Kim Harrison's Blog, page 22

I promise you

I didn’t write yesterday’s post because I was down or depressed, but to tell you the reality of the situation and that I might be running silent as I regroup and organize. But to be honest, your unexpected outpouring of support has buoyed me up. How could it not?

Thank you.

There was never any danger of me not writing. It is what I do, what I am. My verb, as they say. But your combined words reminded me of how many I have reached. It is an indescribable honor and to have one’s voice heard by so many–a trust that should be held with utmost responsibility–and if anything hurts, it’s that I might lose that.

But the writing . . . that is a constant.

Again, thank you.

You only hurt the one you love

I’ve had a great relationship with my readers for the past ten years, bolog-ing even before blog was a word. (Remember that awful comment form on the website?) You are important to me, otherwise, why would I spend forty hours a month on keeping in contact? I don’t like the empty silence that I’ve left you with this past month. It’s like I’m standing you up, and I feel an explanation is in order, especially if it stands to continue.

It’s been three months of mourning for me, first for dropping completely off the list, (which I saw coming three months out) then for the loss of The Drafter (which has succeeded in terms of story, but failed in terms of finding its audience) and finally, the loss of the second book (which is at the publishers, but no longer in the publishing queue due to zip-o sales.)

The fastest way to kill an author is to not pick up the next book. And trust me, it is fast, and quick, and not painless.

But hey, I get that it’s not the Hollows, and I know that twenty-two bucks is a bag of groceries, or shoes, or whatever. Family comes first, and why should you spend your money on something that you’re not sure of? Truly, I get it, and I’m not pointing fingers or shaming for sales. Life is hard. Money is tight. Entertainment should never be priority one.

But in case I don’t come back, you ought to know why. There’s no three counts and you’re out in the publishing industry. The Drafter’s hardcover/e-book sales are so spectacularly low that it has the potential to end the Kim Harrison name. Hence, everything being on hold until the mass market comes out. If it does well, then there will be more books. If no one buys in, it’s done.

Meantime, I’m on social-media hiatus as I try to wrap my mind around what comes next. It’s hard to keep up a conversation when the person next to you is more interested in the game.

Don’t Blog Drunk, and other writer rules

I’ve got a few blog rules that I hold everything up to before I make a blog post public, the first of which is don’t blog drunk. This one hasn’t been hard for me, because unlike a lot of writers who relax and find inspiration in the slow sipping of a good wine at their desk, I find it only puts me to sleep, and my dream-spawned ideas are sloppy and full of holes.

My second rule is don’t blog angry, because, really, who wants to hear that crap?

My third rule, which is why I’ve been so quiet lately, is don’t blog when you’re not feeling well, because even though it’s nice to get the “feel better soon” notices, I feel obligated to respond like I normally do, and then I’m even more tired and stressed.

Stress would also explain the piles of paper sitting about my desk the past week as I try to decide what to focus on. I’ve got half a manuscript I can adapt and add to, or a new idea. Both are in the same world, but one starts this way, one the other, and deciding has left me three-days paralyzed.

See, I know how hard it is going to be to create another book, and I can’t bring myself together enough to do it quite yet. I can even tell you why. With audio-visual aids even.

This is a three-minute interview that I believe that Jo-Beth in Cincinnati made happen.

(I can’t imbed it, but to see it, just follow this link.) I love working with professionals who need nothing more than thirty seconds of reading the back flap and perhaps a moment or two with you to be able to ask the right question to open the door to a fast conversation designed to intrigue the listener. This is one of the better ones I’ve done, but I find myself smiling as I watch it, because she is desperately trying to lead me to talk about the sparkle-shine outside of the book, which is of course the fact that Peri Reed can replay a small section of time. The sparkle-shine is what attracts the TV people, because it’s easy to sell and the writers get to make up more outlandish things as they go along.

And there I am, trying to convince her the book isn’t about the sparkle-shine, but that it’s a story of a woman losing everything she sacrificed for, and how she finds her new normal.

Oh, you can read it and enjoy it on the level of sparkle-shine. Heck, that’s why I put the deeper stuff hidden behind it. I like sparkle-shine, adore it. And if you see the deeper story of Peri’s personal struggle, it connects a little more.

But you know what? That’s not what Peri Reed is about at all, either. Nope. The Drafter is my commentary on Alzheimer’s disease and those afflicted with it, being erased day by day, and their heavy dependency on first their intuition and patterns to hide the breaks, and their eventual and utter dependency upon those they loved to keep them to the person they were. That’s what Peri Reed is about, Charlie Brown.

I don’t expect everyone to see that. As I said, there are layers, and you can enjoy it at whatever layer you need to be at that day. I do however, hope people feel it. Maybe look past the sparkle-shine.

