Cherie Priest's Blog: It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion, page 67

Chasing Frogs with the Stunt Moose

Back from Lady Road Trip 2011. We didn't go terribly far, but we had a hoot of a time. What can I say? I know how to pick travel companions.

We ate at a number of oddball mom-and-pop restaurants (some good, some bad), hung out in a bar that was established in 1889, traipsed through a tiny museum where we were flirted with by little old men, and tromped around the pioneer cemeteries – where we concluded that the popular Victorian epitaph "We Will Meet Again" was more than a bit threatening.

We also concluded that the 19th century was one hella-tough time to be a baby. Or a miner. Or a woman of child-bearing years. Or … oh, hell. Let's just say "born."

Later we split a bottle of wine, then went running around outside in our pajamas looking for frogs. Which we found. They were loud and adorable, and we were glad we'd brought flashlights so that we could better appreciate their wee poofy throats and accusing stares.

Anyway – I have a morbid fondness for Victorian funerary procedures, peripherals, and accouterments – including tombstone poetry. So I took lots of pictures in the cemetery, and you can click through them over here on Flickr.

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

Lady Road Trip 2011

Tomorrow I'm heading out into the wilds of Western Washington, poking around old pioneer cemeteries and generally making a nuisance of myself on strictly public property, well within the bounds of the law and all local decency statutes.*

My cohorts in this adventure: Ellen and Suezie. My goal: Go rooting through oddball local history and maybe steal a few groovy names off tombstones, and hang around with a couple of very cool women while singing along to the radio at what could best be described as an "earnest" volume.

If you want to follow along with our road tripping adventures, keep an eye on the Twitters, where I will undoubtedly be posting pictures over the next couple of days. Some of these pictures may or may not involved a pajama party in a cabin plus some wine, snacks, and late-night movie marathoning.

Huh. Now that I type it out like that, this sounds rather suspiciously like the set-up for a horror novel. Well, you know. Maybe I'll come back all inspired or something.

* Eh … we'll play it by ear.

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

Fort Freak Goes Live

The day has finally arrived! Fort Freak is out in stores, taking names and breaking hearts everywhere it goes!

Holy cow, you guys – I have been looking forward to seeing this thing in print for ages, and I'm just so outrageously chuffed, proud, honored, and delighted to be part of such an amazing project … never mind the fact that I'm in this crazy illustrious company.

Fort Freak features yours truly, Paul Cornell, Stephen Leigh, John Jos. Miller, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Victor Milan, David Anthony Durham, Mary Anne Mohanraj and Ty Franck … all of us pulling together like happy sled dogs under the editorial guidance of The Man himself.

Here's the jacket copy:

In 1946, an alien virus that rewrites human DNA was accidentally unleashed in the skies over New York City. It killed ninety percent of those it infected. Nine percent survived, mutated into tragically deformed creatures. And one percent gained superpowers. The Wild Cards shared-universe series, created and edited by New York Times #1 bestseller George R. R. Martin (called "the American Tolkien" by Time), is the tale of the history of the world since then—and of the heroes among the one percent.

Now, in the latest Wild Cards mosaic novel, we get to know the hardbitten world of Manhattan's Fifth Precinct—or "Fort Freak," as cops and malefactors alike call the cop-shop where every other desk sergeant, detective, and patrol officer is more than human.

Featuring original work by writers such as Cherie Priest, author of the bestselling Boneshaker; Paul Cornell, Hugo–nominated comic book and Doctor Who writer; David Anthony Durham, winner of 2009's John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer; and many others, Fort Freak is one of the strongest offerings yet in the ongoing Wild Cards project.

Now doesn't that sound like a hoot? OF COURSE IT DOES.

And there is NO GOOD REASON you can't start your Wild Cards love affair with this newest volume. No back-list familiarity necessary!*

If you like police procedurals, come on down. If you like crime dramas, get yourself a hat so you can hang onto it. If you like mysteries, monstrous heroes, glorious villains, madmen, conspiracies, true love, betrayals, and second chances – then pick up this book.

