Cherie Priest's Blog: It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion, page 70

The sun to me is dark, and silent as the moon

Hey, I said blogging was going to be light, didn't I? Yes, well. I meant it. There's a lot going on over here - much of which still can't be discussed (sorry!), but suffice it to say there's been some awesome upheaval in my work life, and I'm hamster-wheeling it like mad over here.

Today I've slogged through the inbox (still not at zero), cutting it down to just a handful of Things To Be Addressed Tomorrow; likewise I've filled out two email interviews, passed on a number of things via official correspondence, sorted out travel for an upcoming event, went to the post office to mail some stuff (including a fat, awful tax payment - hellooo quarterlies!), hiked down the hill to the bank, nabbed a quick lunch, went to Walgreens to put in for prescriptions and pick up odds/ends, swung by eye-doctor's place to order more contacts (only to find it wasn't open, and will have to go tomorrow), proofed/printed/submitted contracts on a short story reprint, cleaned through that short story (it was an old one) ... and submitted it.

Still to address: Ganymede edits, some of which have landed and must be addressed ASAP; one more email interview; a couple more Important Emails; and some reference reading for an upcoming project which will land next week.

HOWEVER.

I wanted to extract a few minutes to post here because once again, I have cover art to share. I discovered this via Twitter from someone who found it on Facebook, so take it with a grain of salt ... but it looks like Bloodshot's sequel - Hellbent, due at the end of July - has some shiny red hotness going on.

Click the jump to take a look!
Click ye here for Hellbent - with more vampires, more mayhem, and more drag queens ...

Lipstick stained and whipcream lies

I keep beginning this post and then deleting my progress, only to start over again – because I find it tedious when people make posts about all the super-secret things they can't post about. And yet, here I am. And here I go: It's been a busy few days, but mostly it's been busy with things that cannot yet be blogged for public consumption.

Suffice it to say that big things are in the works, and I'll tell you all about them when I can. But for now, I'm really very busy Taking Care Of Business over here, so posting/tweeting/facebooking might be light for a few days.

__________

Today I cleaned out Ziggy's tank for the first time since we brought him home. He was a huge drama queen about it; I gently scooped him into a Ziplock baggie for low-stress safekeeping while I scrubbed his homestead, but you would've thought I was dangling him over a blender and saying nasty things about his mother. Finally, he gave up – and so great was his exhaustion and existential angst, that he flopped at the bottom of the baggie and played dead.

Yet remarkably, when he was reintroduced to his squeaky-clean quarters, he fluffed back up again and now appears just freaking fine, thank you very much. But he still wants me to fuck right off. The nerve of me, maintaining his hygiene and comfort. Clearly I am some sort of monster.

(He is very, very good at expressing disapproval … particularly for a creature without any eyebrows.)

__________

And now it is time for links. Why? Because they've been piling up on my Twitter channel and if I don't unload them here, I will forget about them. That's why.A truer comic was never drawn – On Seattle weather, a local artist nails it. I feel peculiarly vindicated.

It's steampunk week at Stellar Four – They're giving away a prize pack, including some goodies from yours truly. Go click and learn how to enter.

Vampire Librarian likes Bloodshot – I, for one, am glad to see that even in these troubled economic times, the undead are finding gainful employment.

Fan creates an RPG (based off the FATE platform) for Dreadnought – A couple of people pointed me at this in case I wanted to get righteously indignant re: copyright infringement, but they needn't have bothered. I think this is super-cool! The dude in question is just doing this for giggles, playing with his friends. I'm always flattered when readers are so inspired that they want to participate in the story.

To give that last bullet point a little more meat, let me add this with regards to fan-created derivative works: If you want to draw characters, or create casual games for non-commercial use, or make costumes, or whatever when it comes to my Clockwork Century stories … that's wild! Knock yourself out. Have a wonderful time, and feel free to send me pictures.

But fan-fiction is a slightly different story, in that I can get in trouble for reading it. (There are legal reasons that I must stay the hell away from it.) However, there's not really anything I can do to stop anybody from writing it – and frankly, I have better things to do with my time than yell at people on the internet.

So all I ask is that if you do write your own stories using my world-setting or characters, please (a). don't turn a profit on them, and (b). don't show them to me. Kindly respect these two requests, and I won't feel obligated to chase you down and fuss at you.

Thanks!

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

Chasing Steampunk with Steampunk

I believe I promised you an announcement this morning…and before anyone hops all over me for my loose definition of "morning", kindly keep in mind that I am on the West Coast and it's barely 9:00 a.m. here. Yes, thank you.

