Drum Roll Please... We have a winner for our messy bookcase contest and it’s a doozy. First though, some runners-up.

First runner up:



This came close to being the winner. Storing shoes in the bottom shelf was a nice touch. This particular Biting Edge reader is a regular and I won't post her name to save her the embarrassment. Better luck next time, Vickie.












Second Runner-up:



The scattered pieces of paper looked a bit staged, but if one goes to that much trouble, one should get recognized. So here's to you, RT Thompson.









Now for the moment you've been waiting for. The winner is:



I understand this case belongs to a teenager which means it's supposed to be messy, but this goes above and beyond. I shudder to think what the rest of the room looks like. Congratulations! And condolences to your mom. Send Mario your address: author...at...marioacevedo...dot...com and we’ll get a prize package off to you. Give us a week or so since I'm traveling and Mario is...just Mario.

One further note-- some of you tried to slip neat bookcases past us-- like this one:




Now, come on, Lexie-- you saw Mario's bookcase. That's all I'm going to say...


I have a lot of book news but first, maybe a little personal announcement. Here’s a first peek at the cover for Chosen. Release date is August 28. There’s a preorder link on Amazon if you are so inclined. The cover is still being tweaked, but basically, this is it.


Also, a few appearance updates. Here’s my Norwescon schedule for this weekend:

Friday: Panel - Devising Magical Systems - 1 PM Cascade 4
Friday: Autograph Session - 4 PM Evergreen 3 &4
Friday: Panel - Vampire World Building - 10 PM Cascade 6

Saturday: Panel - Feminist Female Protagonists in UF - Noon - Cascade 6
Saturday: Reading - 11 PM, Cascade 3


In addition on Monday, April 5, I’ll be signing with Mark Henry, Jaye Wells and Corey Doctorow at the University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE Seattle, WA 98105
206.634.3400. We’ll be there at 7 PM.

Back in Denver, I'll be part of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority's Barnes and Noble Book Fair to promote the importance of Life Long Learning. The fair is April 9th and runs from 9:00am til close at the 16th street mall location: 500 16th Street, Denver.

I’ll be there 5 – 6:30

One last event: April 11, Englewood Public Library’s Faces Behind the Books—a chance to meet fifty authors. Starts at 1 PM. The address is 1000 Englewood Parkway, Englewood.

Check the schedule page on my website for details and links for more info.

End of paid, political announcements.






Every year the Denver Post runs a Peep diorama competition. The winner this year was Molly Cassell’s “Avatar” scene. Here’s a peek at more , and just in case you’re wondering also included are the following helpful hints: cats will steal a Peep to lick off the colored sugar, and if you leave Peeps out overnight, they won't melt under hot glue.


Stephanie Meyer novella (not that I care but some of you might)

From Galleycat :

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will release Stephenie Meyer's first new title in almost two years--both in hardcover and a free online edition. Entitled The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, the novella will sell for $13.99 with a 1.5 million copy first printing.


Of more interest:




Stephen King throws a change-up. Just in time for Opening Day next week, indie publisher Cemetery Dance will release Blockade Billy, a new baseball-themed novella by the bestselling author, Entertainment Weekly reported.



"People have asked me for years when I was going to write a baseball story," King said. "Ask no more; this is it." 



The book will be available "in a few weeks," according to EW, which wrote that the first copies will come with a baseball card featuring the protagonist. Cemetery Dance's website also cautions that the "novella is not scheduled to be reprinted in King's new collection due out this fall, and we're only printing a small number of first edition copies compared to what Stephen King's New York publishers print for a brand new book. We'll be filling direct orders first and then distributors, online stores, and the chains if there are copies left available after we've taken care of our regular customers."



Ideas We Like:





Cool Idea of the Day: Books for Servicepeople

Dog-Eared Pages Used Books , Phoenix, Ariz., is aiming to send 100,000 books to members of the armed forces abroad.

