Thank You First of all, thanks to all of you who made the Haunted launch a success--friends, family, old friends and new, the staff of the Tattered Cover. You are all great and I appreciate you more than I can say. To those of you who don't follow me on Facebook, I need to share this little token from my critique group. I'm sure you who can guess who picked it out!





Title: The Good, the Bad and the Undead Description: The never-ending appeal of vampires Time: Fri 11:30 am Location: Centennial I - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour) 

Title: Vampires, Demons and Werewolves--Oh, My! Description: Paranormal fiction, urban fantasy etc. Time: Sat 04:00 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

Title: Heroism and Sacrifice Description: What's worth facing the forces of darkness for? Time: Sat 05:30 pm Location: Embassy A-B - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

Title: You Are What You Fight Description: How heroes identify (or not) with their monstrous foes Time: Sat 07:00 pm Location: Embassy C - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

Title: Autograph Session Time: Sun 04:00 pm Location: M301 - M304 - Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)

Title: Short and Not So Sweet Stories Description: Help for short story writers from the pros. Time: Sun 07:00 pm Location: Embassy D-F - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

Title: The Perfect Blend: Genre Mixing in Urban Fantasy Description: Urban fantasy has been romantic, mysterious, magical. What makes the perfect blend? Time: Mon 11:30 am Location: Fairlie - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

It's an interesting, varied tract and I'm pleased to be included. I'm also looking forward to spending time with pals Carol Malcolm and Derek Tatum and visiting with my special GA fan, Ron Marlar.  And Ron, I have some swag for you!



  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 10:07 PM  2 comments

  Two Lessons Mario here:

I'm just back from Bubonicon 44, another winning con. It's my favorite of the smaller cons as you get to rub shoulders with some of the biggies in today's sci-fi/fantasy literary fields like George RR Martin.

Every con has a certain vibe to it and if I had to choose one for this con, it had to be humility.

Lesson One: Delivered by none other than the ever-witty Connie Willis. She knocked 'em dead as moderator at our presentation, "Worst Panel Ever" which included staged examples of bad panelist behavior. I did my best to be the snarkiest panelist, which was difficult to do, considering Willis' rapid-fire bon mots.

Lesson Two: Warren Hammond and I sat next to each other in the Author Signing room and we renamed our tables Humility Row because we sat beside the long line formed for George RR Martin and the Guest of Honor Author, Brandon Sanderson. It can be dispiriting to see fans carrying milk crates stacked with books for Martin or Sanderson while the rest of us sell onesies and twosies.

Brandon Sanderson took over the Wheel of Times series from the late Robert Jordan and has continued to keep up the momentum for the series' success. He was a great GOH and extraordinarily generous with what he's learned as a professional writer.







Besides the above lessons, I didn't leave the con empty-handed. Some back story needed here. I constantly run into wanna-be writers who talk about their work and most of the time I nod agreeably and walk on. Two years ago I heard how the locals spoke highly of Ian Tregillis so I attended his reading of a work-in-progress and was blown away. I said to myself, "Damn, this Ian can write." So this time around I bought copy of his book, The Coldest War. Check out his ultra-cool website: Ian Tregillis.

Another book I've been waiting to get my mitts on is After The Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn. She has a wonderful way of twisting conventions and creating immensely satisfying characters. This is her take on super heroes and their families. Ever wonder what it must be like to be Lois Lane and suffer the attentions of evil super-geniuses? This book should provide an insight.

Labels: Brandon Sanderson, Bubonicon 44, Carrie Vaughn, Connie Willis, George RR Martin, Ian Tregillis

  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 8:11 PM  3 comments

  Six Days and Counting...
Tonight (Thursday)  I'll be at Tattered Cover Lodo to celebrate the kick off of this year's RMFW Colorado Gold Conference. As one of this year's nominees for Writer of the Year, I'll be on the panel to answer audience questions about the exciting life of an author...that's a joke btw. Mostly being an author is isolation, work, self-doubt and a questionable future. But every once in awhile you open an email from Amazon and see something like this: your book offered front and center. One just hopes that buy link gets used over and over!

