Richelle Mead's Blog, page 27
December 26, 2010
Post-holiday round-up
Well, as the holiday season winds down toward the new year, I hope everyone is enjoying themselves, whatever you celebrate! I've been working semi-steadily since getting back from the tour but have still been able to spend time with friends and family.
And speaking of friends, a million things have happened with mine during this crazy month, and I've been woefully behind in updating everyone about their news. I was going to write it up, but it turns out my pal and author of the amazing YA novel Hunger, Jackie Kessler, already did. Hunger is definitely a book you should check out if you haven't already, and if you're a Georgina fan, you should also check out Jackie's Hell on Earth series. Honestly, anything I write here about our mutual firends would just be a paltry rehashing of Jackie's blog, so she was kind enough to let me copy and paste all the news from hers straight into mine. So, I can't take credit for this but am grateful for Jackie letting me borrow it.
-----------------------
Copied from
Jackie Kessler
's Blog:
Okay, I have some major pimpage to make up for. I now present to you: Updates from the League of Reluctant Adults!
Over at Mario Acevedo and Jeanne Stein’s blog, The Biting Edge, they’ve been doing lots of things (minds out of the gutter, people): posting Weird Al Yankovic videos (bless ‘em!), interviewing the amazing Juliet Blackwell about her yet another new series, and so much more. And if you haven’t checked out Mario’s Felix Gomez adventures–in novels and in comic books–and Jeanne’s Anna Strong chronicles, you should. And congrats to Jeanne for CHOSEN being nominated for an RT Reviewers Choice Award for Best Urban Fantasy!
Michele Bardsley’s hysterical Broken Heart Vampires series keeps getting better and better! CROSS YOUR HEART came out earlier this year, and a series (Wizards! Witches! Rah!) will kick off in March 2011.
Leaguer Sonya Bateman also has a novel hitting the shelves in March 2011: MASTER AND APPRENTICE, the highly anticipated follow-up to this year’s MASTER OF NONE. If you think genies are all like Barbara Eden in a bottle, think again.
The ever amazing Dakota Cassidy launched a new series, the Ex-Trophy Wives. The first book, YOU DROPPED A BLONDE ON ME, hit the shelves earlier this month. Get thee to a bookstore and buy! Now!
This has been a great year for Carolyn Crane. The first two books of her Justine Jones: Disillusionist trilogy hit the shelves and wow, look at the awards that her second book, DOUBLE CROSS, has been nominated for: Goodreads Best Paranormal Fantasy of 2010, RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Urban Fantasy, and Authors After Dark Best Fantasy! Congratulations, Carolyn!
Molly Harper will have a fourth Jane Jameson “Nice Girls Don’t” vampire book coming soon. But coming sooner (February 2011) will be her first werewolf book, HOW TO FLIRT WITH A NAKED WEREWOLF. Preorder now!
Kevin Hearne, author of the upcoming Iron Druid chronicles, is eagerly looking forward to the book birthdays of HOUNDED (April 2011), HEXED (May 2011) and HAMMERED (June 2011). What’s that? You don’t want to wait until April? Lucky for you that Kevin has a FREE STORY set in the HOUNDED world, right here on Suvudu. Enjoy!
Mark Henry’s Amanda Feral has been a busy zombie deadutante. First, she’s up for an RT Reviewers Choice Award for Best Urban Fantasy Protagonist. And she’s also Mark’s pen name for a super naughty novella called “A Stocking Full of Coal.” [Note: this is VERY adult stuff].
Have you read Stacia Kane’s amazing Downside series? If not, WHY THE HELL NOT? I don’t know who I love more, Chess Putnam or super enforcer Terrible. Run, don’t walk, to buy, not borrow, UNHOLY GHOSTS, UNHOLY MAGIC and CITY OF GHOSTS (nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Paranormal Fantasy). And hey, Stacia is up for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Goodreads Author! Rock on! And make sure to download her free short story about Haunted Week!
