Kim Harrison's Blog, page 84

NYCC madness!

Comic Con is over, and I’m trying to recoup!  Wow, it was just as fun as I remembered, and even better because it feels like coming home now, not all brand new. The three panels went great, and the signings were too. I’m going to drop a few pictures here for you so you can get an idea of my three days there, but seriously, this is the tip of the iceburge. What you’re not seeing is all the cool people I shared space with, especially in the green room.  :-)

Me at the beginning. Note the bright eyes and smile, relaxed and ready. This changes by the end of the weekend.  But for now, I’m been hyped up on caffeine  and ready to go. First day was fairly easy with a panel on how police procedure/PI is different when you add in the supernatural. And though the names aren’t in order, here’s who was there: Myke Cole, Thomas E. Sniegoski, Jacqueline Carey, Christopher Bennet, G.T. Almasi, Amber Benson, Kim Harrison.

Day two started at the Del Rey booth where I signed the early release copies of BLOOD CRIME, the second Hollows graphic novel. Here I’m with Elvis, yes, he was really there, and he likes the Hollows. SUVUDO works out of the Del Rey booth, and I did an impromptu video interview with them when the line ebbed for a moment. You can still see here. SUVUDO-KIM-NYCC2012.

From there it was off to the autographing area downstairs where I panicked when I saw the stage they had set up for the individual author chats–right out in the middle of the floor. Seriously?  Us authors are mostly introverts, dudes! Give us a room next year please. We are not performers, and shouting into arenas makes us nervous. But with my editor standing by and helping with the questions, I got through my private panel where I eased up on the teasing and actually gave out some nice tidbits about what might be coming next after the Hollows and how INTO THE WOODS figures in to that with three novellas I might be developing into a series.

Most of the people in this picture are really lined up for Adam West, I think, but all the chairs were full, and you all had some great questions for me. Also, here’s a nice shot of me and the crew chilling in the green room. Now, the reason I’m putting this in here is to show you the reality of what’s going on. Long bursts of smiles and excitement, tempered with brief boughs of collapse and regroup. Yep, those Don’t Panic button came in handy.

My favorite day was Saturday, when Jocelynn Drake and Richard Kadery came in and we had a panel together: Hocus Pocus. I don’t really have a good picture of the panel in action, but I’ve got a great one of Jocelynn and me with our editor, Diana Gill, that we took afterward.  I’ve got my Don’t Panic button on in this one, which seemed to be the theme of the weekend. After the panel, all that was left was a group signing at the Harper booth.
When you’re at a conference, your publisher’s booth becomes your home where you can leave your coat when you want to wander the floor, where you go when you need a place to sit, or sometimes a cookie when the line at Starbucks is 40 minutes long–so signing there is a pleasure. What made it even better is that three of my favorite authors were there, too, with Bram signing his latest, KRAMPUS, Richard Kadrey signing DEVIL SAID BANG, and Jocelynn Drake signing some early release copies of ANGELS INK. (It’s out tomorrow!) I think this is my favorite photograph of the weekend.

Thursday’s Comic Con panel: Justice is Served

Thursday had me cruising the comic con floor. My first thought when I walked in was “Wow, the energy is exactly the same as the last time I was here”–as in wonderful and welcoming.  My second thought was “Whoa. I can actually move around right now.” Thursday is the slow day, and I took advantage of it and did a little window shopping. There’s a lot more steam punk this year, and a lot less goth, and lots, and lots of cosplay in the aisles.

Then it was into the basement for the panel, JUSTICE IS SERVED. Michael Spradlin moderated a fab panel. And yes, I remembered my camera! This first picture is me chilling beforehand. We even got a picture with us all together, and though the names aren’t in order, here’s who was there: Myke Cole, Thomas E. Sniegoski, Jacqueline Carey, Christopher Bennet, G.T. Almasi, Amber Benson, Kim Harrison (Into the Woods)

 

Today is my busy day, and after my panel, I’ll breathe a lot easier. Wow, they want me to talk for how long?!

