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 02, 2011
Chatty Kathy
It's Wednesday and this is going to be a bit of a ramble (kind of like Mario's blogs) because I just don't feel like getting organized. So here goes:
First, a bit of pimping for Suzanne Lazear's upcoming release: Innocent Darkness. I'm waiting to get a copy of this new YA Steampunk. Here's the description from Suzanne's website:
First, a bit of pimping for Suzanne Lazear's upcoming release: Innocent Darkness. I'm waiting to get a copy of this new YA Steampunk. Here's the description from Suzanne's website:
Sixteen-year-old Noli Braddock's hoyden ways land her in an abusive reform
school far from home. On mid-summer's eve she wishes to be anyplace but that
dreadful school. A mysterious man from the Realm of Faerie rescues her and
brings her to the Otherworld, only to reveal that she must be sacrificed,
otherwise, the entire Otherworld civilization will perish.
school far from home. On mid-summer's eve she wishes to be anyplace but that
dreadful school. A mysterious man from the Realm of Faerie rescues her and
brings her to the Otherworld, only to reveal that she must be sacrificed,
otherwise, the entire Otherworld civilization will perish.
Innocent Darkness is set for release in August of 2012. Steampunk fairies--I LOVE it!!
I've been doing a lot of YA reading lately. Just finished Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake and am almost finished with Nightspell by Leah Cypress. Any favorite YA authors you'd like to recommend?
It's snowing today. Good day to write, which is what I've been doing. There are still too many leaves on the trees though, and I'm afraid there will be a lot of broken branches when the sun comes out again.
Anybody doing NaNoWriMo? Started unofficially today but haven't logged in yet.
My editor emailed me to let me know Anna has been nominated for best UF protag (the second time, she won it in 2008) by RT Book Review Magazine. As always, the competition is against not only good writers, but this time, some of my friends!
Urban Fantasy
Protagonist
Angel Crawford
MY LIFE AS A WHITE TRASH ZOMBIE
Diana Rowland
Daw (Jul.)
Darian
SHAEDES OF GRAY
Amanda Bonilla
Signet Eclipse (Dec.)
Sabina Kane
GREEN-EYED DEMON
Jaye Wells
Orbit (Mar.)
Kiera Kelly
BLOOD SACRIFICE
Maria Lima
Pocket (Sep.)
MacKayla Lane
SHADOWFEVER
Karen Marie Moning
Delacorte (Jan.)
Max
CRIMSON WIND
Diana Pharaoh Francis
Pocket (Jan.)
Anna Strong
CROSSROADS
Jeanne C. Stein
Ace (Sep.)
Jane True
TEMPEST’S LEGACY
Nicole Peeler
Orbit (Jan.)
I'm glad I don't have to choose. Diana, Jaye, Nicole and I are all League of Reluctant Adults members and therefore partners in crime. Maria Lima is a friend. The only two I don't know personally are Karen and Amanda.
Went to a movie this weekend, Ides of March. I don't think there was a single new idea in the entire movie. All the political cliches were there--backstabbing, the "honorable" politician who turns out not to be, dirty tricks, extortion. I guess the only good thing about the movie is that it sets the stage for the upcoming Presidential election. A reminder of what we're in for.
However, there was a trailer for a movie I can't wait to see:
| Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows | Movie Trailer | Review
Looks good!
And lastly, a shout out to pal Stacia Kane who is under the weather. Get better soon, kid!!
So those are my rambling thoughts for this week-- what's on your mind?
I've been doing a lot of YA reading lately. Just finished Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake and am almost finished with Nightspell by Leah Cypress. Any favorite YA authors you'd like to recommend?
It's snowing today. Good day to write, which is what I've been doing. There are still too many leaves on the trees though, and I'm afraid there will be a lot of broken branches when the sun comes out again.
Anybody doing NaNoWriMo? Started unofficially today but haven't logged in yet.
My editor emailed me to let me know Anna has been nominated for best UF protag (the second time, she won it in 2008) by RT Book Review Magazine. As always, the competition is against not only good writers, but this time, some of my friends!
Urban Fantasy
Protagonist
Angel Crawford
MY LIFE AS A WHITE TRASH ZOMBIE
Diana Rowland
Daw (Jul.)
