolfman he's not aways easy on the eyes, unless you love furry nasty critters.
And coincidentally, my fifth Felix Gomez comes out in March and it's vampires against lycanthropes. Bring Alpo.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Blog-o-rama
This week-- things that caught my eye in the paper.
Anniversaries:
Marines 234 Years
Sesame Street 40 years
Destruction of the Berlin Wall 20 years
Release of Mario’s fav movie: Fight Club 10 years
(More on the last one later.)
First though, I want to say thank you to all our vets (including Mario, btw), past and present. No matter your politics, it’s because of their sacrifices that we’re able to argue, condemn, extol or pontificate to our heart's desire.
Next up—Publisher’s Weekly chose their annual list of the year’s best books. In the top ten, there are NO women. Here’s the NYT take:
Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF
Published: November 5, 2009
The trade publication Publishers Weekly probably wanted to provoke discussion with its annual list of the year’s best books, but not like this. In its issue of Nov. 2 Publishers Weekly compiled its PW Top 10, a decidedly subjective ranking of the best fiction and nonfiction published in 2009, including the biography “Cheever: A Life,” by Blake Bailey; the novel “Await Your Reply,” by Dan Chaon; and the graphic novel “Stitches,” by David Small. But as The Guardian reports, the ranking has drawn protests from a women’s literary group that notes there are no female writers on the list. Cate Marvin, a founder of the group Women in Letters and Literary Arts, told The Guardian, “The absence made me nearly speechless.” In her introduction to the year-end list Louisa Ermelino, the reviews director of Publishers Weekly, wrote, “We ignored gender and genre and who had the buzz.” She added, “It disturbed us when we were done that our list was all male.”
If you're curious what made it, go here for the list.
In Denver news, Tattered Cover to Sell (and Buy) Used Books
Already reeling under competition from chain bookstores and dot-coms, which can undercut their independent cousins by bulk buying and selling at much lower prices, locally owned bookstores are taking it on the chin even worse in today's struggling economy.
One of the best-known independents in the country, Denver's 35-year-old Tattered Cover Book Store, is taking a new tack — selling used books.
Although the store has never sold used books, general manager Matthew Miller said, "Our decision to carry used books was about 25 years in the making."
Denver Post article here.
I mentioned Fight Club was one of Mario’s favorite movies (and books). Here’s perspective From Shelf Awareness and the NYT:
The film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's 1996 novel, Fight Club, "stirred vitriolic ire when it came out 10 years ago and today inspires obsessive, often worshipful scrutiny in both lowbrow and highbrow quarters," the New York Times observed in its examination of Fight Club's elevation to cult status.
Although the movie was a box office disaster, it has had a successful sales afterlife in DVD and book formats, and has even inspired a video game and a men's fashion line. Director David Fincher said that when he read the novel, "I thought, Who is this Chuck Palahniuk and how has he been intercepting all my inner monologues?"
Palahniuk called the film "the best date flick ever," the Times wrote, noting that the high-testosterone story has also found a substantial female audience: "The Fight Club generation is the first generation to whom sex and death seem synonymous, [Palhniuk] said, pointing out that the 'meet-cute' between the characters played by [Edward] Norton and Helena Bonham Carter occurs in a support group for the terminally ill. Having grown up with an awareness of AIDS, younger readers and viewers, he added, 'could identify with the implied marriage of sex and death; and once that fear was acknowledged those people could move forward and risk finding romantic love.'"
The secret to the enduring allure of “Fight Club” may be that it is, as Mr. Norton put it, quoting Mr. Fincher, “a serious film made by deeply unserious people.” In other words, a film as willing to take on profound questions as it is to laugh at and contradict itself: what is “Fight Club” if not the most fashionable commercial imaginable for anti-materialism? A movie of big ideas and abundant ambiguities, it can be read and reread in many ways…
IMHO, a half-naked, thirty-year-old Brad Pitt may have had something to do with it, too…
Just sayin’
And something from the Daily Beast Blog that in a round about way has connections to Veterans Day, too
As the nation marks another Veterans Day with gays still barred from serving openly, Kaylie Jones, daughter of From Here to Eternity author James Jones, reveals that a major gay sex storyline was cut from her father’s famed novel. Plus, view the original manuscript.
Here’s the link.
This one caught my eye because it was Mario’s favorite news story for a while:
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- A former astronaut who drove 1,000 miles from Houston to Orlando to mount a bizarre attack on a romantic rival pleaded guilty Tuesday to reduced charges and was sentenced to a year on probation.
Lisa Novak before and after the debacle.
Huh? A year on probation? Her victim, Colleen Shipman, says she still fears Novak. Weird end to a weird story. The details here.
