Richelle Mead's Blog, page 14

Gameboard of the Gods cover and stuff!

I got a nice surprise last night when I learned the cover of my next adult book, Gameboard of the Gods is up on Amazon! That means the cover is free to be publicized, something I'm very excited to do.



Along with the cover, we have Dutton's official description:

Richelle Mead, the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines YA series—whose books have sold more than one million copies in hardcover—debuts on the Dutton list with Gameboard of the Gods, the first novel in her Age of X series.

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

If you missed it, here's another description of it in my own words. And since we're all hanging out, I wanted to answer some questions that popped up when I flashed the cover around social networking sites last night:

When's the release date?
June 4, 2013

When will it be out in other countries?
I don't know yet, unfortunately. My dealings are always with my U.S. publishers, and releases in other countries are handled by individual publishers there. I'll let you know when I know.

Is this adult? Then why does the description mention Vampire Academy and Bloodlines?
It's a marketing thing. Gameboard of the Gods is indeed an adult novel, but VA and Bloodlines are by far and away my bestsellers. So, when trying to talk up another one of my books, those big ones are what get mentioned.

There's a guy and a girl lead! Who narrates this?
They both do, in third person POV. And there's also one more character whose POV the story occasionally flips to as well.

That's all the news for now! Back to work.

Interview with Lili Peloquin, not-so-innocent author of The Innocents

It's Tuesday, release day again! Sadly, my next release Tuesday is still four months away, but don't worry: there are still lots of other great books coming out in the meantime. One of the perks of my job is that people are always telling me about cool new books and even giving them to me. So, I was super excited when my Vampire Academy/Bloodlines publisher, Razorbill, offered to send me one of their newest titles, The Innocents by Lili Peloquin. Maybe I'm biased, but I think they have awesome taste. Anyway, here's what's on its way to me. It was just released today:



This is a contemporary book--no magic here--but it's still sexy, mysterious, and surprising . It's about two sisters who move to a posh new town when their mother remarries, and they find themselves caught up in all sorts of dark intrigue, dangerous guys, and challenges to their own ideas of family. When I did some research on Lili Peloquin, one of the first things I discovered is that she has a big following for her live tweeting of Revenge. That's when I decided we need to just go straight to the source to find out about this book. In what I believe is the first interview I've ever done on my blog (that's not with myself), I got the lovely Lili to come by and give us a bigger scoop on the book and her choices in entertainment.

I already gave it a shot, but I know you can do a lot better. In your own words, give us the lowdown on what The Innocents is about.
My own words, Richelle? You’re not going to let me use a cheat sheet? Mean! Okay, I see The Innocents as a combination of a teen soap opera and a gothic mystery: Prep meets Twin Peaks with a little bit of Revenge thrown in. It has--or at least I hope it has!--a twisty-turny plot and a mood that smolders and an atmosphere of mystery that’s both stealthy and seductive. My intention is to leave the reader with an unsettled, spooked feeling.

Your two heroines, Alice and Charlie, have very distinctive personalities. Can you describe the sisters for us?
Alice is the more reserved sister. She’s quiet and bookish—an observer. She senses menace, senses sinister forces under the lush, glittering surface of Serenity Point, the town she and Charlie have just moved to with their mother and new stepfather, and the possibility simultaneously horrifies and excites her. She’s drawn to the hidden and the mysterious.
Charlie is a much less guarded personality. She likes fun and boys and trouble. She’s the Id to Alice’s Superego.

What's something you think readers are really going to love about this?
Well, it’s a book with two girls for protagonists, but I think my readers are going to flip the hardest for the boys of The Innocents. These boys are beautiful and these boys are tormented. There’s Tommy. He’s smart and athletic and handsome in this straightforward, clean-cut way. He’s the last person you’d expect to be prone to Byronic fits of brooding. He is, though. When Alice meets him, he’s in a bad way, psychologically speaking. He’s still in love with Camilla, his dead ex-girlfriend, who also happens to be the daughter of Alice and Charlie’s stepfather, Richard. And he’s still guilt-ridden over her suicide. But against her better judgment, Alice finds herself falling for him, hard and fast
Then there’s Jude. Jude’s gorgeous and Jude’s trouble. He’s been kicked out of school after school and has clear a substance abuse problem. But Charlie takes one look and decides that she’s got to have him, that he’s the one for her.

What's one of your favorite things about this book?
There’s a sex scene on a tennis court that I’m especially fond of.

I'll skip the favorite sports question then. What's one of your all-time favorite books?
Lolita. It has fancy prose and lurid subject matter. What could be better?

Biggest guilty pleasure reality show?
The Real Housewives franchise, for sure. Beverly Hills is my favorite. I’m upset, though, that Camilla Grammer’s taken a powder. She was fun, that one.