Darian
SHAEDES OF GRAY
Amanda Bonilla
Signet Eclipse (Dec.)
Sabina Kane
GREEN-EYED DEMON
Jaye Wells
Orbit (Mar.)
Kiera Kelly
BLOOD SACRIFICE
Maria Lima
Pocket (Sep.)
MacKayla Lane
SHADOWFEVER
Karen Marie Moning
Delacorte (Jan.)
Max
CRIMSON WIND
Diana Pharaoh Francis
Pocket (Jan.)
Anna Strong
CROSSROADS
Jeanne C. Stein
Ace (Sep.)
Jane True
TEMPEST’S LEGACY
Nicole Peeler
Orbit (Jan.)
I'm glad I don't have to choose. Diana, Jaye, Nicole and I are all League of Reluctant Adults members and therefore partners in crime. Maria Lima is a friend. The only two I don't know personally are Karen and Amanda.
Went to a movie this weekend, Ides of March. I don't think there was a single new idea in the entire movie. All the political cliches were there--backstabbing, the "honorable" politician who turns out not to be, dirty tricks, extortion. I guess the only good thing about the movie is that it sets the stage for the upcoming Presidential election. A reminder of what we're in for.
However, there was a trailer for a movie I can't wait to see:
| Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows | Movie Trailer | Review
Looks good!
And lastly, a shout out to pal Stacia Kane who is under the weather. Get better soon, kid!!
So those are my rambling thoughts for this week-- what's on your mind?
Labels: Game of Shadows, Innocent Darkness, Sherlock Holmes, Stacia Kane, Suzanne Lazear
¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 2:48 PM 3 comments
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Game Begins
Trailer for HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones leads this week's movie and book news.
HAPPY 30th Birthday Buffy!!!
Trailer for HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones leads this week's movie and book news.
# # # #
Then onto a couple of articles about one of my favorite literary and movie characters: James Bond.
First, from the Huffington Post :
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A new international airport for private jets and small commercial aircraft was unveiled in northern Jamaica on Wednesday, named after the British thriller writer who invented the literary and cinematic super spy James Bond.
Ian Fleming International Airport is close to the scenic retreat where the late author reportedly wrote all 14 of his books about the elegant, crafty spy. The property is now an exclusive resort owned by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, who is credited with introducing reggae great Bob Marley's music to the world.
Followed by this from the BBC :
The new James Bond book, written by thriller author Jeffery Deaver, will be called Carte Blanche.
The title and cover were unveiled in Dubai where parts of the book are set.
US writer Deaver said the novel - to be published in the UK on 26 May - posed "the looming question of what is acceptable" in security matters.
Sebastian Faulks and John Gardner are among other authors to have written officially-sanctioned Bond novels since creator Ian Fleming's death in 1964.
Deaver, 60, whose best-seller The Bone Collector was made into a 1999 film starring Denzel Washington, said giving an agent carte blanche on a mission "comes with an enormous amount of trust and constantly tests both personal and professional judgement".
First, from the Huffington Post :
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A new international airport for private jets and small commercial aircraft was unveiled in northern Jamaica on Wednesday, named after the British thriller writer who invented the literary and cinematic super spy James Bond.
Ian Fleming International Airport is close to the scenic retreat where the late author reportedly wrote all 14 of his books about the elegant, crafty spy. The property is now an exclusive resort owned by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, who is credited with introducing reggae great Bob Marley's music to the world.
Followed by this from the BBC :
The new James Bond book, written by thriller author Jeffery Deaver, will be called Carte Blanche.
The title and cover were unveiled in Dubai where parts of the book are set.
US writer Deaver said the novel - to be published in the UK on 26 May - posed "the looming question of what is acceptable" in security matters.
Sebastian Faulks and John Gardner are among other authors to have written officially-sanctioned Bond novels since creator Ian Fleming's death in 1964.
Deaver, 60, whose best-seller The Bone Collector was made into a 1999 film starring Denzel Washington, said giving an agent carte blanche on a mission "comes with an enormous amount of trust and constantly tests both personal and professional judgement".
