Kim Harrison's Blog, page 87

It was a good day all around

I’m very ready to sit at my desk today and move nothing but my fingers and my thoughts.  Urg.  I play too hard, and having that extra day really does me in.  I actually got out on the water this weekend.  ”On the water” is my favorite place to be, which sounds weird because I garden so heavily.  Not many people know it, but my idea of heaven on earth is 27 feet of sailboat and the sound of a halyard slapping.  A little kayak is enough to find peace in.

And speaking of gardening.  I scored big Monday at my favorite home and garden place.  Cone flowers with spent blooms at seventy-five percent off.  Score!!  I’d been watching them for about a month, hoping they’d go on sale.  They were red with a few orange blooms, and I wanted them badddddd.  I nearly had kittens last week when I went to check on them and found they were moved from the outside tables to inside.  Still, they were not on the sale rack on Monday, even though they were looking kind of sad, so I took one up to the front, and said, “I have a question about this plant,” upon which the lady blurted, “Seventy-five percent off today.  Right now.”

My eyes began to gleam, and I went to get a cart.

Today I’m starting the actual writing of a chapter-length short for a special opportunity that landed on my desk out of the blue.  It’s put the plotting of book thirteen out till next week, but I know where I think I’m going.  Everything changes, and it’s not good to have too rigid of a mind-set–in writing, or gardening.

P.S.  I like cone flowers because they like the sun and are extremely drought hardy once established, and I’d like to make my landscaping less dependent on water.  This plant is also known as Echinacea, the same stuff that boosts your immune system.

Caution to the Wind

Had a great opportunity land unexpectedly on my desk yesterday, so the plotting–which went nova Thursday–is on hold until later.  I’m so excited about it that I almost forgot to post this morning.  No spoilers, but it involves our favorite elf and witch/demon, and from a craft point of view, I will be trying something new for me.  I’m curious myself how it’s going to turn out.  I’ll find out remarkably fast, seeing as this has a very short turn around.  I like my long, lengthy years spent with a book before it hits the shelf, but this fast, instant gratification has its own charms and energy.

Also, just as a general note, if you come on my pages and crab at me, I will likely leave you to your rant, but if you come on my pages and start being mean to my readers because you’re unhappy with me, I will ban your computer address and your email faster than honey through a pixy.  Blogs retain email and computer addresses as a measure of security even if you haven’t given them.  Anonymous posting means your contact information is hidden from the public pages, not the administrative ones.  So be nice.

For those of you in the US, have a great Labor Day weekend!  I will probably not post Monday.

Plotting, plotting, plotting

So . . .  There it is: me plotting out the last book.  Guy gave me some caution tape to strew about my office in celebration, which I thought apropos.  See, I thought I had a plot already, but when I got into it yesterday, I realized I used too many themes and situations from it in book twelve when I lengthened the series to include the floater–which means I get to spend this week and some of next plotting out a new last book.  Oh, it has the same general theme, but I moved a few things up, and now can expand on the results.  Can I just say “yummy” and leave it at that?  -grin-

And yes.  All my plotting is handwritten.  Don’t ask me why.

Signed Into The Woods-One Way To Do It

I seldom get out to tour for the books that come between the usual spring releases, and though I’m going to Comic Con NY October 11-14, I wanted one more chance for you to get a signed copy of the first Harrison compilation. This is the one with all the extra Hollows shorts and novellas that have been published up to now.  In it, we see Ivy frame a man for murder–the same who goes on later to kill Kisten.  We see Daryl and see how she and Ivy met.  There’s Ceri’s abduction, and why blue butterflies figure into Al’s psyche.  Why Ivy gave Mia her wish, and what Mia did with it is in there.  How Pierce gave Rachel her first feeling of true independence is explained.  And of course, Trent and Jenks rescuing Lucy.  (Go Trent and Jenks!)

Then there are the new pieces, bits of thought that I played with as possible future series.  If you want a peek into how the creative mind works . . .  Well . . .  here you go.  I’ve got three novellas and one short, all different worlds, all different magics, all hopefully different feels to them: Pet Shop Boys from a guy’s point of view about the perils of winter solstice parties; Spider Silk, a is-she-isn’t-she kind of horror story; and Grace, who’ve I’ve been talking about ever since I’ve had a blog–which is actually before they had a word for it. (I’m thinking 2001?)

It’s a fabulous collection of old and new, and I’m very pleased to be able to do this.  As I said, there will be some at Comic Con for me to sign, but I didn’t want to limit availability, so Nicolas in Ann Arbor has taken on the task of being my signed-book outlet.  So . . . if you want one of these bad boys signed, here’s what you do:

1.  Go to their ordering site and order a book.  I’ve got the link at the end here.

2.  Work through the order form until you get to the “pay me” part.  Way down at the bottom you’ll see a box that looks like this.

3.  In this box, you write in “Please have Kim sign my book”  ORRRRRRRR  ”Please have Kim sign my book to __________”  and fill in the blank with who you want me to personalize it to.  The first will get you my signature, the second will get it personalized to you with a note.

