Kim Harrison's Blog, page 49
May 15, 2014
Any time I can make a hat is a good time
I’m making hats at RT today. They only gave us an hour and a handful of stuff, but I had a great time with the readers, being creative with the objects at hand. I’m blushing to add that my hat was one of the finalists. :-) I’ll be wearing it tonight at the pub crawl, and will be at Saints and Sinners right when it starts until about 7:00. If you were at the Hats and Tats party, bring your artwork and I’ll post our picture tomorrow!
May 13, 2014
RT convention. I’ll be there this week. Will you?
May 8, 2014
Hunting night crawlers
Last night was the first warm, rain-wet night we’ve had this year, and while I was out with the dogs, contemplating the cosmos, I saw something I hadn’t in a long, long time. There, stretched out on the grass, was a fat, firm, ten-inch nightcrawler. His tail was still in his hole, but he/she was stretched out looking for a mate. Anyone would do, because they really are he/she.
The dogs weren’t impressed, but I took some time to walk the yard, looking for more. It took me back to when I’d go out on a Friday night with my flashlight and bucket and play big-game hunter, pouncing on the firm wiggling crawlers and stuffing them in my bucket to take fishing in the morning.
Yep, this girl not only knows how to bait her own hook, but how to catch her own bait. I got skills . . .
But what pleased me the most was the health and size of the crawlers. When we took custody of our small city lot, it was a dry, dead, ugly yard, and whereas our grass is still kind of gnarly because we’ve not gotten out to fertilize yet, the earth itself is becoming healthier. The crawlers prove it.
May 7, 2014
Harper is having a giveaway!
Harper is moving offices later this month, and they are doing the same thing Guy and I did last week–digging to the back of our closets. And boy did they find something!
So to help celebrate the upcoming, post Labor Day publication of THE WITCH WITH NO NAME and the 10th anniversary of book one, DEAD WITCH WALKING, they are giving away signed Hollows books on the Voyager facebook page. One of them is the Hollows Insider, and if you’ve not seen this yet, take a look. It is truly one of the most heartfelt pieces of work that I’ve ever written, full color and containing photos submitted by readers. Oh, and it glows in the dark.
I went over and checked the giveaway out, and though it is open only to US and Canada because of it being a US/North America edition, you’re not giving info to FB even though that’s where you enter. You’re basically signing up for the Harper Newsletter (if you opt for it) Click to enter!
Already caught up? You can preorder The Witch With No Name. (Early chapter release is here: Chapter One, The Witch With No Name
Pre-Order Today!
May 6, 2014
Inspiration. Not as glam as you might think.
How am I supposed to work on a day like this? Sunny and warm, and it’s only going to get better. If I had a plant to put in the ground, it would be all over, but it’s Tuesday, and I intentionally don’t put temptation in front of my until at least Friday afternoon. I will get through the day on caffeine and pure grit, watching the kids skate by on their skateboards and stay-at-home parents walking the dogs and kids. Urrrrrrg. Windows . . . open.
And then Guy comes in to my office for our daily morning coffee/tea, and somehow the conversation brings up a particular, odd, character trait and why she’s doing it, and it leads to the thought she might want to take a joy ride because you can tell a car by the fob sitting next to the coffee mug, and then the next thing you know, there’s a new love interest. Crap on toast. I have to rewrite my entire friggin’ outline.
I love this job, even with the headaches, because making something out of nothing is the coolest thing ever.
Female Rose Breasted Grosbeak? (Southern Michigan)
May 2, 2014
Happy Friday
Yay! Whee maid it two another won!
What is everyone’s plans for the weekend? I’m thinking it’s going to be too rainy and cold for outside stuff, so I’m planning on making molasses cookies and renting Cloud Atlas and spending some time picking it apart to see how they worked it. I hear it’s got a lot of things in it I like. It wasn’t well received when it came out, but by the impressive casting, I don’t think it was acting quality that brought it down. I’m guessing it was marketed to a demographic that wasn’t familiar with the genre and walked away confused–but this is just a guess as I’ve got only the cover blurb to go on. No spoilers for me, please!
May 1, 2014
‘Tis a lazy, lazy day
I’m doing dialog this morning, which is one of the ways I keep myself focused when I’m in rough draft and don’t go spinning off on tangents unless they are really worth chasing. Everything come out onto the keyboard in a fast gush, sort of a stream of consciousness wash, and then I use the conversation as the backbone for action. It’s a method that has stuck with me for a long time while other techniques rise and fade. I’m working with a few new characters today, so it’s slower than usual, but still, I should have something by the time five gets here.