Spoof on Twilight courtesy of pal Mark Henry (who brought it to our attention) and You Tube.
Here’s the Tot on Halloween—Anna thinks she's the cutest Minnie Mouse there ever was!
And because everyone loves a happy ending (especially when it involves puppies), here’s one to launch you on your way with a smile:
Hunters rescue stray dog, puppies in forest
From The Denver Post
Posted: 10/28/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
Updated: 10/28/2009 02:31:37 AM MDT
Ed Cray and two friends were camping recently in the White River National Forest near Glenwood Springs when they heard a dog barking.
Later, the dog wandered into their campsite. Seeing that she was very thin, the hunters fed her some of their leftover dinner. When she set off back into the woods, the Denver-area hunters worried about her and assumed she might have been abandoned.
The dog, whom they named Remy, came back later in their trip and led them to her den in the woods. Under a fallen tree were five, plump puppies.
Even though they didn’t take home any elk, Cray said it was a perfect hunting trip. He kept Remy and all five puppies have been adopted.
More, including a video, here.
So, back to work. Book Seven is coming along. I'm thinking of posting a little as I go as teasers. Any thoughts? ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 5:59 AM 9 comments links to this post
Anniversaries:
Marines 234 Years
Sesame Street 40 years
Destruction of the Berlin Wall 20 years
Release of Mario’s fav movie: Fight Club 10 years
(More on the last one later.)
First though, I want to say thank you to all our vets (including Mario, btw), past and present. No matter your politics, it’s because of their sacrifices that we’re able to argue, condemn, extol or pontificate to our heart's desire.
Next up—Publisher’s Weekly chose their annual list of the year’s best books. In the top ten, there are NO women. Here’s the NYT take:
Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF
Published: November 5, 2009
The trade publication Publishers Weekly probably wanted to provoke discussion with its annual list of the year’s best books, but not like this. In its issue of Nov. 2 Publishers Weekly compiled its PW Top 10, a decidedly subjective ranking of the best fiction and nonfiction published in 2009, including the biography “Cheever: A Life,” by Blake Bailey; the novel “Await Your Reply,” by Dan Chaon; and the graphic novel “Stitches,” by David Small. But as The Guardian reports, the ranking has drawn protests from a women’s literary group that notes there are no female writers on the list. Cate Marvin, a founder of the group Women in Letters and Literary Arts, told The Guardian, “The absence made me nearly speechless.” In her introduction to the year-end list Louisa Ermelino, the reviews director of Publishers Weekly, wrote, “We ignored gender and genre and who had the buzz.” She added, “It disturbed us when we were done that our list was all male.”
If you're curious what made it, go here for the list.
In Denver news, Tattered Cover to Sell (and Buy) Used Books
Already reeling under competition from chain bookstores and dot-coms, which can undercut their independent cousins by bulk buying and selling at much lower prices, locally owned bookstores are taking it on the chin even worse in today's struggling economy.
One of the best-known independents in the country, Denver's 35-year-old Tattered Cover Book Store, is taking a new tack — selling used books.
Although the store has never sold used books, general manager Matthew Miller said, "Our decision to carry used books was about 25 years in the making."
Denver Post article here.
I mentioned Fight Club was one of Mario’s favorite movies (and books). Here’s perspective From Shelf Awareness and the NYT:
The film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's 1996 novel, Fight Club, "stirred vitriolic ire when it came out 10 years ago and today inspires obsessive, often worshipful scrutiny in both lowbrow and highbrow quarters," the New York Times observed in its examination of Fight Club's elevation to cult status.
Although the movie was a box office disaster, it has had a successful sales afterlife in DVD and book formats, and has even inspired a video game and a men's fashion line. Director David Fincher said that when he read the novel, "I thought, Who is this Chuck Palahniuk and how has he been intercepting all my inner monologues?"
Palahniuk called the film "the best date flick ever," the Times wrote, noting that the high-testosterone story has also found a substantial female audience: "The Fight Club generation is the first generation to whom sex and death seem synonymous, [Palhniuk] said, pointing out that the 'meet-cute' between the characters played by [Edward] Norton and Helena Bonham Carter occurs in a support group for the terminally ill. Having grown up with an awareness of AIDS, younger readers and viewers, he added, 'could identify with the implied marriage of sex and death; and once that fear was acknowledged those people could move forward and risk finding romantic love.'"
