Kim Harrison's Blog, page 52

Straight on until morning

So, Friday’s response to my little dragon was humbling.  Thank you everyone who commented. I can’t begin to answer you all. :-) Those of you who were asking about a pattern–give me about a month? I have to put in all the things that connect the dots and make it reproducible. I’m almost done with my bunny, and then I’ll be back with it, rested and ready.

And speaking of getting back, I find myself back with Peri today. I promised myself I wasn’t going to crack open her ms for at least three months to let it rest. I’ve got ideas of how to tweak and clarify, but I’m not doing anything but making a list of changes right now. All that frustration will be funneled into putting the second Peri book closer to reality.

Today, I’ll be working with paper and pencil, not turning my work computer on for anything but perhaps printing out 40 or so pages with a header. At least I have a title. (grin) I’d share it, but chances are it’s going to be changed. Which is too bad. It’s totally wicked, and I took care to pattern it after what marketing seems to like. (Yes, I do pay attention to stuff like that.)

Forty blank pages. I’ll probably put stuff on about fifteen of them today, probably keeping three as being useful–a page of hard plot (saving the world) a page of soft plot (relationships that forge a sympathetic union between the protagonists and readers) and a page of stuff for me. (things I think are cool that should be included) From there, a synopsis is born, and maybe by Wednesday, I might start detailing out some chapters.

Sad thing is that the finished product is going to look so far away and distant from what I started so painstakingly with. If, as a writer, you can’t let go of good ideas for better ones, you’re only making your world ten times more difficult. And this is coming from a hardcore plotter!

 

Happy Friday!

Yay! It’s Friday! My second weekend back from tour, and I’m going to a home improvement store to get myself a shelf. Yes I am. And while I’m there, I’m going to check out the outdoor area and see if they have any little fencing because last year, they ran out like in April, and never got any more, and I NEED it. (laughing)

So I’m watching the weather, and they still don’t know if the East Coast is going to get snow or not on Sunday, so I’m not going to complain about the coming cold. We’ve got about 50% of our yard back, but the places that still have snow are in the shade, and it’s going to be a while. My neighbors must think I’m nuts, because I’m already out there looking at the dirt, waiting for the first bulbs. (And I found some!)

I’m thinking I’ve got a few more weeks of indoor things before I can even start to think about moving my entertainment outside. I finally finished my knitted dragon. (Apart from the eyes. I still have to do the eyes.) If you lurk here, you might remember me talking about him over the past year or so. I ordered a crocheted pattern last year, but didn’t like it, so I threw it out and bent my attention to making my own, knitted pattern. This is dragon number three, and the second one I actually put wings on. I really, really like him. I’ll be doing another to tweak the legs, check my pattern, and make sure I wrote everything down, because I want this guy to be reproducible.

I don’t think it’s coincidence that the first ms/book I ever wrote was about dragons, and now the first knitted creation I make entirely from scratch is a dragon as well. Pern, you left your mark, and now I have my firelizard. I think I’ll use gold yarn for the next one. Yeah. A gold one . . .

Pssst. I’m on Ravelry, if you’re interested. http://www.ravelry.com/people/KimHarrisonAuthor

Taking DWW questions at io9 Thursday

I’ll be over at i09 today taking questions about Dead Witch Walking starting at 3:00 EST which is 12:00 PST. Remember DWW? How mean Trent was? When Ivy crawled over the table and almost bit Rachel? Werefoxes? Her nasty landlord? Keasley? Yeah, we’ve come a long way. I’ll also take writing questions.

You can get pre-registered to ask questions and help be sure I see them in time by dropping by beforehand and clicking on the register button, top left of the screen. Looks like a circle with three lines in it.

It feels a bit intimidating as it seems to want everything but your first born to register, but I was assured that io9 isn’t going to post on your FB feed, and there IS a way to register anonymously.

I actually use i09 as one of my ways to keep informed of stuff, and they usually break cool news about six hours before my hubby gets it on his more stuffy news feed.

Interviews, Podcasts, and a little TV

It took a while, but I think I’ve got 90% of the interviews and etc. that I worked on the last couple of weeks. I’ve featured all of them at one point or another except for the NonProductive radio spot, where they say some very nice things at the end, and while I would never call myself a scientist, I do appreciate the acknowledgement that I conduct my writing with that in mind. :-)

Also, all the photos from the tour are up at the website. There’s a main page to get you started, and it fans out to individual events from there. [ Event photos ]

Kim and Teresa on Connecticut Style

Craig Ferguson and Geoff try to figure the Hollows out CBS

CTStyle – book corner (TV segment WTNH)

Fireman Creative live streamed B&N event video live stream/article

Booktalk Nation chat with Kim Harrison and Jeaniene Frost radio

Tor.com : Chosen Families review

Infodad.com Family-focused reviews review

WatchPlayRead article

USAtoday HEA article

AMA at reddit Q&A

io9 discusses Dead Witch Walking

CTpost.com interview

Bull Spec e-zine interview

Cover to Cover with Mark Dewitt: Kim Harrison and The Undead Pool radio

Kim Harrison at NonProductive radio (starts halfway into podcast) radio

Kindle blog: Kim Harrison on inspiration

SUVUDU interview

I’m back at work at my desk, and lo, I find myself writing a Hollows short. You know they’re going to want to put one in the back of the mass market, right? I thought I was done, but burn my toast if some of your questions during the Q&A didn’t make me realize a little clarification about why Al is so angry at the end of The Undead Pool might be in order.

