Geonn Cannon's Blog, page 5
March 24, 2015
Underdogs: Red in Tooth and Claw Cover Reveal!
Coming July 1, 2015!
Canidae private investigator Ariadne Willow and her girlfriend Dale have had a hectic couple of years, dealing with murderous clients while attempting to stop an all-out war between hunters and wolves. After stopping the onset of wolf manoth, Ari decides it’s well past time that she and Dale take a vacation. Two weeks of rest and relaxation at the cabin where their relationship went from business to romance sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered. Dale hopes the opportunity to slow down will ease some of the pain Ari has been suffering from her transformations.
Their plans are thrown for a loop when Ari goes for a run and stumbles over the body of a dead girl hidden deep in the woods near the cabin. When she returns with the police the body has vanished and the scene hastily cleaned up. The police don’t see any evidence to confirm Ari’s claims but her enhanced canidae senses confirm the body was there and has vanished. With the police refuse to investigate based only on her word, Ari and Dale begin digging for the truth and quickly learn that the and there are some secrets people will go to any lengths to keep buried.
Red in Tooth and Claw
March 1, 2015
New Book Alert!
Cinder and the Smoke is officially available at ebook sellers everywhere! (although if you purchased it through the publisher’s website or my store, I get a fraction more money, so choose your purchase wisely ;D).
In nineteenth century New York, safes aren’t living up to their name. A thief so wily, so impossible to capture the police call her “the Smoke,” has been targeting the wealthy. In reality, the Smoke is a woman named Kezia Cyr, a woman born in prison, stolen from her mother, and raised by runaways and pickpockets. When her emotions cause a job to blow up in her face, Kezia’s adoptive family scatters, and she is left to avenge those she’s lost.
The Smoke may finally meet her match in Pinkerton Agent Shelby Button, who earned the moniker “Cinder” for running into a burning building to capture a criminal. Button finds Kezia’s trail and refuses to let her prey go without a fight.
With a decade-old murder to avenge, Kezia will stop at nothing to correct her past mistakes, and Agent Button is willing to trek across the country to bring the phantom Smoke to justice once and for all.
This one has everything: lesbians, bisexuals, a crossdressing thief with a heart of gold, a female boxer in 1880s New York City, an obsessed Pinkerton detective, and a milk bottle that is used in a way that is definitely not recommended by the dairy company.
February 19, 2015
I’m Mentioned in a Podcast!
“We’re working on a project with an author named Geonn Cannon, and he has a series called Riley Parra, that has lesbian leads and we are… it’s the one project that I wish we could move faster on. But it has a lot of scifi elements and like fantasy elements, which tends to be a little bit more expensive so what we’ve been working on is finding someone who can do post on it. He’s very smart, because he’s written it so we can shoot it without there having to be a ton of special effects. But it’s a super compelling story, and he’s done a really great job of writing… he’s sort of like a Joss Whedon, like the way he writes strong women, and he plays on Twitter with us a lot. He’s really great. And he has a really great fan following.”
- Christin Baker, CEO of Tello Films on The Lesbian Lounge podcast
This is from the February 18 podcast for The Lesbian Lounge (which you can find… well, people know where I find podcasts. If I know, it’s common knowledge). I’m blown away that I got mentioned at all, let alone in comparison to Joss Whedon. I’m not saying I’m on his same wavelength, but I AM around the same age he was when Buffy took off. So you never know… 
January 28, 2015
May I Present Nadine Powell, in the… plush
Made by Lindsay Mays
Coolest Kickstarter perk ever…? The reward included a custom plush, and I thought who better to request than the original Squire’s Isle resident, Nadine Powell? Nadine wasn’t the first Squire’s Isle character I ever wrote (that honor goes to Amy Wellis), but she was the one who made everything blow up into what it is today. When she was introduced in On the Air I had no idea what sort of world I was building. Now the island feels like home to me, and the people there are precious. I feel like I know them. There’s a reason Nadine’s voice is often the first thing visitors to the island hear. Nadine is the heart and soul of Squire’s Isle, so she definitely deserves this honor.
January 5, 2015
Who is Riley Parra?
For all those Tello subscribers and followers who are wondering “Just who IS Riley Parra?”, allow me to educate you!
Riley Parra is a cop in a town gone to hell. Over the years certain parts of the city have gotten so crime-ridden that even the police refuse to go there anymore. Dubbed No Man’s Land, these fringe neighborhoods are where law-abiding citizens are only welcome as victims even when the sun is up. Riley grew up in No Man’s Land, so she refuses to stand idly by while her city is eaten alive from the inside out. During the course of her latest investigation, she stumbles over the shocking truth that the decline of her home is because angels and demons are real, and they’re doing battle in No Man’s Land. Declared champion for the side of good, Riley teams up with her guardian angel – undercover as a mortal to better protect Riley and aid her in the coming battle – and a beautiful medical examiner that Riley must keep at arm’s length for her own safety. If demons want a fight, then Riley and her friends are more than willing to give them one.