The secret to the enduring allure of “Fight Club” may be that it is, as Mr. Norton put it, quoting Mr. Fincher, “a serious film made by deeply unserious people.” In other words, a film as willing to take on profound questions as it is to laugh at and contradict itself: what is “Fight Club” if not the most fashionable commercial imaginable for anti-materialism? A movie of big ideas and abundant ambiguities, it can be read and reread in many ways…
IMHO, a half-naked, thirty-year-old Brad Pitt may have had something to do with it, too…
Just sayin’
And something from the Daily Beast Blog that in a round about way has connections to Veterans Day, too
As the nation marks another Veterans Day with gays still barred from serving openly, Kaylie Jones, daughter of From Here to Eternity author James Jones, reveals that a major gay sex storyline was cut from her father’s famed novel. Plus, view the original manuscript.
Here’s the link.
This one caught my eye because it was Mario’s favorite news story for a while:
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- A former astronaut who drove 1,000 miles from Houston to Orlando to mount a bizarre attack on a romantic rival pleaded guilty Tuesday to reduced charges and was sentenced to a year on probation.
Lisa Novak before and after the debacle.
Huh? A year on probation? Her victim, Colleen Shipman, says she still fears Novak. Weird end to a weird story. The details here.
Spoof on Twilight courtesy of pal Mark Henry (who brought it to our attention) and You Tube.
Here’s the Tot on Halloween—Anna thinks she's the cutest Minnie Mouse there ever was!
And because everyone loves a happy ending (especially when it involves puppies), here’s one to launch you on your way with a smile:
Hunters rescue stray dog, puppies in forest
From The Denver Post
Posted: 10/28/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
Updated: 10/28/2009 02:31:37 AM MDT
Ed Cray and two friends were camping recently in the White River National Forest near Glenwood Springs when they heard a dog barking.
Later, the dog wandered into their campsite. Seeing that she was very thin, the hunters fed her some of their leftover dinner. When she set off back into the woods, the Denver-area hunters worried about her and assumed she might have been abandoned.
The dog, whom they named Remy, came back later in their trip and led them to her den in the woods. Under a fallen tree were five, plump puppies.
Even though they didn’t take home any elk, Cray said it was a perfect hunting trip. He kept Remy and all five puppies have been adopted.
More, including a video, here.
So, back to work. Book Seven is coming along. I'm thinking of posting a little as I go as teasers. Any thoughts? ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 5:59 AM 9 comments links to this post
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Lost and Found Weekend plus a contest
Mario here:
¶
posted by Mario @ 7:04 PM
1 comments
links to this post
Thanks to Jeanne for covering for me last week. (She did a great job despite her whining about the extra work.) I'd gone to L.A. to attend a tribute to director Jesús Treviño by the DGA Latino Committee of the Directors Guild of America. Treviño has an extensive résumé of hit shows to include: Resurrection Blvd., NYPD Blue, ER, The Practice, Star Trek: Voyager, Babylon Five, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He's also received numerous awards such as the DGA's Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Shows, and an Alma Award for Outstanding Director of a Television Drama.
The DGA Theater on Sunset Blvd.
A highlight of the ceremony was an interview of Treviño by fellow screenwriter and director Sylvia Morales.
The tribute seemed like a reunion for those in the movie
biz and those involved in the Chicano Movement. Here is Dolores Huerta (flanked by two old-school Brown Berets), a pioneer champion of civil rights not just for Chicanos but for farm workers, women, and children.
A big treat was that I also got to meet Josefina Lopez, who wrote the play Real Women Have Curves. On the left is Lupe Ontiveros who played Carmen Garcia in the movie.
Not a great picture but this gives you a good idea of the enthusiastic crowd.
In a surprising coincidence, Denver mystery writer Manuel Ramos was in the area. He and his wife Flo met with me for lunch at the Los Angeles Farmers Market. Afterwards we toured the nearby Writers Guild Foundation Shavelson-Webb Library. Here Manuel poses beside a display of the script and a sample reel from Singing in the Rain.
And of course last weekend was Halloween. For the first time in years I attended a costume party. I went as Rat Bastard. No one seemed surprised.
THE event of the party was this awesome fire dancer.
CONTEST!
Biting-Edge expat Marta Acosta is giving away a copy of Vampire Taxonomy by Meredith Woerner. Interested? Then get on over to VampireWire.
And finally, The League of Reluctant Adults blog has a new look, thanks to zombie snark-meister Mark Henry.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Pimp First, Play Later
Three of our writer pals have new books (or new to mmp) out this last week.
In no particular order:
Nicole Peeler’s Tempest Rising
From Amazon: In the tiny village of Rockabill, Maine, Jane True—26-year-old bookstore clerk and secret night swimmer—has no idea that her absent mother’s legacy is entry into a world populated by the origins of human myths and legends. It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: vampires are not quite what we think; dogs sometimes surprise us; and whatever you do, never—ever—rub the genie’s lamp.