My Icarus Project coauthor, Caitlin Kittredge, has been damn busy. I know, surprise, surprise. The third book her her Black London series, BONE GODS, came out at the end of November, and she’s working on the fourth book now as well as preparing for her YA debut, THE IRON THORN, first book in The Iron Codex. It hits the shelves in February 2011, and you can (and should) preorder now.
The third book of J.F. Lewis’s Void City series, CROSSED, comes out in January 2011! And did you know you could get “Welcome to the VOID” t-shirts? You can! Author clothing line, proudly sponsored by the League of Reluctant Adults!
One day, I’m sure that Richelle Mead will hit the big time. Until then, you may want to check out her little-known series, Vampire Academy. Oh–sorry, I must have bamfed over to a parallel universe or something, because we all know that the last book in the first VA series, LAST SACRIFICE, came out earlier this month and made serious waves. Congrats, Richelle!
If you’re a fan of Kelly Meding’s Dreg City series like I am, you’ll be happy to know that she’s got a collaborative story, written with Lara Adrian, Harry Connolly, Lucy A. Snyder and the League’s Stacia Kane, available now as an e-book! The third Dreg City book, ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD, will hit the shelves in July 2011.
Nicole Peeler has been making waves with her sexy selkie Jane True. Her upcoming January 2011 release, TEMPEST’S LEGACY, is an RT Top Pick, huzzah! And in January, you can get all three Tempest audiobooks. Nicole’s got tons of terrific reviews for LEGACY, so hop over to her website and check them out! And then go buy the book!
DREADNOUGHT, the sequel to Cherie Priest’s multiple award-winning steampunk novel BONESHAKER, came out earlier this year. Coming in 2011: GANYMEDE, the third book in the Clockwork Century, as well as the launch of her new urban fantasy series, BLOODSHOT.
The fifth book in Kat Richardson’s Greywalker series, LABYRINTH, came out in August, and the next book, DOWNPOUR, will hit the shelves in summer 2011. Can’t wait for more Harper Blaine!
Michelle Rowen has been OMGBUSY this year! She launched the Living In Eden series with THE DEMON IN ME, and the second book, SOMETHING WICKED, just came out in November. The second book in her YA Demon Princess series, REIGN CHECK, hit the shelves in May, and she had a YA short story appear in KISS ME DEADLY. In case smoking-hot contemporary romance is what you’re looking for, check out her other November release, TOUCH AND GO. And the first book in an all-new vampire series, NIGHTSHADE, comes out in February 2011! Huzzah, Michelle!
Diana Rowland’s third book in her Kara Gillian, Demon Summoner series, SECRETS OF THE DEMON, hits the shelves at the start of January! What better way to kick off a new year than with a new Kara story? Preorder now!
Have you read K.A. Stewart’s A DEVIL IN THE DETAILS yet? This urban fantasy debut earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly, saying: “This crackling series launch hits the trifecta of strong story, characters, and prose. Jesse James Dawson is a retail clerk, a samurai, a redneck brawler, a good husband and father, and a Champion: a demon slayer who fights to free repentant souls from hastily entered contracts.” I’m telling you, books make **terrific** presents.
Anton Strout and I both have stories in the upcoming AFTER HOURS: TALES FROM THE UR-BAR. Mine is a Hell short story, and his is set in his Simon Canderous series. But hey, that’s in March. Before that, in February, pick up book 4 of the series, DEAD WATERS. It’s hard to fight evil on a budget.
The third book in Jaye Wells’s acclaimed Sabina Kane series, GREEN-EYED DEMON, hits the shelves in March 2011! If you haven’t read RED-HEADED STEPCHILD and THE MAGE IN BLACK, do so. Now.
And that’s the latest about the crazy folks in the League of Reluctant Adults.
Whew.
-----------------------Thanks, Jackie! Everyone else, happy holidays, and I'll be back with more updates about my own stuff soon.
December 21, 2010
Last stop of the Last Sacrifice Tour
So, it looks like I have some catching-up to do.