The short-story series was originally released episodically online, then collected into “seasons” and released as ebooks. Now Tello is looking to turn them into an honest-to-goodness webseries, but they want to do it right. That means money, and that means getting the word out and making sure people want this. I know people want this! We just have to make our voices heard!
So if you have Twitter, tweet from here! If you don’t have Twitter, leave a comment here and I’ll point Tello to this post so they can see you!
Signal Boost for Riley Parra!
Signal boost!
Tello Films is excited about Riley, but they have to know everyone else is, too! It’s going to be a big undertaking and they can’t make it blindly. They have to know you guys are out there! They want to know what kind of support they can expect for their investment. So click the following link and get the word out! Spread it far and wide and let them know that you want to see Riley and her cohorts brought to life! If you’re sick of TNT teasing Rizzoli & Isles while never delivering, make your voice heard to producers who will actually let the detective and the medical examiner make out with each other! (full disclosure, I wrote the first Riley story before Rizzoli & Isles came along, but even if I hadn’t, I’m sure a Detective/ME pairing would have cropped up in my writing somewhere. ;))
This can only happen if the fans and the support is there! Click this link, tweet the tweet, and then spread the word as far and wide as you can. If you want to support this but don’t have a Twitter, let me know and we’ll see if there’s an alternative you can use to get the word out.
December 27, 2014
Cover Reveal – Cinder and the Smoke
The cover for Cinder and the Smoke has been released! It’s a Victorian-era crime story set in New York and Seattle in the 1880s, featuring a crossdressing safecracker nicknamed the Smoke. When she starts making a name for herself in the underworld, she attracts the attention of a tenacious Pinkerton nicknamed Cinder. The novel comes out in ebook format in March!
In nineteenth century New York, safes aren’t living up to their name. A thief so wily, so impossible to capture the the police call her “the Smoke” has been targeting the wealthy. In reality the Smoke is a woman named Kezia Cyr, a woman born in prison, stolen from her mother, and raised by runaways and pickpockets. When her emotions causes a job to blow up in her face, Kezia’s adoptive family scatters and she is left to avenge those she’s lost.
The Smoke may finally meet her match in Pinkerton Agent Shelby Button who earned the moniker “Cinder” for running into a burning building to capture a criminal. Button finds Kezia’s trail and refuses to let her prey go without a fight.
With a decade-old murder to avenge, Kezia will stop at nothing to correct her past mistakes, and Agent Button is willing to trek across the country to bring the phantom Smoke to justice once and for all.
December 7, 2014
Underdogs: Dogs of War – Rainbow Award Winner!
Ari and Dale are officially award winners!
The latest Underdogs book, Dogs of War just won the Rainbow Award for Lesbian Sci-fi/Futuristic & Fantasy! How’s that for a birthday present? I guess people just respond to a story about a lesbian werewolf leading a small army of wolves against a terrorist group of hunters on the streets of Seattle. Who knew? ;D
The other novels I had in the running… What Matter Wounds? (Claire Lance 5) was second place in Contemporary General Fiction, and Girls Don’t Hit came in fourth on Mystery/Thriller. So all-in-all not a bad run. ;D
December 3, 2014
Radiation Canary: Perfect Pitch
In honor of the hardcover release of The Rise and Fall of Radiation Canary (available now from Amazon, B&N, or wherever you buy books!), a brand-new “bonus track” story featuring Lana Kent. This takes place during their “off” year of 2010 before their live album, when the band was focusing less on recording and more on just enjoying their newfound celebrity. This doesn’t spoil any larger plot points of the book, it’s just a fun little side story about what the girls got up to one Saturday afternoon.
Perfect Pitch
by Geonn Cannon
Copyright © 2014 Geonn Cannon
A publicist from the team came and got her when it was time, and Lana nervously followed her up out of the bunker to the field. On either side of the ramp people were crowding and hanging down with pads, albums, and Sharpies, and she paused just long enough to promise she would come back and sign whatever they wanted her to sign once she was done. “If you still want me to, that is. I might embarrass myself thoroughly out there and you’ll want nothing to do with me.”
Lana had no idea what she was doing there. The team called Cartography Records and asked if one of the band members would be willing to throw out the first pitch, with Lana being their number one choice. Lana was honored, and terrified, and excited at the prospect, but now that the moment was upon her she was starting to question the wisdom of agreeing. The next few minutes could be horribly humiliating.