For Jane, everything kicks off when she comes across a murder victim during her nightly clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean. This grisly discovery leads to the revelation of why she has such freakish abilities in the water: her mother was a Selkie and Jane is only half human. With this knowledge, Jane soon finds herself mingling with supernatural creatures alternately terrifying, beautiful, and deadly—all adjectives that quite handily describe her new friend Ryu. When Ryu is sent to Rockabill to investigate the murder, he and Jane fall hard for each other even as they plummet into a world of intrigue threatening to engulf both supernatural and human societies.
For someone is killing half-humans like Jane. The question is, are the murders the work of one rogue individual or part of a greater plot to purge the world of Halflings?
Here’s the Amazon Link
Indie link
Devon Monk’s Magic in the Shadows
Allison Beckstrom's magic has taken its toll on her, physically marking her and erasing her memories-including those of the man she supposedly loves. But lost memories aren't the only things preying on Allie's thoughts.
Her late father, the prominent businessman-and sorcerer-Daniel Beckstrom, has somehow channeled himself into her very mind. With the help of The Authority, a secret organization of magic users, she hopes to gain better control over her own abilities-and find a way to deal with her father...
Amazon
Indie
And Jackie Kessler’s new to mmp: The Road to Hell
From Publisher’s Weekly: Kessler's sizzling sequel to paranormal debut Hell's Belles puts ex-succubus Jezebel— the now-mortal Jesse Harris, a dancer at a strip club—stage center again. For a month after waking up in a hospital, the former 4,000-year-old, fifth-level succubus who used to seduce humans to claim their souls has been living a happy mortal life in New York with a devoted boyfriend, New York vice cop Paul Hamilton. So when Alecto, a Fury from hell, arrives and demands she return to hell to help Alecto's sister, Megaera (Jessie's former best friend who betrayed her), Jesse balks. Much of the rest of the book is spent convincing her to change her mind, with each sexy escapade topping the last, until (among other things) the demons go after Paul, and Jesse has to pull an Orpheus. Kessler's raunchy blend of heaven, hell and eros makes for a wild thrill ride, and hot, tough-talking Jesse has gumption and sass. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Amazon
Indie
Just to show you I put my money where my mouth is, I have all three. I haven’t yet read Devon’s or Nicole’s, but if you have, let us know what you think. Jackie's is fun, sexy and full of surprises.
BTW, over at Deadline Dames, Jackie and Devon are doing a give away. Check it out here.
I wondered how long it would take: From Shelf Awareness and the WSJ:
Notes: Discounted Titles Rationed
The book pricing conflict entered a new stage Thursday as Wal-Mart, Amazon and Target began rationing the number of copies customers can buy of certain discounted titles. "The limits will stop other booksellers from scooping up cheap copies in large quantities and reselling them," the Wall Street Journal reported, noting that for online customers Wal-Mart's limit is "two copies each of certain bargain books," while Amazon has a three-copy maximum and Target a five-copy limit.
Arsen Kashkashian, head buyer at the Boulder Book Store, Boulder, Colo., told the Journal "he had intended to buy as many as 70 copies of Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna from Walmart.com, Target.com or Amazon, because their prices are 'more than $5 cheaper than what we can get it for from the publisher, Harper.'"
"It's to prevent a run on the bank, so to speak," said consultant Joel Bines of AlixPartners. "They are losing money on every item they sell at this price, so they want to make sure the items actually go to customers, who might then buy something else."
Top earning dead celebrities from Forbes.
I only noted the writers. For the full list go here:
No. 5 J.R.R. Tolkien $50 million
No 8 Dr. Seuss $15 million
No. 10 Michael Crichton $9 million
Want to read a free Stephen King Story? Go here (from the New Yorker)
Nov 4 was the anniversary of Howard Carter’s great discovery: the tomb of King Tut. The Writer’s Forensic Blog has a nice article on it. I had the pleasure of seeing one of the exhibits of artifacts from the tomb. Quite wonderful.
I’m doing the National Novel Writing Month thing this year. If you are too and want to be buddies, my name is JeanneCStein (original, yes?) I thought it would be a good way to get into the new book. Off to a slow start, though. The idea is to write 50,000 words in one month. The editor in me is finding it hard (read impossible) not to go back and want to change/correct/rewrite. Don’t know how this is going to work out. Day five and I only have about 1600 words.
Have any of you out there participated? How many words did you write?
Do what’s going on in your world? Anything you want to share? Seen any good movies? Read any good books?
I’ll close with Halloween pics from Lady K… boy, does she make a great vamp!!! And great outside decorations, too. Anybody else want to share pics? Send to Jeanne@jeannestein.com. How about the Tot? What did she do for Halloween?