Kim’s Comic Con Schedule

Kim’s off to Comic Con NY to celebrate the release of Into the Woods!

I’m trying something new today–setting up a post to go live tomorrow at my usual time. We’ll see how that goes, but if I do it right, I’ve got a link for you today to the brand new, very cool Spotify music list that Harper and myself made up for Into the Woods.  It moves from 80s to hard rock/industrial to more of a mellow edge to electronica, and I’ll be honest in that I like the tracks at the end the best.  :-)

If you’re not familiar with Spotify, well . . . neither was I, but I figure if it didn’t explode my editor’s computer, it probably wouldn’t bother mine.  (I did toggle the button to keep my listening private, though.  I don’t want my editor knowing how often I’m on-line listening to stuff.–laugh–)

If you already have the Spotify app, the link should just start right up, but if not, it’s pretty painless to download the app and listen, especially if you have a FB account.

But here’s the link!  INTO THE WOODS Enjoy! Each one ties in to one of the stories or characters.

Today I’ve got a panel, and I’m looking forward to it and meeting my fellow panelists. I’ll try to remember to take a picture, but seriously, it’s going to be iffy.  -grin-

JUSTICE IS SERVED: 5:00PM – 6:00PM, 1A14

Cops, P.I.’s, government agents and regular Joe’s (or Jane’s) fight for all that is good and just in these Science-Fiction and Fantasy tales, even if the villains are vampires, telepaths, and the magically gifted. These protagonists solve crimes, kick-ass, and don’t let anyone–supernatural or otherwise–stand in the way of justice.

Win Into the Woods at Preternatura/Comic Con schedule/Tour Ts

I’ve got a nice Q&A for you today out at Preternatura revolving around Into the Woods! It won’t be live until 9:00 am Central, but I’m going to give you the link now.  Into The Woods at Preternatura It feels really good to finally have this on the shelves, and I hope you enjoy it if you get the chance to crack it open. Also, I didn’t know this until it went live, but you have a chance to win a copy of INTO THE WOODS if you comment on Suzanne’s blog.

Also, Guy has the shirts for the EVER AFTER tour prepped and ready to order. It feels to soon to be doing this, so I’m not making a huge deal out of it yet, but if you know what I’m talking about and you want to be in the first print run, I have the ordering page updated at the website. Remember the tour is a month early this year, so the cut-off will be as well.  EVER-AFTER tour Ts These first orders will be shipped on October 31st

Tomorrow I’ll be in NY, so today I’ll  be spending, packing, cleaning the house, and prepping for my panels. If you’re going, Harper is giving away some cool Harrison freebies at their booth, so keep an eye out for when the notices go up.  I’ll have more freebies at my personal panel. My schedule is pretty well set and is as follows:

Thursday, October 11

JUSTICE IS SERVED: 5:00PM – 6:00PM, 1A14 (because of the late hour, the autographing will be Friday)

Friday, October 12

10:00-11:00 Blood Crime signing at the Del Rey booth #1120

1:15-2:15 PM Justice is Served Panel Autographing Tables: 2, 3, 4, hall 1B

3:00 PM  INTO AND OUT OF THE HOLLOWS

Unbound Author Stage. This is my solo panel. I’ll be talking about the last few books in the Hollows, and what might come next.

Saturday, October 13

1:30-2:30 PM Room A108  Panel—“Hocus Pocus: Magic & Monsters in Science Fiction and Fantasy”

2:45-3:45 PM  Hocus Pocus Panel Autographing Tables: 2, 3, 4

4:30-5:30  Booth Signing—HarperCollins Booth #1004, with Richard Kadrey, Jocelynn Drake, and Brom

If you aren’t familiar with the layout, here’s a map!  Comic Con map

This may be my last post until Monday. I’m going to be jumping!