"We ask our customers for names and addresses of any soldiers, airmen, or marines they know who are serving overseas and we send them a box of books to share with their fellow soldiers there," Melanie Tighe wrote. "It costs $13 to send 26 paperbacks to Iraq or Afghanistan, and it gives our troops something to do during their off duty hours."

Tighe noted that several returning soldiers have said "there is a shortage of reading material over there."

The store is promoting the effort online. "We have found the community to be very generous both in donating books and postage for this program," Tighe added. "Our local news station even came out and gave us some publicity for the program."


Pullman Risks Christian Anger With Jesus Novel by Mike Collett-White

OXFORD, England (Reuters) - Bestselling British author Philip Pullman risks offending Christians with his latest book, a fictional account of the "good man Jesus" and the "scoundrel Christ…"

Hmmm.. go here for more. And right before Easter, too…


The View from the Top: latest issue of Publishers Weekly has the annual list of the previous year's bestselling books.

Hardcover Fiction Sales, 2009
1. The Lost Symbol: A Novel. Dan Brown. Doubleday (5,543,643).
2. *The Associate: A Novel. John Grisham. Doubleday.
3. The Help. Kathryn Stockett. Putnam/Amy Einhorn (1,104,617).
4. I, Alex Cross. James Patterson. Little, Brown (1,040,976).
5. The Last Song. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central. (1,032,829).
6 *Ford County. John Grisham. Doubleday.
7. Finger Lickin' Fifteen. Janet Evanovich. St. Martin's (977,178).
8. The Host: A Novel. Stephenie Meyer. Little, Brown (912,165).
9. *Under the Dome. Stephen King. Scribner
10. Pirate Latitudes. Michael Crichton. Harper (855,638).

That Janet Evanovich beat Stephanie Meyer really surprised me


Did you see this :

Female 'vampire' unearthed in Venice; archaeologists uncover woman buried with brick between jaws



ROME - An archaeological dig near Venice has unearthed the 16th-century remains of a woman with a brick stuck between her jaws - evidence, experts say, that she was believed to be a vampire. The unusual burial is thought to be the result of an ancient vampire-slaying ritual. It suggests the legend of the mythical bloodsucking creatures was tied to medieval ignorance of how diseases spread and what happens to bodies after death, experts said

Remember when I mentioned this a month or so back? Well, the results are in:

Crocheting Adventures wins Diagram 2009

26.03.10 | Catherine Neilan

Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes by Dr Daina Taimina (A K Peters) has won the 2009 Diagram Prize, having received the majority of the public vote for the oddest titled book of the year at thebookseller.com. Taking 42% of the votes cast, it beat off competition from What Kind of Bean is this Chihuahua? By Tara Jansen-Meyer (Mirror), which took 30% and Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich by James A Yannes (Trafford), with 11%.

I still liked Afterthoughts of a Worm Hunter better myself.


Author Michael Connelly claims Paramount inflated movie development costs by Matthew Belloni

EXCLUSIVE: Best-selling author Michael Connelly has sued Paramount Pictures, alleging the studio sat on film rights to two novels for 15 years then improperly inflated costs when Connelly tried to buy the rights back. The complaint, filed today (March 22) in Los Angeles Superior Court, says a 1992 option deal gave Paramount 15 years from the date of exercising its option to begin shooting film versions of Connelly's Harry Bosch crime novels "Black Ice" and "The Black Echo." If the studio failed to get the films off the ground, Connelly would get a one-year window to re-purchase rights subject to paying the studio's development costs plus interest.

More from The Hollywood Reporter here :


Something fun—UF Heroine Haircolor Horoscopes


And something for you writers out there, courtesy of Peg Brantley who brought it to our attention:





So, I think that does it for this week. Happy Easter, Passover, Springtime…however you celebrate this time of renewal, I wish you all happiness.

  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 5:35 PM  7 comments

  More pimpage and vampire shwag for babies
Thanks all for making my special promotion a success!  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 2:57 PM  2 comments

  March Came Roaring Back Remember when I showed you that sweet picture of crocus poking through the ground? Well, that was then and this is now…



Before Mario can make a snide comment about making Phil do all the work, I was right beside him, see?