¶
posted by Jeanne Stein @ 6:43 AM
5 comments
links to this post
In no particular order:
Nicole Peeler’s Tempest Rising
From Amazon: In the tiny village of Rockabill, Maine, Jane True—26-year-old bookstore clerk and secret night swimmer—has no idea that her absent mother’s legacy is entry into a world populated by the origins of human myths and legends. It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: vampires are not quite what we think; dogs sometimes surprise us; and whatever you do, never—ever—rub the genie’s lamp.
For Jane, everything kicks off when she comes across a murder victim during her nightly clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean. This grisly discovery leads to the revelation of why she has such freakish abilities in the water: her mother was a Selkie and Jane is only half human. With this knowledge, Jane soon finds herself mingling with supernatural creatures alternately terrifying, beautiful, and deadly—all adjectives that quite handily describe her new friend Ryu. When Ryu is sent to Rockabill to investigate the murder, he and Jane fall hard for each other even as they plummet into a world of intrigue threatening to engulf both supernatural and human societies.
For someone is killing half-humans like Jane. The question is, are the murders the work of one rogue individual or part of a greater plot to purge the world of Halflings?
Here’s the Amazon Link
Indie link
Devon Monk’s Magic in the Shadows
Allison Beckstrom's magic has taken its toll on her, physically marking her and erasing her memories-including those of the man she supposedly loves. But lost memories aren't the only things preying on Allie's thoughts.
Her late father, the prominent businessman-and sorcerer-Daniel Beckstrom, has somehow channeled himself into her very mind. With the help of The Authority, a secret organization of magic users, she hopes to gain better control over her own abilities-and find a way to deal with her father...
Amazon
Indie
And Jackie Kessler’s new to mmp: The Road to Hell
From Publisher’s Weekly: Kessler's sizzling sequel to paranormal debut Hell's Belles puts ex-succubus Jezebel— the now-mortal Jesse Harris, a dancer at a strip club—stage center again. For a month after waking up in a hospital, the former 4,000-year-old, fifth-level succubus who used to seduce humans to claim their souls has been living a happy mortal life in New York with a devoted boyfriend, New York vice cop Paul Hamilton. So when Alecto, a Fury from hell, arrives and demands she return to hell to help Alecto's sister, Megaera (Jessie's former best friend who betrayed her), Jesse balks. Much of the rest of the book is spent convincing her to change her mind, with each sexy escapade topping the last, until (among other things) the demons go after Paul, and Jesse has to pull an Orpheus. Kessler's raunchy blend of heaven, hell and eros makes for a wild thrill ride, and hot, tough-talking Jesse has gumption and sass. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Amazon
Indie
Just to show you I put my money where my mouth is, I have all three. I haven’t yet read Devon’s or Nicole’s, but if you have, let us know what you think. Jackie's is fun, sexy and full of surprises.
BTW, over at Deadline Dames, Jackie and Devon are doing a give away. Check it out here.
I wondered how long it would take: From Shelf Awareness and the WSJ:
Notes: Discounted Titles Rationed
The book pricing conflict entered a new stage Thursday as Wal-Mart, Amazon and Target began rationing the number of copies customers can buy of certain discounted titles. "The limits will stop other booksellers from scooping up cheap copies in large quantities and reselling them," the Wall Street Journal reported, noting that for online customers Wal-Mart's limit is "two copies each of certain bargain books," while Amazon has a three-copy maximum and Target a five-copy limit.
Arsen Kashkashian, head buyer at the Boulder Book Store, Boulder, Colo., told the Journal "he had intended to buy as many as 70 copies of Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna from Walmart.com, Target.com or Amazon, because their prices are 'more than $5 cheaper than what we can get it for from the publisher, Harper.'"
"It's to prevent a run on the bank, so to speak," said consultant Joel Bines of AlixPartners. "They are losing money on every item they sell at this price, so they want to make sure the items actually go to customers, who might then buy something else."
Top earning dead celebrities from Forbes.
I only noted the writers. For the full list go here:
No. 5 J.R.R. Tolkien $50 million
No 8 Dr. Seuss $15 million
No. 10 Michael Crichton $9 million
Want to read a free Stephen King Story? Go here (from the New Yorker)
Nov 4 was the anniversary of Howard Carter’s great discovery: the tomb of King Tut. The Writer’s Forensic Blog has a nice article on it. I had the pleasure of seeing one of the exhibits of artifacts from the tomb. Quite wonderful.
