Richelle Mead's Blog, page 29

Checking in

Hey, guys. Sorry things have been so quiet! Basically, the reason I haven't been blogging much is that I'm on a pretty aggressive schedule to meet some December deadlines. So, I've been giving most of my writing energy to the books these days. So let's do some catching up here, ok?

First up, last Friday was my birthday, and thank you so much for the many kind wishes I received! It was pretty amazing to get so many nice notes from all around the world. With the different time zones, it was kind of like my birthday lasted two days. So again, thank you!

Lots of cool things have been going on. Since my last update, Penguin Australia has made two more Last Sacrifice teasers, which you can view by scrolling through their YouTube page. Over in this hemisphere, Penguin US has made a Last Sacrifice app for Facebook, so you can spread the love to your friends.

Over in tour news, a note for Minnesota folks. The start time for my December 11 in St. Paul has been changed from 1pm to 1:30pm, so now you have an extra half-hour to sleep in. All the updated tour info and policies can be viewed over on my calendar page.

Okay, now that business is out of the way, we'll do some show and tell. Recent web sleuthing turned up some international covers for Succubus Shadows. Here are German and French editions, respectively. As always, I've got a couple other new international covers kicking around in email and on my other computer that I'll put up one of these days.






Enjoy! Back to work for me...

Last Sacrifice Teasers

Okay, guys. Sorry for the delay in posting anything. First up, if you missed the last post, make sure you check it or my website to see my tour schedule in December. Maybe I'll be in your area!

The second thing to address is a lot of questions about when the excerpt for Last Sacrifice is going up. Traditionally, I've posted the first chapter a month before release date, but I said a little while ago that I wasn't going to be able to do that this time. My publisher is going to run it later this month, most likely the week of Thanksgiving (the week of the 25th). I know that's an unbearable wait for some of you, but so it goes. Hang in there!

In the meantime, VA's down under publisher, Penguin Australia, has started doing YouTube teasers for Last Sacrifice. Each teaser is paired with images, which probably won't make much sense until you read the book. But who knows? Maybe you can figure out something! They have meaning.

There are two teasers out right now, one about a character and one with a quote. The first character one is for Christian, and before you freak out too much, make sure you notice that there are question marks in there. :)




The second teaser is of a quote, one I like quite a bit...but maybe that's conceited of me, since I wrote it.



Penguin Australia will release a teaser every few days until release day. I'll try to keep you updated here, but you can also check their YouTube page or their Facebook page (do a search for Penguin Paranormal). Enjoy!

Last Sacrifice Tour Schedule

Here it is at last, and I'm very excited to share the news! Remember that it's impossible to visit every city in the world. I'm so sorry I can't see everybody, but there's always next time! My publisher plans my tours and has very good reasons for the cities chosen. Please read this post I did about how tours are planned if you're curious.

Good news here is that even if I'm not visiting your city, a number of U.S. bookstores are hosting Last Sacrifice release parties, which'll have prizes and autographed bookplates on hand. That list will hopefully be coming next week. Also, the New York signing will be webcast live, so you can attend virtually and even participate in the Q&A no matter where in the world you live.

Okay, here's the official schedule. Please check out the signing policies at the bottom!

Note - sometimes, for space reasons, a bookstore holds the signing off-site. If one of these says "location," that's where the event will actually be at. The "bookseller" is who will be selling books at the event and who to contact in advance about questions and pre-orders.

Tuesday, December 7 - New York City - 7:00
Barnes & Noble (Tribeca)
97 Warren St., New York, NY
(212) 587-5389
Live webcast!

