Kim Harrison's Blog, page 129

Stocking Stuffers

To help promote the upcoming Pale Demon release, my publisher has made available the entire text of The Good, The Bad, and The Undead at a temporarily reduced rate and containing an early excerpt from Pale Demon. If you have someone you've been trying to get hooked on the Hollows, this might be a good way!  (I'm not a big e-reader, but I might pick one up for easy reference.)

So, for you Kindle readers: Kindle edition

Nook: Nook edition

Sony: Sony edition

Enjoy!

And for all you perpetual six graders out there, I've got Jenks's Pixy Christmas for you!

On the 12 day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . .

12 Humans Hiding,

11 Tinks a Tinkling

10 Porno flicks

9 Pole Dancers

8 Pixies Partying

7 Karma Sutras

6 Fairies Farting

5 Trolls in Drag

4 Purple Condoms

3 French Ticklers

2 Horny Vamps

And a Sucubus in the Snow

So when is chapter two?

I want to thank you guys again for all your positive comments about chapter one of PALE DEMON.  ;-)  Man!  It felt good to finally start sharing it.  We should have five chapters released between now and Feb 22.  Yay!

We also have planned a wallpaper and a special offer for the electronic version of THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNDEAD, so keep checking back for when those will be available.

My work went good on Friday with that unplanned chapter I realized I needed.  I still might tweak it some more, but Trent is there, and I feel better about the pacing.  Today I have a four page transitional chapter to write, and then I should be right back to my original plotlines.

Four pages is a very short chapter for me.  (They are usually 15 to 20) I think I've only done it about three times in the entire series.  But again, you gotta know when to break your rules to clue the reader in that THIS is important.  For breaking rules to be effective (breaking the rules to effect pacing and jar the reader) you have to hold to your rules most of the time.  I know, it sounds confining and stiff, but you have to look at the big picture.

People like patterns, we feel them even if we don't see them.  Patterns that authors have in their work are part of what make up their style or voice, so if you're a new writer and you keep hearing people say you need to take time to develop your "voice," this might be what they are talking about.

Just as an aside, I made maple candy last night.  OMGosh, it is my best batch yet!

Pale Demon first Chapter

"Brown or green for the drapes, Rache?"

Jenks's voice slid into my dozing state, and I opened an eyelid a crack to find him hovering inches from my nose. The sun was hot, and I didn't want to move, even if his wings provided a cold draft. "Too close. I can't see," I said as I shifted in the webbed lounge chair, and he drifted back, his dragonflylike wings humming fast enough to spill a red- tinted pixy dust over my bare middle. June, sunbathing, and Cincinnati normally didn't go together, but today was my last day to get a tan before I headed west for my brother's wedding. . . .

Yep, it's the first chapter of Pale Demon, coming at you in your in-box, or here at the web site.  Click for the rest! Have a great weekend, and see you Monday!

Merry, merry!

I just got the news that BLACK MAGIC SANCTION has been chosen as one of the top paranormal fantasy releases in 2010 over at the B&N Bookclubs!  Whoo-hoo!  Doing the happy author dance.

Here's the link to check out the rest.  ;-)

Explorations:  The BN SciFi and Fantasy Blog

Not sure myself

Yep, the first chapter of PALE DEMON was scheduled to be released yesterday, which was why I didn't post, but clearly there was a glitch.  Maybe today.

Work went pretty well the last couple of days, and that nine pages of dialog turned into nineteen.  (whoo-hoo!)  I got another twelve done yesterday, so if I get one more day of honest work out of me before the weekend, I will hit my 200 page goal.  Phew!

I'm not sure I'm entirely liking what I'm seeing right now in the manuscript.  But  then again, it's rough draft.  I'm making lots of notes in the margins of things I need to go back and add in, but Trent still has not shown himself, and without that, a great deal of tension is missing.  It reads okay, but it could read so much better.

I might take today and go back and write what's missing.  I know, I know.  I'm always preaching push forward in rough draft, never go back for more than leaving notes for yourself, but this would be an entire chapter.  And hey!  We're talking Trent, here.  -laugh-

Moving Forward

I didn't get my expected 20 pages yesterday.  The 9 pages of dialog only came out to about 17, which was kind of shorter than usual, but I did get 7 new pages of dialog down for the next chapter so it sort of evened out.  I'm expecting 14 pages of text from it, and I seem to be making progress.  If I'm lucky, I'll hit 200 by the end of the week, which will put me back where I want to be.  (UUURRGGGGG. . . .)

I've got this annoying song worm in my head that just won't go away.  Bing Crosby and Doris Day singing "Baby it's Cold Outside."  I love duets that weave in and out and come together.  It doesn't help that it's, ah, cold outside.

OMGosh, I just saw a jogger go past my window wearing nothing but shoes, shorts, hat, a flimsy long-sleeved shirt, and a VERY pained expression.

Dude . . .