Note to self: Never buy the house on the cul-de-sac with the longest driveway.


And speaking of Mario, here are some pictures from Mario’s smashing signing at the Tattered Cover on Monday.

Many of Mario’s friends and our entire critique group turned out en masse to break bread with him before the signing.



Then Mario in his splendid multi-colored shirt entertained the troops in his inimitable style.




















A nice crowd, very receptive, and they proved it by buying lots of books. I think the addition of live music helped, too.








More book news:

If you’ve been waiting for the next Richelle Mead, go here to read an excerpt from Succubus Shadows (release date April 1)

Pal from Down Under Tez Miller compiles a complete list of UF releases every month. Here’s the one for April complete with US and UK dates and covers.

Mario is racing full tilt along the new book promo trail. Here’s his Undead Threat to America in case you missed it.




Now that I’ve done my duty to my pal, I have to admit this next is one of the best book trailers I’ve ever seen. The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees (Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam). Watch to the end.



Have a vampire film you’re ready to unleash on the world?

Submissions Now Open for 2010 Film Festival

The Vampire Film Festival (Vampire Fest) and Reel Energy Entertainment are pleased to announce that submissions are open for the 4th Vampire Film Festival. For the second year, the location of Vampire Fest will be beautiful New Orleans, Louisiana.

"In 2009, Vampire Fest presented over 50 films from filmmakers across the globe. It is our mission to surpass that number in 2010 and present an even bigger festival," offered festival director, Asif Ahmed

In 2010 harnessing the spirit of the festival's new home, New Orleans. The festival is now seeking films dealing with Voodoo and Witchcraft in addition to Vampire Films, Gothic Films and Mythic Horror Films.

Also new in 2010 the festival will include music videos. Filmmakers and musicians who have vampire/gothic/ themed music videos or any musical work with themes of the occult including zombies, werewolves or ghosts or witches are encouraged to submit their work.

All deadlines and submission guidelines are now posted on the official website or Withoutabox.com

Speaking of movies:



From Variety -- "Twilight" fans flocked to stores to pick up a copy of the "New Moon" DVD, with the title selling 4 million units over the weekend.

By comparison, the first installment of Summit Entertainment's "Twilight" franchise sold 3.8 million units during its weekend bow. That film was 2009's best-selling DVD, moving 9.2 million units.

Helping "New Moon" was Summit's strategy of holding midnight launch events across the country at 7,000 retail outlets, as well as viewing parties, which drove up interest in the title. This was particularly the case among fans who could meet cast members at some of the locations. Releasing it over the weekend, rather than on the traditional Tuesday launch for DVDs, also likely helped drive up sales.



And: HONG KONG — One of Peter Jackson's frequent collaborators says the "Lord of the Rings" director passed the torch to Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro to give the trilogy's two-part prequel, "The Hobbit," a fresh look.

Jackson is working on adapting the J.R.R. Tol kien fantasy novel that takes place before the trilogy. But this time, he is producing and working on the script, relinquishing directing duties to Del Toro, whose credits include "Pan's Labyrinth" and the "Hellboy" movies.

Art designer Richard Taylor says he thinks his friend gave up the director's chair "probably because he's spent so long in Middle Earth . . . and probably felt a director such as Guillermo could bring something passionate and unique and original and new to the content. AP full story here .


Barring any unforeseen circumstances, like another freakin’ snow storm, Mario and I will head to Cheyenne on Saturday to sign at the Barnes & Noble, 1851 Dell Range Boulevard Cheyenne, WY 82009 (307) 632-1164. We’ll be there 1 – 3 PM

Remember to send us those pictures of your bookcases. Contest is open for one more week.

So what are you doing to greet spring? Is it spring yet where you live?  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 2:43 PM  12 comments

  we be pimping fools
Mario here:  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 6:25 PM  1 comments

  Trader Joe's Arizona Style

Had a very nice time at the Tucson Festival of Books. Friday night I had dinner with my favorite indy bookseller, Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy (above in front of the booth with the scarf). We even had a chance to spend some time in Trader Joe’s- Arizona style. Who knew each TJ’s had custom bags? Here’s a peek at the CA and AZ bags. If you live in a different part of the country and have TJ’s, let me know if you have a different bag, as well. Silly thing to get excited about, but I did..