I’m going to be going silent here at the blog for a while, though keep an eye on FB for contests, interviews, and flash-sales. If you would like to know when I pick up the blog again, drop your email into my newsletter box, and I’ll shoot you a notice when I feel like being chatty about “butterflies and zebras, moonbeams, and fairytales” again. (Ten points if you know the song reference.)

Kim’s mailing list

 

Week recap-did you see?

Happy Labor Day Weekend! And though I’m still on tour, (signings at BAM in Birmingham 12:00 noon, and B&N Nashville 7:00) I’ve got a recap of last week’s events to help combat FB’s curtailed delevery.

If you are looking for a bigger taste of The Drafter before committing, Chapter three of The Drafter is available over at RT Book Reviews. Chapter one and two are at my website.

Interview at XOXO: Where inspiration came from 8/17

Amazon did a video interview with me when I was at BEA where we talked about how fear figures into a new series: Amazon Intervew at BEA Video 8/28

Charlaine Harris and I chatted at USAToday about what it’s like to start a new series:Author to Author with Charlaine Harris USAToday 9/1

I did a radio interview while in Cincinnati: Cover to Cover 9/2 Audio Interview

And if you only go to one commentary, make it this one. Paul made me feel good about what I was trying to do, and what I’ve done in the past: 3 Reasons To Read The Drafter — B&N Blog 9/1

I’ve got tons of photos of the tour going up at the website, but I think this one is my favorite so far. It’s taken at Park Road Books in Charlotte, one of the stores I went to when I was just starting out with the Hollows. The first time I was there was ten years ago, and comparing it to today, made me smile. And yes, I still have those leather pants.

Park Road Books, 2005

Tour photos are going up at the website, just click to go to where they all are. We’ve been having great Q&As, give-aways at every stop, and even a few dragons for Spunk to commiserate with. (By the way, save your Drafter receipts. I’ll be giving my dragon away at the end of tour through a raffle or contest.)

 Ann Arbor, Nicola’s — click to see all

 Cincinnati, OH, Joseph-Beth– click to see all

 Lexington, KY, Joseph-Beth– click to see all

 Raleigh, NC Quail Ridge Books– click to see all

 Charlotte, NC Park Road Books– click to see all

 Atlanta, GA Barnes & Noble– click to see all

If you are looking for the photos that Premiere took, they are at www.kimharrisontour.com I checked out their website, and they still have a few first edition, signed EVERAFTERs. I would be willing to bet they are probably the last outlet for these.

By the way, I’ll be curtailing my own FB posts after this release, so to get in on all the freebies, chapter releases, and free future shorts, sign up for my low-key newsletter:

To have tour info, freebies, contests, and such come to your email:

Sign up for my Kim Harrison Newsletter

This is a very low-volume newsletter, short, sweet, and timely. I send out maybe three a year, mostly around releases.

 

My own little Dragon Con

Quail Ridge Books and Music, Raleigh, NC

I believe this is my 4th year signing in Raleigh, and it just keeps getting better. here I am with all my roadies, doing the classic “kiss-kiss.” Ah, Kisten, you may be gone, but you are not forgotten. That’s the great thing about books. They will always be there even when new characters come to entertain.

( If you are looking for the photos that the Premere team took, they are at KimHarrisonTour.com )

And we had dragons! Not just one, but two! I’ve been watching this one come along piece by piece on instagram if I’m not mistaken. He’s a beauty!

The second had a few . . . “military?” modifications? It’s hard to see, but it’s a para dragon, ready to jump.

It’s almost as if is’t my own little Dragon Con! Yes, I went there. I’m hoping we get a few more at Atlanta, seeing as this weekend is, ahem, Dragon Con.

I can’t believe how many of you are staying past the end of the signing to get a picture in front of that tour bus! Thank you, guys! I’ve always said I’ve got the best readers.

More event pictures

Last night’s signing was great!

I’m driving through the mountains as I write this, settled at the back of my bus, happily working as we head toward Quail Ridge Books tonight at Raleigh NC. (7:00!)

Last night, though, Tim, Spunk, and I were in Lexington to sign at Joseph-Beth. Lexington, KY has been one of my usual stops for a while now, and being on the bus, and not at the mercy of the gods and goddesses of the air, I had the time to do some media. Here I am with Lauren on their “Books and Beyond” segment at ABC36. If it is put on line, I’ll link to it here. Short and sweet, and no spoilers–well, no big ones. (Also, the pod-cast for yesterday’s Cincinnati’s Cover to Cover has gone up. Listen in here.)

Trish, from Jo-Beth, came out to the studio, but it wasn’t until later that day at the store that things started to really get going.

 

Me and my Drafter roadies  at the store. We gave away tour T’s, and a Kim Harrison tote bag, and then even the big Drafter banner.

The event was very laid back, with questions ranging from how to break into print all the way to my growing milkweed patch. (If you’re looking for the knitted Monarch butterfly, I’ve got a post here.)