Kim Harrison’s Into The Woods is on the shelves

Finally, after weeks spent signing pre-release copies to send to you, promoting an early e-book snippet, prepping e-interviews, developing freebies for comic con, and getting all my ducks in a row, Into the Woods is on the shelves today and dropping into your e-readers as I type this.

Whoo-hoo! I’m excited about it, even as I’m bracing myself for the ugly reviews sure to follow such a shift in writing style/logic/voice/etc, in some of the non-Hollows novella’s.  So if you read them and like them, don’t be shy in publicly saying so right next to those bad reviews. This is the only litmus test you’re going to be able to take part in as far as to what might come after the Hollows, so good, or bad, I want to know what you think of the three non-Hollows novellas, Spider Silk, Grace, and Pet Shop Boys.

Also, Into the Woods made USAtoday’s recommended reads this morning. Thanks, Jessie! What a great way to start a release! Recommended Reads

Copies should be on the shelves today, but if you’re having trouble:

Indibooks

Barnes and Noble

Books-A-Million

Harper Collins

Amazon

Brookline Booksmith

Politics and Prose

Powell’s Books

Rainy Day Books

Tattered Cover

Watermark Books and Cafe

Also available as an audio book and through the SFBC

Comic Con floor plan

I spent some of my weekend getting ready for Comic Con. Just got the word this morning that they are sold out of tickets.  Whoo-hoo! I can’t wait!  If you’re going, I’ve got a link to a nifty floor-plan to help you get around. Map Your Show.  And if you’re looking to see where I’ll be, here’s a link to my event’s page. Kim Harrison’s events

Weather wise, it’s been a couple of lousy weekend in a row here, and with CC taking up next weekend, the chance to get into the yard before it gets really cold is looking slimmer. I’ve been picking away at putting the yard to bed–as in taking down hanging baskets, doing quick, spontaneous tours of the yard with a bucket and scissors to cut the stuff that is failing from the cold, bringing in things I don’t want to leave out all winter–but it’s been too nasty to put the time in properly. I swear I saw snow Saturday, just a few flakes of it, while in the home improvement parking lot.

According to the people who make up the zone maps, I am no longer in zone five, but six, which could have delayed my bulb shipment until October 31st. In essence they are saying my weather in Michigan is commensurate with say . . . upper Tennessee.  Right. I complained to the bulb guy, who was more interested in getting clever with me than actually helping, that we could have snow on October 31st and I wanted my bulbs now, when they originally told me they would be coming, and he bumped me up in the schedule to almost where I was before they decided to change everything. (I’ve got them, and I’ve just about put them all to bed.)

The problem is that the idea behind the old zone maps don’t work anymore. Just saying it’s warmer doesn’t cut it. It also gets colder sooner in the fall and later into the spring. The gardening community needs to use a mapping system that takes that into account, but until they do, I’ll just not put in anything that is on the edge of tolerance.

I get by with a little help from my friends

*gush alert!!*  -grin- The following is an informal conversation about the importance of friends in the industry between me and the woman who shoved my foot into the door of this crazy business . Faith can be found at her own blog www.faithhunter.net  and https://www.facebook.com/faith.hunter#!/official.faith.hunter Her latest, DEATH’S RIVAL has just come out this week and is jumping off the shelves.

Most days I still feel like a newbie when I sit down at my desk.  The painfully introverted woman who picked up that pen seventeen years ago isn’t very far away, the person you see on the stage or behind the signing table really a much-practiced endeavor that I can only maintain for a few hours before collapsing. The tools in my tool box are admittedly more numerous and I reach for them with more surety.  My heart no longer pounds when I get a call from my agent, apart from when he’s getting me a new contract.  But as we all strive to make this job easier, there is one place we have to work to keep everything the same, and that is the friends we make along the way.

