Kim Harrison's Blog, page 46

I hear air conditioners. I must be in NY!

If you missed Friday’s post, I’m in New York this week, talking to people about what comes after the Hollows. I’ll be honest, it was surprisingly difficult to get started because I’ve been forcing myself to be closed-lipped about Peri for so long, and I’m still hot and heavy about getting the last Hollows book out to you and am sensitive about stealing Rachel’s thunder.

Ideas are a dime-a-dozen. Ideas that have the potential to reach and connect with a reader on a gut level . . . those that combine the unique with the recognizable? Those are more rare, and I’ve held Peri so close for so long, that it is difficlt to let go. But let go I did.

It was hard to find sleep last night. It’s been a long time since anyone was excited about something new from me, seeing the potential that I do, willing to entertain possibilities outside of the known and safe.

 

The Witch With No Name chapter four (and one and two and three)

 

Chapter four! Go ahead. You know you want to read it! I’m so excited to share this with you–you have no idea. Enjoy!  

If you missed chapter three, it’s still at Harper’s  website, :

And Chapter One and Two are at my website if you missed them.

If you’d like to preorder, We have options!

is also available, and if you go to the right page, they also have

 

 is also an option, and I can personalize these with a note if you pre-order and tell me who to sign it to in the comment section when you order. International is okay but email them for a quote at nicolasbooks@tds.net

 

Happy 4th, (And a heads-up for chapter 4)

It’s the 4th of July, and here in the States, that means fireworks, hotdogs, and time with friends and family! I’ll likely not be posting much here next week as I’ll be in NY talking to people about what comes next after the Hollows, but I did want to let you know that we are ready for chapter four of THE WITCH WITH NO NAME to be released on Monday!

If you missed it, here is chapter one and two, and then . :-) Come back Monday for the fourth.

 

Frog and Turtle together

My office pond found its frogs last year, and they overwintered successfully! There are three now. But the turtle? He ran away, so I put in a few cement ones. Seeing them there together reminds me of Frog and Toad, which begs the question, how many of you out there have read Frog and Toad? It’s an early reader series about a sensitive frog and an ambitious toad. Or was it the other way around? I remember reading them growing up, and I read them to my boys, who didn’t take to them as much a I did. Clearly they left a mark if I’m making frog ponds.

The first book I remember picking out for the first time in my life was at my elementary school. Up until then, we were told to pick from a specific, limited shelf, but I remember the feeling when they “opened” the library up and let us choose. It was like being given a box of treasures, each one packaged up with its secrets hidden with little hints on the outside. And I remember the very first book I picked for myself to read–probably because the librarian questioned me as to if it might be too hard for me. It wasn’t. It was James and the Giant Peach, which might explain a few things.

I went on to read every single fiction book in that little town elementary school library. I worked there for two years as an aid before I moved into junior high. It was MY library, and it all started with that one book.

Never underestimate the power of choice.

Schulers Books and Music added to the list

We’ve got one more store to add to the list, right after the midnight release party at Cincinnati. (I’ll have dates and stores for you later this month.) Schulers at Lansing will be hosting on Tuesday night, the 9th. Nicola’s signing in Ann Arbor will be way at the end of the tour with a special costume/reading/party/cake/night-before-Halloween extravaganza. However, that doesn’t mean that those personalized books you ordered from Nicola’s will have to wait until then. I’ll get in before I go out and sign them so they can be shipped right away. They try to get them to you on the publication date.

To order one, follow the instructions here for Nicolas or you can get a

 If you missed the list of cities,

My big news is that my local power and light guys worked a miracle yesterday, clearing the tree from the lines, putting in a new pole, and moving the lines they were responsible for. Frankly, I’m impressed. There wasn’t anyway they could have done it faster, and the tree person spent a few extra minutes in his cleanup so as not to damage the tree I’d planted two years ago to take the downed tree’s place. I didn’t expect to need it for another 20 years, though. One of my favorite sayings is the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is now.  I’ve done enough “now”s to have a few that have moved into “20 years ago.”