I love it when the kids come out, because if they see books are important to mom, they will be important to them.

A close up of Spunk and his new friend. We both think they look like firelizards. I love seeing the dragons from the knit along. (Want to knit one? Get started here.)

A few people stayed until the end, and we got a great shot in front of the bus.

Tonight Tim and I are at Quail Ridge Books and Music, in Raleigh NC. Hope to see some of you there!

I’ve got the entire album of pictures of the event at the website : Joesph-Beth, Lexington

To find the pictures that the Premier team took of us, go here: KimHarrisonTour.com

They also have signed copies . . .

Jo-Beth, Cincinnati

If you missed my happy-dance yesterday over at FB, Amazon has chosen The Drafter as one of it’s TOP PICKS for September for SF and Fantasy. Thank you, Amazon! It is a real honor to have my work be recognized in a genre that I love. (Even better, it’s only 14.00. The e-book price will drop when the mass market comes out next year, but if you want a signed copy, B&N still has them.)

And I don’t know if it’s still hitting the mark it was yesterday, but it was the #1 best selling in women’s fantasy fiction last night. (Go, Peri Reed!)

Wednesday was nonstop, driving from Detroit to Cincinnati. We came in early for the 7:00 pm signing so I could talk to Mark over at the FlyPodcast. I’ll have the link to the radio interview when he airs it, but we had a great chat about past, present, and future before he got a tour of the bus.

My second interview was with long-time interviewer Mark over at the PBS station. I’m not sure where/when this interview is going to be broadcast, but I’ll have the link when it does. Mark actually reads my work, which makes for a great interview as he asks questions YOU might ask.

And then the signing! I’ve got a two-three man crew with me this year helping with the pictures, so if you come out, be prepared for the next-best-thing in signing. (grin) We gave away a couple of shirts along with the Opti pins, too. Someone asked about the “Coke bottle” short, or Pages From The Back Room short, and if we might see The Commons again, and I truly don’t know. If you’re looking for this short, I’ve got it here

Some of the readers hung around until the end so we could take a picture beside the bus. I think we might do this at every stop. It was a great way to end the signing. Click to go to the high res copy for yourself.

More Pictures of the night’s events

Nicola’s Books. Tonight, Cincinnati!

Nicola’s Books was my first stop, and I was totally floored to see how many of you came out with tour Ts, both for The Drafter and for past books. I only wish the bus had been there, but alas, it wasn’t scheduled to arrive until the next morning. We had a view people who had actually read the book already, and I was able to answer a few spoiler questions up at the signing table, but otherwise, we talked about the ending of the Hollows and what might be coming next. Just click the photo to go to the high res copy.

And there be dragons at Nicola’s! Spunk is traveling with me, taking photos of the other dragons he might find on tour, so if you’ve been knitting along with me, come on out!

This morning, I woke to find a big bus parked outside my door! I’m taking the bus this year instead of hopping planes, and I am totally ruined now. This big baby of a bus came tooling down my small city streets at 9:00 am, picking me and Tim up and taking us to Cincinnati for the first couple of radio interviews, and then on to the signing at Joseph-Beth. It ‘s very much like sailing on a large overnighter, believe it or not, and I know I’ll be coming back from this tour relaxed instead of stressed out. Good way to go.


Bunny camp photos and more at the website

 

Happy Pub Day! (and interview with Charlaine Harris)

It’s my happy publication day! And I’ve got a treat for you as Charlaine Harris and I did an informal interview over at USA Today HappyEverAfter. At the bottom of the interview, there’s an unexpected eight minutes of the audiobook. January LaVoy makes Peri Reed sound good! I couldn’t help but click it, and I lost myself.

http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/

Click to go to interview

 

 

Chapter Three–and tomorrow, The Drafter

Chapter three! You can’t get it at the back of Sideswiped, but you can read it now at RT Book reviews today. I’m thrilled to be sharing this with you today, right before the book becomes available so you don’t have to wait forever for the rest. Click to read Chapter Three

Looking for chapter one and two? It’s at my website.

I’ve also just found a great article I wrote for XOXO concerning inspiration. This divulging is kind of rare for me since I usually have no idea. How’d You Come Up With That?

Still on the fence? Amazon made a video of me talking about Peri while I was at BEA this spring, and you can see the floor behind me. (It’s the same venue they have NYCC at.)

Also, today and early tomorrow is the last chance to get a signed-to-you copy from Nicola’s without actually going to a signing. We’re going to cut it off Tuesday since I’ll be there to sign, and then I’m gone for a week. They will ship overseas, and if you’re west of the Mississippi, this might be the best shot of getting a signed/personalized first-edition copy. (The pearlized cover is beautiful!) B&N will probably still have signed copies available for a while, but I only signed a limited number, and they will run out.

Click to order

Click to order