Justice will be served colder than revenge, but hey – better late than never.

Get Fort Freak directly from Macmillan

Get Fort Freak from an Indie store near you

Get Fort Freak from Amazon.com

Get Fort Freak from Barnes & Noble

Get Fort Freak from Powell's



If you'd like to pick up Fort Freak in an ebook edition, click on the vendor of your choosing (for the Nook, Kindle, etc.) above – or search through your favorite digital store. I do not believe there is an audio edition at this time.

* Though yes, a few things will certainly be more meaningful if you've read the older books. Some very prominent Old Guard characters appear, and those of you with a vested interest in those original aces and jokers will be very interested to see what becomes of them in this book.

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

The Panty Line's Revenge

Last year I did a rather long, involved blog entry about my problems with Victoria's Secret underwear. You can read that post here, if you are so inclined. It may or may not be safe for work, depending on your workplace policy toward looking at underpants with weird objects jammed into the weird crotch-pocket for the sake of internet hilarity.

To sum it up quickly: I used to be a huge devotee of Victoria's Secret underwear. Then, about five years ago, something changed. Now their underwear is terrible – badly cut, cheaply made, and guaranteed to fall apart in the wash. To hell with it, that's what I say.

I suppose my old post has been making some rounds, somewhere – because as of late, people have been emailing to ask me if I ever found suitable replacement underwear … and if so, hows about I do an update post? Inquiring minds want to know. Apparently.

So all right, here goes.

Since April of last year, when I made that post and vowed to find other acceptable hiney-hiders, I have spent (by my best guess) about $200 in my quest … almost entirely at (a). the mall, and (b). Target. Ergo, this is not exactly an exhaustive expedition, funded by some fat government grant. It's a couple hundred bucks, dolled out in nickles and dimes, over the course of more than a year.

(Honestly, I have never spent this kind of money on underwear before in my life. That's the kind of number that used to keep my top drawer stocked for a decade. But desperate times, etc. etc. etc.)

And here we go. I'll work my way up from the far outside edges of marginal acceptability under special circumstances … to the panties I actually like quite well. I would start with the items that failed utterly on every level, but honestly, I didn't keep them around. They did not deserve a place of honor alongside my cute bras and awesome novelty knee socks. Therefore: Jettisoned.

Let's just get the really embarrassing undergarments out of the way up front, shall we? We begin with the dreaded Granny Panties. Because sometimes the husband is out of town, you've finished a bottle of wine by yourself, and Fox is running a John Hughes marathon, so it's not like you're leaving the house anytime soon.

To be clear: These underthings will not get you laid.

They will get you laughed at when the UPS guy shows up with a delivery and you're too tipsy to remember to close your robe. Or maybe he'll be laughing at your Wonder Woman tee shirt with the ketchup stain. Either way, lucky him. He's in for a show.

To give you some frame of reference, my 12-pound cat could use these bad-boys for a sleeping bag. I tried to create the opportunity to prove it, but even she didn't want to hang out anywhere near them.

Those are Hanes "low rise" (ha.) cotton briefs. Funny, right? I mean, you'd think something called "briefs" would be a little smaller than your average kite. But you'd be wrong. Well, haters gon' hate. Don't wear these with low-rise pants, but they're delightful under pajama bottoms with bats on 'em.

Next up – another Hanes offering, this time the cotton bikinis.

Much smaller, and more "daintily" cut. Like their heftier brethren (sistren?) they're made of pleasantly stretchy and super-soft cotton, and they're very good about staying out of your buttcrack. If you'll pardon my French.

If you're feeling cheekier (WOCKA WOCKA) you can try this next Hanes style.