I don't watch Revenge. Pitch me on what I'm missing. :)
Oh, Richelle, lots. You’re missing lots! Good-looking people doing bad-to-the-bone things, sexual tension in places it has no business being, aging-but-still-beautiful actresses trying valiantly to emote through multiple injections of Botox. Oh, and these weird Chinese proverbs at the beginning of each episode that don’t have that much to do with what follows. It’s great all around!


Thanks, Lili! Whether you guys watch Revenge or not, you can catch up with Lili on Twitter and Facebook. Lili's also one of the Breathless Reads authors (along with my pal Morgan Rhodes, whom I'll get here one of these days) who may or may not be touring near a town near you at some point. And in the meantime, you can find The Innocents at favorite bookstores and online retailers. Enjoy!

Velveteen: more glam than muslin

As many of you know, new books come out on Tuesdays. There's lots of good stuff out today, and I wanted to give a shout-out to my pal Daniel Marks for his YA debut, Velveteen. If you need a dark and creepy read for the Halloween season, then this is your book.



Velveteen Monroe--or Velvet, as she's usually called--is a 16-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered by a serial killer named Bonesaw. This lands Velvet in Purgatory, the in-between place for souls not quite ready for Heaven or Hell. Purgatory is a gray and dismal place where souls have to cover themselves with ashes so that they don't shine too brightly. Everyone has a job in Purgatory, and Velvet's is on a Salvage team (full of delightfully snarky characters) that retrieves souls. Velvet herself has her own share of snark, and she's also dark, feisty, and in-your-face. She's obsessed with the idea of haunting and taking revenge on her killer, something that's totally forbidden since souls aren't supposed to return and interact with the living. (If you read the first chapter on Amazon, you can see a scene of her sneaking back to trash Bonesaw's house). As she wrestles with her desire for revenge, she also finds herself getting caught up in secrets that are unraveling the very structure of Purgatory. Complicating things just as much is the introduction of a hot new guy on her team. Getting involved with him is problematic for a whole series of reasons, but if you look at the cover, you can understand her dilemma.

Here are some truths about Velveteen. It's absolutely one of the most original YA books out there right now. It's also one of the darkest and most disturbing--which is a pro or a con, depending on your personality. There's romance in there, yes, but don't pick this up thinking your getting a sweet and sunny love story. There are some really graphic parts in there that made me squirm, so if that's not your thing, you may have a little trouble with the book. But, if you like dark and morbid, then you'll love the characters and the incredibly complex world and society Daniel's created with Purgatory. Discovering its inner works is a big part of the book, and I'm amazed at how he was able to come up with something so detailed. He's also a really fabulous writer and uses metaphors and similes like...well, like someone who's really good at using metaphors and similes.

Daniel's also a pretty active and hilarious vlogger, so you can get a healthy share of his wit and wisdom over on his site. He even did a vlog about my office library during my Halloween party two years ago, right before Last Sacrifice came out. Good times. And finally, his site also lists his tour dates and locations, so if he'll be near where you live, you'll have a fun time listening to him read and say inappropriate things.

Enjoy!

Meanwhile, one month later...

Oh, my goodness. You guys. It's been crazypants around here. I can't believe I haven't blogged for over a month. Actually, I can believe it. My work schedule got a little out of control, which is what happens when Real Life Stuff takes over. Child care issues put me behind on The Indigo Spell earlier this year, as did a last-minute realization that a major part needed to be reworked.

THAT, in turn, put me behind on Gameboard of the Gods, which was further delayed when it ran into some book signings and some unexpected and very sad family news. The bottom line is that I ended up having to do some scrambling to finish Gameboard by its (new) due date. Dutton, its publisher, was very kind and patient as I worked it all out. The end result is a 154,000 word book (a little over Last Sacrifice's size) in two months. That's very cool to brag about but less cool to implement. It came at the cost of sleep and spending time with my family, but when life complicates things, you have to adjust. Now I should be back in a much calmer work mode, and my awesome editor will help fix the flaws that of course come with any first draft. We'll have some good stuff for you.

Which brings us to an important question: what is Gameboard of the Gods?

It's been mentioned a few times in Richelleland, but I know it's easy to miss stuff like that, especially in the onslaught of Bloodlines updates. Gameboard is the first book in my new Age of X series, which is a kind of futuristic paranormal series for adults (though teens can read it too because I would've been all over this in my younger years).

