Kim Harrison's Blog, page 105

Manic Monday!

Books are gone!  Thanks, guys!  If we get our posters in the next couple of days, we'll have a much larger offering of glow in the dark posters next Monday to celebrate the mass market release of Pale Demon.  

As promised, I have a manic Monday today.  Glow in the dark posters are still in transit, and because I don't have a clue if there will be ten or a hundred, we are going to wait on those and give away books for shipping and handling.  Today, I have 18 sets of the UK edition of Black Magic Sanction and Where Demons Dare (AKA The Outlaw Demon Wails in the US)  You get both, and it the new freebies for the Perfect Blood Tour get here by tomorrow, you'll get one of those stuck in there, too.  :-)  I've already signed these, and they are boxed and ready to go!

Black Magic Sanction

Guy will begin taking orders at noon today, EST.  (Don't email him now.  Wait for noon.)  One set per person, please.  The cost covers the shipping and handling.  USA shipments will take two weeks from when we ship, international will be a bit longer as there are forms to fill out and longer shipping times.

Shipping and Handling is $5.25 in the US, $11.35 to Canada, and $19.95 everywhere else.  If you are in Germany, please allow for a long shipping time as everything gets hung up in customs.  To make this as painless as possible for Guy, we are taking Pay Pal only.  Unfortunately we can't combine any other merchandise in with this, but you will get a collector card that is promoting both THE HOLLOWS INSIDER and A PERFECT BLOOD (It's got the cover on it.  Bea-u-tiful!)  Domestic will ship Media Mail.  International will go out as First Class.

If you are interested, at noon, EST today, (no earlier) send an email to Guy at vampcharms@comporium.net with the words UK Books in the subject line.  If you are among the first 18, he will send you an invoice, so please include your shipping address in your initial email. If you do not include your shipping address in the initial email, he can not ship you your book(s), and your order will not be acted on.  PayPal doesn't always put the address in, and it's frustrating.  We don't do anything with your address but ship you your book(s).  We don't have the time to do anything wicked, and I hate it when people sell mine, so . . .

As usual, I'll update this post when they are gone to help avoid confusion.  If you miss out, I'll be having more shipping and handling give aways.  We also still have the Pale Demon Freebies available for the price of two stamps, which are also going out with the S&H books.  We're also going to start slipping in the Perfect Blood freebies in with everything that goes out.

I've got a little info on the Perfect Blood Tour!  Cities are just about finalized, the Tour-T's are in production, and the freebies are scheduled to land on my doorstep today, so come back tomorrow for a look-see and how to get your freebie for the price of a stamp!  (They make great stocking stuffers . . .  :-) )

TGIF

Not much going on this Friday.  I'd like to bug out early from the office for some errands, but I think I'll be sitting there until my usual time.  I've got a sticky spot in the work today that I need to iron out.  Things are moving forward, but I've got two ways I can do the next part, and they both have equal appeal.

Voting is still going on at Goodreads for their favorite read of 2011.  Pale Demon has come through and made it through the opening rounds in the paranormal fantasy category, and Blood Work is over in the graphic novel category, having been bumped up from a write-in to a real contender!  Thank you everyone who's voted in the opening round.  We are in the preliminaries, now, where they are weeding down to the best ten in each category.  It's been fun seeing them move forward like this.  You can vote for each category in the semifinals until Sunday. Voting for the finals will start on Monday.  Goodreads Semifinals-Favorite Read Of 2011

And while you're there, check the site out.  It's really rich in info.

Keep an eye out for a manic Monday on Monday.  Guy thinks can handle one more before we start with the Tour-T's.  I've got some Hollows books, and perhaps some glow in the dark posters . . .  More on Monday!

evolution

One of my favorite parts of writing, the aspect that figures into me getting to the keyboard every morning, is thinking I know what's going to happen, and then something else showing up on the pages.  It's not just the big stuff, but the small things.  Actually, it's the small things that I enjoy the most, the touches that were not in my plan, the looks across the room, the flutter at the pit of the stomach where something unexpected happens and both me and my character realize the awful truth: she is in danger of falling in love, of possibly sacrificing all that she has fought for to save another.