These are "no ride up" hipsters, and the "no ride up" bit is a bit disingenuous. They don't ride up because they sit perfectly halfway up your ass – which is fine, so long as you're wearing a loose skirt. Under jeans or any other more fitted outerwear, they'll drive you crazy … working their way north into your favorite south-of-the-border smile. This mostly because the leg-holes are cut for the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.

I thought about putting them on and showing you, but then I came to my senses and reached for something of a comparable shape. And THAT will teach my husband to leave his motorcycle helmet lying around in our bedroom.

See? Look at that. These are size small, and they're designed to straddle a pair of redwoods. But I like them because I have a number of long, loose-fitting skirts, and they have a rather charming shape to them. Each to her own, that's what I say.

And I swear to God, these next ones are the last to come from Hanes. (What can I say? They've done me right, more or less – beating out a number of department store brands, which I'll get to later. And they don't have MEGA ITCHY waist bands like Fruit Of The Loom.) My favorites from Hanes are these cute little numbers – from the "stretch lace" line. They're well made and well cut, with virtually no panty-line and pretty styling.

These are the briefs. I think. Maybe the bikinis. Can't recall.

The point is, they do not creep into your warm and nestly bits. Seriously. I am impressed, pleased, and prepared to recommend them without reservation. Mine came from Target and, like all the others from this same company, cost about eight bucks for a multi-pack of three. If you're on a budget but you want sturdy, attractive underthings that hold up great in the laundry, this is my chief suggestion.

But if you're willing to drop a little more coin, allow me to direct you to American Eagle. There, I've found a fine assortment of cute, comfortable, largely un-ride-upping underthings – including a few sexy ones. This batch is my favorite from a comfort standpoint.

I don't know what the formal word for this style is; I yanked them off a table because they looked promising and I was feeling adventurous. The leg-holes were pretty small, they were low-rise and kicky, and I was willing to take a stab at them even though that middle pair is covered in bees. Don't get me wrong – like the rest, they're soft and stretchy, and they fit nicely even under fitted pants. But bees?

I like bees. I want good things for bees, and Lord knows they've got problems right now, what with that whole "colony collapse disorder" thing. But patterning my fanny? Not sure how I feel about that.

(I try to put them on right out of the shower, before I put my glasses back on – so it just looks like I'm wearing pretty green panties with very fuzzy polka dots that would never consider swarming my nether-regions like a low-lying fog bank.)

These last ones are kind of hot. Same company, same table. But now with Bonus! lace that aims the arrow line of a "V" just below your belly button.

The only problem is – the stretchy lace at the top is a little more fragile than the cotton. When you go to pull them on or up, careless fingers might puncture the lace as you tug it back into place. Or maybe you aren't as clumsy as I am. Perhaps you drink less.

Anyway, American Eagle underwear runs 7-8 pairs for $25 (I forget which it is, 7 pairs or 8 pairs – sorry). That makes them a smidge more expensive, but not outrageously so. And they're worth the money. They hold up just fine in the laundry; and they're cut high enough to cover your happy trail, but low enough to keep even the plainest patterns from looking frumpy.

I recommend it over a number of other mall/chain stores' offerings. Most disappointingly: The Gap – Ordinarily pretty reliable for simple basics, but their underwear is cut for people made out of pick-up-stix. As far as I can tell. Look, I'm 5 ft. 5 inches tall and I weigh about 105 pounds. I don't need a whole lot of fabric in order to cover everything important … but the styles are freaking ridiculous. They won't stay on, up, or in position. And something about the stretchy fabric doesn't hold its shape. They're too small, yet too loose. A paradox, I know. But what can you do?

Right! Well.

There you have it. Those are the results of my quasi-exhaustive quest to not pick cotton out of my hoo-hah. If you have any recommendations you'd like to throw into the mix, feel free to contribute them in the comments.

:)

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

Share Your Heart

At Phoenix Comic Con I did a panel on writing – nattering about social media, conventions, meeting other writers, and whatnot. If you were there, you heard me tell a story about the author Leslie Banks (aka L.A. Banks), who was the first pro to ever give me a blurb.