So I’m left with the scent of broken limbs, but I’m looking at a new spot of sun in my yard that wasn’t there before.  Oh, wow. It’s amazing.

No power today. And I’m down an 80 year old tree

We lost one of our silver maples last night at 2:30, the top snapped off and pulling down the phone/cable/electric lines. You can see the telephone pole actually snapped and leaning in the upper right of the frame.

I heard it go, that ugly crack that sounds like the beginning of thunder, right outside my window. The neighborhood is silent now, apart from a wren and cardinal musically duking it out, and the street is blocked off so no cars today. No electricity either, so my post will be short to maintain my battery life.

Both branches, the one down and cut and the other still on the lines, missed the tree I planted two years ago to take its place in twenty years. And I was just thinking yesterday that it was going to grow up stunted until the older maple died. Guess not.

 

One more city for the tour

Wow! I knew there might be some tweaking of events and cities, but I didn’t expect it to happen so fast. Denver, someone up there must have whined really pretty, because you’ve been added to the list! Yay! I’ll see you in the fall!

I had a few things happen over the weekend that were worth marking. The first involved Grace, who has been in my “cabinet of awesomeness!!!!!” for a good long time, her manuscript perking in my mind, leaving me stewing over a few things that have been bugging me. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a good story as it is, but if you want lighting to to strike twice, you not only have to have one heck of a lightning rod, but you have to stand on tip-toe waving it. I’ve let Grace sit while I sift and sort, listen to what’s bugging people and what is making them afraid–looking for that spark that will keep me going for the next 3-5 years. And finally I do believe I have a path, a layer, an idea to expand upon that might just be unique and identifiable enough to do just that. Sometimes . . . you have to be brave enough to just let it sit, even when you think it might be done.

The bad news is that I can’t work on it until probably October, which is an exquisite agony even if it will put a sparkle in my eye for the next couple of months.

Second, Guy found this mummified bat in one of our lamps we took out of storage. I can’t help but feel bad for it. It looks as if it got its wing caught in the spiral and couldn’t figure out how to extradite itself. I’m just glad he found it before we turned the lamp on. Ug. The lamp has been sterilized and Guy never touched it, but ewww.

Third, I woke up dreaming that I was taking care of big, beautiful, powerful Mountain Lions, and that’s never bad.

 

Final tour cities for The Witch With No Name

I’ve got the last three cities for you today, but as always things aren’t final until they are, ah, final, so there might be additions or other changes. :-) New cities are in bold.

Cincy (midnight launch party)

Ann Arbor, MI

Raleigh

Birmingham

Orlando / Tampa area

Indianapolis

Nashville

Louisville / Lexington area

Dallas

Houston

Oklahoma City / Tulsa area

Phoenix

Santa Fe

New York ComicCon

Portland 

I hope to see some of you while I’m out of my office. By the number of shirts that Guy has sold already, it’s going to be incredibly fun. I’m seeing groups of people coming, not just solos!

Don’t see your city on the list? I’ve got to cross four time zones in like two weeks, so if I’m not getting close enough for you to drive and you still want a signed book, we have a couple of options. The first is B&N, who have a nice supply of first-edition, hand signed books. (Right at my dinning room table!) or you can order a more personalized copy with your name and a note from my local independent store, Nicola’s Books. International is okay, but email them for a shipping quote before ordering.  nicolasbooks@tds.net Just tell them who you want the book signed to in the notes area when you order.

Click to order signed copy

click to order signed/personalized copy of The Witch With No Name

 

 

More tour cities for The Witch With No Name

Indianapolis, Oklahoma City or Tulsa, Phoenix, and Santa Fe, if all goes well, you’re going to get some author love on the Hollows 2014 The Witch With No Name tour come September! I’ve got a two more cities to go–one on the east, one on the west–and I’ll give them to you tomorrow. :-) Stores and dates are forthcoming, but I’m really pleased to have the city list. If you’re looking for the shirts, they are available now.  And a new chapter will be forthcoming shortly after we turn the calendar page, so be on the lookout for that.