Here's the premise. Religious extremists released a virus that wiped out half the world's population and plunged it into chaos. A hundred years later, some places have recovered better than others, including a high tech new country formed out of pieces of the former US and Canada (I'm pretty sure it's only a matter of time before our countries unite anyway). After its troubled past, this country has an understandably wary attitude toward religion. It goes out of its way to dismantle most religious groups and debunk any claims of the mystical or paranormal. My hero is an uber charismatic guy who helps carry out that agenda for the government. My heroine, who hangs out with him, is a former Finnish debutante who's now a kind of super soldier. Unfortunately, denying that the supernatural exists gets a little hard when it starts following them around...

So there we go! I'm excited about this. I love the characters and the world, and although I can't use 80s music references, there's still enough wacky banter and sexual tension to make it a Richelle book. There'll be more updates coming, as well as the cover. This book comes out in June, which means 2013 is going to be happening: Indigo in February, Gameboard in June, and Bloodlines #4 (title and exact date to come) in the fall. That also explains why there's so much work going on this year! But it's going to be awesome, and I hope you guys love what's to come.

Cool stuff here

I go a long time between blog posts these days, but I try to make up for it with cool stuff. And there's definitely some awesome stuff here. First up, if you live in Salt Lake City or Las Vegas, guess what? I'll be signing in your cities on September 10 and 11, respectively. I'll be in those places as part of the Smart Chicks Kick It tour, as will a whole bunch of other authors. It's one stop shopping! The schedule is here, and even if you don't live in SLC or LV, you might get to see some other great authors if you live in Edmonton, Montreal, Dartmouth, or Philadelphia. There's a different mix of writers at each tour stop.

And now brace yourselves...remember the Rose and Dimitri short story that everyone's been waiting for for so long? IT'S HERE. Well, in my time zone, it's still three hours away, but for almost everyone else, it's August 28: release day for Foretold. It's an anthology with a bunch of short stories by different authors. One of them is mine. It's called "Homecoming" and is about Rose and Dimitri in Russia.

Here's the pretty cover. When ordering or buying, make sure this is the cover and that you see Carrie Ryan as the editor. There are a couple of other paranormal books kicking around with the same name, and you want to make sure you get the right one! Another way to make sure is to check for the full title: Foretold: 14 Tales Of Prophecy And Prediction or the ISBN-10 # of 0385741294.



I'll do my best to answer some common questions about it.

Q: Is the story available on its own?
A: No, you have to buy the whole anthology.

Q: Will it be available in other countries?
A: Unfortunately, I don't know. I'm not familiar with how this publisher has handled that or what countries have purchased rights to publish the book. English speaking countries will probably have it, but I can't say for sure.

Q: Where can I get it in the US?
A: You can order it online from the usual big retailers: Amazon, B&N, IndieBound, etc. Local bookstores in your town should carry it too. If they don't, almost any bookstore should be able to order it for you and have it arrive at the store, so be sure to ask.

Q: Can I order signed copies through University Bookstore?
A: Yup, you sure can. Use the usual instructions on my website. The one tricky thing is that when searching for it on University Bookstore's site, search for Carrie Ryan as the author (she's the one who edited the anthology). Earlier, their website was showing Frostbite's cover with it, but as long as you see Carrie's name and the "14 Tales of Prophecy" part, you're all good. Remember to say in the "notes" in your order that you want it autographed by me. Also: I probably won't be in to sign orders until next week, so if you want it sooner, you might want to get it elsewhere.

Hope you guys enjoy it when you read it!

Indigo Spell Galore

If you've followed me recently on Twitter and Facebook, you'll know that Adrian pulled out a stunning victory in the YA Crush Tournament. Not only did he win all of his matches, he also pulled through in the finale against Cassandra Clare's Will. Talk about a worthy adversary! Honestly, I didn't think it was going to happen. I had a lot of personal stuff going on, and I only realized the match was about to end when it had less than an hour to go. I thought it was too late but still put out the call for help, and in forty minutes, readers came through with the 500 votes needed for Adrian's victory. I was totally amazed. You guys are so awesome.

So, in this contest, there've been all kinds of Adrian quotes from The Indigo Spell promised along the way. Here are a couple that have been released so far:

“Under normal circumstances, you inviting me to the bedroom would be the highlight of my day.”

"We need to get inside. I think my hair gel’s frozen.”

I released this one when Adrian won:

"it’s Kahlua, Sage. Packed with sugar and coffee flavor."

So, finally, that leaves us with three more reward quotes to go. Here's one:

"Who knows more about male weakness: you or me? Use my knowledge, Sage."

And...

"Do you want me to call you Celery Stick instead of Cupcake or Honey-Pie? It just doesn’t inspire the same warm and fuzzy feelings.”

Finally, the last quote is actually a Dimitri one, instead of Adrian, in honor of their epic match in the tournament. This is from the Foretold anthology, coming out at the end of this month:

"I haven’t even really tried to win you over, Roza. When I want to, I can be very persuasive.”