Are you looking for something in our Science Fiction & Fantasy books department? If so, you might be interested in these items.

Haunted (An Anna Strong, Vampire Novel) by Jeanne C. Stein Price: $7.99

I should mention that Haunted will not be available tonight. Unfortunately, the publisher would not let TC offer the book before the official drop date of Aug 28. There will be lots of other door prizes though, and you will be able to see my new hair color so that should be some consolation. If you are a friend on FB, you'll know all about how that came about! And next Tuesday, I'll be at the Highlands Ranch TC with plenty of copies of Haunted. So please join me.

I hope I get these bookmarks before the 28th. Aren't they great? I want to use them as door prizes.




  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 2:56 PM  3 comments

  Express yourself Mario here:

I'm surprised by the need for people to express themselves artistically, even though as a writer I am one of those folks who's got voices constantly chattering in my head and they won't shut up until I put their stories on the page.

For example, last night I passed a coffee shop where a folk musician was rocking out on a mandolin. Considering the venue, he was probably playing for tips. I'll bet this gig was the high point of his week even if it did zilch to pay his bills.

We see how artists express themselves but we seldom ask why, especially if they do something that seems a bit left field.

Photo credit: Westword

This last week I attended an exhibit at the Art Salon by the graphic artist Alon Paul. He put together an exhibit titled Muse:365, his homage to Madonna (Ciccione--the singer). What Alon had done was create images of Madonna, one a day for a year. I could think of other, more conventional outlets for my art, and the concept of the show seemed a little unhinged for sure.

Then I read Westword's article on Alon and the show, and what I discovered turned my head around. Alon was the son of a single mother. She was only seventeen when he was born, and as Alon wrote, "It was a kid raising a kid." The lack of money was a constant challenge and so Alon grew up in the finest trailer parks, as he put it, of Nebraska and Wyoming. They moved twenty times before his sophomore year. It was a rootless existence and Alon felt adrift, confused, and neglected by society. At the age of seven he discovered Madonna and became inspired by her drive and defiance to critics and popular opinion. She became the compass to his life, and Alon recognizes that his obsession with her is his crazy, but it's a good crazy.

Denver chalk art Larimer Square, 1st Place, credit Facebook Alon Paul

If Alon wanted success then he had to emulate what Madonna has done. Work hard. Focus. Shun the negative. When he decided to honor her with a show, he failed twice at producing work. Alon decided that if Muse: 365 was important, then completing the art became an exercise in discipline and sacrifice, and serves as an example to all us creative types.

For a taste of Alon's vision and Muse: 365 at the Art Salon, check out this YouTube video:



Big congrats to writer pal Rudy Garcia who scored a reading and signing at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque for his novel, The Closet of Discarded Dreams, Saturday, September 29, 2012. Rudy proves you can nurture obsessions with interests other than Madonna and still find success.

Next weekend, I'll also be in Albuquerque, though for Bubonicon 44. Check out the schedule and say hello.