My first few years honing my writing were spent alone, and that was okay seeing as I had a steep learning curve.  Still, I hit a ceiling, one that I broke by joining a dedicated writers’ critique group.  Going to that first meeting was one of the hardest things I’d ever forced myself to do.  It was also where I met Gwen Hunter, also known as Faith Hunter.  Now, when I first met Faith, she was a PUBLISHED AUTHOR and a New York Times bestseller.  She’d been touring off the US, and she had what I wanted: the knowhow to effectively tell a story.  I was hungry for it, and she was willing to dish it out.  And boy, I have found over the years that she can dish it out.  -grin-

With that said, I’d like to bring Faith in on this conversation.  Faith, do you even remember what we were individually working on when we first met?  I think I read a short story.  In fact, I think it was Tempson Estates, (Scheduled to be released 10/9 in INTO THE WOODS.)

Faith:  I don’t remember the first thing you read aloud, though it was the beginning of a story, (something about pumpkins?) but I do remember your voice. Not just your reading voice which was always lovely, (though was very shaky at first with nerves) but your authorial voice. This was not the voice of a newbie, this was the voice of a dedicated writer and future star. The words were rich and intense and immediate, your world was fully realized. And so was your character. Not the usual first reading.

Kim:  Okay, now I’m blushing, but yes, I was terrified to read my work aloud, and my voice shook like a leaf.  It was the scariest thing I’d ever done.

Faith: We had a big group at that time and I put you on my “pay attention” list, which was my internal list for writers who stood the best chances of making it in the business. If I remember right, it was sometime after your third meeting when I asked if you were writing a short story or a novel. And it was a novel. I was ecstatic.

Kim: First Truth.  Yep.  I think I was on my fifth revision, and it needed help.

Faith: Right! I remember now! Much later, after we had gotten to know one another, I suggested that we meet outside the group. Do you remember the place we met for lunch? I’ll nudge you. Burger King. And you brought your youngest son, who was into everything and kept you feeling frazzled. Thing Two was clearly already creative, like his mom, BTW. I had carefully prepared what I wanted to say. I told you that I believed that you would be the next Anne McCaffrey. I watched your eyes as you absorbed that. And I realized that you already knew that you would be a star. You were quietly . . . knowing is a good word. You believed in your talent and your gift. You were ready for it. And I so wanted to help you get there!

Kim: OMGosh, I sort of remember Burger King now.  Wow. It was the only place I could think of that would keep Thing Two occupied for a few minutes. And I was a little freaked when you brought up Anne McCaffrey because those are very large slippers to try to fit into, but yes, I wanted it that badly.  I had a lot of determination and a very thick head.  Skill, not so much.  It was a big learning curve for me.  But that’s what a good writer’s critique group does: brings you up to speed and points you in the right direction. I still look on those few years as being sort of my Camelot—a unique combination of sundry talents where the perfect ideal was celebrated. I miss it, especially when I’m thumping my still thick head against a literary wall. Our occasional “writer sanity” meetings did a lot to fill that gap. It’s not just the chance to bounce ideas around, but the rare opportunity to talk to someone who recognizes the spark of a good idea when it flashes across your face, and then tells you to pursue it.  I can’t say that Jane Yellowrock was born between sips of coffee at Starbucks, but I remember you bringing her up at one of our writer sanity meetings.  You had some ideas for a new series, and I saw you light up when you talked about her.  I knew then that Jane had legs, as they say in the biz.  She was going to make it.  (And because Faith is to shy to mention it, book five, Death’s Rival, just hit the shelf.  Go forth and read!)

Faith: I remember that! Starbucks was a great place to meet because no one looked askance at us when we talked about elves, pixies, poisons, throwing knives, and turning into small rodent-like animals or mountain lions. Yeah, you had just turned in a book and were exhausted, and I had just finished a rewrite of one of my Rogue Mage books and was exhausted. It was one of those days where we both just happened to need to explore something new and totally creative, whether we ever used it or not. I remember what you talked about. Grace. (Can I say that here?)

Kim:  Yes, she’s kind of out of the bag, though she’s working with computers instead of swords now.