It's then that the story really takes off for me, where the internal battle starts.  I found that point yesterday when a threatening presence stood at the passenger pickup in a long coat and hat, inclined his head in an emotion unknown, and turned and walked away.  I hadn't even known he was there, and yet this is where it all begins.

Sigh.  Maybe I'm a romantic after all, even if she had just kicked ass in the pages before.

New skills and a little tour info

As some of you might remember from previous posts, I've been doing a little redecorating the last year or so, trying to bring back some of the charm of our old Victorian house.  We've redone the roof, the foundation, and everything in between.  We've found old bottles, grave markers, and a fax diamond ring.  We discovered that there is no insulation in most of the exterior walls, (excuse me?!?) and that the chimney running through the bedroom is usable if we care to invest a few dollars.

I grew up comfortable with works in progress, but most of the big jobs here are out of my reach, not to mention having been so busy that even painting the walls has fallen to others.  I've been able to pick out colors and styles like crazy and have learned the skill of power shopping, and am consistently recognized in the home improvement store as that "that couple that uses two carts", but I've missed the actual doing when it comes to the interior work.

The grand suite has been a sticking point with me.  It's always been comfortable, but there were a few changes I wanted, and I wanted to make them myself, darn it.  The door was out of my reach, and the new drywall on the leaky ceiling, but I could repaint the stupid thing.  Finally last weekend, I was able to devote a little time, and thanks to some prep work two weeks previous concerning picking out colors and patterns, I announced to Guy early Sunday morning that I needed his help moving the bed because I was going to wallpaper one wall in our room.  (One wall, and only one wall, never the entire room.  That's all I wanted.  The rest gets a new coat of paint Thanksgiving weekend.)  Knowing that I've never wallpapered  anything, he nevertheless helped me move the bed–and then wisely got out of the way.  -grin-  I didn't want any help.  I get frustrated when people help me before I've had a chance to try it on my own first.

My, my, my, I had a good afternoon, let me tell you.  The tiny slip of instructions that came with the rolls was very helpful once I found my bifocals, and the claw foot tube was a much better choice for soaking and folding the paper than that ridiculous tray I had bought.  With the plumb line and level to get me started, (and lucking out by starting in the right direction) the first strip went up in a mess, instigating a reassessment of how to do this and quick run through the house to get a second towel. The second one, though, was easy, and by the fourth paper, I felt like a pro, whipping out that stiff-bristled brush and smoothing lines without squashing out any of the paste.  (big smile)  So now I can add wallpaper to my deck of home improvement skills.  I'm not sure if I'm comfortable papering around lots of windows or doors, but big blank walls?  I can do that!

PS  The picture of the orchids has absolutely no meaning to the above post, but I've got a mess of blooms starting, and I can't wait until they pop.  I'm thinking . . . Feb?  Right when I'm on tour?  sigh  Also, I should have a lot of tour info soon.  The Tour-T's are also ordered.  We will have about 200 available for holiday shopping, and then more after the first of the year.  I'll let you know once they are actually in my hand and we know how much to charge for them.  Freebies are being prepped as well.  More on that as I get them.  And finally, because the PALE DEMON mass market is going to be out very soon, you can find fabulous discounts on the hardcover right now.  Happy Hunting!

Drop back and punt-NaNo style

I'm not very good at sports analogies, but this one seemed appropriate for my progress on the new book.  I am about at page 60 or so where things should be starting to really roll, the story laid out and moving forward–and as I was looking at my three-page synopsis and writing out the day's dialog to turn into text, I suddenly realized that my plot had evaporated due to little changes along the way.  This is not unusual.  Let me say that again.  This is not unusual.  It happens enough that I've learned not to panic, but just get my clipboard back out and solidify some new goals.

Sometimes, the difference between the writer who finishes a book and the one who has five manuscripts going but nothing done–is decided here.  If you're one of the latter, take heart that this is not an uncommon issue, nor is it a reflection on your writing skills.  It just means that things have changed and you need to take a day or two and jot down a few goals and rebuild a story to address them.  In my case, I had to reassess and define the issue of the entire book, what the end goal was, and what the complication is.  I then had to go back and brainstorm five things my main character has to do in order to get there.  I also used the addition of a new character to push things into high gear, which worked out wonderfully since he complicates and involves everything wonderfully.  But the main point to this post is that plots fall apart.  The professional does not abandon them, but pushes it all back together and finds the new goal, issue, and complications, and continues on.  Today I should make some good progress and be back where I want to be by Thursday.