So! While I was at Nova Albion, something rather awesome got leaked, or released, or otherwise handed out to the internet. I saw it just in time to link it via Twitter/Facebook before hopping on a plane home; but I really do feel like the whole shebang deserves its own post.

In short, the official flap copy to this fall's Ganymede (follow-up to Dreadnought) found its way to the internet…alongside the book's official cover.* Therefore, should you opt to click the jump, you will see the full! color! Ganymede cover! posted alongside its handy-dandy jacket copy.

You ready?

You set?

You click below:

Because the curiosity is eating you alive I JUST KNOW IT »

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

Nova Albion Recap

I'm home now, and utterly wiped out (as one tends to be in the wake of awesomness); and I'm not entirely certain I'm capable of doing a total and thorough convention report. Yet I absolutely, firmly, happily wish to state that Nova Albion was a roaringly great time and I can't thank the organizers enough for bringing me in.

And let me just say this, in brief:

The panels were well attended and generally a great deal of fun – I truly enjoyed the programming; there were more vendors than I think I've ever seen at any given event; the halls were packed with spectacular costumes; the con-suite was posh with tea and cookies; my fellow guests were exceptional people one and all; and even the hotel food was good.* I was psyched and delighted to spend time with old friends/colleagues such as Paul and Anina and my swell-as-hell Tor editor Liz – and it was great to meet and hobnob with people I've known online but not in person, such as Jaymee Goh, Kathy Sedia (from whom I nabbed my contributor's copy of Bewere the Night) and James Ng (from whom I bought art prints, oh yes). Likewise, I had a blast hanging/spending real time with Gail Carriger and Ay-Leen the Peacemaker – both of whom I'd met before, but more or less in passing.

Speaking of the divine Ms. C … as you may or may not know, there have been rumors in the past that she and I are, in fact, the very same person. This rumor launched and took flight in the wake of the Locus cover we shared, and it was able to run for a surprising while partly because she and I didn't meet until a few months ago. (Therefore, you see, no one had ever seen us together at the same time. Ahem.)

We've had fun with this ever since. Maybe too much fun – swapping out our nametags and signs, and generally not doing our best to squash the rumor so much as have a lovely time with it. As a result, at this event Gail was asked to sign two of my books, and I was asked to sign one of hers. Due to the…um…confusion. Which we certainly have not fostered. Except, maybe, a little bit.

But only when it was funny.

Anyway. Yes! Suppers were had. Drinks were downed. Gossip and theory and chatter and mayhem did occur. I was absolutely charmed from start to finish, and once again, I extend my thanks to everyone involved. Now, I must crash – as my cat is demanding the computer chair and I think that if I relocate to the couch with this laptop, I will fall asleep due to its comfy, comfy warmth.

For I am very tired.

But tomorrow, there will be an announcement.

Stay tuned!

* I know, right?

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

And as the sun fell dark behind the sea

All right everybody, here we go – I'm all packed up* (mostly) for the Nova Albion Steampunk Exposition…which is good, since I'm flying out to San Jose first thing in the morning. This ought to be a hoot and a half, and I'm very much looking forward to it – not just because of the excellent company in which I find myself.

So! Like I always say, if you're at this event and you'd like to come say "hi" or ask me to sign a book or something – then by all means feel free to do so at any time.

I'm assigned to a lot of programming so I'll be easy to find in an official capacity, but don't feel like you can't stop me in the hall or say hello in the dealers' room or wherever; I promise, it doesn't bother me. This kind of thing is literally what I'm there for.

I'd make this a longer entry but I have a few more things to tackle (work-wise) before declaring myself fit to fly to California, so I'm going to log off and make myself productive. As per the usual, I likely won't be blogging much here while I'm gone; but you can likely expect regular tweetage and pictures. Adjust your digital stalking accordingly!

* Carry-on only, I'll have you to know. Because I'm a wizard.

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

People you know these hard times can't last us so long

Haven't done a lot of writing for the last couple of days, which is nobody's fault but mine. Actually, when it comes to writing – and a number of other things – right now I'm sort of experiencing a weird problem which is simultaneously "options paralysis" and "distracted sulking boredom."

The problem (again, in more areas than one) is that right this very moment I have very few literal, concrete obligations. I have day-job work to do, and I have Inexplicables to write (but that isn't due until September, so I'm able to be a little relaxed about it).