University Bookstore always puts on a good time, and I can't express enough how awesome it was to have Seattle be the grand finale. I was able to just relax and have fun, knowing that I actually got to go home that night with no worries about packing for a morning flight.
Looks like my readers are getting younger and younger.
Or maybe he was just lured by the cupcakes.
That gentleman keeping watch over the table is the designer of all the tattoo marks from the books. Since they're based here, Arcane Vault was able to attend in person with all sorts of goods on sale.
Like this awesome shirt, which I'd never seen before. Love it.
AV also donated some shirts and other gear for prizes, and this lucky winner found himself the proud owner of a promise mark shirt.
And of course, we had a nice assortment of homemade shirts...
And now the tattoo symbols are going multicolored!
Spotted: authors Kat Richardson and Daniel Marks, as well as Samhain editor Heather Osborn--and it looks like one of them has spotted us too.
All in all, a pretty awesome event. Thank you to everyone who came out, as well as to the ever-amazing staff of University Bookstore. I'm sure I could have been much wittier in this post, but I'm still pretty tired from the trip. Besides, Bloodlines isn't going to write itself, so a lot of my mental energy is going there! Now that LS is out of the way, we can expect to see more updates, not just about Bloodlines but also future Georgina and Eugenie books.
Stay tuned! It's great to be home. :)
December 16, 2010
Salt Lake City photo journey
SLC didn't just bring T-shirts. They brought group T-shirts.
And yes, that is my face there you see on their shirts. I think that must be the true mark of success!
Loved these. The one on the left says, "I want the god," and the one on the right reads, "I want the man in my dreams."
Here are the backs of the shirts, along with a shot of me busily signing away.
These crack me up, though I'm not sure I should be encouraging Jailbait shirts! The black shirt says, "I'm Team Seth but Adrian can walk my dreams anytime!" The one in the middle reads, "Team Dhampir. Join us, we have Dimitri and we kidnapped Christian."
TEAM ABE! Quite possibly my favorite team. I'm going to have to see if Arcane Vault will make me one of these.
A neatly done quote shirt, with everything typed and legible!
Shirts are awesome, right? Well, hang on because you haven't seen anything yet. Someone put the VA logo on this baby's forehead! Ahhh! Cuteness overload!
I'm not gonna lie. I nearly passed out when I saw that baby. Her family was absolutely delightful and really hardcore vampire fans. In fact, I kid you not, this is a picture of their bus, and it reads VAMPIRE ACADEMY on the side.
The awesomeness just kept coming. I also got this fab drawing of Adrian from aspiring writer Sara, whose full name is blocked out here for privacy.
Things got kicked up the next level when I received one of my most astonishing gifts ever: Rose and Dimitri dolls. I originally thought they were voodoo dolls, which I suppose would've given me new and unusual ways to torment my characters.
And check it out. Action figure Rose has a garter with a silver stake under her dress. Glamorous AND functional!
A lot of people brought me coffee tonight, so it's fitting that I also received this Sydney tribute mug. This came courtesy of some devout readers who once flew from SLC to see me in Portland. Thankfully, I was a little more convenient for them this time.
So, wow. Thanks for an awesome event, Salt Lake. This was a great send-off for my last traveling tour stop. Tonight will find me back home in Seattle, for which I am very, very grateful. I'll be signing at 7pm at University Bookstore, and it's going to be a good time. It's funny, I'm asked all the time if my hand hurts from signing. Honestly? Not very often. It does hurt quite a bit right now, but it's actually more from traveling in general. Hauling my luggage every morning has re-awakened my tendon injury. But don't worry, Seattle. It aches, but I'm still ready to sign for you, and I already have an appointment with the hand therapists next week to start reparing me for the next tour. :)
Addendum: to the "My wife sent me" shirt couple, none of those pictures turned out. The camera setting was wrong. So sorry. :(
Homeward bound
That's right, HOME! Tomorrow I'm flying back to Seattle. Technically, it's still a tour day since I'll be having my University Bookstore signing at 7pm. But, unlike a normal traveling tour city, I actually get to shower and dress in my own home instead of a hotel room.