I’m doing the National Novel Writing Month thing this year. If you are too and want to be buddies, my name is JeanneCStein (original, yes?) I thought it would be a good way to get into the new book. Off to a slow start, though. The idea is to write 50,000 words in one month. The editor in me is finding it hard (read impossible) not to go back and want to change/correct/rewrite. Don’t know how this is going to work out. Day five and I only have about 1600 words.
Have any of you out there participated? How many words did you write?
Do what’s going on in your world? Anything you want to share? Seen any good movies? Read any good books?
I’ll close with Halloween pics from Lady K… boy, does she make a great vamp!!! And great outside decorations, too. Anybody else want to share pics? Send to Jeanne@jeannestein.com. How about the Tot? What did she do for Halloween?
¶
posted by Jeanne Stein @ 6:43 AM
5 comments
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Sunday, November 01, 2009
Day of the Dead
Sounds appropriate for a Mario post. If any of you know where in Colorado this wonderfully ghoulish exhibit is displayed, let me know. The picture was taken by Denver Post state circulation manager Rick Charbonneau.
If you MUST have a fix, Mario is posting over at PenFatales. Juliet Blackwell is running an article he did for her called Bloody Badassery. You can link to it here
But to show you how much of a badass Mario really is, take a look at this pic from MileHiCon….
Just sayin’
Okay, Mario, I did what I promised. Now off to do something fun-- cheering the Broncos on to yet ANOTHER victory!! Hopefully... ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 9:33 AM 2 comments links to this post
Sounds appropriate for a Mario post. If any of you know where in Colorado this wonderfully ghoulish exhibit is displayed, let me know. The picture was taken by Denver Post state circulation manager Rick Charbonneau.
If you MUST have a fix, Mario is posting over at PenFatales. Juliet Blackwell is running an article he did for her called Bloody Badassery. You can link to it here
But to show you how much of a badass Mario really is, take a look at this pic from MileHiCon….
Just sayin’
Okay, Mario, I did what I promised. Now off to do something fun-- cheering the Broncos on to yet ANOTHER victory!! Hopefully... ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 9:33 AM 2 comments links to this post
Thursday, October 29, 2009
F*&%ing Snow
Just came in from shoveling a foot of snow out of the driveway….they don’t tell you about things like this when they’re talking up how wonderful it is to live in Colorado… And since this is the second snow storm we've had this year, I decided to post some pictures for comparison.
You can tell the "today" pics are taken from inside. Snow was too deep to venture out! Also note, the street has disappeared. No snow plows in our neighborhood!
Mario, bless his soul, is missing all the fun. He’s gone to LA for the weekend. To party with Hollywood types. I imagine he’ll come back with lots of stories. Hopefully, that’s ALL he’ll come back with. This is what he said: I’m going to attend a tribute to Hollywood director Jesus "Chuy" Trevino (NYPD Blue, ER, The Practice, Law and Order, Star Trek: Voyager, Babylon 5). Basically I'm there to schmooze and pay my respects to him (and get away from you). And THEN he asks me to post for him on Monday. I’ll post for him all right.
A couple of our writer pals have new books either just released or about to be released.
First is Jennifer Rardin, one of the Reluctant Adults. Her new book, BITEMARKS (I love that name) is the sixth in the Jaz Parks series. Here’s a blurb: Jaz is possessed. After biting the neck of a domyter during a forced visit to his territory, she now has unwelcome voices in her head. While fighting for supremacy in her own mind, she finds herself confronted with a near-impossible task: perform perfectly on her next mission or face the unemployment line. Here’s the Amazon Link, or check out your friendly Indie to pick up a copy.
This just in: Jennifer is doing a contest over at Bitten by Books and offering some serious swag. Hop on over and enter before midnight tonight.
Next, Caridad Pineiro’s Sins of the Flesh. The blurb: Caterina Shaw's days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment-a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body-and she's been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.
Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he's hunting down is far from the vicious killer he's been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. Even more, she's a beautiful woman whose innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her exactly how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both . . . for a dangerous group is plotting its next move using Caterina as its deadly pawn.
Indie Link.
Amazon Link.
Check them out.
Everyone has been waiting for this and finally, we have the answer to one of life’s most burning questions. Who will be the next J.K. Rowling. Well, here it is--maybe:
From Shelf Awareness: Is Australian kitchen saleswoman Rebecca James the next J.K. Rowling? The Wall Street Journal asked this question now that "the 39-year-old mother of four has discovered that her debut novel Beautiful Malice, a gritty psychological thriller for teenagers upward, isn't merely to be published, but has become a publishing phenomenon that is sparking an aggressive bidding war world-wide."
Well, we’ve heard that before. I wonder if she’ll live up to the press (and the advance). I’m sure the publisher is wondering it, too.