Two days of fumbling have finally evolved into a solid story direction. Feels good.

Schulers Books and Music and a few new interviews

New links to interviews I did while on tour! I found this first just this morning. It’s a fabulous phone interview I did with the guys over at NonProductive radio before I even went on tour. No spoilers, but lots on insight. You can find my bit about halfway into the program. http://www.non-productive.com/podcasts/index.php?id=848 I feel bad I didn’t find this until now, because it’s really worth listening to.

And here’s a little article I did for Kindle blogs about where I get my inspiration. http://www.kindlepost.com/2014/03/where-does-inspiration-come-from.html So check them both out if you like, and leave a comment so they ask me back next year!

 

Schuler’s was the last stop on the tour, and it did not fail to impress! I think I had the biggest variety of tour T’s here than any other. And the readers! My gosh, they were enthusiastic, coming from as far as six hours away. (Just click the photo to go to the higher resolution picture for to snag for yourself)

The readers even brought cake! And what a cake it was, crafted especially for not only The Undead Pool, but St. Patrick’s day as well. You can’t see from here, but there are Tink curses on it, and a salute to the leprechaun who started it all. Thank you again. It was so wonderful.

I’ve got more pictures at the website, here: Schulers photos

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Happy “wear your green” day! It seems fitting as I’m FINALLY starting to see some green in my yard, though 80% of it is still white. It’s kind of sad, but I’m lurking about at the edges, snow boots on as I investigating the warm spots in the yard for those traditionally early plants. I found a few poking up, but it’s the birds I’m watching the most as they begin to sing. (And yes, if you’re wondering, I did knit the leprechaun this winter!)

Tonight I’ll be out at Lansing’s Schulers Books and Music for our traditional end-of-tour signing, and I hope to see some out you out there. They have a great Irish bar just next door, and I’m sure they will be whooping it up tonight.

Two weeks and still got snow

Arrg! I was really hoping that I would lose some of the snow on my two weeks out, and from what I hear, we did lose some, but it still looks the same to me as I sit in my office this morning and stare at the snow and somewhat peeved robins hopping about on the shoveled walks and drives.

Aside from that, it feels really good to be back home. I actually fell asleep sitting up watching TV, which Guy tells me I did last year at the end of tour, too. Because of empty fridges, dinner was, get this . . . warm milk over shredded wheat. Do I know how to relax, or what? But it was perfect after the exotic dinners and grab-and-go breakfasts.

Today I’ll be doing not much of anything as I pick up the threads of a life-interupted, which means recyclables at the curb and bird food back in the feeders.  I do have a few things that have popped up in the meantime. io9 is doing a bookclub-like discussion over at their pages for Dead Witch Walking. I’m trying to work in a live Q&A with them later in the month, but we’re running into snags and it might take a while to work out. But go and leave your first impressions of Dead Witch Walking! I’m lurking about over there right now. [io9 discusses Dead Witch Walking] the Goodreads chat about The Undead Pool is still going strong as well [Goodreads The Undead Pool]

Also, SUVUDU has a short interview up you might want to check out. There’s a place to leave comments there, as well. [SUVUDU]

Garden District Books in New Orleans

I’d never been to New Orleans, so I wasn’t sure how many readers would be there, but you surprised me with how many roadies there were. It was an almost virgin crowd with only one person who’d been to one of my events before–meaning there were lots of fabulous questions! (Just click photo to go to the higher resolution photo for your own use.)

Two of my more enthusiastic readers.

And the crew at Garden District Books! Thanks, Guys. It was a great event. More photos

I’ll be in Schuler’s Books and Music yet this week on Monday, but if I missed you, and you still want that first-edition, signed The Undead Pool, Nicola’s still has them. I got the news yesterday that we’re in our third printing, so if this is important to you, check the publishing info before you buy, or just order from Nicola’s. I’ll be back in Ann Arbor this week, and can get in there to sign them. [to order from Nicola's]

Fox Tale Books was fab, tonight, Garden District!

And we had roadies at Fox Tale Books in Atlanta! Wow, it was a great signing, with people coming from all over the south to get their book signed and ask me a question or two. (Just click the photo to get to the high res version for your own use.)

And Vampy had a surprise as well, with a book signed by a great number of you! Thank you, Vampy. What a sweet idea!

And the crew at Fox Tale Books. Thanks, guys. It was a fabulous signing! Event pictures are up!

Tonight I’m in New Orleans, at Garden District Books. Hope to see some of you there!

BAM at Columbia–Foxtail Books in Atlanta

Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day in Columbia where I signed at the local BAM. My long-time friend and mentor, Faith Hunter, was there to help me celebrate that number one spot, and she got everyone excited as they waited for me to arrive. There was even cake, and a beautiful card that a great many of the readers signed. It might seem odd, but seeing all those signatures after I spent the afternoon giving you mine–made me feel really good and connected. Thank you. (Click the photo to go to the high resolution photo to lift for your own use.)

Me and Faith Hunter. She writes the Jane Yellowrock series, and having the chance to see her on tour was a real treat.

Tonight, I’m at Foxtale books in Atlanta, and I can’t wait!