# # # #
Anyone who knows me, knows I'm also a tremendous Sherlock Holmes fan. I found this on the ebookseller site:
Orion is to publish a new full-length Sherlock Holmes novel, written by Alex Rider author Anthony Horowitz, after he was selected by the Conan Doyle Estate...
Further details about the title, to be published in September, are still to be revealed, though it will be "a brilliant mystery novel, stripped back to the original style of Conan Doyle", according to the publisher.
Brilliant, huh? We'll be the judge of that!
Orion is to publish a new full-length Sherlock Holmes novel, written by Alex Rider author Anthony Horowitz, after he was selected by the Conan Doyle Estate...
Further details about the title, to be published in September, are still to be revealed, though it will be "a brilliant mystery novel, stripped back to the original style of Conan Doyle", according to the publisher.
Brilliant, huh? We'll be the judge of that!
# # # #
Let's see, what's next?
Now THIS is an interesting twist. From ereads :
HarperCollins authors – have you read your Ten Commandments lately? How about the Seven Deadly Sins? You’d better bone up on them. It seems there’s a morals clause in your publisher’s contract. Not moral rights, mind you… We mean morals. Your morals.
New language in the termination provision of the Harper’s boilerplate gives them the right to cancel a contract if “Author’s conduct evidences a lack of due regard for public conventions and morals, or if Author commits a crime or any other act that will tend to bring Author into serious contempt, and such behavior would materially damage the Work’s reputation or sales.” The consequences? Harper can terminate your book deal.
Not only that, you’ll have to repay your advance. Harper may also avail itself of “other legal remedies” against you.
If this is true, Mario, you'd better be on your best behavior!! Especially since you keep finding little gems like this to send me... I could rat on you.
Besides, why he sends things like this to me, I have no idea.... I am the most even-tempered, tolerant person I know. You all agree, right? RIGHT?????
Now THIS is an interesting twist. From ereads :
HarperCollins authors – have you read your Ten Commandments lately? How about the Seven Deadly Sins? You’d better bone up on them. It seems there’s a morals clause in your publisher’s contract. Not moral rights, mind you… We mean morals. Your morals.
New language in the termination provision of the Harper’s boilerplate gives them the right to cancel a contract if “Author’s conduct evidences a lack of due regard for public conventions and morals, or if Author commits a crime or any other act that will tend to bring Author into serious contempt, and such behavior would materially damage the Work’s reputation or sales.” The consequences? Harper can terminate your book deal.
Not only that, you’ll have to repay your advance. Harper may also avail itself of “other legal remedies” against you.
If this is true, Mario, you'd better be on your best behavior!! Especially since you keep finding little gems like this to send me... I could rat on you.
Besides, why he sends things like this to me, I have no idea.... I am the most even-tempered, tolerant person I know. You all agree, right? RIGHT?????
# # # #
Lot's of statistics floating around this week. Sisters in Crime commissioned a study on the public's mystery/crime fiction book buying habits. Highlights here from Shelf Awareness:
Bricks-and-mortar stores still lead the way in mystery/crime fiction sales, and women over 45 constitute the majority of buyers in the genre, according to a collaborative study, "The Mystery Book Consumer in the Digital Age," released this week by Sisters in Crime. The survey was designed to offer an overview of the mystery/crime fiction book-buying landscape, using research based on publishing industry data gathered and interpreted by Bowker's PubTrack division.
The study found that the majority of mystery/crime fiction buyers are women (68%) over the age of 45 (66% ). Buyers in the 18-to-44 demographic purchase 31% of the mysteries sold. Some 48% live in the suburbs, 27% in rural areas and 25% in urban areas. The South accounts for 35% of sales, followed by the West (26%), Midwest (20%) and Northeast (19%). Bricks-and-mortar stores sell 39% of all mysteries, with library borrowing accounting for approximately 20% and online purchases 17%.
The full report can be found here
USA TODAY listed it's 100 top sellers for 2010 here . No real surprises.
And Nora Roberts is the latest author to enter the Kindle Million Club, joining Stieg Larsson and James Patterson as the third writer to surpass a million paid copies in Amazon's Kindle Store.