And, since I was at my clipboard yesterday, getting very little done on the keyboard, I took the time to change a few names.  If I have to stop and remember my main character's name repeatedly, I know I've chosen the wrong one.  Taylor is out, Peri is in.  For now.  I don't like names ending in a vowel, but there it is.

Also, the voting for the preliminaries is over at Goodreads and we are two days into the semi finals, but I don't see any change over at the website.  If you've not voted for your favorite in each category, maybe it's not too late?  Goodreads, choice award, favorite book of 2011

Kim's Annual Costume Contest Winners!

It's over when the candy is gone and the candles are out!  Much as I enjoy the holiday, I spent the weekend packing my ghosts, witch hats, and bats away until another year.  The Halloween costume contest is over as well, and the winners are posted at the website.  I have to thank everyone who entered.  You guys are the best!  And a big CONGRATULATIONS to the category winners who will be receiving an ARC of A PERFECT BLOOD.

I will be contacting the winners by tomorrow noon, so if you see your picture up there as a winner, keep an eye out in your spam folder.  I need to check on your address and who you'd like me to personalize the ARC of A PERFECT BLOOD, too.

 

Okay, now it's Friday

Yay!  Just Yay!  I'm so glad it's Friday.  I'm thinking of doing a little light holiday shopping this weekend, and to get me in the mood, it decided to snow.   Just a dusting, but it's pretty to see it on the roofs.  Not all the leaves are down yet, so it feels more like spring.

Yesterday's work went pretty good.  That tough chapter is still on my desk, but I got ten pages of dialog down, which should translate into 20 pages of text today if I don't have a lot of interruptions.  My writing style is constantly evolving, but the "trick" of writing down dialog first to keep myself on track and stave off writer's block is one of the first things that really helped me move my consistency from five pages a day to twelve.  It's very much like a free-flow exercise where you open yourself up for new ideas while still keeping the backbone of the story.

Basically all I do is spend about ten minutes jotting down in that big white space at the beginning of a chapter the things I want to get done in the next 15 pages or so.  Then I drop down and spend about three paragraphs to set the scene.  After that, I stop writing in sentences and start writing what I can best describe as a very messy "play".  Because this version of the chapter only lasts a few hours to days, I don't even bother separating action from dialog.

T     In dark corner office.  Hears a noise, starts to move after it, use motion to describe athletic body, black clothes.

J     From desk.  Stay in my sight, Taylor.

T     grimace.  I can't do my job from here.

J     I can't do my job if you're not in my sight.  I'm almost done.

T     Ten seconds.  Slips out.  Grins.  Moves through dark outer office, noting things.  See security guard.  Looks at watch.  Swears and backs up.

T     Pads over to desk.  We got an early bird.

J     monitor light glowing up on his face.  There's more here than Sam told us.

T     Well, shut it down for a sec.  He's checking doors.  Pad back to the door.

It goes on from there, and when I turned it into text, I got about two pages out of those 8 lines because I had to set the scene and some of the plot as well. But one of the most helpful things to come out of setting up a chapter's action through dialog is that things can change fast, and usually they follow a more logical path than you originally planned out.  For example, yesterday's chapter was supposed to keep my main character in the dark about what was really going on until the magic happened, whereupon she finally understood what was going on, and then the bad thing happened that the reader knew was going to happen all along.  But when I started putting down dialog, my character got smart faster, figured it out before the magic happened, yelled a lot, got excited, and reacted much more strongly when the magic happened.  The bad thing still happened, but when it did, she was expecting it, which made it even more heartbreaking, and her not stupid, just unlucky and overpowered.

So there it is.  Now I just have to turn my dialog into text, and I will be able to relax and enjoy my weekend.  There will likely still be changes, but it's like carving a sculpture.  Chunks, to slices, to slivers, to tiny little shavings, and then the sandpaper!

 

What do you mean, it's not Friday yet?