So, Northwesterners, I'll be seeing you soon! As a heads-up: U Bookstore has a good-sized parking lot, but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets filled up. So, gauge your arrival time accordingly, in case you have to get parking elsewhere.
As a closing note, I've got good news to share. Wednesday is list day, and Last Sacrifice has some impressive results. It debuted on the USA Today bestseller list at #4 and Australia's bestseller list at #1. On the New York Times children's list, which ranks Vampire Academy as a whole, LS landed the series at an impressive #2. For those thinking, "Hey, didn't Spirit Bound debut at #1 everywhere?", don't worry. The books are selling just as well as before. But the lists are relative and based on what other books are out at the same time. There are lots and lots of huge titles out this time of the year, so I'm so happy to be able to land in the ranks I did! It would've been very easy for some major book to knock me down for the holidays, but you guys came through, and I'm very, very grateful for your continued support and passion of my writing. Thank you so much. This is awesome.
December 15, 2010
A tale of two cities
Photographed or not, my signings in both Atlanta and Dallas were super fun. After a flight delay in Detroit, I was finally able to get to Atlanta bright and early on Monday morning. Imagine my surprise--after thinking I'd escaped the Arctic Midwest--to find that Atlanta had temps rivaling Detroit! At least there was no snow, but wow. Pretty cold. With the disrupted travel plans, I actually only had a hotel in Atlanta for 3 hours--just enough to catch a cat nap and clean up. Before heading out to my signing, however, I got to have lunch with fab author pal Stacia Kane, who was looking adorable as always.
My signing was over in Decatur, and along with T-shirts, there was also a sign used to very adamantly declare its owner's views of the series. Seeing signs in the audience is always fun, but it also makes me think I'm at a political rally sometimes.
I also saw an unusual tattoo placement. Typically, I see them on the back of the neck. This woman instead chose her ankle (ouch!) and paired the zvezda mark with a rose and chamomile. Chamomile is apparently the national flower of Russia, which I hadn't known. Pretty cool.
And that's it for Atlanta! See what I mean about the pics? I had a night flight to Dallas afterward, which is unusual, so we had to make sure the Atlanta signing line kept moving. Everyone was so cool about it, though, and I really loved all the people I met.
I checked into my Dallas hotel room around 1am and still managed a decent night's sleep. Really, on tours like this, my goals become very simple: 1) Make flights and signings on time 2) Eat at least two meals a day 3) Get at least 6 hours of sleep each night. If I achieve those, then things are going pretty well!
Sometimes, I get other bonuses. For example, in Dallas I also got to hang with some more amazing author friends. Seen here from left to right: Michele Bardsley, me, Jaye Wells, and Dakota Cassidy. Later, at my signing, author Vicki Pettersson also stopped by.
There are some who call it...Bling Academy.
Dallas had the honor of being my largest signing on this tour so far, taking about 3.5 hours from start to finish. Everyone there was super energized and upbeat, which helped make the time go fast. Along with the VA shirts, this signing is notable for showing some Georgina love too. For example, here's a couple of people dressed like Seth Mortensen. Love it.
There was also a Georgina quote shirt, highlighting a conversation between Georgina and Seth in Succubus Blues.
Ah, good times. Thank you so much to everyone who came out, near and far, to both of my signings. Thanks also to the great staff who helped make things run smoothly. In closing, here's a fun(?) story. When I checked into my Dallas hotel, I had this huge, really old room that was very nice but also a little eerie--maybe because of the age or just because it was so quiet. Anyway, I called my husband and jokingly told him the place was probably haunted. Well, guess what? I later found out that according to local legend, the hotel is haunted. Apparently, there's a story that a jilted bride committed suicide on the floor I was staying on and is sometimes seen and heard. This didn't make for a restful night's sleep during my second night there, but happily, I had no supernatural encounters. I'll leave those to my books, thank you.
