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!
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
A Little Pimping Music Please...
I've been reading a lot of YA lately--comes with being a judge for the Horror Writers' Bram Stoker Awards-- There's a lot of really good stuff out there and it happens that two of our Reluctant Adult buddies are among the new additions to the category. So let me introduce you.
Written by Michele Vail (aka Michele Bardsley) Undeadly premieres November 20. Description from Amazon:
The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird…
Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Life at
Nekyia has its pluses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another…except, there's something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble….
And next, from the incomparable Mark Henry writing as Daniel Marks, Velveteen. I'm in the middle of this one now and I love it!
Available now. Description from Amazon:
Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that's not the problem.
The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it's not a fiery inferno, it's certainly no heaven. It's gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn't leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what's really on her mind.
Bonesaw.
Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she's figured out just how to do it. She'll haunt him for the rest of his days. It'll be brutal . . . and awesome.
But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen's obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she's willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.
Velveteen can't help herself when it comes to breaking rules . . . or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.
It's always a treat to come across new books and authors. I hope you give these two a try.
Written by Michele Vail (aka Michele Bardsley) Undeadly premieres November 20. Description from Amazon:
The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird…
Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath. Life at
Nekyia has its pluses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another…except, there's something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble….
And next, from the incomparable Mark Henry writing as Daniel Marks, Velveteen. I'm in the middle of this one now and I love it!
Available now. Description from Amazon:
Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that's not the problem.
The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it's not a fiery inferno, it's certainly no heaven. It's gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn't leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what's really on her mind.
Bonesaw.
Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she's figured out just how to do it. She'll haunt him for the rest of his days. It'll be brutal . . . and awesome.
But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen's obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she's willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.
Velveteen can't help herself when it comes to breaking rules . . . or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.
It's always a treat to come across new books and authors. I hope you give these two a try.
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And speaking of books, Audible now has all eight of the Anna Strong Chronicles as well as three anthologies in which I have stories available for your listening pleasure. And right now you can try Audible and get a free book! It's the chance to experience Anna's adventures in a new way. Just click on the link and search for Jeanne C. Stein.
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About 7000 words into NaNoWriMo. Not exactly burning up the track, but it's a good way to keep the momentum going. And after the last few months when travel and/or conferences/signings took up about half my time, it's really nice to be home. I've even enjoyed getting back to the gym--wonder of wonders.
So it's onward and upward on the new series. I hope to attend some of the NaNoWriMo write-ins at the Panera bread shops. It's fun and inspiring to be in the company of other writers. What about you? Any favorite places to write?
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Thank you Google for reminding me...Bram Stoker's 165th Birthday is today!
Labels: Audible Books, Bram Stoker, Daniel Marks, Michele Vail, NaNoWriMo
¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 1:31 PM 2 comments
Sunday, November 04, 2012
Keyboards at the ready...Charge!
Mario here:
What I'm reading: The Alien Years by Robert Silverberg.
It's NaNoWriMo. Do you know where your Muse is at?
One popular question for writers is, "Where do your ideas come from?" It's a tough question to answer because for us fiction writers, ideas come from everywhere. It could be from a wedding veil lying in a deserted alley, or a man in a business suit running down the street, or from overhearing an argument in a posh restaurant. I guess the seed for a story is that detail that sticks out from its surroundings, the proverbial What if?
Maybe the veil was tossed by a jilted bride. The man running down the street has left his mistress' panties in his luggage, which his wife will soon unpack, and he's racing to catch a cab home. The argument could be over a house a couple is about to buy, which is actually a fight over the fact that he hates her mother.
Once we get these ideas, we have to weave them into a larger story. Some ideas can be scenes within the story, and others can be drivers for the plot. How people interact on the subway can add nice texture to a scene. I once read an article about how corporations are buying fresh-water rights all over the world and used that as a plot theme in the Undead Kama Sutra, a tale about alien gangsters and vampires.