Pal Shannon Baker , author of Ashes of the Red Heifer, flew down on Saturday and we had a chance to catch up, have a nice lunch, and wander a bit through the booths…although there was very little wandering done actually. Too crowded. And hot. I had to duck into a nearby Urban Outfitters and buy myself a blouse. But the signing at the MG was fun and the panel, Vampires That Don’t Sparkle, came off without a hitch. Nice to finally meet Marta Acosta and along with fellow panelist Esther Mitchell and moderator Mike Camp , owner of Tucson's Heroes and Villains Comic Book Store, a good time was had by all.

I should have taken more pictures but the crowds made it nearly impossible. Got a book autographed by Emma Bull who, as you UF geeks know, is one of the pioneers of our genre. Charles De Lint was there, too, but I wasn't able to catch up with him.

On to the week’s news and views.

Google Reaches Books Deal With Italy

BY CHRISTOPHER EMSDEN

ROME— Google Inc. on Wednesday said it will scan ancient Italian literary texts ranging from Galileo Galilei to herbal medicine manuals as part of the Internet company's first publishing partnership with a national government.

The deal involves digitizing up to one million books held in the National Libraries in Rome and Florence.


Wow—how cool is this? Now the only problem will be translating them but I’m sure that’s going to happen, too…



For you Patricial Cornwell fans—which, I must admit, I cannot be numbered among:

Lifetime's Cornwell Mysteries Get April Premiere Pair of television films star Andie MacDowell and Annabeth Gish By Wrap Staff Published: March 09, 2010
Lifetime announced world premiere dates for a pair of mystery films based on the work of bestselling author Patricia Cornwell on Tuesday. 'Patricia Cornwell's At Risk" will debut on Saturday April 10 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) and "Patricia Cornwell's The Front" will hit screens a week later on Saturday April 17 at the same time.

The television network has attracted some moderately big names, let's call them B minus list, for the pair of Cornwell inspired films it that will begin airing in April, including Andie MacDowell, Annabeth Gish and Diahann Carroll.

In "At Risk" a rising star of the Massachusetts State Police, Win Garano (Daniel Sunjata), is sent by his boss D.A. Monique Lamont (MacDowell) to investigate a Tennessee murder that's been unsolved for more than 20 years before. In the sequel, "The Front," Lamont and Garano reunite to investigate a decades-old murder of a young blind woman

Sounds like they are not Scarpetta stories. Although in February it was announced in the LA Times that Angelina Jolie is set to play Scarpetta in an upcoming movie. One which, by the way, is not based on one of the books either, but an original screen play: Set in the present day (as opposed to the late 1980s, when the series begins), the film will feature a distinctly younger Scarpetta in the years before she becomes the steely, unassailable expert pathologist she is today.

So if the movies are not based on the books and don’t even take place in the same time frame as the books, are they really Scarpetta movies? I think not.

# # # #

Here’s one to make you scratch your head:



Self-described 'space cowboy,' 'vampire' sparks bomb scare

SEATTLE – A man claiming to be a "vampire" and a "space cowboy" was arrested in downtown Seattle after he approached the King County Courthouse with a suspicious pipe device duct-taped to his arm, officials said.

Detectives later determined that the device was fashioned to look like a pipe bomb but it was not an actual explosive.

Streets were closed at mid-morning and the courthouse was locked down as police investigated the bizarre Friday morning incident. All streets and the courthouse had reopened by 10:02 a.m., police said.

A vampire AND a space cowboy? Come on, make up your mind…PS Judging from the pictures, my vote is space cowboy.

# # # #

This one is sure to offend the feminists in the audience, but I thought it was funny :



Book store defends 'control a woman' toy By Kathy Lord

A Melbourne woman is outraged after discovering a Borders book store was selling a 'control a woman' remote.