Whew, that's a lot of quotes! BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

The first chapter of The Indigo Spell has officially been posted online. Before this, it was only available in special editions of The Golden Lily. I know some people are saying, "I already read it online, where's chapter 2?" But if you saw it online before this, it was a pirated copy. This is the official release. You can read the pretty scribd version here or the less pretty one on my website that's more compatible than scribd.

Enjoy! And thanks again for your help in the tournament.

I return! With Indigo Spell info!

Wow, guys. I totally let you down this time. Over a month without blogging! I can assure you, though, that it was spent productively. When I got home from my tour, I had to frantically finish revisions on Bloodlines #3, The Indigo Spell. Then, when I finished them, I decided they weren't good enough, and my editor was nice enough to let me do ANOTHER round of emergency revisions. It was a pretty frantic month, but now I have a book I'm really happy with. It still needs a lot of polishing and proofing (which is why it takes a while to come out), but the hardest part is over. You'll also be pleased to know that after these revisions, The Indigo Spell has had its hotness factor kicked up significantly. Hope you guys can handle it.

The book comes out on February 12, and if you're wondering what it's about, here's the catalog description. There's another description kicking around that's worded a little differently, but the gist is the same.

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

The final cover also was released this last month, and here it is:



I'll try to stay on top of blogging now!

Vancouver signing aka Life in a Northern Town

Last weekend, I headed north to one of my favorite countries, beautiful Canada. Canada is a lot like the US, except politer and with flashing green stoplights that I don't really understand.

The signing was cool for a number of reasons. One is that the staff at the Burnaby Chapters (outside of Vancouver) has unquestionably landed into the top three most efficient bookstores I've ever had the privilege of signing at. Another is that our event was broadcast live online, and you can watch my reading and Q&A here.

Also, we had a DJ.



Now you know it's a party. I started out reading my Malachi Wolfe scene, which--sadly--was probably the last time I'll do it. Good thing I've written another with him into The Indigo Spell for future signings.



We had a lovely turnout, the biggest on this tour, according to estimates. You can't really see it, but there's a big line of people extending into the book shelves.



Along with the DJ, there was a tattooist there who helped us kick it Alchemist style.



Some people, however, came with their own body art.



Here's a shot of the camera that did the online filming. Cool, eh?



Chapters kept me well-supplied with water and coconut mocha frappuccinos--the official drink of The Golden Lily tour. Sadly, that's probably the last one I'll have in a while since it's back to thrifty eating for me.



Good times all around! My friend Steve (who also took these pictures) was super nice and drove me to Vancouver because, much like Georgina in Succubus Heat, I'm convinced Canadian police are looking for American plates. Unlike her, I don't have the charm to get out of a ticket. The day wrapped up with a one-hour wait to get back through the US border. When the agent inquired about our visit, he then asked if I was "jumping on the vampire bandwagon." Ah, it's good to be home.

The Indigo Spell Cover Reveal!

First up, thank to everyone who came out in person to my Vancouver signing--and to those who watched online! We had a really amazing time. I'll have pictures soon, as well as a link to a video of the event for those who missed.

Meanwhile, hot news around here! Yesterday, an early version of The Indigo Spell's cover was revealed! Here it is:



Cool, eh? We've already had a few questions about it, so let me clear some things up. First, this is an early version, so the tattooing hasn't been added yet. It'll come later, so don't worry--it's not some secret about the book. What is secret is who the guy on the left is. Lots of people have been asking...but well, you need to be surprised by some things! When the cover gets a few more tweaks and is in its final version, I have a feeling you'll be able to figure it out. :)

The cover debuted on mtv.com yesterday, and if you follow the link, they have a small article about it as well. Enjoy!

North of the border signing!

I have good news for everyone, though it's a little better for those who live in Vancouver, BC. This Saturday, June 23, I'll be signing at Chapters Metrotown in Burnaby (4700 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC) at 2pm. We'll have the usual good times--reading, Q&A, and, of course, signing a bunch of books! Rumor has it there may also be a DJ. My appearances page lists the details on limits and pictures, but note: this signing does not have a bracelet system for line priority. Whether you buy at the store (which is nice to do) or bring books from home, seating will be first come first serve. Contact the store with any questions.

Those outside of Vancouver are probably thinking, "Wait, you said it was good news for everyone, Richelle." And it is! This signing will be LIVE on the internet! So you can watch it, no matter where you are. The signing is at 2pm Pacific time. To find out what time that is in your time zone, you can convert it here. Here's what you need to do to watch. About 10-15 minutes before the event starts, go to razorbill.ca. You'll see the link for the live feed, as well as instructions about how to log in and view it. Note: there won't be anything on the page before that time. So, if you don't see the info, keep checking back closer to the signing's start time.

Hope to see you guys there, in person or virtually!