Other than those two reliable things, I have on my plate (a). three or four low-priority tasks that must be accomplished eventually, but not right this moment, and (b). approximately half a dozen projects (of varying sorts) that are totally up in the air…any one of which could land at any moment to become The New Afternoon Priority.*

I mean, it's good knowing that I have possibilities out there; but it's difficult to know how to prepare, and where to direct my energy. So when I feel overwhelmed (because I can't simultaneously and constructively brace for all eventualities) I just … seize up, and find it very difficult to work on anything. This is easy to justify because nothing is immediately due, and likewise nothing is presently The New Afternoon Priority (so I might as well hang around and play video games). But it also feels like I'm wasting perfectly good work time (because I am), when I finish with my day-job duties and then I flop on the couch to eat Girl Scout cookies and watch daytime talk shows (helloooo Ellen DeGeneres!).

Anyway.

Today I had a really bad bout of the Unattractive DramaBomb Sulks, but I'm all better now. I put on my big girl panties and cleaned the apartment (except for the bathroom; the husband can do it this one time), then sat around and did some extra day-job work because tomorrow I have to pack for Nova Albion in San Francisco this weekend – and I am a world champion paranoid excessive packing-planning crazy-person, so this takes me more time than it really ought to, and I'm afraid it'll eat into my work day.

Therefore, I will have you to know that I've been certifiably productive today despite the early Sulks, and the day is still young enough that I might actually get some writing done yet. But I've been a shitty blogger as well as a shitty fiction writer lately, so I'm posting this first in order to get Yet Another Productive Thing checked off the list.**

Go me!

* My day is broken up thusly: (1). day-job work in the morning, (2). break around 1:00 to get dressed/have lunch/tidy apartment/pet kitty, (3). writer work and/or writer business until the husband gets home from work, at least.

** Blogging is totally productive. You hush.

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

Since I've come home, well my body's been a mess

Writing has been mostly a bust today, because of the million-and-one errands and bits o' writer business that got in the way. Such is life. I'll post stats down at the end of this post, but don't get too excited about it. And first, I'm going to sling a few links.



Mad Hatter review with a scoop – Click to get a sneak peak at the flap copy for Ganymede. I've seen the cover art to this book, and I wish to God I could share it…but I'm not cleared to do so yet. So don't ask. But here's hoping I'll be able to pass it around before terribly long.

American University profiles my brother – Adorable, outrageous overachiever, yes … that's him! Lordy. Obviously I'm proud of him, of course; but reading that first paragraph alone makes me want to lie down and take a nap.

Kitty video – Since the fish got a video yesterday, this is a short clip of our resident four-footed monster trying to force me out of my own damn chair. Stick around for the last few frames, and TREMBLE. Oh, such peril do I brave each day…

io9 reviews Bloodshot – Choice quote: "But this book only needs one thing to be fantastic, and that's Raylene's voice. There's an entertainingly aggressive wackiness about her." Why thank you! That's exactly what I was shooting for, actually.



Here's today's progress on my fifth Clockwork Century novel – a book about teenage juvenile delinquents, hypothetical ghosts, ex-Confederate spies-turned-Pinkerton agents, 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: 761 (I hang my head in shame)

Present total word count: 19,456 words

Things accomplished in real life: Day-job work; hiked down to the salon to get my hair did; came home to a bunch of mail that needed to be dealt with; signed and filed 2 sets of contracts; packed up three batches of books for charity auctions; wrote checks to pay taxes and other bills; schlepped the whole thing down to the postal place and mailed it; sorted out almost my entire inbox; sent off a handful of important emails; secured confirmation vis-a-vis this weekend's travel plans/flight/hotel/whatnot; went to Walgreens.

Things accomplished in fiction: Running and screaming.

Next up: MOAR MONSTERS.

Total word count for 2011: 19,456 words

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

You think this story's over but it's ready to begin

Here's today's progress on my fifth Clockwork Century novel – a book about teenage juvenile delinquents, hypothetical ghosts, ex-Confederate spies-turned-Pinkerton agents, 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: 2079 (low end of respectable)

Present total word count: 18,695 words

Things accomplished in real life: [Over the weekend tally] Went out for Indian food with the husband for lunch; bought an awesome new fleece hoodie which shall accompany me forthwith for future travel; sold a bunch of used books and a few video games; speaking of, beat Dead Space: Extraction; did laundry; recorded cornball video of me talking at the new fish; went to see Paul and enjoyed it.

Things accomplished in fiction: Raised a little hell.

Next up: Monsters, yo.

Total word count for 2011: 18,695 words

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

All the strangers came today, and it looks as though they're here to stay

Progress has occurred. I've finished a rough (oh God, so very rough) draft on the proposal for my (half-conceived, barely begun) YA project (which will have to remain on the back burner for a bit) … so there's that, and I'm glad. I hate writing proposals, but sometimes they're very helpful – they force me to concentrate on the awesome bits, and make a case for my story as I struggle to put it together in my head.