To make that story short – she was kind enough to not only read my first novel, but to say something nice about it; and when I emailed her to say thanks, she wrote me back with the sweetest, most heart-warming letter of encouragement. It totally blew my socks off! And much to my non-surprise but utter joy, she was exactly that fabulous in person when I got to meet her for panels at DragonCon.

I may have hypothetically made a total dork of myself on that occasion.

That NYT bestseller was 100% weapons-grade awesome to this pathetic n00bie, and it turned out, I wasn't alone. Leslie was really the only "established" pro on our panel of perhaps seven or eight people … and at some point we realized by show of hands that she had given each and every one of us not only blurbage for our books, but tremendous support in public and private.

I cannot recommend this woman highly enough. She deserves praise and kudos far higher than any I can conjure, but suffice it to say, she's not just a consummate professional, a fabulous storyteller, and an outstanding ally. She's also a damn fine human being.

And she's in trouble.

So many of us in creative disciplines are either uninsured or under-insured as a matter of course; we don't have employers to provide it, and often we can't afford it on a regular basis.* And bad things happen.

But Leslie is pretty damn awesome, and people are rallying to help in whatever ways they can. At the bottom of this entry I'm going to post a link to a fundraising auction – an auction that some of my readers might find very, very interesting.

It's an auction that's chock full of professional assistance from writing professionals – critiques, query letter analyses, interviews with editors, and much more. Bid to be featured in a comic book; bid for lifetime subscriptions to industry magazines. Throw your hat into the ring for the opportunity to own stacks upon stacks upon stacks of books.

Seriously. Just go scrolling through this list.

And if you're interested, get clicking!

Don't just do it for L.A. Banks. Do it because you love books, or you write books, or you want to name stuff in somebody else's book. Do it because you collect autographs, or because you've always wanted to sit on the phone for half an hour with a rocket scientist.

Go look, that's all I'm asking.

* I've gone without health insurance off and on most of my adult life, and though I have some now, it's essentially liability for my body. It isn't enough to save me in case of catastrophe. Did I ever tell you about the time I went eleven years between dentist visits? Yeah…

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

Now taking suggestions

So – first of all, I am totally not dead yet. I am in California, which is much nicer than being dead; and I will be here through tomorrow evening, hanging around the office and being productive – thus my lack of posting, for which I do apologize.

But I'm posting now! Actually, I am posting now to ask for a bit of assistance from you, the internet.

It's like this: My publicist at Tor has broached the possibility of a book tour for Ganymede – which comes out in September. I, for one, am happy to travel around signing books and trying to convince people to buy them, so I am pretty keen on this idea. This having been said, I'm not in a position to handle the sheer density of travel I've managed for the last 2 years – not least of all because of the aforementioned California job, and because my husband has nearly forgotten what I look like.

Therefore, this will have to remain somewhat low-key. It will not be a twenty-stop parade of cities. And in short, I am taking suggestions.

If you would like to suggest a stop on the Clockwork Century's Rockin' Steampunk Extravaganza*, I would like to hear from you – but first, a couple of notes:

The best possible method of getting me to visit: Have someone from your favorite bookstore drop me an email via – cherie.priest@gmail.com – at which point I'll put that someone in touch with my publicist and we'll see what we can work out.

I try to prioritize independent neighborhood stores above chains, but if there is no such store present or available … then I'm happy to work with the bigger guys. Many fine, upstanding, book-loving and author-supporting people work at the chains, and I salute every last one of them. I just prefer to support the locals when possible.

Alas, please limit suggestions to the continental USA.



Although all suggestions will be considered, budgets are limited and the space-time continuum prevents me from being everywhere at once. Priority will be given to regions I have not yet visited, but that's not to say I won't be happy to come hang at old stomping grounds.

