Norwescon and beyond Mario here:

First, the big news. I'm the April featured author at the Barnes & Noble Book Club for Paranormal and Urban Fantasy. Join the fun starting April 1st right HERE.

I'm still riding the high from Norwescon even though it was a busy week back on the ranch with signings at Murder By The Book and the Tattered Cover.

Last week, I missed posting this photo of the fancy digs inside Kat Richardson's boat (with hubby Jim looking from the ferret room).



Can't say Seattle takes itself too seriously with this statue of a troll eating a real VW bug.



After Norwescon, the gang did a road trip to Portland for a signing by Mark Henry and myself in the Powell's Beaverton store. Here are Richelle Mead and Caitlin Kittredge policing the stragglers.



We made the haj to the humongous Powell's downtown. I caught the ever restrained Mark Henry signing the author's wall.



Anna Strong was there.



That naughty Cherie Priest was trying to steal my hat.



Not that she needs it, but here's Cherie getting some beauty sleep.



Richelle has more pictures and comments on her blog, but remember, she writes fiction for a living.

This week, it's back into the air for Charleston, SC...werewolf territory.  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 7:07 PM  1 comments

  Good morning—

Lots of different stuff this time.




In LA there is thing called the Paleyfest described as “an extraordinary interactive pop culture event, connecting fans with the casts and creators of their favorite series…” Guess which series had a reunion panel? Buffy!! I have a friend who attended and I hope to have a first hand account for next week, but for now, here are some links to enjoy. Joss and Sarah and James and Brandon and Charisma and Emma and Seth were among the cast members who participated. I’ve heard tickets for this one sold out in two hours!

Getty Images: *
*http://tinyurl.com/2vbwr8

Matt Ausiello's overview:
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Scoop-Spoilers-Secrets/800035980


Video highlights:
http://www.mtr.org/festivals/paleyfest2008/videos.htm


Matt Roush (he moderated the panel):
http://tinyurl.com/2mlohp
http://tinyurl.com/2ykw9f (his opening remarks)*

*The Futon Critic liveblogs the event:
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/rant.aspx?id=20080320


Links furnished by Buffybud Maria Lima.



Same theme, different tune—Culturegraph is kind of a unique concept. “Music, movies and art transformed into charts and graphs…pop culture on acid.” Here’s one submitted with a Buffy theme. Can you come up with any of your own? Let me know and I’ll post a link here next week.

And talk about timing, the first love scene between Spike and Buffy made the TV Guide’s list of hottest love scenes—at numero uno!!! I certainly remember it. Do you?



Ever see the Wolf Man with Lon Chaney Jr? It came out in 1941 so there's a good chance you didn't see it in the theatre. But surely you’ve seen it somewhere along the way. Well, Benicio Del Toro is set to star in the remake. The fabulous Rick Baker is doing make-up. Here’s a glimpse of his magic.




And from Mario on the road—a pic of him with author Caitlin Kittredge from pal Richelle Mead’s Blog. He’s talking to a wolf—a wolf –where the hells the devil duck? Check out Richelle’s blog for more fun and games.



And last but not…well, you know. Here’s the cover for the fourth Anna book, Legacy. Comes out in September.  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:42 AM  9 comments

  The Fantastic Northwest Mario here:

I'm in sunny Seattle. It's true. The sky's so bright I should've brought sunglasses.

I'm here for Norwescon, which ended yesterday. Met lots of great authors and fans. Kudos to William Sadorus, the Evil Overlord of the conference, for keeping the chaos running smoothly.

Richelle Mead and Kat Richardson were my chaperones and they did too good of a job as I never got into serious trouble.

The visit started with a signing at the University Bookstore. Here are table mates Richelle and Warren Hammond.



At Norwescon we had the usual fantasy nuttiness and great costumes. Here's one that caught my eye (or rather, both of them).


As the gracious host, Kat took me to her home, this enormous yacht. Here's her crew, husband Jim (with ferrets below deck).



Richelle put me up for the night in her swanky bachelorette pad. It's a writer's home as you can tell by this photo of her desk:



Next time, my report on our road trip to Powell's Books in Beaverton, Oregon.  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 8:28 AM  1 comments

  Hi all—barely back among the land of the living. Lots went on in the world the last two weeks. Here are a few of the things that caught my interest:



Dollhouse, Joss’ newest project, may be on the air as early as this fall. Check out this website for casting and script info. Brennan Elliott has auditioned for a part. He’s easy on the eyes.

A video, Vampire Heart, for all you fans who are as crazy as I am about the Jossworld. This is fun!

If you’ve been following Buffy Season 8, the next ARC includes a gay romance for the Buffster. Writer Drew Goddard shares his thoughts here.