Labels: Alon Paul, Art Salon, Bubonicon 44, Madonna, Muse: 365, Rudy Garcia

  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 8:49 PM  2 comments

  PS RMFW Colorado Gold

Time is running out to sign up for this great conference. Your chance to meet and greet Mario and me in person AND listen while we share lessons learned from our adventures in writing!  2012 Colorado Gold Conference Who, What, When, Where and  Beth Miller's Query Workshop Email is Fixed   Problems with submitting queries for Beth Miller's Query Workshop were brought to our attention today. The issues have been resolved   Getting Past the Gatekeeper- Querying Dos and Don'ts-Beth Miller (Sat-2:30pm)    A (sometimes humorous) discussion on Querying Dos and Don'ts, to arm you with the knowledge  you need when you submit your query. Beth Miller will also be happy to offer feedback on conference  attendees' queries (as many as time permits) submitted prior to the conference. Email queries  to: submitforfeedback @hotmail.com   No later than August 20th *Important* Upcoming Deadlines Friday Morning Master Classes Registration deadline: August 15, 2012  Beth Miller Query Submission August 20, 2012 Free Pitch Appointment Registration: Deadline extended indefinitely (first come, first serve) Register for the 2012 Colorado Gold Conference Quick Links... RMFW Website RMFW Official Blog Contact Us Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers P.O. Box 735 Conifer, CO  80433 Hotline: (303) 331-2608 Supporting Writers for 30 Years   1982-2012 September 7-9, 2012  Registration starts at 11AM Renaissance Hotel 3801 Quebec, Denver, CO       Register Here for Colorado Gold Conference   Three Days of learning, net-working and fun    Jodi Thomas Keynote Speaker    Debra Dixon Closing Speaker    7 Agents Beth Miller, Writers House Chelsea Gilmore, Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.  Jennifer Unter, The Unter Agency, LLC Katharine Sands Anita Mumm,  Nelson Literary Agency  Carlie Webber, Jane Rotrosen Agency Nephele Tempest, The Knight Agency     6 Editors James Minz, Baen Books Erika Imranyi, Mira Books Peter Senftleben, Kensington Books Liz Pelletier, Savvy/Entangled Publishing Libby Murphy, Entangled Publishing Terri Bischoff, Midnight Ink.     Agent/Editor Critique Workshops    Free Agent/Editor Pitch Appointments    6 four-hour Master Classes   55 Workshops   And a Hotel Full of Writers What More Could You Ask For? Go to: rmfw.org or Click Here

  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:55 AM  0 comments

  Stuff First off, a SoCal pal of mine, Suzanne Lazear, had her launch party for Innocent Darkness at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena last weekend. Wish I could have been there because, besides the obvious, there were cupcakes:

Labels: Innocent Darkness

  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 5:08 PM  1 comments

  Weekend of words and taps to Joe Kubert Mario here:

Happy Birthday to the fabulous Broadway Book Mall. It's been three years!

So it was no coincidence that last Sunday, the mall presented, not one, not two, but three fantastic authors:


At left, Rebecca Hale, NYT best-selling author of How to Wash a Cat. She read from her newest book, Adrift in St. John.









In the center, Carrie Vaughn, who treated us to the latest Kitty Norville novel
Kitty Steals the Show, which just made the extended NYT list. Yeah team!







Balancing the panel and surprisingly fresh-looking despite the long trip from Albuquerque, Stephen Gould, who discussed his books, Jumper, Reflex, and 7th Sigma (a really cool tale about murderous nanobots).





And there was another act to this weekend's literary hulaballo.

Finally, it was Denver's turn to host MWA-University, the Mystery Writers of America's roadshow of writer/instructors who travel these United States to share their expertise on the frustrating task of writing the novel.

The festivities started Friday with a faculty reception at the amazing Lighthouse Writers Workshop, a party brimming with frivolity and libations. Mystery Ink authors Cricket McRae, Linda Hull, and Jess Lourey trade "war stories."















The seminar took place Saturday in the spacious and comfortable Tabor Auditorium of the Westin Hotel in downtown Denver. My head about exploded from all the writerly wisdom.


Meanwhile, MWA Executive VP Larry Light was either doing homework or losing a bid on eBay. Not certain either way but he was sure grimacing at the screen.


After a long day at the lectern, Jess Lourey and Reed Farrell Coleman gossip philosophize over steaks and wine.


Over at LaBloga, Rudy Garcia shares his insights and experience about the editorial process for his forthcoming novel, The Closet of Discarded Dreams.











And the world got a little smaller and darker with this sad news; comic book legend Joe Kubert passed away. One of the artist pillars at DC Comics, Kubert's most famous character was the war-weary but always heroic, Sgt. Rock.

Labels: Broadway Book Mall, Joe Kubert, MWA-University, Rudy C Garcia, Sgt Rock

  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 8:47 PM  2 comments

  A Little Pimping Music Please... New Month,  New August Releases (including one from yours truly)
Here are some new books due out this month from our pals in the League of Reluctant Adults:  

Seawitch by Kat Richardson
Amazon Book Description: Harper Blaine was your average small-time PI until she died—for two minutes. Now Harper is a Greywalker, treading the thin line between the living world and the paranormal realm. And she’s discovering that her new abilities are landing her all sorts of “strange” cases. A quarter century ago, the Seawitch cruised away from her dock and disappeared with everyone on board. Now, the boat has mysteriously returned to her old berth in Seattle and the insurance company has hired Harper to find out what happened.

