Cherie Priest's Blog: It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion, page 60

October 16, 2011

I'm back from Portland and all is well. Had a lovely time; caught up to a great audience at Powell's, and had lots of fun poking around with Mary - who, it must be said, is a terrible influence while shopping. Okay, I came out of the excursion with very cool things that I (marginally) need (perhaps), but still.

Her response, when I accused her of this on twitter, was merely an evil laugh. How fitting.

Anyway. This afternoon has been one of unpacking, kitty-petting, and house-cleaning - and shortly I must run my husband over to a friend's house to pick up his motorcycle (long story). But first I wanted to mention that I have, in fact, returned - and also mention my event at Third Place Books this Tuesday.

So ... there you go! Third Place Books (Lake City Way location), 7:00 p.m., yours truly, this Tuesday. Please see this post before you ping me with questions re: signing/reading procedure or etiquette. To sum up, though: Yes, I'll sign it, whatever it is - and please buy something from the host store, for this is polite and it helps the store keep inviting folks like me to come around.

Okay. It's time to hoist this fat kitty off my lap and go sort out the motorcycle situation. Thanks for reading!

Final reminder!

Tonight - in fact, in another couple of hours ... catch me at the Beaverton location of Powell's (near/in/right close to) Portland, Oregon, for reading/signing/hanging out/goofing off with yours truly as I attempt to convince you that you should totally check out my most recent steampunk book, Ganymede.

Also, I might tell you secrets. There's an announcement or two that can't be public public yet, but I've been told I can quietly share in person - so long as I'm thin on the details. So if you turn up tonight, you will absolutely learn something cool.

HELP ME GET SOME OF THIS GOOD NEWS OFF MY CHEST.
Please?

:)

Finally I have news!

Yes! News! Actual news, and not mere threats of news!
THIS news: The Clockwork Century is expanding!

You already know that in 2012 you'll be getting my book about teenage juvenile delinquents, hypothetical ghosts, and gangland mayhem within the walled city of Seattle … now with Bonus! zombie Sasquatch and the return of everyone's favorite elderly cross-dressing Native American princess - Inexplicables - but now yet another can be revealed!

Around this same time in 2013, you-the-readers will be on the receiving end of a fifth installment from Tor - tentatively called ...

[:: drumroll please ::] Fiddlehead [:: throws confetti ::]
[:: major happydances ::]

This one will be a wartime espionage Washington D.C. thriller about Abraham Lincoln, Belle Boyd, and the Pinkerton National Detective Agency raising hell to protect a primitive-but-powerful computer in 1880 - smack in the middle of Ulysses S. Grant's bid for a third presidential term. (P.S. there will be zombies.)

I, for one, cannot freaking wait to write this bad-boy. And I'm so excited that I finally get to spill some of the great news that's driving me bananas right now!*

[:: happydances ::]
[:: hippyshakes ::]
[:: funkychickens ::]



* That's right. There's YET MORE NEWS pending. In fact, this isn't what I expected to land first. But HUZZAH I say HUZZAH regardless!

Seein' things that I may never see again

Last night's event was a delight; I got to say "hello" to a handful of rarely seen friends, and I met some nifty new people while I was at it. Likewise, I ran into a whole slew of lovely folks I know from around town - so all in all, I left the bookstore feeling downright cheerful ... a sentiment which was underscored and emphasized when I got home and remembered that I'd scored hot butter rum mix yesterday morning at the Safeway.

Yes. Well.
Moving right along.

Tomorrow night you can catch me in Portland, Oregon - reading/signing at Powell's (Beaverton/Cedar Hills location). Shenanigans get underway at 7:00 p.m., and I do dearly hope to see some of you there.

Coincidentally, I've been getting a number of questions about things I will and won't agree to do at a reading/signing - so I figure there's no time like the present to address a few of the FAQs in a post.

Here goes:
Do I have to buy anything, or can I just come listen? You do not have to buy anything, but it is certainly helpful and polite if you do so. Bookstores go to a lot of trouble to hold these events, and by purchasing books (or other goodies) you (a). show your support for the store, and (b). help ensure that future events will take place by keeping them profitable.

Will you sign more than one book? Sure, totally. I'll sign pretty much whatever you like - but if you have a big fat stack that'll take a few minutes to address ... maybe you could wait for the end of the line. I'd appreciate it, and I'm sure that other people with lesser signature needs would appreciate it too.

Will you sign my book "To Pookie with love" or whatever? Sure. I'll sign 'em however you like, to whoever you want.

Will this event be kid and/or young adult friendly? I should think so. The steampunk books like Ganymede feature a bit of "language," and some violence ... but not much in the way of sex or the like. In fact, I get asked about the young-person-appropriateness of the Clockwork Century books so much that I've composed a somewhat longer FAQ with info on that very subject - over on its appropriate steam-specific site.