Faith: And I talked about  Katie’s Ladies, the Oldest Operating Whorehouse In New Orleans, with Katie being a vampire. But the main character would be this Cherokee character, female, who hunted vamps. And the name I chose for her was Jane Doe because I couldn’t think of a name at the time.

Our usual tea-time was about 90 minutes, but this one stretched out into two hours. And yeah. Jane (Doe) Yellowrock was born.

Kim: Never underestimate the power of caffeine and like-minded people, but I know we got a few looks when the conversation became too animated and turned to vampires.  Maybe now not so much, but back then?  -laugh-  But even though it seems obvious that having friends—as in real friends, not associates you can tap for help—in the business is vital, I don’t want to give the impression that it’s easy. Writers are blessed with a job that can be done anywhere.  We move a lot.  Long-distance relationships are hard enough, but combine that with the perils of highly competitive women in a job where everyone knows everyone else?

Faith:  Yeah. Green eyed jealousy is a hard thing to get past sometimes. I was totally green, not just my eyes, when you hit the NYT the first time. And yet totally proud and pleased and whooting it up at the same time. So very proud. I still am. Proud of you.

Kim:  Okay, but remember me having to meet with you before I did my first copy-edit?  I was scared to make any mark on that paper and do something wrong?  I still feel that way sometimes.

Faith: You have done the writer thing with dignity and grace and poise. You have learned to speak in public, learned how to deal with it when someone out there doesn’t like what you write, (there will always be people who like to read other types of things, or who are feeling angry and take their bad day out on a book review).

Kim:  The stuff they don’t tell us we need to learn how to do.  All I wanted was to write.

Faith: You have also learned to become an even better writer than you were back then. Mostly, you have paid it forward, giving your stamp of approval when you read a book you like.

Kim: And who do you think taught me all that, Faith!  -grin-  I shudder to think what would have happened without you there to show me that grace.  Being friends lets us applaud each other’s successes (after a flash of green-eyed monster). We can be proud of each other and we manage to keep balancing work and life, and lean on each other for guidance when a new tool, like FB, or blogging, show up.

Faith:  Green eyed monster notwithstanding, you gave a stamp of approval to Jane Yellowrock, my main character. Thank you for that, for liking Jane. I’ve never written a character I liked more! So, yes, there’s competition, but in a good way.

Kim: Not competition for readers—because authors are like M&Ms in that you can have a favorite and still enjoy the entire bag—but for publisher promotion dollars and the like so that we can keep pushing forward with careers and with telling stories.

Faith:  Exactly! So. Here’s to the future. (Sound of clinking tea mugs.) A future where you are living far away, and I may only get to see you rarely. A future where life is different, maybe harder in some ways. Definitely more lonely with you gone. And here’s to Comic Con in New York City! I am sooo looking forward to finding a Starbucks and getting caught up.

And thank you for having me here today. (Waves to Kim’s fans.) She has so many wonderful stories to tell you! And to tell me, of course. I am still her biggest fan!

Kim: I can’t wait! Life is good — With Friends Like These.

Faith can be most readily found at her blog and website.  www.faithhunter.net  https://www.facebook.com/faith.hunter#!/official.faith.hunter

Perfect Blood to old school Santa Claus, yes, these things go together–today.

It’s a grab-bag of mish-mash today! First, I finished up signing INTO THE WOODS last night, and wow, I have to thank you guys for your response. I’d say my hand is tired, but you know the voice is the first thing to go. -grin-  I left some signed stock, so if you are desperate and can’t get out to Comic Con NY (where I’ll also be signing) you can order one from here. Order signed INTO THE WOODS

Second, but actually this should be first, on the way to Nicola’s, my editor called, and you guys pushed A PERFECT BLOOD up into the New York Times list!  It hit at a very respectable 14 on the mass market. Not bad for a book that has been out for almost a year and hit #2 on the hard cover list.  Smiles, smiles, smiles. Thank you!  It feels pretty good sitting at my desk this morning. Also, Guy was out yesterday and spotted it at the “must read”end cap at a get-all store. I know one chain, especially, is going to have A PERFECT BLOOD at a steep discount, so keep your eyes peeled, and if you spot it, let me know.