But Harper is not the only one investigating. Seattle Police Detective Rey Solis is a good cop, albeit one who isn’t comfortable with the creepy cases that always seem to end up in Harper’s lap. As they explore the abandoned vessel, Harper and Solis discover a cabin containing symbols drawn in human blood, revealing the ghost ship’s grave history.  

Blood Bath and Beyond by Michelle Rowen
Amazon Link : Sarah Dearly is adjusting to life as a fledgling vampire, satisfying her cravings at vampire-friendly blood banks. But when her fiance Thierry takes a job with the Ring—the secret council in charge of keeping vampires in line—Sarah’s about to get more than a taste of danger…  

All Seeing Eye by Rob Thurman

Amazon Book Description: Picking up a small, pink shoe from the grass forever changed young Jackson Lee’s life. Not only did its presence mean that his sister Tessa was dead—murdered and stuffed in the deep, black water of a narrow well—but the shoe itself told him so. Tessa’s death triggers an even more horrific family massacre that, combined with this new talent he neither wants nor can handle, throws Jack’s life into a tailspin. The years quickly take him from state homes to the streets to grifting in a seedy carnival, until he finally becomes the cynical All Seeing Eye, psychic-for-hire. At last, Jackson has left his troubled past behind and found a semblance of peace.

That is, until the government blackmails him. After Jackson is forced to help the military contain the aftermath of a bizarre experiment gone violently wrong, everything he knows about himself will change just as suddenly as it did with his little sister’s shoe.

A Wolf at the Door by Kari Stewart

Amazon Book Description: Jesse James Dawson was once an ordinary man until he discovered that demons were real, and fighting them meant putting his own soul on the line. His new case is a beauty: Gretchen Keene, a Hollywood starlet who's become an unwitting catalyst in an all-out demon war. It's not her soul Jesse needs to protect, but the two-hundred-and-seventy-six others she's carting around--all the souls sold to spend just one night with the blonde bombshell. That's a lot of baggage, although it might explain her meteoric rise to fame. And it's all up for grabs by the demon world.

All Jesse has to do is keep her safe until New Years. Sounds easy. But darkness is casting a nasty shadow in the California sun--a new unseen enemy is closing in and leaving Jesse to wonder, how do you fight something you can't see coming?

Haunted by Jeanne C. Stein (now where have you heard that name before?)


 Amazon  Link: 
Now for convenience, I have included an Amazon link for each book, but your local indies and/or brick and mortar stores should also have copies available.


Stephen King was on Craig Ferguson the other day-- Here's the interview!!
Followed by the very last appearance by the Rock Bottom Remainders

Labels: Fantasy and SciFi Mag, Haunted, Kari Stewart, Kat Richardson, Michelle Rowen, Rob Thurman, Rock Bottom Remainders, Stephen King

  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:34 PM  2 comments

  The Old Hood. The New Hood. Mario here:

Thank you Jeanne for covering for me last week. I was deep in the process of moving into new digs.

Years ago I had moved into Five Points, an area infamous in Denver for crime and urban decay. My son needed to move in with me and besides needing more room, my place at the time didn't allow for pets. So I rented a row house apartment in the 'hood. Little did I know that this temporary layover would last six years.


The epicenter: Five Points, at the corners of 26th, 27th, Welton, and Washington Streets.
 Officially, the neighborhood is known as Curtis Park and is the oldest "suburb" of Denver, construction having started here in the late 1870's for a community of middle class workers and the city's nouveau riche.

Sadly, Curtis Park fell into neglect in the late 1910's when the wealthier residents migrated to the tonier environs of Capitol Hill. Year by year, the base income dropped. Segregation corralled African-Americans along Welton Street and northward. Redlining limited home loans which choked the flow of money needed for upkeep. Misguided attempts by the city at development flattened blocks of historic homes.