Can I bring books that I didn't buy at the store where the event is held? Sure, but see above re: supporting the store and buying something, if at all possible. It's good form, that's all I'm saying.

Can I take pictures/take a picture with you? Sure. I look like a cheesemonkey in candids, but hey. Hook it up.

I have a question about XYZ - will you answer it? Most events are structured with a Q&A portion, so yes, I am always happy to answer your burning queries. However, please don't insist or get upset if there are some things I can't discuss; in publishing - and a number of its associated industries - nothing is talk-about-able until things are set in stone.

Will you sign my e-reader? Totally. I even carry a silver and a black Sharpie (respectively), due to the volume of requests I get for precisely this service.

Okay. That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but if you have other questions or concerns, leave them in the comments and I'll do my best to address them.

And for now, I need to undertake such glamorous activities as packing, cleaning the fish tank, doing the dishes, and running to the post office. So I do hope you all have a most excellent week/weekend without me - including those of you who are catching SteamCon, which I will be missing this year.

Thanks for reading!

October 11, 2011

No exciting new announcements yet, and believe me - I wish it were otherwise. But today has a plan, and the plan is this: I will head over to the University Book Store to sign orders, swing by the pet store to pick up some goodies for cat and fish alike, nab some lunch, do some grocery shopping, and then ... as a treat to self, I'll head over to the Elliot Bay Bookstore this afternoon.

Yes, yes. Two bookstores in one day.
It's a habit, not a problem.

Actually, the second stop is due to a 7:00 p.m. appearance of Wil Wheaton with Ernie Cline, in order to read Ready Player One to all and sundry who may attend.

So ... yeah. I'll be there. And I am unfamiliar with the marvelous-sounding Mr. Cline, but I know for a fact that Wil is one entertaining mofo - so I fully expect that this will be a hoot of an occasion. Come on out if you're in the area! Good times will be had by all.

Shooting out truck tires sounds like loads and loads of fun

There's been precious little to report over the last few days, thus the radio silence. More or less. I mean, I tweet because it's quick and easy. But blogging has seemed beyond my grasp. I've been ... very tired. That's the long and short of it.

Go click that Twitter link. There, you will find kitty pictures. And that, my friends, is a promise.

Today I found myself at loose ends for the first time in (what feels like) months, so I went out to Ballard and kicked around with Kat. We ate lunch. We shopped for Halloween goodies. We petted store dogs. You know. The usual. It was delightful, really - just what I needed.

Now I'm back home, having a rum-and-coke and trying to type around a fat, furry, delicious fuzzball. But I do believe I'll log off, throw on some pajamas, and get some reading done. I know the afternoon's still early, but I've been running in fifth gear for so long, I'm ready to crash.

(Perhaps, if we are very very lucky, there will be awesome announcements tomorrow. Or not! The universe is fickle, sometimes.)

I've seen chaos and order reign supreme

I took a brief break from work this morning to jaunt over to the optometrist's office, for the purposes of ordering more contacts; and I brought my glasses along with me because they very badly needed an adjustment.

(There's this dude who works at my eye-doc's office - and he is a wizard of spectacle-manipulation. Every time he tweaks them for me, I feel like I'm wearing a totally new pair. Love it. Feels great.)

So I order more contacts, and I hand the nice gent my glasses. He disappears into the back, works his magic, and returns them to me. They fit fantastically once more, hurrah - but since I was actually wearing my contacts, I couldn't open my eyes to check the lenses.*

When I got home, I removed my contacts and popped my glasses on ... only to notice immediately that something was wrong. Really wrong. It was like the lenses had been dipped in milk.

I squinted at them, held them up to the light, and spied a thick network of what looked like teeny-tiny spiderweb cracks covering about half of each lens. At first I thought it must be some kind of sealant that had dried oddly; but it wouldn't come off, and I only live a few blocks from the optometrist's office. So I took them back.

And it turns out, when the tech had warmed the frames to make them more malleable ... he hadn't been paying close enough attention, and he'd melted the anti-glare coating.

To his credit, he was appalled. He immediately got on the phone to the manufacturer (where my info is archived) and within ten minutes, he had a new set of lenses winging their way to the office. They ought to arrive sometime tonight or tomorrow, and all will be well before long.

This is not the end of the world.
It was a mistake, but he apologized - and he'll make it right.

But my back-up glasses hold lenses with a prescription that's about five years old. It's off by almost a full point in one eye, and half a point in the other - so I can see, yes. But these things are wrong, and I've been working in them all day (they're no worse than my contacts, for close-up work), and I've got a headache going on like gangbusters.