Wednesday, December 8 - Philadelphia - 7:00pm
Location: Mercer Museum
84 S. Pine St., Doylestown, PA 18901
Bookseller: Doylestown Bookstore
16 S Main St, Doylestown, PA 18901
(215) 230-7610

Thursday, December 9 - Chicago - 7:00pm
Location: Northside College Prep
5501 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
Bookseller: The Book Cellar
4736 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 293-2665

Friday, December 10 - Cincinnati - 7:00pm
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
2692 Madison Rd # M
Cincinnati, OH 45208
(513) 396-8960

Saturday, December 11 - St. Paul/Minneapolis - 1:00pm
Location: The Mall of America
Bookseller: Barnes and Noble
118 E. Broadway Suite 238, Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 854-1455

Sunday, December 12 - Detroit - 2:00pm
Borders
43075 Crescent Blvd.
Novi, MI
(248) 347-0780

Monday, December 13 - Atlanta - 6:00pm
Location: Decatur Public Library
215 Sycamore St., Decatur, Georgia 30030
Bookseller: Little Shop of Stories / Georgia Center for the Book
133A East Court Square, Decatur, Georgia 30030
(404) 373-6300

Tuesday, December 14 - Dallas - 6:30pm
Borders
965 West Bethany Dr.
Allen, TX 75013
(214) 383-9676

Wednesday, December 15 - Salt Lake City - 7:00pm
Location: Salt Lake City Public Library
210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Bookseller: King's English
1511 S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105
(801) 484-9100

Thursday, December 16 - Seattle - 7:00pm
University Bookstore
4326 University Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 634-3400

Signing Policies:
-I sign a total of three books per person, one personalized and two just autographed. If you bring your mom or your friend, give them three books, and you can have six or nine signed, etc.
-I will sign any of my books from any series.
-You can bring in books you own. They don't have to be purchased at the store.
-BUT if you pre-order Last Sacrifice from the bookseller, you will get one bracelet that gets you a spot near the front of the signing line. (Each store will have 100 bracelets, first come first serve). If you don't pre-order, no worries--you'll still get your books signed. It's totally cool.
-If you pre-order, you can pick up your book on release day. You don't have to wait until the day of your city's signing! Or you can pick it up at the signing. Your choice.
-Call or go to the bookstore listed above for more info on pre-orders. Note that some stores are holding the events off-site, so if you pick up your pre-order before the day of the event, you'll do that at the store (not the signing location).
-I'll take pictures with people, time permitting. Which it should. :)

For any other questions about the actual selling/pre-ordering process, check with the bookstore because this is the extent of my knowledge. I just write the books!

Hope to see you guys there!

What's new?

I've been blog-absent recently, largely because I haven't had too much news to share. I still don't have a huge amount, but I've got a little something. I've also got lots to report about some of my author friends. First, I'll get me out of the way.

The cities and dates for the Last Sacrifice tour have been determined, but I can't announce them until my publisher has all the details hammered out, which...drumroll...should be next week! So, think of this as an announcement of an upcoming announcement. They've got me going to a wide range of U.S. cities, and while it's impossible to visit every city on every tour, I think this'll make a lot of people happy. Stay tuned for next week! I also found out that even some bookstores I'm not touring at will still be having release day parties, so I'll try to get that list too.

The other news is about the first chapter of Last Sacrifice. My publisher is in charge of when it'll be available, and they've decided this time to put it out around the fourth week of November. That's later than usual, but since sometimes excerpt aren't allowed at all from new books, I'm glad we're able to have any sneak-peek at all. When I hear more details about its posting date, I'll definitely let you know.

Meanwhile, let's talk about books that ARE out. Because this has been a hot week, and a lot of my friends have new releases. Like...


Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Jackie's a long-time pal of mine and one of the reasons I wrote Vampire Academy. I had actually started writing it early in 2006 (though it looked nothing like the VA we know today) and quit because it was turning into a mess. Later that year, Jackie started writing a young adult book, and I got inspired by how excited and passionate she was. So, I dug out VA and totally reworked it. I owe Jackie a lot! Hunger is a really great book, though it's not for the faint of heart. It's about an anorexic teen girl who becomes one of the four riders of the Apocalypse, and Jackie isn't afraid to delve into the ugly details of eating disorders. It's still funny and action-packed, but the overall message is serious and a definite eye-opener. I'm kind of a snob when it comes to books. A novel can have the best idea in the world, but if the writing sucks, I won't read it. Jackie is such a good writer that she could write about the most boring topic ever, and it would still be interesting. Fortunately, she has awesome ideas, so this is a must-read.



Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Let's not even talk about the story for a minute. Can I just say I'm in love with the cover alone? Also, I've always wanted to name a book Nightshade, so I have double-love going on here. Andrea's a fellow redhead and Razorbill author and was my New York travel buddy at BookExpo earlier this year. She's super nice and has all sorts of cool things going on in Nightshade, like werewolves, arranged marriage, and forbidden love. Sold yet? If not, I should add that Andrea's book was also challenged in a school before it even came out, just like Last Sacrifice was. In Andrea's case, the book was protested by a parent who hadn't read it (how could she have?) but who had heard that Andrea supported another banned author. That's just crazy talk. You can read Andrea's commentary on it (and the recap of my own banning) over at this Huffington Post article





Ghost Town by Rachel Caine

Last but not least, the next installment of the Morganville Vampires is coming out this week! This is one of my favorite vampire series, which is saying something because...well, I won't lie. When you write vampire fiction for a living, you don't like reading it for fun. But I love this series, and Rachel has been kind and supportive to me since before my very first book ever came out. She also let me feast on Girl Scout Cookies the last time I was at her house in Texas. Rachel's going to be touring this week and next for the new book, and she's making a pretty good sweep around the country. You can see her tour schedule here and should go out and see her if she's coming near you because she is delightful. It's a sad irony that I have a conflict when she's signing here in Seattle, but I'm hoping to still say hi to her while she's in town. Good times.



And that's the news so far! Big things should be coming soon. Check back!

More coverage

Today I continue my completely haphazard system of posting international book covers--which is to say, there is no system. I post them when I remember I've got a stash built up, and I always miss some that people have sent me. I've also got a bunch of actual copies in my warehouse (a.k.a. my guestroom) from different countries that I need to scan in. One of these days I'll get organized. For now, I'll just keep posting what's fresh on my computer:

First up, a very elegant Vampire Academy from Estonia:



Bulgaria's got Spirit Bound now, catching them up with the English speaking countries and Germany.



Here are two entries from Turkey, the land of Abe's birth. First, Shadow Kiss:



And then a more demure Blood Promise:



Finally, big news for UK readers. The VA series is going to be re-released with this style of cover. You can't get the full effect from this image, but I'm told the new covers will be textured, which will make the design really stand out.


And for those who like moving pictures, you can see a video I did with the fabulous Charlaine Harris in San Diego over on Last Sacrifice's Amazon page. I always end up being very formal while filmed, and it really shows here. There were a lot of people watching us film this (plus, I mean, wow--Charlaine Harris!) that I especially felt I had to be very precise and proper. Nonetheless, it was super fun doing this with her, and I even talk about LS a little. Enjoy!

Goodies

We're almost at the two month mark for Last Sacrifice's release. Can you believe it? It probably still seems like ages for some of you, but for me, it's right around the corner. Early December is doubly important for me because I have to finish the first drafts of Succubus Revealed and the first book of the VA spin-off series by then too. So, these are busy, busy days for me! People always ask, so to be clear: Last Sacrifice is finished and currently being turned into a real live book. Sometimes people think I don't finish it until the day it comes out, but it needs lead time to be printed and shipped to bookstores.

So, I don't have any books for you yet, but while I'm busy writing, the folks who are licensed to make merchandise for my various series have been hard at work creating all sorts of cool products. Here's a tour of what's out there right now, and I'll give you the scoop on what else I know.

Arcane Vault

Arcane Vault is the authorized dealer for VA shirts, bookmarks, and keychains. They recently revealed that they've got hoodies coming out soon, and I also got a sneak peek of some really, really gorgeous shirts coming out later this winter. Shirts that I wish were in my closet RIGHT NOW.