Third, I’ve added a booth signing on Friday morning at Comic Con, hopefully before it gets too much the mad house. I’ll be at the Del Rey booth signing very early releases of BLOOD CRIME, the second graphic novel.  This bad boy isn’t supposed to be out until Halloween, but you can get it at Comic Con.  If you miss the signing, you can buy it even when I’m not there, and bring it to another Comic Con signing, of which I’ve got several. My updated Comic Con NY schedule

Fourth, tomorrow I’ll be posting a conversation between me and Faith Hunter about the importance of having friends in the industry, giving you the down and dirty on how we met and what we’re up to now. This is the woman who mentored me and literally shoved me in front of the man who later became my agent. She’s a pushy broad, and everyone who knows her loves her for it, because she pushes you into what she knows you’re capable of. So tomorrow, you’re going to be witness to two ladies gushing all over each other. (grin) You have been warned.

Faith is coming on to my pages here to celebrate her release of DEATH’S RIVAL, number five in her Jane Yellowrock series.  I’m going to give you a link to Amazon only because it’s easy, but you can find it everywhere this week.  Death’s Rival on Amazon And tomorrow, the gushing begins . . .

And lastly, i09 has published a SF/Fantasy don’t miss in October list, and one of my faves is on it.  Go Bram!  I had the chance to read KRAMPUS before it came out, and loved the old school Christmas crashing into even older pagan ritual. And yes, it’s got illustrations.  :-) Jump on over to i09 for the complete list.  io9 Bookshelf injection-October Bram is also going to be at Comic Con, so check the schedule. We have a joint booth signing on Saturday at Harper. Jocelynn Drake is going to be there too, along with Richard Kadery.  It’s going to be a happy madhouse. I can’t wait.

Cutoff for signed/personalized Into The Woods offer is today

That’s right. I know I’ve been talking about it for a long time, but INTO THE WOODS comes out in less than a week, and today is the last day to order a signed/personalized copy from Nicola’s and expect a ghost of a chance of getting it by the drop date of Tuesday. I am so excited. Most times, my ideas sit in a cabinet never seeing the light of day for years and years, if ever, but here, I’ve been able to bring them all out and develop them into stories, not synopsis or outlines, or proposals, but stories–stories with characters and ideas, and little jumps of thought that never happen until the act of creation is, well, acting. So if you want a nice solid peek at what might (or might not) be coming after the Hollows, you have to check it out.

I’m going to give you a link to a previous post for the particulars on how to order from Nicola’s instead of rewriting it all here.  How to order from Nicola’s The official cut off is noon, EST, but don’t panic. I will be in to sign after Comic Con, so you’ll still get your copy.  It just won’t be by the drop date.

Also, I promised you a wallpaper. I’d forgotten I had this. Isn’t it fabulous? I might change my banner for a week or so just because.  :-) It’s free for your own use, just click the small picture to go to chose your size and grab it.  Into the wood Wallpaper

One week out

It’s one week out from INTO THE WOODS!! And I’m getting excited. I’ve got my Comic Con schedule all set and the freebies made, prepped, and hopefully at NY waiting for me.  I’ve got all those books at Nicola’s signed except for the last smidgen, and my PR planned out. Which reminds me. If you can’t wait, I’ve still got one of the stories in INTO THE WOODS released early along with the first chapter of EVER AFTER.  If you like sneak peeks, you might want to check it out for less than a dollar on your e-device.

Amazon:  Pet Shop Boys with Ever After chapter

Barnes and Noble: Pet Shop Boys with Ever After chapter

iTunes: Pet Shop Boys with Ever After chapter

Sony: Pet Shop Boys with Ever After chapter

Kobo: Pet Shop Boys with Ever After chapter

Check back tomorrow, I’ve got a wallpaper for you.