I'm surprised when other people--normal people I suppose--aren't constantly letting themselves get lost in the narrative threads around us. Then I suppose normal people aren't trying to write fifty thousand words in thirty days.
What I'm reading: The Alien Years by Robert Silverberg.It's NaNoWriMo. Do you know where your Muse is at?
One popular question for writers is, "Where do your ideas come from?" It's a tough question to answer because for us fiction writers, ideas come from everywhere. It could be from a wedding veil lying in a deserted alley, or a man in a business suit running down the street, or from overhearing an argument in a posh restaurant. I guess the seed for a story is that detail that sticks out from its surroundings, the proverbial What if?
Maybe the veil was tossed by a jilted bride. The man running down the street has left his mistress' panties in his luggage, which his wife will soon unpack, and he's racing to catch a cab home. The argument could be over a house a couple is about to buy, which is actually a fight over the fact that he hates her mother.
Once we get these ideas, we have to weave them into a larger story. Some ideas can be scenes within the story, and others can be drivers for the plot. How people interact on the subway can add nice texture to a scene. I once read an article about how corporations are buying fresh-water rights all over the world and used that as a plot theme in the Undead Kama Sutra, a tale about alien gangsters and vampires.
I'm surprised when other people--normal people I suppose--aren't constantly letting themselves get lost in the narrative threads around us. Then I suppose normal people aren't trying to write fifty thousand words in thirty days.
Labels: girlfriend's panties, Muse, NaNoWriMo, Robert Silverberg
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 6:33 PM 5 comments
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
I love fall...
The colors, the smells, the chill in the air. Yesterday I saw my breath in the morning. Beautiful.
I love the way families get involved in these things. Don't know who this cutie is, but he's got a great costume, doesn't he?
Ready to do a little Christmas shopping? The new Neiman Marcus catalog is out. How about an Assouline custom-build library for a mere $125,000.00?
If you live in New York, this is a much anticipated annual event: Penguin's Warehouse Book Sale.
“The Penguin Group will hold its annual warehouse book sale Nov. 12 and 14 through 19 at the former Maines warehouse on Terrace Avenue in Conklin.
"The sale runs from 1 to 8 p.m. Nov. 12, 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 14 through 18, and 1 to 5 p.m. Nov. 19. There’s no entry fee and items are priced as low as $1. Cash and checks only will be accepted, and checks require two form of identification, including one photo ID.”
It's almost here...anyone else participating?
And once you get that novel finished, here's a new resource for you--
Avon Books Announces that Digitized "Slushpile" Creates New Opportunities in Publishing for Aspiring Authors --
Check it out here
This weekend Mario and I will be at MileHi Con at the Hyatt Regency - Tech center. Big book signing is on Friday evening at 8 and it's open to the public.
From one of our favorite blog commenters, Vickie: Cranium's up!!! James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter are going to on next week's episode of Supernatural!!!! *happydance*
From the website:
Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) meet Maggie Stark (guest star Charisma Carpenter), a witch who has unleashed her wrath on a small town, resulting in numerous deaths. Sam and Dean track down her husband, Donald (guest star James Marsters), to see if he can help. Donald tells the brothers that Maggie is mad at him for having an affair and is taking it out on the townspeople. Phil Sgriccia directed the episode written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming.
That's tomorrow Buffybuds so get those DVR's set!!
And one last note of caution to all you writers out there:
The colors, the smells, the chill in the air. Yesterday I saw my breath in the morning. Beautiful.Mario mentioned the Robot Prom at the Art Salon on Facebook. Here he is in full costume:
I love the way families get involved in these things. Don't know who this cutie is, but he's got a great costume, doesn't he?
For more pictures check out Westword here
Ready to do a little Christmas shopping? The new Neiman Marcus catalog is out. How about an Assouline custom-build library for a mere $125,000.00?
If you live in New York, this is a much anticipated annual event: Penguin's Warehouse Book Sale.
“The Penguin Group will hold its annual warehouse book sale Nov. 12 and 14 through 19 at the former Maines warehouse on Terrace Avenue in Conklin.