My only major request of the moment – I would very much like to do an event in New Orleans, as that's where Ganymede is primarily set;* so if you have bookstore connections down in the Big Easy and you'd like to either (a). make a recommendation, or (b). preferably have someone who works at your recommended venue drop me a note, I would be forever grateful.

And…that's pretty much it. Hit me with your ideas! Comment or email, and I'll start forwarding things along to the appropriate authorities. But for now, lunchtime is almost over and I have to get back to work.

Thanks for reading!

* God, that's awful. I'll have to think of something better before the book actually launches.

** I did my first Boneshaker events in Seattle; I did a big Richmond event for Dreadnought; and it only seems fitting to hit up Louisiana while I'm on a roll.

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

June 10, 2011

No new writing to report. The last few days have consisted mostly of the day-job gobbling up my hours; though I did make it out to Ballard to see Kat and her noble canine companion on Wednesday, which was cool. Tomorrow I'm heading back over there again – this time with Ellen and Suezie – and together, we shall help the same aforementioned Kat replace a refrigerator on her (awesomely vintage) yacht-home.

Saturdays are partydays! Or … hoisting heavy appliances up into a boat day, as the case may be. We'll have fun with it, regardless.

* * *

Next week, I'll be gone from Monday morning 'till Thursday evening for day-job facetime down in San Francisco, so blogging will likely continue to be pretty light for a bit. I'll have my laptop with me, and I'll try to get some word-grinding accomplished … but heaven knows if I'll feel like posting after spending all day sitting in a conference room picking the M&Ms out of trail mix and arguing with a couple of (perfectly lovely) dudes over a white board.

One of these days, I'll get to tell you what I'm working on. And one of these days, I'll get to unleash my squee upon you all … on the day-job front, and on another front or two as well. Big things are in the queue! But paperwork moves as slow as molasses, and official announcements must wait for now.

* * *

Before I log off, I want to point you all at this blog entry by George R. R. Martin, re: the next Wild Cards book, Fort Freak. As per the mighty GRRM, now you can check out a whole self-contained segment FREE over at Tor.com – just click the link and let your eyeballs do the scrolling.

Happy reading, everybody! And have a good weekend.

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

In the gaslight hours hear the ghost on the train

What's this? Writing work? Two days in a row? I know, I know. Will wonders never cease. For awhile there, all the travel (plus the new day-job) kind of sucked the creative life right out of me. But now I'm home for a stretch*, and I'm determined to get some measure of steady (if not daily) progress on this bad-boy. I don't want to knock up against the deadline, driving myself insane … like, um … the last couple of books I've handed in.

So here's today's progress on my fifth Clockwork Century novel – a 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:



Project: Inexplicables

Deadline: September 15, 2011

New words written: 1787 (better, but not great.)

Present total word count: 22,304 words

Things accomplished in real life: Day-job work; daily run/climb despite the weather again; went to Walgreens for decongestants, yay; tidied house; exchanged some important emails; resisted the almost overwhelming urge to take a nap**.

Things accomplished in fiction: ZOMBIE SASQUATCH. But will anyone believe it?

Next up: A modicum of relative safety.

Total word count for 2011: 22,304 words



And now for a few extra points – which is to say, here are some links that have been piling up over on my Twitter feed:

The Steampunk Bible gets a Bleeding Cool write-up – They liked it! Thought it was lovely. And if you're curious about last night's even re: that same project, let me just say that it went quite well. Great crowd, great fellow panelists, and birthday cake for Jay Lake. Which rhymes. So you know it was awesome. (The Cult Historian took pictures to prove it. So did Libby, but hers aren't up yet.)

What I'll be up to next June – Being literary guest of honor at ConTemporal, in Chapel Hill, NC! I've been sitting on that news for a bit, as the details have gotten themselves ironed out, but yes, it's official. Can't wait!

The James Review takes on Clementine – And likes it…the first hundred pages, anyway. (And that's as far as that particular reviewer has gotten, so hey, I'll take it!) Speaking of that particular book, before you comment or email to ask questions about it, kindly check this-here FAQ. Thanks!