Ironically, what saved Five Points was neglect. This part of town had such a seedy reputation that for decades no one wanted to live here, and that spared Curtis Park from the infestation of McMansions.



Despite recent gentrification, Five Points retains its gritty urban feel. The "Jesus Saves" rescue mission is blocks away, a hobo camp at Lawson Park (next to a popular softball field), and itinerant day laborers put you shoulder-to-shoulder with the down-and-out. Party goers flock to the nightclubs on Welton Street and in the mornings you'd find the sidewalks and curbs littered with show flyers and broken bottles of booze (and the occasional condom). Graffiti appeared like herpes and alley Dumpsters were jammed with piles of cheap, broken furniture. I'd been propositioned by hookers at 2PM right in front of my stoop. (I politely declined.) You learned to blank out the many pan handlers.


Over time, I began to appreciate the neighborhood and its urban vibe. The closest Light Rail stop was only two blocks away. We could walk to Coors Field and LoDo. How cool was that? My favorite urban hike included chichi 17th Avenue through Uptown. Trendy bars and hipster coffee shops mushroomed all around us. While we had our share of ghetto hood rats, they never bothered us. The nearby Safeway--nicknamed the Not-So-Safeway-- was remodeled and the clerks took care to go out of their way to greet me. One even came around her counter to give me a good-bye hug when I mentioned that I was moving away.

 
There was a bit of circularity in my experience here. I had my original author's head shot done by the photographer James Glader, who at the time lived and worked in this wreck of a building, the Mathews-Gotthelf Mansion. Like many of the larger homes in Curtis Park, this house had been sub-divided into apartments. Inside, the building reminded me of the derelict mansion that Tyler Durden lived in as a squatter in Fight Club. Then Shazamm! a couple of years later, I lived up the street and the mansion is getting a long overdue make-over.



Now I live in the Highlands, a part of Denver almost as old as Curtis Park. It's a homogenous neighborhood, mostly couples in their early-thirties with young children. Old, tall trees shade the narrow streets. Curtains of ivy and lush flower gardens decorate the houses. Though we live a block from a major thoroughfare, it remains much quieter than Five Points, where ambulance and police sirens were more common than the chirping of birds. No one scavenges our alley trash. There are no crazy people yelling at the corner or couples screaming insults. None of Five Points' character. I miss that 'hood.

Labels: Batman, Curtis Park, Five Points, urban neglect

  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 9:01 PM  9 comments

  RIP Gore Vidal
 RIP Gore Vidal. Favorite quote:



A couple of weeks ago Mario and I attended a program at the Tattered Cover sponsored by a group called AuthurU. The theme was 11 steps to being a successful author. Among the steps were study others, build relationships and lists, market to those lists, offer free stuff, create joint ventures, etc etc etc. The aim is to build profit streams--not a bad aim for writers who would like to make a living out of their writing. But in all the talk, not one word was said regarding the most important step of all--writing a good book. It seems to most of these "experts" quantity is more important than quality. Keep throwing stuff out there and hope the momentum will build with the numbers. Something is wrong with this paradigm.

Or is it just me?



From Shelf Awareness: Focus Features released a new featurette for Anna Karenina, director Joe Wright's adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel. Indiewire noted that the clip "goes behind the scenes of the production, offering up a good amount of new snippets of footage along with interviews with the director and cast." The cast includes Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Johnson, Kelly Macdonald, Olivia Williams, Ruth Wilson and Holliday Grainger. The film opens in the U.S. November 9.







 For you unpublished writers out there:  Two contests

Thomas Dunne Books is now accepting submissions for the Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Competition! Open to anyone who is unpublished who has a completed mystery novel.

Deadline to submit is October 17th. For guidelines and an entry form, send an SASE to: Malice Domestic Competition, Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 or go here

Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition
Deadline is December 17th. Go to above link for details.

This is a great opportunity for mystery writers.

  ¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 3:13 PM  2 comments