Errrrrrrg, I wish it was Friday.  I've got a difficult chapter to get through, and seeing as it's Thursday, I can't fudge it and get it only halfway done and think about it all weekend.  I might as well put some real effort into it and actually figure this thing out so it's in the can by Friday PM.  (Can being film can, not trash can.  I do love my analogies and metaphors.  I like them like kids like candy, use them more than an addict uses a needle, and with as much joy and abandon as a five-year-old dancing.  Sorry, I'll stop now.)

Costume contest is wrapping up, so if you sent me a photo, it is on the web site.  Don't see your photo, send it to me again.  However, I did change some of the categories you submitted under, so look around.  :-).  Kim's A PERFECT BLOOD ARC contest 

Also, the preliminary voting over at Goodreads for the best read of 2011 is just about closed.  Don't see your favorite pick in the genre line up?  You can add it in at this point.  Next week you can vote in the semi-finals.

Goodreads choice awards

One more thing . . .  I'm going to be going out to Nicola's in the next few days, so if you want a signed Hollows Insider or Blood Work, give them a call.  They ship world wide.    Nicola's–how to contact

And I promised you a picture of my hat.  It finally dried, and I really like it!  I didn't follow the instructions on it, and knitted it with an inner layer of red.  Next up, slippers . . .

NaNoing

Good, solid forward movement on the NaNo book yesterday.  I've still not caught up to where I should be on the graph, but seeing as I don't work on weekends and I missed the first three days.  -shrug-  I'll be there by the end.  And I'm in no hurry.  The story flows as the story goes.

However, one of my writing-rough-draft tips saved my butt yesterday.  When I write rough draft, I make it a practice to never go back into a chapter I've finished, even if I want to make major changes.  What I will do is briefly open the file back up and jot down the changes I want to make in that big white space I always leave at the beginning of the chapter, and then proceed onto the next chapter as if I had made those changes.   Hey, I make things up for a living.  It's easy to pretend.

This novel is no exception, and as I began my dialog for chapter three late yesterday, I found the few notes I penciled in the day before (for changes I wanted to make in chapter one) were now useless.  After moving forward another step, I found I needed bigger things, such as an additional character, I had to change how someone dies, and I found the way to begin the betrayal I'd already planned on, but in a much stronger, faster way.  Had I taken yesterday and worked my original, now useless, changes in, my word count for the day would have been very near zero, and all for nothing as I have since thrown them out for something better.

Even though I have practice doing this, (making notes of what I want to change and then moving on as if I'd done it) it is hard.  I very much like knowing exactly what I'm working with, especially when it comes to emotion.  But I also know that I'm going to be going over this thing three or four more times, bare minimum.  I can fix it then.  Like Anakin Skywalker's mom says, "Never look back."  And to that, I would add on, "Until you reach the end and start over."  And who knows.  I might get into chapter five and discover that the new person I need in chapter one works better if she's a woman, or someone that Taylor already knows, or should be two people, or that the one guy really didn't have to die.  No harm, no foul.  Lots of words on the page mean lots more toys to play with.

Happy NaNoing!

 

Bits and Pieces

Rough draft is going good on the NaNoWriMo book.  I got most of chapter two done yesterday, but had to stop when I ran into a bedroom scene and it was 5:30–far to late in the day to tackle something like that.  Yep, a sex scene–in chapter two.  Soooooo not like me, but it feels right to have it there, so there it is.  I was aiming for different, and different I got.  I have to say that the entire NaNo experience is really something, and if you are a writer who doesn't get a lot of encouragement from the people around you, just jump on and try knowing that this is a trial run to see what it's like.  You don't have to be the best or keep up with everyone else, just be there and feel the energy.  I'd love to be your writing buddy.  NaNo's search engines suck, (giving only the first 20 alphabetical responses to any search) so here's a direct link to find me and "buddy me." http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/kim-harrison

The UK is busy developing reprints of the entire series, and I've got another cover to show you.  These aren't out yet, but WOW!  I really like them.

And if you've not yet voiced your opinion in the preliminary voting atGoodreads, that is still going on for a few more days.  There are some fabulous book there, and I believe you can cast a vote in each category.  Goodreads choice awards 2011  (It takes forever to load because of all the covers.)

I'll be trying to finish out chapter two and get the dialog down for chapter three today, so my word count won't show much of a change, but the foundations will be set for me to hammer on Wednesday.  :-)