Mr. Fish, sitting on my file cabinet now for about a month, is doing really well. He’s had a bubble nest all last week, but this morning it’s gone. He’s still feisty, though, and has learned that I mean food. I hope he’s a young fish. They don’t live very long even in the best of situations. He’s been lazy today, too. I think it’s the lack of sun . . .
April 29, 2014
A day of rest . . .
I’m taking a mini-break from the internet today after the week long give-aways and Manic Monday. Phew! I’m exhausted, but I have to commend you all on playing fair and getting back to me so fast with your addresses if you won. Mini-break, yes, but I’m still working, ’cause there’s nothing worse than waiting for an author to write a new book and you see them online all, the, time. (laugh) It’s nice in my office this morning with the rain after a long dry spell, and I’m looking forward to a day of “what if.”
If you missed the chapters released yesterday, here’s the link to get you started: Chapter one and two of The Witch With No Name. It still feels funny sharing the cover and title after sitting on it for so long. I think I’m in love with this cover. To me, it says strong without being bitchy, smart without being smart-ass, and there’s a man there, and he’s important, but he’s not her reason for living–or dying. Gold and black are strong colors, and white is a rest for the eye so one can think. This works for me on multiple levels, and I couldn’t be more pleased.
But today, I’m excited about a very nice series review done by NPR books that just popped up. Go check it out, make a comment, and share! :-)
Kim Harrison’s The Good, The Bad, and The Bad-ass?
April 28, 2014
The Witch With No Name chapters one and two
A-a-a-a-nd the Manic Monday books are gone! Thanks everyone!
OMgosh, isn’t it beautiful? And it comes out right after Labor Day. I’m so excited to share this with you–you have no idea. If you’ve been following the giveaways all last week, you’ll remember me mentioning that there was a clear theme we were trying for with this cover. The title, white background, font, Rachel’s posture, and the distant figure were all trying to bring to mind Clint Eastwood’s Dollars trilogy, with the man with no name. That Rachel’s posture mimics the position on Dead Witch Walking doesn’t hurt, either.
But you’re not here for pretty pictures. You want those chapters I promised, yes? I’d like to thank all the Goodread readers who worked to give us not one, but two chapters of The Witch With No Name today. Thank you, thank you! If not for so many of you putting it on your TBR shelf, there would be a mighty uproar at the end of chapter one because it’s a bit of a cliffhanger. Okay, chapter two doesn’t end much better, but at least you get a few pages more. []
So here they are, links to chapter one and two on my website.
If you’d like to preorder, We have options!
They also have
(I will personalize these with a note if you ask in the comment section. International is okay but email them for a quote at nicolasbooks@tds.net
Manic Monday Noon to 4:00 EST (cover/chapter at noon as well)
It’s the 10 year anniversary of Dead Witch Walking, and to celebrate, I have so much going on, my head is going to explode. If you’re here for the final cover reveal and two chapters, it will happen at noon, EST. with a new post. (To give the West Coast time to get their coffee.) There’s also a huge Manic Monday planned with 193 signed, Hollows hardcovers up for grabs. This starts at noon as well, but I’ll tell you how to get your book right now so as not to get it lost with the cover reveal.
We have 193 signed hardcover Hollows books. They are already in mailing envelopes, so I don’t know which one you’ll get, but most of them are from the last few years. Like all Manic Mondays, all we’re asking is that you pay the shipping and handling, so you have to be on PayPal (or know someone who is) to take advantage. One book per household, please.
To claim one, at noon EST, (not 11: 55) paypal Guy your mailing address and the appropriate shipping and handling to coldtoastwritingsllc@comcast.net (check for typos. PayPal won’t tell you if it goes to the wrong place) and if you are among the first 193, we’ll send you a signed Hollows hardcover. The last time we did a Manic Monday of this size, it took a few hours, but traffic is really high at my blog right now due to the cover/chapter release this afternoon, so I really don’t know. I’ll post here and at FB when they are gone. We’ll of course refund any paypal monies that slipped in the meantime.
Again, wait until noon, EST, or your money will be refunded. Please put Manic Monday in the subject line so Guy doesn’t get them confused with another offer we had going this weekend with the readers on my email list (click here to get on my email list) The books will go out media mail domestically, and first class out of the States, which is why the huge price jump.
USA will be $7.00
Canada is $21.00.
Other International is $29.00.
Because of the volume, please give us about a week to get everyone’s book in the mail, and media mail is slow. I’m sorry about the huge price jump outside of the U.S. borders, but this is what it costs to ship a book now.
We also ask that you put your current address in at the “notes to seller space. **** No address in the notes to seller space, and your money will be refunded.**** We are not sending invoices, just hit the “send money to” button, for goods and services.
And when you’re done with that, settle back with the beverage of your choice to read a whopping two chapters of THE WITCH WITH NO NAME. The page with the excerpt will go live at noon, EST.