The ebook deal I was going to bring to your attention today has vanished, which leaves me with a big empty spot as far as what to talk about. (Sorry! I’ll jump on it next time it happens. It was out of the blue and without notice.) I promised I wouldn’t complain about the rain because I’ve had more than one summer where there wasn’t any, and it was bad. I promised myself I wouldn’t talk about my latest, reclining dragon who just got his wings. (Pattern is almost ready to share) And I promised I wouldn’t talk about my  favorite orchid that has flowered twice this year and is in bloom even as I write this. (They look like stooping hawks. How cool is that?)

School is finally out after making up a few snow days, and from my office window, I’ve been watching the dog walkers, baby strollers, avid runners, and even the dedicated skateboarders traversing our gentle hill. There’s nothing like hearing them at midnight, rolling down and talking softly, and I miss it when the summer is over.

The 4th of July is coming up, and I have no plans, which is nice in itself. I’m thinking a little macaroni salad, hot dogs . . . family. It’s all very good after being gone for so long.

It’s much like Bradbury said, and I’m paraphrasing; Summer days are like practicing your handwritten ms, rise and fall, rhythmic and steady. Me, I liken summer days to being a magician, able to tell the future because every day is pretty much exactly the same–if you’re doing it right.

More Tour Cities (And tour shirts!)

 

I promised you more tour cities today, and we’re moving west! So far, the list includes:

Cincinnati, midnight signing/kick-off

Raleigh

Birmingham

Orlando/Tampa

Nashville

Louisville/Lexington

Dallas

Houston, and a few more yet to come.

But my big news today is that the Tour T’s are now available for order! These are printed in batches and upon demand, so please allow extra time for processing. You must order before August 14 to make the cut-off for the last print run. No more shirts will be printed after that date. (I’ll have a better picture shortly.)

Wearing one to a signing gets you into a “family photo” at the bookstore and bragging rights. Because Guy and I create, order, package, and ship these ourselves, we only make them available until shortly before the tour starts, and then they are gone.

This year, they sport Al’s demon graffiti butterfly. The back will list the tour cities. Also included in with the shirts will be this year’s freebie: a mockup of the property condemned notice that ends up on Rachel’s church.

Guy tried to bring the price down from last year, but the shipping is awful once you get outside the U.S. and it’s frustrating. We’ve tried to make it simple, and all prices include trackable shipping. Domestic will go priority mail. International shipments will go international first class. Here’s the details:

Unisex size. (I wear a medium. Guy wears a large.)

Sizes Sm to 5X

USA 19.95

Canada 33.95 U.S. dollars

International 37.95 U.S. dollars

Sorry, no discounts on multiple shirt purchases since they will be going out in individual packages. We’re only printing two batches, so please allow for extra time at the printers. If you feel it’s taking too long, contact Guy at coldtoastwritingsllc@comcast.net and include both the email your paypal is associated with and the size you ordered. (He organizes them by size.)

To order: PayPal the correct amount to Guy at coldtoastwritingsllc@comcast.net (If you accidently send money to a mispelled address, we will never see it.)

When you order, please tell Guy in the “email to recipient” box :

1. your size(s) you want

2. your name

3. your shipping address.

PayPal does not always supply the shipping address, and it gets confusing. If you do not tell us these three things, your money will be immediately refunded, and you will not get a shirt. We can’t be responsible for misdirected mail. If you’re using your brother’s PayPal, keep this in mind.

Don’t have PayPal? Guy will accept US checks or US bank money orders made out to Cold Toast Writings until August 1st. All international orders must be paypal. Snail mail your order to:

Kim Harrison 2014 Hollows Tour T

PO Box 498

Dexter, MI 48130

USA

Any questions at all, email Guy, at coldtoastwritingsllc@comcast.net and be sure to include in your correspondence your PayPal email, paypal transaction number, and the size you ordered.

Nicola’s Books, Ann Arbor, Mi