Their product line is on their main website, but they also run a great Facebook page where they interact with fans, get feedback on future products, and run contests.

AV ships internationally.






Cadsawan Jewelry

Cadsawan is the authorized seller of VA jewelry and carries all sorts of necklaces, earrings, and bracelets featuring the various tattoos from the series. They also have roses and nazars and will soon reveal element charms too. Through October, Cadsawan is running a deal where you can get 15% off your purchase with this discount code: RMVA15 Cadaswan also ships internationally.




Sea Lion Books

Sea Lion is the publisher of the Storm Born graphic novel. That doesn't come out until next year, but in the meantime, their artists have been turning out all sorts of cool stuff. One of them is this poster of Eugenie and Dorian, all tangled up! If you follow the above link to Sea Lion's page and then click on the image, it will show you a larger image and give you stats on cost and size of the print poster. Awesome stuff.


So, I hope these guys can help pass the time until December! And for me, it's back to work.

Banned Books Weeks

I recently posted a "Happy Banned Books Week!" message and was surprised at the responses I got from people who didn't know what it was. I felt this earned a basic overview, and even if it's repeated info for some of you, it's still worth it to make sure this is out there.

When someone bans a book, they're essentially saying others aren't allowed to read it. People have banned books for various reasons throughout human history. Sometimes it's offense over language, violence, or sexual content. Sometimes it's because books put out messages that challenge governments, religion, or other societal ideas. Whatever the reason behind it, banning books is still a type of censorship. Banning a book takes away someone's choice to read the book and make up his or her own mind about the content. For many, it is a type of intellectual control. People think by removing a book from the reach of others, they can stop people from acting or thinking in certain ways.

Now, do I think there are books out there that are terrible? Yes. Books that promote racism, sexism, and all the other hates in the world are books I would never want to read. And that's the thing: I don't want to read them. That's my choice. I don't agree with their views, but I don't have the right to force others to read or not read them. That's what banning does. It takes away choice and freedom of speech. A parent is within his or her rights if they don't think a book is appropriate for their child. They don't, however, have the right to decide what books are inappropriate for everyone else's children.

I live in the U.S., and there's no official "Banned Books Council" with some great, far-reaching power to make certain books illegal to all people everywhere. When we talk about a book being banned, it's usually been banned by a school, a church, or some other group. A "banned book" is simply a book that someone, somewhere has tried to put on a list and keep from others. Some of the greatest classics of all time have been on banned books lists, often for the very reasons that make them classics: they present ideas that make you question the world around you. Plenty of modern books are constantly being banned too. The Harry Potter books were banned by a number of churches for "teaching witchcraft" to children. My Vampire Academy books were banned by a school in Texas because teenagers have sex in the series.

Banned Books Week encourages you to spread the word about this issue and take a stand for freedom of speech and information. Check out commonly banned books and see what ideas in them are so shocking to others. The ALA sponsors Banned Books Week and has a lot of great resources here. There's also a nice AARP article here that lists some commonly banned books and the reasons why.

In closing, people often send me condolences about VA being banned by that school in Texas. Honestly, though, I'm not offended at all. Like I said, many books that are banned are ones that make people think, and if VA has made that list and is controversial enough for someone to hold a meeting over it, then I'm honored. And I'm actually kind of amused that they banned the entire series before it was finished--meaning my books have been baned...IN THE FUTURE.

Do you have favorite banned books? Two of mine are Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Toronto Report!

My Canadian adventure began at 3:30am on Friday, when my husband and I woke up and headed off to the airport. A long day of travel followed, but all of our flights were smooth, and we actually got into Toronto early, which was good since a wind storm was blowing in right behind us.



We settled into our hotel and then met up with author Michelle Rowen and her friend Bonnie for dinner at the CN Tower, Canada's answer to the Space Needle. We ate in the tower's revolving restaurant, giving us a chance to "see all of Toronto" since we really didn't have any other time for sightseeing. There was a baseball game going on below us, and I don't think anyone in the stadium can say they had farther-out seats than ours.