She followed the woman with the clipboard and the headset, the uniform of someone Who Knows What Was Going On and stood nervously beside her at the edge of the grass. Above the seating section directly ahead of them was a massive Jumbotron screen that was currently showing clips from Radiation Canary videos and Settle In, Seattle! appearances. There were so many people in the stands. Not as many as there could have been, but the empty seats did nothing to help her nerves. There was a peculiar stereophonic effect to their cheering: directly behind her she could hear people as if she was standing among them, while the crowd on the other side of the stadium sounded hollow as they echoed across the field.
Lana rocked from one foot to the other, bouncing on the heels of her feet and rubbing her hands together. She was wearing a white Mariners jersey with her last name emblazoned above the number 8. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Someone handed her a mitt and she slid it on, pausing to be sure it was on the right hand. She was right handed, so the mitt would go on the left. Or… wait…
Her confusion was interrupted by the echoing, god-like voice of the stadium announcer. “…throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, please give a warm welcome the lead singer of Radiation Canary… Lana Kent!”
The publicist ushered her forward, and Lana ran out onto the grass. She had been practicing from the moment she got the call: oranges, apples, anything vaguely spherical that fit into her hand got thrown. She measured out ninety feet and threw until her entire arm was sore, until she consistently got it across the hypothetical plate. She was only going to get one chance at it. Every eye in the stadium was on her as she went to the pitcher’s mound and assumed the stance. She took the ball from the mitt, thumped it against her palm a few times, and then eyed the catcher.
“This can go one of two ways,” Karen postulated on the ride to the stadium. “You can throw an absolutely perfect pitch and no one cares, or you can throw one of the most humiliatingly bad pitches in the history of the sport and get tons of exposure from late-night comics.”
“I feel so much better. Thanks.”
Codie had said, “Just remember to throw at home plate. You throw at home plate, not second or third. If you turn around before you throw, you’ve done screwed up.”
Now she was on the mound, and the catcher was holding his glove out. It seemed like a thousand miles away, a lot more than the distance she’d marked out in her building’s parking lot. She exhaled slowly, well aware that she was surrounded by hundreds of people who didn’t give a crap if she pitched well or not. They just wanted to see the game, and she was currently holding them up.
Lana planted her feet shoulder-width apart. She shifted her weight slowly, brought her arm up and around, and she felt the ball slide off her fingers. Her momentum carried her forward but she stayed upright, years of dance teaching her to maintain her balance even as her back foot lifted off the ground. The catcher rose slightly out of his crouch and extended his arm, and by some minor miracle, the ball landed directly in the pocket.
Her relief was so great that she made a fist and pulled it back toward herself in victory as she jogged to meet the catcher halfway between the mound and home plate. He put his arm around her and they posed for a photographer from the newspaper.
“Not too bad, right?” she said.
“Actually pretty good,” he told her.
She grinned for the picture, and once it was snapped he signed the ball for her. She took it, thanked him, and jogged back off the field where she would sign autographs for everyone who wanted one. She was on the access ramp for most of the first inning, taking outstretched programs and baseballs, signing her name on popcorn bags and spare bits of paper. Some people took pictures of her with their phone and she tried to stretch so they could be in the picture together.
By the time the crowd of autograph seekers evaporated, Codie had appeared at the bottom of the ramp. She clapped as Lana walked up to her.
“Not too bad, Kent.”
Lana linked an arm around her friend’s waist. “I didn’t embarrass the band. Didn’t get us exposure all over late-night TV, either.”
“Well, you can’t win them all. How’s your arm?”
“Good. I’m glad I don’t have to keep practicing, though.” She rolled her shoulder. “Where are Karen and Nessa?”
“They’re holding our seats. I thought you might want an escort so you didn’t get snapped up by any recruiters after they saw you pitch.”
Lana laughed. “I wasn’t that good. Maybe the minor leagues.”
“We could start our own all-woman baseball team.”
“Or we could just watch A League of Their Own again.”
“Well, we’re definitely going to do that.” She held up her hand. “Well done, Kent. You did the band proud.”
Lana slapped Codie’s palm with her own. “Come on. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks.”
Codie chuckled and led her toward the concession stand.
In honor of the hardcover release of The Rise and Fall of...
In honor of the hardcover release of The Rise and Fall of Radiation Canary (available now from Amazon, B&N, or wherever you buy books!), a brand-new “bonus track” story featuring Lana Kent. This takes place during their “off” year of 2010 before their live album, when the band was focusing less on recording and more on just enjoying their newfound celebrity. This doesn’t spoil any larger plot points of the book, it’s just a fun little side story about what the girls got up to one Saturday afternoon.