Now it's suppertime, so I'm going to make myself a drink, close my eyes, and maybe listen to the news or something. But I have to get off the laptop now, because I can't stand it too much longer.

But oh yeah, first - here's a link to an interview with yours truly on Omnivoracious: Punting Fauns into the Lion's Mouth.

Oh Mr. VanderMeer. You are a funny, funny man. And it was definitely a funny interview. Go check it out - and if you've been enjoying Hellbent or Ganymede over the last few weeks, please be so kind as to post a review or two at the site of your choice. I would dearly appreciate it!


* I've been functionally blind since I was a kid. The prescription is far too strong to double; it's a recipe for instant migraine.

What goes on in that place in the dark?

Today has been dedicated to a day-job push of work, so I regret to confess that I don't have much in the way of blogging fodder. I went to the post office and made myself some tea. That's pretty much it.

However! I do have news regarding the Ganymede audiobook: It's finally gone live! You can get it here from Audible . I don't recognize the reader's name, but I'm sure he does a smashing job.

In order to preempt some questions I can already see coming a mile away: No, I don't know why they chose a man to read this one - though about half the POV is Andan Cly's; no, I don't know why they didn't get Kate Reading to cover Josephine's portions; no, I still don't know what the delay was; and I apologize to everyone outside the U.S., for I wish I had an audiobook to offer you, too; no, that kind of thing isn't up to me.

If you have further questions, post them in the comments to this entry and I'll respond as I'm able.

In other news, I have two helpful links to offer up before I log off to chase down some supper:
First up - a truly wonderful review over at Tor.com, courtesy of the inimitable Ay-leen the Peacemaker: This is American Steampunk . I swear, there's nothing more pleasant and flattering than watching a smart person think about your material, and respond to it at length. I can't thank Ay-leen enough for taking the time and trouble!

Next, I have a handy-dandy link that could win you a fat stack of steampunk books for free: Steampunk sweepstakes! All you have to do is sign up for the Tor.com newsletter (an inoffensive document, I assure you - as I'm a subscriber myself) ... and you'll be entered for a chance to win 16 steampunk tomes, including Boneshaker, Dreadnought, and Ganymede. Go check it out!
Thanks for reading, everyone. And here, just in case you've got your clicking fingers all warmed up and want some brand new steampunk pulp adventure action:

Find Ganymede at an independent store through IndieBound
Nab Ganymede from Amazon.com
Acquire Ganymede via Barnes & Noble
Pick up Ganymede at Books A Million
Purchase Ganymede courtesy of Powell's

To read Ganymede on a Nook click here
To read Ganymede on a Kindle click here
To read Ganymede on a Sony E-Reader click here
To read Ganymede in other digital forms visit the listing at Macmillan

He always said she was good as gold

The weekend felt like a fractured thing; a friend of mine and the husband's (Andan, whose name I may well have stolen for fiction, *cough cough*) was in town, but I was frankly too wiped out to be up for much in the socializing department. Mostly I stayed home and either slept or watched cartoons. It's like my brain just shut down and refused to reboot.

I'm still working on that reboot, so I'll go ahead and launch into some links - rather than try to string some lucid thoughts together:
Tor's steampunk sale - In honor of Tor.com's "Steampunk Week," three of their top genre titles are on sale in ebook form for $2.99 a pop (including Boneshaker). US only, I'm afraid. I wish it were otherwise.

Cat-herding the Wild Cards - I love this review, mostly because of all the pity it directs my way. But no pity is necessary! George did all the major cat-herding for Fort Freak; I just did the rewriting.

ZomBcon and me - Yeah, ZomBcon. I'll be there, probably on Friday afternoon/evening. Should be fun!

The Horrible, Amazing, Odd Story Behind the Stories of Thackery T. Lambshead - Background info and lore re: that wonderful compendium. I'm exceedingly proud to have been part of it.

The Eden trilogy gets some love - From the Hopeful Librarian blog. I'm always happy to see those books get a little attention; they were my first books, and I remain quite fond of them. I am also quite curious to see how well they do in England, when they're released overseas later this year and next.

In other news, no - there still is no other news. I mean, there is news, but I still haven't been given the go-ahead to share it. Trust me when I tell you that it's all very cool, and I wish like hell I were able to share.

Groovy new covers for my first three books

My first three novels - loosely known as The Eden Moore Trilogy - will be re-released in the UK next year, with these revamped covers! I adore the original Palencar art, but I like this re-do a lot too; it's very unexpected and cool, simple and evocative. Thanks so much to the Titan folks, who gave me the images in the first place - and gave me permission to share them.

(Click on the images to view them larger.)