And with that, I'm now getting ready for my Salt Lake City signing tonight. It'll be at the SLC Public Library downtown at 7pm. The event is being run by King's English Books, so call them with any questions. Tomorrow night will be my big homecoming signing in Seattle at University Bookstore. Details on both events, and signing guidelines, can be found under "Appearances" on my website.
Salt Lake City tonight
December 14, 2010
Dallas reminder
December 13, 2010
Good times in the Motor City
It was really amazing! It even made me feel nostalgic seeing Michigan and Michigan State shirts again. Oh, and there were some of these shirts too:
I'm glad to see so many friendships still able to survive in spite of divided alliances.
There were some tattoos here too, but they were of a less permanent nature! Still very nicely done.
I'm so grateful for everyone who braved the weather to come out and see me! It was fun, and the staff did a really good job of managing it all. Thanks so much, Borders.
The snow proved to be too much for my flight to Atlanta to get out tonight, so I'm staying over in Detroit yet again. For my fans in the Atlanta area, don't worry. This snow isn't nearly as bad as the Minneapolis Situation on Saturday. Detroit/Atlanta are Delta hubs, so there's a million flights out going out tomorrow. I'll be there, and I hope you are too! I'm definitely looking forward to some semi-warmer weather and southern food. See you guys tomorrow night, 6pm at the Decatur Public Library.
December 11, 2010
That one time I was in New York. Also: reflections on Minnesota.
I found out at 6am that my flight was cancelled due to the snow in Minneapolis. I was rescheduled for a later flight, in the hopes we would simply have a late start for the signing. No such luck. A few hours later, we found out that flight had been cancelled too, and there were no other options to get me there in a timely manner. That being said, I am relieved that a lot of readers didn't have to get out and fight the blizzard conditions. For those who were already out, I send many apologies and much gratitude for your efforts! The weather just wouldn't play ball with us today.
We do have plans to get me back to Minnesota. With the holidays, December is impossible at this point, but hopefully we can reschedule for next year--most likely when we're free of snow. We'll see, and I'll let you guys know whenever something gets figured out. I'm really, really sorry it didn't work out this time.
With no planes going to Minneapolis, I flew on to Detroit, so I'm here and ready for tomorrow's 2pm signing at the Novi Borders. That signing is definitely on, but travel safe since it's still winter in Michigan!
Despite no signing today (sob!), I still have pictures to post. I was finally able to download the pictures my husband took from the release day signing in New York City earlier this week. Let's relive it, shall we?
So, a few people came by, many of whom used the before-time to catch up on Last Sacrifice.
I was set up at a podium, wielding LS triumphantly!
Here's a broader view of the set-up. See if you can find all the cameras trained on me in the audience.
This close-up will show a few more of them. For friends who wonder why I'm such a control freak with pictures, this is why. I can't really explain what it's like to have so many people photographing or recording me. It's surreal. It's something you start to get used to and yet never get used to.
New York had its share of T-shirts...
And although the signing line looks crazy here, it was actually really well-run by the bookstore. I'm very grateful to the staff for managing it all!
All in all, a really great way to kick off the release of the new book! Thank you so much to everyone who came out and to those who watched the webcast of the event.
As an aside, posting these pictures shows me just how much my husband's camera pwns the little one I take with me on tour. Ah, well. I only have so much room in my luggage when I do these things!
As another aside, I wanted to post a pic of the dress I wore to the NYC signing. This was done with a camera phone, so it doesn't do the dress justice. But, what's cool is that this dress was a birthday present from my awesome husband. It was made by Monica Gutweis, a Seattle fashion designer, just for me. I love it and want to wear it around the house.
Anyway, time for me to get some room service and catch up on missed TV. Sorry again, Minnesota! And Detroit, I'll see you tomorrow.
Cancelled: Mall of America signing
I'm going straight on to Detroit instead, because that signing is not affected. See you there, Michigan!