Perfect Pitch
by Geonn Cannon
Copyright © 2014 Geonn Cannon
A publicist from the team came and got her when it was time, and Lana nervously followed her up out of the bunker to the field. On either side of the ramp people were crowding and hanging down with pads, albums, and Sharpies, and she paused just long enough to promise she would come back and sign whatever they wanted her to sign once she was done. “If you still want me to, that is. I might embarrass myself thoroughly out there and you’ll want nothing to do with me.”
Lana had no idea what she was doing there. The team called Cartography Records and asked if one of the band members would be willing to throw out the first pitch, with Lana being their number one choice. Lana was honored, and terrified, and excited at the prospect, but now that the moment was upon her she was starting to question the wisdom of agreeing. The next few minutes could be horribly humiliating.
She followed the woman with the clipboard and the headset, the uniform of someone Who Knows What Was Going On and stood nervously beside her at the edge of the grass. Above the seating section directly ahead of them was a massive Jumbotron screen that was currently showing clips from Radiation Canary videos and Settle In, Seattle! appearances. There were so many people in the stands. Not as many as there could have been, but the empty seats did nothing to help her nerves. There was a peculiar stereophonic effect to their cheering: directly behind her she could hear people as if she was standing among them, while the crowd on the other side of the stadium sounded hollow as they echoed across the field.
Lana rocked from one foot to the other, bouncing on the heels of her feet and rubbing her hands together. She was wearing a white Mariners jersey with her last name emblazoned above the number 8. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Someone handed her a mitt and she slid it on, pausing to be sure it was on the right hand. She was right handed, so the mitt would go on the left. Or… wait…
Her confusion was interrupted by the echoing, god-like voice of the stadium announcer. “…throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, please give a warm welcome the lead singer of Radiation Canary… Lana Kent!”
The publicist ushered her forward, and Lana ran out onto the grass. She had been practicing from the moment she got the call: oranges, apples, anything vaguely spherical that fit into her hand got thrown. She measured out ninety feet and threw until her entire arm was sore, until she consistently got it across the hypothetical plate. She was only going to get one chance at it. Every eye in the stadium was on her as she went to the pitcher’s mound and assumed the stance. She took the ball from the mitt, thumped it against her palm a few times, and then eyed the catcher.
“This can go one of two ways,” Karen postulated on the ride to the stadium. “You can throw an absolutely perfect pitch and no one cares, or you can throw one of the most humiliatingly bad pitches in the history of the sport and get tons of exposure from late-night comics.”
“I feel so much better. Thanks.”
Codie had said, “Just remember to throw at home plate. You throw at home plate, not second or third. If you turn around before you throw, you’ve done screwed up.”
Now she was on the mound, and the catcher was holding his glove out. It seemed like a thousand miles away, a lot more than the distance she’d marked out in her building’s parking lot. She exhaled slowly, well aware that she was surrounded by hundreds of people who didn’t give a crap if she pitched well or not. They just wanted to see the game, and she was currently holding them up.
Lana planted her feet shoulder-width apart. She shifted her weight slowly, brought her arm up and around, and she felt the ball slide off her fingers. Her momentum carried her forward but she stayed upright, years of dance teaching her to maintain her balance even as her back foot lifted off the ground. The catcher rose slightly out of his crouch and extended his arm, and by some minor miracle, the ball landed directly in the pocket.
Her relief was so great that she made a fist and pulled it back toward herself in victory as she jogged to meet the catcher halfway between the mound and home plate. He put his arm around her and they posed for a photographer from the newspaper.
“Not too bad, right?” she said.
“Actually pretty good,” he told her.
She grinned for the picture, and once it was snapped he signed the ball for her. She took it, thanked him, and jogged back off the field where she would sign autographs for everyone who wanted one. She was on the access ramp for most of the first inning, taking outstretched programs and baseballs, signing her name on popcorn bags and spare bits of paper. Some people took pictures of her with their phone and she tried to stretch so they could be in the picture together.
By the time the crowd of autograph seekers evaporated, Codie had appeared at the bottom of the ramp. She clapped as Lana walked up to her.
“Not too bad, Kent.”
Lana linked an arm around her friend’s waist. “I didn’t embarrass the band. Didn’t get us exposure all over late-night TV, either.”
“Well, you can’t win them all. How’s your arm?”
“Good. I’m glad I don’t have to keep practicing, though.” She rolled her shoulder. “Where are Karen and Nessa?”
“They’re holding our seats. I thought you might want an escort so you didn’t get snapped up by any recruiters after they saw you pitch.”
Lana laughed. “I wasn’t that good. Maybe the minor leagues.”
“We could start our own all-woman baseball team.”
“Or we could just watch A League of Their Own again.”
“Well, we’re definitely going to do that.” She held up her hand. “Well done, Kent. You did the band proud.”
Lana slapped Codie’s palm with her own. “Come on. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks.”
Codie chuckled and led her toward the concession stand.