The 2009 Anthony Awards were presented at a ceremony during the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. Here are the winners:
Best Novel: The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
Best first novel: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
Best paperback original: State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy (Berkley)
Best short story: "A Sleep Not Unlike Death" by Sean Chercover, from Hardcore Hardboiled (Kensington)
Best critical nonfiction work: Anthony Boucher: A Biobibliography by Jeffrey Marks (McFarland)
Best children's/young adult novel: The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein (Random House)
Best cover art: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, designed by Peter Mendelsund (Knopf)
Special Service Award: Jon and Ruth Jordan
Here’s a video from Penguin Classics about Vampires on Paper.
The blurb: Elda Rotor of Penguin Classics interviews Twilight expert Donna Freitas about the appeal of Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster vampire series and how it compares to Emily Brontë's enduring classic Wuthering Heights. Elda then speaks with Dacre Stoker, a direct descendant of Bram Stoker, and Ian Holt, authors of Dracula: The Un-Dead, who talk about Bram Stoker's masterpiece, why Dracula wears evening clothes, and how vampires pick up chicks even when they smell like the grave.
There are several others in the series that you might want to check out, too. Here’s the link to the site.
Yet another new reader: As indicated earlier this year (Shelf Awareness, July 20, 2009), Barnes & Noble will sell the QUE proReader from Plastic Logic in its stores and on its website--after it is introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nev., January 7, the retailer said yesterday. The QUE is designed "to support the lifestyle of modern business professionals" and is the size of an 8.5 x 11 inch pad of paper and about 1/3 inch thick. The QUE offers access to a range of documents, including more than a million e-books available through the QUE store, powered by Barnes & Noble.
Bad news for anther library: Seattle Public Library is proposing a 23 percent cut in library hours in response to Mayor Greg Nickels' directive to city departments to cut budgets in response to a $72 million revenue shortfall. Lit Life correspondent Mary Ann Gwinn argues the cuts are too deep.
Just got my contracts for the audio editions of the Anna Strong Chronicles. So here’s my question to you: If you listen to audio books, do you have favorite readers? Not that they’ll ask me (I have about as much input as I do with my covers) but I can always pass along recommendations.
And to end with a smile, Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for the Worst First Line
2009 Results are in!
Grand prize entry buy David McKenzie:
Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the “Ellie May," a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests.
My favorite: Grand Panjandrum's Special Award
Marguerite Ahl:
Fleur looked down her nose at Guilliame, something she was accomplished at, being six foot three in her stocking feet, and having one of those long French noses, not pert like Bridget Bardot's, but more like the one that Charles De Gaulle had when he was still alive and President of France and he wore that cap that was shaped like a little hatbox with a bill in the front to offset his nose, but it didn't work.
Every one is hilarious-- the contest, began at San Jose State University in 1982 is an international literary parody contest, the competition honors the memory (if not the reputation) of Victorian novelist Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873). The goal of the contest is childishly simple: entrants are challenged to submit bad opening sentences to imaginary novels. Although best known for "The Last Days of Pompeii" (1834), which has been made into a movie three times, originating the expression "the pen is mightier than the sword," and phrases like "the great unwashed" and "the almighty dollar," Bulwer-Lytton opened his novel Paul Clifford (1830) with the immortal words that the "Peanuts" beagle Snoopy plagiarized for years, "It was a dark and stormy night."
PS Over at Book Chick City, I'm having a giveaway.
PPS Happy halloween! How could I forget that?????
¶
posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:58 AM
11 comments
links to this post
You can tell the "today" pics are taken from inside. Snow was too deep to venture out! Also note, the street has disappeared. No snow plows in our neighborhood!
Mario, bless his soul, is missing all the fun. He’s gone to LA for the weekend. To party with Hollywood types. I imagine he’ll come back with lots of stories. Hopefully, that’s ALL he’ll come back with. This is what he said: I’m going to attend a tribute to Hollywood director Jesus "Chuy" Trevino (NYPD Blue, ER, The Practice, Law and Order, Star Trek: Voyager, Babylon 5). Basically I'm there to schmooze and pay my respects to him (and get away from you). And THEN he asks me to post for him on Monday. I’ll post for him all right.
A couple of our writer pals have new books either just released or about to be released.
First is Jennifer Rardin, one of the Reluctant Adults. Her new book, BITEMARKS (I love that name) is the sixth in the Jaz Parks series. Here’s a blurb: Jaz is possessed. After biting the neck of a domyter during a forced visit to his territory, she now has unwelcome voices in her head. While fighting for supremacy in her own mind, she finds herself confronted with a near-impossible task: perform perfectly on her next mission or face the unemployment line. Here’s the Amazon Link, or check out your friendly Indie to pick up a copy.