At dinner, we learned about the Canada Life tower, which displays weather predictions with the colors and patterns of lights on its top. My husband doesn't buy that it predicts the weather, though. He's certain that Canadians are actually controlling the weather with it.



The next morning (Saturday), I kicked off my day in proper Canadian style: with a Tom Horton's meal. I could live off of TH's French Vanilla coffee. Of course, any restaurant that includes donuts with its sandwich value meals instantly earns my approval.



Shortly thereafter, I got to sign with Carrie Jones, author of Need and Captivate, who is absolutely hilarious.



Toronto was packed with YA authors because of the Teen Read Awards. There were all sorts of signings throughout the city that day, sometimes at the same time, which made it hard for readers to attend everything. I saw groups of friends and sisters who split up and went to different author events in order to get all their books signed. Many thanks to those who turned out for ours. It was awesome.



After the signing, we headed over to the Teen Read Awards, put on by Indigo. Or, as they spell it, !ndigo. There were tons and tons of authors there, and it was really great getting to chat with them. Here I am with Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Ally Carter.



And here's the stunning Alyson Noel. I didn't realize how much taller she was than me until this picture!



The main floor of the awards was kind of set up like a rockin' dance club, which worked well since there were musical acts between the award announcements. Emily Osment was one of the performers.



Of course, sometimes there was entertainment on the floor itself—like this impromptu dance-off that broke out.



The awards were hosted by Jessi Cruickshank and Dan Levy, who did a great job. I'm totally jealous of her ability to walk in heels that high.



And guess what? Vampire Academy won the Best Teen Series award! So exciting!



The awards were decided by votes cast on the Teen Read Awards page over the last few months, so thank you SO much to those who voted for me. I really, really appreciate it. There were so many great authors nominated in all categories, and I just think it's awesome that someone had a book awards ceremony and that people love books enough to help vote and attend.



All the nominees for the awards have had big displays in Chapters and Indigo stores for the last few months. Dimitri was nominated for the "best hottie" award too, and though he didn't win, Spirit Bound still got to have this cute little sticker on it. I love it.



Results from the other categories (and more pictures) can be found here. Good times!



We were awakened bright and early on Sunday morning to the dulcet sounds of the Canadian national anthem. Why? Because the Toronto Waterfront Marathon was going on right outside our window. It wasn't quite the wake-up I'd expected, but seeing the runners was pretty neat.



The marathon shut down half of the city's streets, which made driving pretty sketchy that day. Nonetheless, I made the rounds to a number of stores, so if you weren't able to get out to the signing, you can find autographed copies of my books at: the Yonge & Eglinton Indigo, the Indigo kids store at Eaton Center, the Chapters at Bayshore Mall, the World's Biggest Bookstore on Edward Street, and I *think* the Indigo at 55 Bloor St, but I need to double-check. As always, call to check if in doubt.

Thanks for a great trip, Toronto!

Storm Born graphic novel!

First up, I want to remind my Canadian pals once again that I'll be signing at 2pm this Saturday, September 25, in Toronto. Location and details are here. Remember also that author Carrie Jones will be signing with me AND Becca Fitzpatrick and Ally Carter will be signing at the store before us at 12pm. So, if you hang out for the afternoon, you can have an action-packed mega-afternoon of author fun. Hope to see you guys there!

And if you got tickets to the Teen Read Awards, I'll see you there ...

Toronto signing

Anyone who has read Succubus Heat knows of my deep love for Canada and its pastry products. And as promised, I have some good news for Toronto people. I will be there this coming weekend and signing on Saturday, September 25, at 2pm, with author Carrie Jones. Here are the details:

Yonge and Eglinton Indigo
2300 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario M4P 1E4
(416)544-0049

This will follow normal signing procedure, and I'll try to find something good to read to you. Going to Toronto was a very, very recent d...