A first look at something with the intriguing title “Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”, Joss’ new musical project, slated to debut “soon” can be found here. His words: “It’s the story of a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he’s too shy to talk to. And I’m having the time of my life.” Hmmmm….




The latest Stargate, The Ark of Truth, is available now. There is an interview with Robert Cooper here.

And for we who write, Borders decision to display as many as “three times the titles” face out as in the past is the good news and bad news. The change is supposed to be evident in most stores in about six weeks. The good news is maybe we won’t have to strong-arm friends and family all over the country to turn our own titles out. The bad news is that it’s going to result in an inventory cutback of between 4600-9300 titles per store.




For fans of my pal Charlaine Harris, this bit of casting news: Hunk Alexander Skarsgard has joined the cast of True Blood, the HBO Sookie Stackhouse series, as Eric. Nice.

From the sublime to the…well, you know. Matthew McConaughey supposedly wants to name his unborn kid after his favorite beer—Bud. He’s following in the footsteps of his older brother, Michael, who named his son, I kid you not, Miller Lyte. Insanity really does run in families.

A writing contest you might be interested in. The 77th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. $30,000 in cash and prizes, including trips to New York to meet with editors and agents. No mention of a devil duck, though. Check out the rules here.

However, in case you are thinking of entering the Memoirs/Personal Essay category of the above mentioned contest, you might first want to check out Christopher Beam’s “The Fake Memoirist’s Survival Guide.” (Margaret B. Jones should have seen this, not to mention all the editors, newspaper people, and reviewers who hailed Love and Consequences as a “remarkable book.”) It offers these helpful hints:
* Specificity is your enemy.
* Write what you know--but no one else does.
* Be a victim.
* Check your paper trail.
* Don't leave witnesses.
* Don't leave clues!
* Don't tell anyone.
* Beware of blurbs.
He goes into wonderful detail at the above link.




Because we need to support our friends, next time you’re looking for a gift with a different twist, check out Vamprowler’s ufotogo.com website. Alien smirk mugs, shirts, bumper stickers…you can find them all here.



Speaking of aliens, Mario did an interview with Tez Miller (brave girl) at Urban Fantasy Land…as usual, be very afraid…

I am guest blogging (or blahgging, as Jaye puts it) tomorrow (Thursday) at Jay Wells Adopt a Vampire Month. There will be prizes. Drop by, say hello, post a comment. Hint: my column is a long song to Joss…

PS From today's Shelf Awareness: Arthur C. Clarke, author of more than 100 books, inventor, futurist and science fiction icon, died yesterday in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He was 90 and best known for his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey and his collaboration with Stanley Kubrick on the film of the same name.

The New York Times has a long obituary.  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 3:49 AM  8 comments

  I am Client 9 1/2 Mario here:

Has it been a week since the end of Left Coast Crime? Of course it has and man, did the week fly by.

The big news is that THE UNDEAD KAMA SUTRA is out. My other two books were released in massmarket paperback and the crew at the Thorton, CO, Barnes & Noble sent this nifty photo of display bling.



Wednesday I take off for Norwescon in Seattle, WA. Wednesday night I'll be signing at the University Bookstore in Seattle, then days of fun and games at Norweson, and ending Tuesday, Mar 25, at Powell's Books in Beaverton, OR. Interesting hotel arrangements in Portland. Details to follow.



Fellow fantasy writers, Richelle Mead and Mark Henry, will be my chaperones. Weather forecast?...big surprise for Seattle. Rain. And more rain. Followed by rain.

The big question of the week: Is this snatch worth $4100/hr and a political career?



It's another example of how life trumps art. What are the bets that "Kristen" for Client # 9 gets a book contract? And for how much? Meanwhile her lawyer is bellowing at the media for indulging in the prurient aspects of poor Ashley's vocation. Hello? Your client is only famous for her expensive booty call. She's an aspiring actress, which is code for hooker. Much like aspiring screenwriter is code for waiter. How low will this go? Stay tuned.  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 7:52 PM  3 comments

  I came home from LCC with some nice memories and a not-so-nice cold. Since my brain feels like cotton candy, I'm cheating this time and posting this wonderful recipe that was sent to me from bevhale on another loop.

Bev says:
This is for everyone who is sick - Jeanne I hope this helps. This soup will cure the sick and raise the dead, I promise you.

This ia a recipe from my cookbook, Texistani: Indo-Pak Cooking from a Texas Kitchen. I give this soup to friends and relatives during flu season. I've given it to people going through chemo. I swear, this will cure the sick and raise the dead. The key to this is the red pepper and garlic (it came from China and went through Pakistan adding the pepper and garlic). It's also extremely good when accompanied with oatmeal bread.