Fort Freak likewise gets a partial review – This one from SFRevu, which promise a full treatment plus Bonus! interviews with some of the authors at a future date. I am psyched to see this one getting so much advance (and positive) attention. The project was a big departure for me, but I'm extremely proud of the outcome and I want people to enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.





* Until the 13th, at which point I'm going back to SF to do work stuff for most of the week. But that's not so bad. As I've said before – short flight, same time zone, nice hotel (and I'm not paying for it). There are worse fates!

** I'm still playing catch-up from all this sickness, travel, and work. Every now and again, it's seriously all I can do to prevent myself from lying down and sleeping all afternoon. I'm trying to go to bed earlier and eat better, and making my return to an exercise routine…so maybe I'll get my body back online soonish. I hope.

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

June 6, 2011

I don't want to blow anybody's mind on a Monday or anything, but I actually got a little bit of writing done today.* Between 10 weeks of aggressive out-of-state travel and the new day-job … it's been awhile since I've been able to work on Inexplicables in any serious fashion; but today I broke the dry spell and hit a couple of milestones. (1). I sort of finished Chapter 3. (2). I cracked 20,000 words.

Both of these things are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but that won't prevent me from feeling good about them all the same.

I'd like to hang around and start Chapter 4, but tonight I have an event over at the University Book Store with Jay Lake and Libby Bulloff – re: The Steampunk Bible – and I believe this will require me to do some dressing up. I think I'm going to overdo it. Why? Because even the most frivolous of reasons is an excuse to get dressed up. However, this takes time, and it will also take a little bit of planning, and oh yes, I'd like to nab a bite to eat before heading out to the store around 6:00.**

So, yeah. I'm posting this and logging off.

Anyway! Here's today's progress on my fifth Clockwork Century novel – a 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:



Project: Inexplicables

Deadline: September 15, 2011

New words written: 1061 (not good, but better than nothing.)

Present total word count: 20,517words

Things accomplished in real life: Day-job work; daily run/climb (back underway now that the weather permits it again); answered important emails; sent important emails; composed and sent off the acknowledgments/thanks/dedication for Ganymede (which I had totally forgotten).

Things accomplished since last "real" blog post: Bought a new (to us) car and it is rocking our world. No, I won't tell you what it is. Suffice it to say, is verra nice. I have named him "The Phantom," because something about the cut of his jib reminded me of the old radio show logo. Anyway, one word for you: SUNROOF. That's one word, right? Not two? Not a hyphen? I shall resist the urge to go look it up.

Things accomplished in fiction: REALLY should've listened to the unseen someone, who was only trying to be helpful.

Next up: Find out if a ghost is real, and try to convince everyone that we're not crazy hallucinating drug addicts. This will be tricky, as we are, in fact, crazy hallucinating drug addicts. But we did see something remarkable, dammit.

Total word count for 2011: 20,517 words





* That is, writing that was not part of the day-job. I'v been writing like a mofo on day-job stuff, but since I can't talk about it, much less report it here, it doesn't get counted. Unfair, yes I know.

** I like to arrive early, for one thing. For another, it takes either ten minutes or 45 minutes to make it over the hill and into the University District, depending on traffic. And I'll be leaving at rush hour.

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

The Steampunk Bible

Hey everyone! Yes, yes. Return of the crappy blogger, I know – but I wanted to make sure to post this here, now, in time for people to actually see it: Tomorrow night starting at 7:00 you'll find me, Libby Bulloff, and Jay Lake at the University Book Store in Seattle.

We'll be chatting about The Steampunk Bible, signing books, chatting about stuff, and making fun of things. Yes, we'll cheerfully sign books that are not The Steampunk Bible, but it's a damn fine book and we do hope you'll take a chance on it.

Further details for this event (should you require them for some reason) are here for the Facebook-inclined. So come on out! We'd love to see you.

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]