The toy product, similar to a TV remote control, is being sold as a novelty gift for $14.99.
Katie Robertson saw the remote in a Borders book store last week, after attending a lunch celebrating International Women's Day.

"There are certain buttons on there. For example, the male may decide that he wants beer, sex or food. He may press a button in which he requires the woman to remove her clothes, cook, clean, leave, [or] say yes," she told ABC Radio's Jon Faine.

"There's also a button in which you can increase her breast size."

Lauren Thompson of Borders says the product is intended as a joke and says they are also selling a 'control a man' remote, which has sold out...

Ms Robertson has complained in writing to the store, but Ms Thompson says they will not take it off the shelves on the basis of one complaint.

"We've probably got a number of products, books and literature which could fall into that category... so we need to be quite careful," Ms Thompson said.

As one astute commenter asked: Since the "Control a Man" remote sold out while "Control a Woman" remotes were still in stock, assuming similar numbers of male and female remotes, wouldn't this suggest that women are more sexist than men?

Now, let’s think about this women—what buttons would we want on a Control A Man remote???? The possibilities are endless!!!

# # # #

Thanks to Houston Bay Area RWA for voting Retribution’s cover one of 2009’s Best SciFi/Fantasy/Paranormal covers. My pal Robin Owens took first place. See list here


Looking for an agent? Four up and comers who may be looking for you


Just got this book. I’m looking forward to reading it.





So, have you gotten your messy bookcase pictures in yet? Contest ends March 30 at noon—post a comment here and send the pics to: author...at...marioacevedo...dot...com

Bound & Gagged by Dana Summers 3/18/10

And don't forget all our pals who have new books out there (including of course, Mario's Werewolf Smackdown). Check the side bar here and don't miss a single one!  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 6:00 PM  17 comments

  We Like a Big Mess   ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 5:57 PM  12 comments

  Signs of Spring There are two sure signs of spring in Colorado== avalanches and this:



Makes me feel warmer already. Any signs of spring in your neck of the woods? If you want to send pics send them to jeanne@jeannestein.com and I'll post them next week.

Oh—Mario said at his last signing that people didn’t know who was posting when. Now, I think most of you realize Mario posts on Monday—mainly because he likes to talk about himself. A lot. But to make things easier, I will announce at the beginning of my posts—Jeanne Here.

So. Jeanne Here.



Are you watching Southland—the best cop show on the air? And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Ex-cop and writer Lee Lofland posted this review. Here’s a sample:

The attention to detail in this show is incredible. Officer Cooper (above) placed his keys in his gun belt, near the buckle. Real cops do this, too. He also hangs his sunglasses from the pen slot in his shirt pocket. Cooper is left handed, so his magazine pouches are placed to the right of the belt buckle on his gun belt. This is so he’ll have easy access for reloading with his right hand. Cooper’s pepperspray canister is also strategically placed on the right side. FYI - The narrow vertical straps with two silver snaps, one above the other, are called belt keepers. They attach the gun belt to the officer’s regular belt that’s threaded through the belt loops on his pants. Belt keepers prevent the gun belt from sliding down to the officers ankles.

Check out the review and then check out the program. If you want more than eye candy in a cop show, you’ll like this one.

Will the remakes ever stop? From the Hollywood Reporter :





Matthew Greenberg to write screenplay for Paramount film

Matthew Greenberg, who wrote the Stephen King adaptation "1408," is heading back to King territory with "Pet Sematary."

Lorenzo di Bonaventura recently boarded as producer on the long-gestating project, which is set up at Paramount. Steven Schneider also is producing.

Published in 1983, King's creeper tale centered on a family that trades the city life for the country life in Maine, then discovers that they have moved near a pet cemetery that rests on an ancient burial ground. When the husband's toddler son is killed in an auto accident, the father takes the boy's body to the cemetery, where it is
resurrected in demonic form.

Paramount brought the book to life in 1989, with a feature version adapted by King that starred Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby and Fred Gwynne.