Chicken Corn Soup

1 can chicken broth
4-6 chicken thighs (preferably skinned and boned already) yes you can use white meat, but this is more tender and shreds better
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tbl soy sauce or to taste
red pepper (at least 1/4 tsp, more if you can handle it)
black pepper (at least 1/4 tsp.)
Salt (1 tsp or to taste)
garlic (either diced or powdered at least 1/2 tsp, more if you can tolerate)
1 can creamed corn (or 1 can niblet corn and 1 tsp of cornstarch (if desired)
4 eggs

You can adjust on salt, soy, pepper and garlic to taste. I usually check it just before I add the eggs to see if it needs anything.

Combine all ingredients in a large pot (except eggs). If you are using a pressure cooker, no extra liquid will be needed. If you are cooking in a stewpot, add water to cover the chicken and cook (medium to medium high heat) until chicken is tender (you may need to add more water). Pull chicken pieces from the pot and shred, return to pot. Break eggs into a cup or bowl and scramble up before adding. Turn up heat to high and add eggs, stirring quickly for about 30 seconds. Turn heat down to medium-medium low and allow soup to cook for about 5 minutes longer. Serve. Should serve 4+.

Now go make soup and be well.

She's right. A couple more days on this soup and I'll be ready to rejoin the world.

Thank you, Bev.

PS It also goes well with cornbread-- my particular favorite!  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 6:37 AM  3 comments

  Stop me, before I volunteer again Mario here:

It's over. Left Coast Crime 2008 is history. What a great time. The weather was almost perfect. The authors and fans were friendly and enthusiastic. The drinks were plentiful and wet. Can't say that the conference went off without a hitch, but once the first problems were ironed out, if you didn't have fun, it was all your fault.

BIG kudos to the queen bee of the conference, our own Chris Goff. I need to mention Suzanne Proulx and Pari Noskin Taichert and of course, the many, many other volunteers who helped make LCC 2008 as memorable as a perp walk (of the bad guys).



The Mile High Murder Machine was as advertised: ghoulish fun as we toured Denver murder sites in a prison bus. Stocked of course with cold margaritas and Brekenridge beer.

I met lots of wonderful authors to include Anthony Bidulka, author of the only world-traveling Ukranian gay private detective living in a small town in Saskatchewan, Laura Benedict, JT Ellison, and Mark Schweizer.

LCC 2009 will be in Hawaii and we awarded a conference registration to the winner of our Aloha costume contest. Among the entries:



To liven things up during the banquet I animated a roll and bread sticks into this creature that rampaged across the table:



Which Jeanne promptly destroyed using her Ana Strong mojo:

  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 6:13 AM  5 comments

 

First off—Mario’s new one is on sale NOW—Buy it early and often!!!

Getting ready for Left Coast Crime—a couple of panels and some gatherings of new friends and old. Should be fun.

This week in the news:

Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse TV series is a go. Writers Sarah Fain and Liz Craft are on board. More here.

William F. Buckley, Bon Vivant and sassy man about town, died. Here’s a clip of his famous clash with Gore Vidal over Vietnam.






Career advice from a comic book? Why not? Check out Johnny Bunko and The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need.

Sorry for the brevity, folks. I’m working feverishly on the fifth Anna book and surprisingly enough, it’s going well. I think it may have something to do with actually having the damned book plotted out BEFORE I started it. A first for me. Definitely something to consider in future books. If there are future books. It’s also angst time since it’s the last book of my current contract. I leave contract things to my agent, but I am stressing over it. So if you want to help, recommend my books to your friends (and enemies) and tell them to get out and buy as many of them as they can carry… The author appreciates it.

XO Jeanne  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 6:28 AM  2 comments

  Murder in the Mile High City


Mario here:

We're in the final countdown for Left Coast Crime 2008. The Rocky Mountain News gave us a great plug. Check it out. As usual, for me, everything seems to happen at once. I'm organizing the Mile High Murder Machine tour of Denver murders, in the middle of the book four deadline, sending out promotional material for the launch of The Undead Kama Sutra. And, attending to a little thing called taxes.



Biker chick and all-around major great person Diana Rowe probably has the coooolest job in the world, she's a travel writer. I consider myself an interpid traveler if I make it to the mall. Meanwhile, Diana is waiting for a golf resort to be built on Mars. Check out her blog, Traveling in Heels. Beware, you cube rats will want to slit your wrists in jealousy.

I'm reading the weather forecasts hourly as I want you LCCers to have a perfect conference experience. So far, the weather wizards are predicting fair conditions except for snow/rain on Wednesday. Dress warm in case.

I've got good news to share. For those of you who don't know, besides writing, I also paint. I recently had a show and sold this peice, The Candle Light Tavern.



Cheers!  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 6:51 AM  5 comments