This just in: Jennifer is doing a contest over at Bitten by Books and offering some serious swag. Hop on over and enter before midnight tonight.
Next, Caridad Pineiro’s Sins of the Flesh. The blurb: Caterina Shaw's days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment-a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body-and she's been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.
Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he's hunting down is far from the vicious killer he's been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. Even more, she's a beautiful woman whose innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her exactly how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both . . . for a dangerous group is plotting its next move using Caterina as its deadly pawn.
Indie Link.
Amazon Link.
Check them out.
Everyone has been waiting for this and finally, we have the answer to one of life’s most burning questions. Who will be the next J.K. Rowling. Well, here it is--maybe:
From Shelf Awareness: Is Australian kitchen saleswoman Rebecca James the next J.K. Rowling? The Wall Street Journal asked this question now that "the 39-year-old mother of four has discovered that her debut novel Beautiful Malice, a gritty psychological thriller for teenagers upward, isn't merely to be published, but has become a publishing phenomenon that is sparking an aggressive bidding war world-wide."
Well, we’ve heard that before. I wonder if she’ll live up to the press (and the advance). I’m sure the publisher is wondering it, too.
The 2009 Anthony Awards were presented at a ceremony during the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. Here are the winners:
Best Novel: The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
Best first novel: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)
Best paperback original: State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy (Berkley)
Best short story: "A Sleep Not Unlike Death" by Sean Chercover, from Hardcore Hardboiled (Kensington)
Best critical nonfiction work: Anthony Boucher: A Biobibliography by Jeffrey Marks (McFarland)
Best children's/young adult novel: The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein (Random House)
Best cover art: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, designed by Peter Mendelsund (Knopf)
Special Service Award: Jon and Ruth Jordan
Here’s a video from Penguin Classics about Vampires on Paper.
The blurb: Elda Rotor of Penguin Classics interviews Twilight expert Donna Freitas about the appeal of Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster vampire series and how it compares to Emily Brontë's enduring classic Wuthering Heights. Elda then speaks with Dacre Stoker, a direct descendant of Bram Stoker, and Ian Holt, authors of Dracula: The Un-Dead, who talk about Bram Stoker's masterpiece, why Dracula wears evening clothes, and how vampires pick up chicks even when they smell like the grave.
There are several others in the series that you might want to check out, too. Here’s the link to the site.
Yet another new reader: As indicated earlier this year (Shelf Awareness, July 20, 2009), Barnes & Noble will sell the QUE proReader from Plastic Logic in its stores and on its website--after it is introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nev., January 7, the retailer said yesterday. The QUE is designed "to support the lifestyle of modern business professionals" and is the size of an 8.5 x 11 inch pad of paper and about 1/3 inch thick. The QUE offers access to a range of documents, including more than a million e-books available through the QUE store, powered by Barnes & Noble.
Bad news for anther library: Seattle Public Library is proposing a 23 percent cut in library hours in response to Mayor Greg Nickels' directive to city departments to cut budgets in response to a $72 million revenue shortfall. Lit Life correspondent Mary Ann Gwinn argues the cuts are too deep.
Just got my contracts for the audio editions of the Anna Strong Chronicles. So here’s my question to you: If you listen to audio books, do you have favorite readers? Not that they’ll ask me (I have about as much input as I do with my covers) but I can always pass along recommendations.
And to end with a smile, Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for the Worst First Line
2009 Results are in!
Grand prize entry buy David McKenzie:
Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the “Ellie May," a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests.
My favorite: Grand Panjandrum's Special Award
Marguerite Ahl:
Fleur looked down her nose at Guilliame, something she was accomplished at, being six foot three in her stocking feet, and having one of those long French noses, not pert like Bridget Bardot's, but more like the one that Charles De Gaulle had when he was still alive and President of France and he wore that cap that was shaped like a little hatbox with a bill in the front to offset his nose, but it didn't work.
Every one is hilarious-- the contest, began at San Jose State University in 1982 is an international literary parody contest, the competition honors the memory (if not the reputation) of Victorian novelist Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873). The goal of the contest is childishly simple: entrants are challenged to submit bad opening sentences to imaginary novels. Although best known for "The Last Days of Pompeii" (1834), which has been made into a movie three times, originating the expression "the pen is mightier than the sword," and phrases like "the great unwashed" and "the almighty dollar," Bulwer-Lytton opened his novel Paul Clifford (1830) with the immortal words that the "Peanuts" beagle Snoopy plagiarized for years, "It was a dark and stormy night."
PS Over at Book Chick City, I'm having a giveaway.
PPS Happy halloween! How could I forget that?????
¶
posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:58 AM
11 comments
links to this post