So I'm glad this proposal is whole, even if it's total crap at present. Now the idea can simmer, and I can approach it with more decisiveness and confidence later. Or that's the plan, anyway.

________________

And here's today's progress on my fifth Clockwork Century novel – a book about teenage juvenile delinquents, hypothetical ghosts, ex-Confederate spies-turned-Pinkerton agents, 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: 3068 (respectable)

Present total word count: 13,548 words

Things accomplished in real life: Once again ran errands on foot; went to the bank, deposited some foreign rights money and started separate savings account to stash quarterly tax money; filed some paperwork; made a lunch date with a friend; did a bit of housework, but not really enough; wrapped up a day-job project; exchanged some important emails; negotiated a couple of interviews/appearances; noticed that Ziggy has begun blowing bubbles (nesting behavior) so he's probably pretty happy with the new accommodations.

Things accomplished in fiction: Poor little druggie unravels at length, sees ghosts, hears things, finds a great stash of stuff to steal.

Next up: Still haven't gotten to the "fall down and go boom" part. Realized I needed a few bits of interstitial connective tissue first. But I'm getting to it next, I assure you.

Total word count for 2011: (Leaving out the YA proposal's count) – 16,616 words

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

From the deep sea of clouds to the island of the moon

I figured out one day that aquariums are basically just very damp doll houses with little living residents – and ever since then, I've been unable to resist them. I can't keep a big one, and I'm not entirely sure I'd want the responsibility of it; but we do have a small glass tank that I keep groomed like the White House lawn.

I have a shelf in one of my kitchen cabinets that hosts all the necessary rocks, plants, resin statues, and other supplies … and every time I clean the tank, I play interior decorator with these furnishings. I find it soothing and entertaining, and I'd like to think that my little living residents appreciate the attention to detail. Perhaps I'm deluding myself, but ever since my first betta – Howard, may he rest in peace – I feel like home isn't quite home without such a set-up. It's like it rounds out the feng shui of the place, or something.

So yesterday evening, the husband and I jaunted off to the pet store and picked up a new fish. His name, which sprang into my head as I held him in my lap on the way home, is "Ziggy" … short for "Ziggy the Space Goblin."

What can I say? He's a little bit Bowie, and a little bit death rock. I mean, just look at that hairdo. Findo. Whatever. I've never seen a betta in old Hollywood grayscale before, and those long, pearly fins with blue-black roots make him look like he was inspired by Cruella DeVille.

And he is unfurled like that all the freaking time.

This may sound odd, but he reminds me of the 80s, when I had big hair. (We all did. It was the 80s.) One day in 9th grade, me and my friend Nikki spent half an hour in the school bathroom making our hair majestically huge with the help of a little Rave #4 … only to step outside for P.E. and find that the wind had kicked up. All through class, we simultaneously swung our heads back and forth to keep the wind angled just so in order to preserve our perfectly scaffolded geometric coifs. Yes, we looked like idiots. Awesome, awesome idiots.

But that over-the-top, insistent fluffiness had its charms, and it certainly is charming on a fish.

Honestly, I think Ziggy's a bit of a mutant; his pectoral fins are actually curly, but not the kind of curly that seems very helpful. They're literally fixed in ringlets. He has to keep them plastered up to his belly if he wants to move around quickly, otherwise they give him too much drag and his swimming looks gimpy – as I learned when he flared at the camera lens this morning, poor little dude.

But don't feel too sorry for him. He's no longer squatting in a plastic pint cup – oh no. He's got 2-1/2 gallons of space*, all-new beach-white gravel, real plants, and a holey rock fit for a king. He also has a heater and a glass lid, and a spot well out of reach of the resident feline – who shows no interest in him whatsoever … unless we go over there and talk to him.

Then she busts out all JEALOUS KITTY and comes storming in from wherever she's been napping, howling like she's being whacked with a hammer, because HOW DARE WE talk fondly to SOMETHING OTHER THAN HER? Really. The nerve of us. If we're going to treat her so poorly, then she'll be forced to go munch sullenly upon some ludicrously expensive kibble**, then sulk upon her plush velvet blankie, surrounded by more toys than most toddlers see at daycare.

That'll teach us.

* I'd like to upgrade to five gallons, but we don't really have the room. Someday, when we have a house, I will probably go nuts and spend a small fortune to have and keep my fish like tiny Roman despots.

** It's a "calorie managed" "indoor formula" for "mature cats." Which is to say, "diet food" for "old fatties."

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