4.  If you don’t put anything in the box, you’ll get a book but no signature.  :-)

5.  International orders are okay.  Call them at 734-662-0600

6.  If you want it by the drop date, you have to order by October 3rd.

7.  Here’s the link to get you started.  Nicola’s signed Into The Woods offer

I am very grateful for Nicola’s for doing this for us.  I know it’s a pain to try to get these out to you so they will land on your door on the publishing date, so please don’t wait for the last moment to order.  The books have to be sent from Harper early, and if you place your order late, there is that extra shipping time to deal with.  You’ll still get your book, but it won’t be on the drop date.  I will do my part by getting there to sign them a few days before the drop date, but again, you have to order with enough time to actually ship it to you.

I hope you enjoy this collection.  I had a surprisingly good time putting it together.  :-)  Lots of stuff I’ve been wanting to get out on paper finally made it.  Phew!!

Ever After tour cities. Am I coming near you?

It’s a touch early, so don’t imagine that these cities are chiseled in stone, and I usually lose one, gain another along the way due to venue changes, but I’ve got the first tentative list of tour cities for EVER-AFTER, and it looks like a nice, mostly warm week or so out with you guys!  Remember, I’m touring an entire month early this year, right in the middle of winter.  Not my favorite thing to do, but it will give me February and March at home, something I’ve not had in a few years and I’m looking forward to.  :-)

So, with excitement and that little quiver I always get on tour . . . the proposed cities are in alphabetical order:

Ann Arbor,

Austin,

Cincinnati,

Dallas,

Denver,

Houston,

Phoenix,

Raleigh/Durham;

San Diego,

Seattle.

Please don’t beg me to come to your city with sugar and tomatoes on top.  I truly have very little say in the matter.  I’m sorry if I missed your city, but with an entire continent to choose from, it can be hard.  I’m thrilled to be getting back to the Cincinnati area.  Back to Denver–who was a new stop last year.  Also, I missed Texas and Arizona completely last tour, so that is going to be great to see you all again.

Trent and Jenks novella sneak peek!

I would have given you warning, but it happened faster than I thought it would, and i09 has posted a very long excerpt of MILLION DOLLAR BABY.  (Whoo-hoo!  It feels close!) This is the new Hollows novella in INTO THE WOODS, and is the missing chapters of Trent’s and Jenks’s elf quest to rescue Trent’s child.  It was a treat writing from Trent’s point of view, and though he doesn’t think of Rachel often, when he does, it’s telling.  You can read a large portion at their site.  i09-book excerpt

Feel free to pass this link on.  I won’t be getting out to help the book’s numbers apart from Comic Con New York, and I’m afraid a lot of people are going to miss it, especially since it’s right between regular releases.

PS  I kinda like the artwork that went with this article, showing Rachel right between reality and the ever-after.  Coolieos.

Also, if you missed it, the wallpapers are still available.

You can get them at my website, or go to Harper.  They’ve got a fab PW review up as well.  

Fair Loot

It was game night at the fair for Guy and myself, and Lady Luck was with us!  We had a great time doing nothing, and we’ve got the nothing to prove it.  -laugh-

Into the Woods wallpaper

To celebrate the release of the first Kim Harrison compilation, Into the Woods, (10/9) the graphic team at Harper has created for you a fabulous wallpaper for your personal use.  I have three sizes to make it easier to fit your various screens.  The smaller one is here, but the two big, beautiful, fill your mega-screen shots are at the website at the Into the Woods page.

I was really excited to see this come available, partly because of the tremendous detail in the tree roots.  The intertwining, organic growth in the closeup is fabulous, and I’m so pleased that the team at Harper was able to find a way to show off the artwork like this.

So here’s the smallest version, still a whopping 640 X 480  the other two are at the website. 

Wild America

When I was first learning to read, Frog and Toad Together was one of my favorites.  This isn’t that.  Not at all. One of the puppies started barking like crazy yesterday, and since they don’t go outside without me, I took a look, appalled, and curious at finding a small snake trying to eat a big toad.  Now, part of me is all for letting wild America be wild America, but if I ever had my head stuck down anyone’s throat, I would hope that someone would get a stick and help me out.  Oh, that snake was mad when I did just that, but the toad was oh so thankful.  The snake can go eat baby chipmunks.  We’ve got too many of them, and not enough toads.

The fair was good last night, and Guy and I watched two crash-up derbies before wandering off with our cotton candy to scope out the game prizes and a few of the livestock barns.  We’ll go back at least once more, I think.

Also, I posted the wrong cover yesterday.  The actual cover has Rachel’s hair the proper red.  Sorry!

Tomorrow I’ll have something kind of cool for you, so come back and see!

 

Ever After cover reveal

Finally, after what seems like forever!  (smile)  The cover for Ever After, book eleven in the Hollows series.

Sometimes, it all comes together.  Wow.  I’m so pleased to be able to share this awesome cover with you guys.  I always like my covers, but some of them stand out as exceptional, and this is one of my favorites if not my number one.  :-)