The new project at one point was being produced by Alphaville, working with a screenplay by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary ("Face/Off"), and had George Clooney circling.

Film group president Adam Goodman, looking over library titles, deemed it worthy to resuscitate.

Mark Vahradian and David Ready are overseeing for Di Bonaventura Pictures. The company is in production on comic-book adaptation "Red," starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren.

Greenberg, repped by UTA, has carved out a career in the fantasy and horror genres. Among his credits are "Reign of Fire," "Halloween: H20" and "Mimie.”




Meyer slips? How will we ever get over it? From USA Today :

Is that old vampire magic beginning to lose its spell? Maybe just a bit. For the first time in more than two years, a Stephenie Meyer Twilight series book is not in the top 20. Eclipse falls to No. 23 from No. 13 last week; Breaking Dawn is at No. 24, down from No. 14; and New Moon, which was No. 20, drops to No. 31. Rounding out the Meyer offerings in the Top 50 this week is Twilight, which was No. 27 last week and is now No. 44. Two of the books have been made into movies —Twilight in 2008 and New Moon in 2009 — pushing book sales and rankings on the list higher. So expect another Meyer surge as the June 30 release of Eclipse, the movie, draws closer.



Enjoy this True Blood update from Clever TV:






Shelf Awareness and The Wall Street Journal :

A new law in Colorado requiring Amazon.com and other online retailers to tell customers in the state how much they owe in sales tax--but doesn't require them to collect sales tax--has led Amazon to stop doing business with third-party vendors in Colorado, according to O'Reilly Radar.



Amazon sent letters to "associates," informing them of the decision. For states in which Amazon has no distribution centers or offices, associates have been cited by states as creating sufficient nexus for requiring the e-tailer to collect sales tax on purchases to people in those states.

Here’s what happens when cash-strapped states start looking for revenue.




From Shelf Awareness : On the occasion of Holt's halt of publication of The Last Train from Hiroshima by Charles Pellegrino because parts of it are based on false testimony and perhaps wholly fabricated, the New York Times has another OMG article about authors who play loose with facts and publishers who don't catch them.

Good reading!! Remember James Frey?


I think I’ve mentioned this before, but here’s the skinny on when you can get your hands on an iPad:




Apple Inc. said the iPad will hit stores next month, a few days later than expected but not enough to rattle investors eager to see how consumers respond to the new device.

The Cupertino, Calif., company said it will first begin selling a version of the iPad that uses Wi-Fi to access the Internet on April 3 in the U.S., while a model that also gets online through wireless carriers' high-speed 3G networks will go on sale later that month.

Apple will begin taking orders for the iPad from U.S. customers on its Web site March 12.

And now Samsung joins the party. From PC World:



Samsung "dove headlong into the electronic book market" yesterday with its introduction of the $299 Samsung eReader and announcement of "a relationship with Barnes & Noble which allows the eReader to access B&N's arsenal of more than a million e-books and e-magazines as well as access to Google Books," PCWorld reported. The new device also allows users to take notes in the margins and share content with other Samsung eReaders.



A nice LA Times Article about adults who read YA. I know I do. What about you? Who are your favorite YA authors?

Anybody want to give this a try? Email a picture of your book shelf and it will be analyzed by the New Yorker Book Doctor…What do you think they’d say about mine?


















I can’t even get all my bookshelves in one photo—or two. There are still two other walls of books in this room.



If you’re in the Tucson area, I'll be attending the Tucson Festival of Books this weekend. Stop by and say hello. Look for me at the Mysterious Galaxy booth Saturday afternoon at 1 PM and on the panel Vampires That Don't Sparkle, Saturday at 4 PM.

PS In case you missed it, we got hit again by "anonymous" who doesn't even do us the courtesy of spamming in English. So, for the time being, I've removed the anonymous option. I'm sorry if it causes any inconvenience, except to the spammer of course.  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 3:44 PM  6 comments

  Vampires vs. Werewolves!

Mario here,
  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 10:27 AM  27 comments