Twilight fans, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will host a special International Fan Event to coincide with the April release of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide. Little, Brown will select one fan from the U.S. and one from Canada, and is partnering with the Twilight Saga publishers in Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Taiwan and the U.K. to find each country's lucky Twilight fan. The 10 winners will receive an advance copy of The Official Illustrated Guide and have the opportunity to talk extensively with Meyer. The official rules for the sweepstakes to select a fan from the U.S. as well as one from Canada) can be found here .
Bricks-and-mortar stores still lead the way in mystery/crime fiction sales, and women over 45 constitute the majority of buyers in the genre, according to a collaborative study, "The Mystery Book Consumer in the Digital Age," released this week by Sisters in Crime. The survey was designed to offer an overview of the mystery/crime fiction book-buying landscape, using research based on publishing industry data gathered and interpreted by Bowker's PubTrack division.
The study found that the majority of mystery/crime fiction buyers are women (68%) over the age of 45 (66% ). Buyers in the 18-to-44 demographic purchase 31% of the mysteries sold. Some 48% live in the suburbs, 27% in rural areas and 25% in urban areas. The South accounts for 35% of sales, followed by the West (26%), Midwest (20%) and Northeast (19%). Bricks-and-mortar stores sell 39% of all mysteries, with library borrowing accounting for approximately 20% and online purchases 17%.
The full report can be found here
USA TODAY listed it's 100 top sellers for 2010 here . No real surprises.
And Nora Roberts is the latest author to enter the Kindle Million Club, joining Stieg Larsson and James Patterson as the third writer to surpass a million paid copies in Amazon's Kindle Store.
Twilight fans, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will host a special International Fan Event to coincide with the April release of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide. Little, Brown will select one fan from the U.S. and one from Canada, and is partnering with the Twilight Saga publishers in Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Taiwan and the U.K. to find each country's lucky Twilight fan. The 10 winners will receive an advance copy of The Official Illustrated Guide and have the opportunity to talk extensively with Meyer. The official rules for the sweepstakes to select a fan from the U.S. as well as one from Canada) can be found here .
# # # #
Found this via Publisher's Lunch:
Lynn Hirschberg offers an "exclusive first look" of the making of David Fincher's version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO for W Magazine . According to the piece, Steven Zaillian's script departs considerably from the book: "Blomkvist is less promiscuous, Salander is more aggressive, and, most notably, the ending--the resolution of the drama--has been completely changed. This may be sacrilege to some, but [scriptwriter] Zaillian has improved on Larsson--the script's ending is more interesting."
Mara has the right look, that's for sure, but I get a little nervous when they start talking about a more "interesting" ending. Salander is MORE aggressive? How much more aggressive could they make her? I'm not at all sure about this one.
I guess that's it for this week. I must admit, though, I'm very disappointed we haven't had any bad sex entries yet. You can't tell me every sex scene you've ever read has been wonderful. Remember, I'm not talking about your personal sex life. I know the old saying, the worst sex I've ever had was... wonderful....but surely, you've read a sex scene in a book and came away shaking your head at the absurdity. If you can't remember the book to look up the exact phrasing, paraphrase. We'll accept it. We're easy.
Lynn Hirschberg offers an "exclusive first look" of the making of David Fincher's version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO for W Magazine . According to the piece, Steven Zaillian's script departs considerably from the book: "Blomkvist is less promiscuous, Salander is more aggressive, and, most notably, the ending--the resolution of the drama--has been completely changed. This may be sacrilege to some, but [scriptwriter] Zaillian has improved on Larsson--the script's ending is more interesting."
Mara has the right look, that's for sure, but I get a little nervous when they start talking about a more "interesting" ending. Salander is MORE aggressive? How much more aggressive could they make her? I'm not at all sure about this one.
I guess that's it for this week. I must admit, though, I'm very disappointed we haven't had any bad sex entries yet. You can't tell me every sex scene you've ever read has been wonderful. Remember, I'm not talking about your personal sex life. I know the old saying, the worst sex I've ever had was... wonderful....but surely, you've read a sex scene in a book and came away shaking your head at the absurdity. If you can't remember the book to look up the exact phrasing, paraphrase. We'll accept it. We're easy.
Labels: Anthony Horowitz, Carte Blanche, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Ian Fleming, James Bond, Jeffrey Deaver, Rooney Mara, Sherlock Holmes, Sisters in Crime, Twilight
¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 5:20 AM 1 comments