No birds

It's been about three days, and no birds at my feeder!  I think they are all hunkered down from the cold.  Soon as we get into the 20s, I bet they will show up.  Bird bath is holding water really well, though, and it's running.  ;-)

Work is going good and if I get the time, I should hit about 20 pages by nightfall.  I've got the dialog all written out, so now it's just a matter of filling in the blanks.  I'm not liking the previous chapter too much, but it's rough draft.  I'm also thinking there isn't enough Trent, and I might go back and see if I can't work him in sooner. . . .

Last day to order for Christmas

Today is the last day to order for pre-Christmas delivery on the Pale Demon Tour shirts.  If you've ordered one already and haven't gotten in, it's probably because they are printed in batches upon demand, and most are being shipped out today or next week.  :-)  Info to order is at the website here.  Mailbox If you're going to order by snail mail with a check, it would be helpful to email Guy so he can get your shirt into today's print run in time for Christmas delivery.  This is the last printing before the end of the year.

I'm also very pleased to let you know that the freebies are in and are available for the price of a SAS2E. (Self-Addressed-2-stamp-Envelope.)  If you purchase a shirt, you get one of these in the package, but a SAS2E will get you one as well.  A standard business-size envelope will do, but please put TWO stamps on it.  The cord makes it oversize on the width.

Mail your SAS2E to me at:

Kim Harrison

Pale Demon Freebie

PO Box 66

Chelsea, MI 48118

I really like them this year, and as you can see, they are a replica of Rachel's conference badge.  (The back side has the tour dates.)  In case you're wondering, that is a cat in the corner, wearing shades and a witches hat–a good example of why I don't draw anymore and stick to writing.  -laugh-

Just as a side note, we got hit with ice and several inches of snow and phone lines are down, but I'm snug and warm.  The dogs are not happy about snow being up to their chest, and I shuffled around the yard this morning to make paths to their favorite places out of the wind where they can sniff with minimal freeze-age.

All busy going somewhere

I had no idea my post yesterday was going to cause such a stir.  And though I'd love to answer you all personally, I'm a bit overwhelmed.  It was intended to be a simple snark about needing to be careful before you open your mouth if all you're doing is trying to make yourself look good, but somehow was perceived by many as me being upset about people picking at my work.

People have picked at my work long before I got published, and a faceless gripe about typos is nothing compared to the cutting remarks and pointed observations made in the past in the name of writer groups and well-meaning first readers—remarks and observations that (were they right or wrong) were necessary to grow a thick skin, and I'm thankful for them, even if they hurt at the time.  I can usually take a good amount of criticism before I start griping at Guy, but going after my editor after the week I had sort of pushed me over the edge.  (Say what you will about me, but don't you talk trash about my momma, my kids, my dogs, or apparently, my editor.  laugh  Guy would be on the list, too, but I think he likes the abuse.)

I did, however, come away with one observation from reading all your posts, be they positive or negative.  We're all busy going somewhere with our accumulated baggage, filtering the world , coloring our views, pushing our buttons.  Maybe I should leave some of mine at the curb.  I think it's slowing me down.

Names changed to protect the rude

Disclaimer: I'm still in a snarky mood. Take everything with a pound of salt.

I got an email this morning, very much like I get about once a year, from a reader who first gushes about the Hollows, usually telling me what they have done to help promote my books, generally trying to make me feel like I owe them a debt of gratitude.

Then they say "however" and I sigh and grit my teeth.  Following the dreaded "however" comes a tirade at my editor for the typos and errors in the text, sometimes pointing out page numbers and corrections.  In closing, they offer to proof my pages, or better yet, tell me to get a new editor.  "seriously…consider it.  lol"  as if the lots-of-laughter should make me feel all warm and cozy again after they just punched me in the mouth.

Sometimes I can find errors in their text, like no spaces between the four pairs of  ellipses, or the over abundance of exclamation points, but these are easily overlooked because only a professional copy editor or someone in the field would know the correct usage.  Besides, I have yet to write the page where I've not screwed up on something, and we are all human.

Editors are not there to catch grammatical errors and typos.  That is the job of the copy editor, a faceless person that often changes from book to book.  It is generally not a high paying position, and turnover is fast.  I'm not guaranteed of getting the same person twice, and they don't even tell me his or her name because some authors will often look them up on the net to try to check their credentials when they start to see inconsistencies.

My editor is the person who loves my work, who gets me the good covers, the money for the tours, the promotion dollars.  She finds my logic issues, fine tunes my characters, and keeps my writing from going astray.  She is my in-house champion in a highly competitive war-zone.  She is not my typist, and that you suggest I get rid of my editor . . . seriously . . . tells me that whoever is writing me with their helpful suggestion to ditch my editor and hire their services might be able to conjugate a verb and find typos, but they don't know jack about the publishing business.

Yeah.  I'll get right on that.  lol  Seriously.