Okay-- personal stuff first. Got a nice review in RT for Blood Drive—4 ½ stars! Jill Smith said: Besides delivering a terrific tale of supernatural sleuthing, Stein expertly unveils the emotional first-person conflict driving Anna as she struggles to face the reality of her new vampire existence while trying to hold on to her old life. This second chapter provides edge-of-your-seat thrills and a high-octane emotional punch. It's a keeper!
Check it out in the July issue. And (hint, hint) the book is available now for preorder on
Amazon and
B & N. as well as your favorite
Indie, of course.
Okay, Mario—what happened to the male attendees at OpusFest? Or were only big breasted women allowed in? Jeez—
Now, on to really important stuff. I put together some brief impressions of the season finales for shows I watch that have a supernatural/ paranormal theme. Let me know what you think.
Lost: good one with a real twist. Last scene not a flashback, but a flash forward. Wonder if next season will start on the island or back in the states? Hated to see Charlie die.
Smallville: want to bet that Lana set up that car bomb herself? How else would she be able to escape Lex? She’ll be back! And is Chloe becoming more super hero-ish herself?
Heroes: glad to see big brother turning out to be a good guy after all. But Siler is back on the loose.
And last, though no supernatural stuff here, Veronica Mars: Huh? For a season finale it would have been a downer. For a SERIES finale it sucked. However creator Rob Thomas hints that VM may be back on the big screen. He hedged his bet, though, by saying he might not be able to “sell a movie based on a little-watched TV series." Come on, Rob, what about Firefly? Keep up to date
here.
Here’s an interesting
article from the New York Times if you’re interested about the making of a bestseller. Really poses more questions than it answers. It's always been a matter of debate among authors. Do readers or the publishers make a best seller?
However, speaking of best sellers, the Elaine Viets Stand In Tour is doing something right. Check out the bestselling titles for April at reporting member stores of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association:
1. What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
2. Hunter's Moon by Randy Wayne White
2. The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin
4. The Woods by Harlan Coben
5. Spanish Dagger by Susan Wittig Albert
6. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith
7. Simple Genius by David Baldacci
7. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
9. Withering Heights by Dorothy Cannell
10. Murder with Reservations by Elaine Viets
Mario and I are participating in one next month here in Denver.
More book news:
From the LA Times: the jury in the Clive Cussler/Crusader Entertainment case rendered a balanced decision that faults--and potentially awards money to--both sides in the case. The jury found that Cussler breached his contract and should pay Crusader $5 million. But they also found that Crusader owes Cussler $8.5 million for rights to a second book in the Dirk Pitt series that was not made into a film, and they gave Cussler back the film rights to his books. Judge still needs to approve the jury’s findings.
The Authors Guild issued an alert to members about a change in standard contract language at Simon & Schuster that would effectively provide for perpetual rights. The wording is interpreted as meaning a book would be considered in print even if it existed only on the company’s database. The guild is asking its members to consider excluding Simon & Schuster imprints unless they agree to use industry standard terms.
Finished Charlaine Harris’ newest ALL TOGETHER DEAD. It’s the best one to date. Darker, edgier with a great twist at the end, I loved it! And speaking of Sookie, here’s a picture of Anna Paquin who will be playing Sookie in the HBO series, True Blood. Perfect!
And last but not least. This from Vamprowler: Sexy, Subtle Deluxe Fangs. Love it! Order
here.
Remember, sports fans, to tune in Friday for the first Biting Edge Freaky Friday contest. You never know what you might win....
PS thanks to SexScenesatStarbucks for her most excellent suggestions about blogging. You gave me a lot to think about and I appreciate it!