"The sale runs from 1 to 8 p.m. Nov. 12, 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 14 through 18, and 1 to 5 p.m. Nov. 19. There’s no entry fee and items are priced as low as $1. Cash and checks only will be accepted, and checks require two form of identification, including one photo ID.”
It's almost here...anyone else participating?
And once you get that novel finished, here's a new resource for you--
Avon Books Announces that Digitized "Slushpile" Creates New Opportunities in Publishing for Aspiring Authors --
Check it out here
This weekend Mario and I will be at MileHi Con at the Hyatt Regency - Tech center. Big book signing is on Friday evening at 8 and it's open to the public.
From one of our favorite blog commenters, Vickie: Cranium's up!!! James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter are going to on next week's episode of Supernatural!!!! *happydance*
From the website:
Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) meet Maggie Stark (guest star Charisma Carpenter), a witch who has unleashed her wrath on a small town, resulting in numerous deaths. Sam and Dean track down her husband, Donald (guest star James Marsters), to see if he can help. Donald tells the brothers that Maggie is mad at him for having an affair and is taking it out on the townspeople. Phil Sgriccia directed the episode written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming.
That's tomorrow Buffybuds so get those DVR's set!!
And one last note of caution to all you writers out there:
Labels: Art Salon, Charisma Carpenter, James Marsters, MileHiCon, NaNoWriMo, Neiman Marcus, Penguin Warehouse Sale, Supernatural
¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 4:40 PM 4 comments
Sunday, November 07, 2010
NaNoWriMo...the march continues
Mario here,
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Mario here,
If you're a writer, the gossip is all about what you are doing as part of National Novel Writing Month. The goal: 50,000 words in 30 days. Simple math breaks it down: 1666.66 words a day. Doable, unless you slog at the keyboard like I do. For me, 1500 words in one day is a huge deal and frankly even that pace wears me out after a few days. Thanks God for Happy Hour to recharge the batteries.
Now in full disclosure, I'm not really participating in NaNoWriMo because I have a manuscript due before Thanksgiving and I'm about ten chapters shy of finishing. And unlike NaNoWriMo which discourages you from editing if it interferes with the word count, I can't turn in my manuscript without beating it with my harshest editorial club. If you're intimidated by the blinking cursor on your monitor, there's a saying to help prod you into starting those first words: Give yourself permission to write crap. Well my first draft is so full of crap that I have to wear rubber boots and muck out my writing space every afternoon.
For the rest of you NaNoWriMo-renos, try these strategies to keep the words flowing:
Write what you love. Unicorns, cupcakes, serial killers, old flames you'd like to see baked into cupcakes by a serial-killer unicorn, have at it.
And conversely, challenge yourself to write something different.
Keep plenty of hot drinks handy, especially coffee. Especially coffee. I don't consider that I've got a buzz going unless my teeth are chattering.
Steal! And by that I mean shamelessly take from every experience. Car wrecks, rejection, watching a foe get his due, anything and everything is manuscript fodder. You know you're doing it right when your BFF is laying out her heart about her cheating rat-bastard boyfriend, then she gives you a look and asks, "You're going to use this in your story, aren't you?" And because you write fiction, you lie and tell her, "Of course not." But you will. Good writer.
We even have a theme song and music video, so we must be official!
>
Over at the League of Reluctant Adults, we welcome a new member, Kevin Hearne, and we're busting at the seams with pride over his debut novel, Hounded. Unlike the rest of us mortals, he didn't get an ARC but an ARE, Advance Reader's Edition, because he is Mr. Hearne and so very special. Awesome cover.
And there's more about another Leaguer, 10 Things You Didn't Know About Carolyn Crane, over at the Amber Scott Project. Among other things, Crane was a licensed boiler engineer and wrestled rooms full of sweaty men. Click through for details.
Labels: Kevin Hearne, NaNoWriMo, unicorns
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 4:24 PM 8 comments
