Cherie Priest's Blog: It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion, page 84

October 18, 2010

What a long, strange trip it's been! But a very good one, of course. I'd meant to try to provide a brief running blog commentary while out of town, but you can see how THAT went – nothing since Thursday night from yours truly. My apologies. Travel is wacky, and it throws me for a loop … particularly when I'm poking around places with which I am none too familiar.

Let's see. To pick up where I left off – I slept in a tiny bit on Friday in Denver, and around 4:00 that afternoon I was liberated from the hotel by Mario Acevedo. Mario took me off to a groovy artists/writers salon in the city, whereupon I met scads of very cool people; and then we went off to supper, at which point I consumed a bowl-like plate of Denver's Best Macaroni and Cheese which was approximately the size of my head. I ate this delicious concoction in the wake of a great fluffy plate of appetizer sweet Thai chili french fries; and after this bountiful supper … because I felt like a glutton for punishment and I will do just about any dumb thing for a donut … we went out for donuts.

No lie: I did not eat again for nearly 24 hours. It took me that long to become hungry again.

But the next morning I arose early and caught a car service vehicle back out to the airport, whereupon I flew out to San Francisco. I arrived around 10:30 a.m., made it to my hotel by 11:00, whereupon I put my head down for just a quickie power nap…and woke up around 1:30. Actually, this worked out well – because I'd arranged for a cab to come get me at 2:00, for I had every intention of getting together and goofing off with my friend and webmaster Greg – who, conveniently enough, lives within a stone's throw of Borderlands.

Greg and I did verily goof the heck off for a bit – pausing for coffee with Unexpected Jay Lake (who was unexpected, but we were quite happy to see him) and then it was time for the reading/signing. The event was standing room only, and between those who were seated and those who lurked, there seemed to be about 35-45 folks present/coming/going. The crowd included marvelous fellow zombie-writer S.G. Browne, plus an old friend of mine named Chris – who I hadn't seen since shortly before leaving Chattanooga.

[Side note: If you've read my third Eden book, Not Flesh Nor Feathers, there's a character in that tome who has a typo on his Social Security card - identifying him as "Christ" instead of "Chris." I stole this lol-worthy detail from this very same Chris who came out to see me on Saturday. Because as you probably have figured out by now, I am always happy to pilfer particulars from real life. My friends are not exempt from this.]

After the hootnanny, when all stock was signed, shopkitty Ash had been petted, bookstore people had been hugged, and all was well … it was still only about 6:00. So Greg and I decided to bop off and see RED – that we might contribute to Warren's baby hippo fund. In all honesty, I found that movie absolutely fucking delightful. And if you've seen it yourself, then you know what I mean by that. Great cast, great writing, great comic timing, and nicely choreographed action. Lots of fun all around!

Bonus: The movie theater sold candy in bulk. I am STILL nomming on the Reese's Pieces I collected on that fine occasion.

Anyway. Following the movie, Greg and I went back to the Mission district and in time, I caught a cab to take me back to my hotel (which was out near the airport, long story). By then it was coming up on midnight, and I had another flight to catch first thing in the morning; so I packed up and crashed. Then I arose again the next day and hied me hence to the airport. And by lunchtime I was back in Seattle.

Around four o'clock I was so wiped out that I thought to myself, "Self, I'll just close my eyes for a wee little power nap and then the rest of the day, I will be productive." When I awakened around 7:00 p.m., I was very confused. But I hauled myself out of bed like a big girl, cleaned the fish's tank, and sat up to hang out with the husband for a bit before going right back to bed and conking out once more.

This travel stuff, man. It'll wipe you out.

So! That brings us up to date with regards to my most recent adventures. Now, of course, it is Monday – and I've been out of town for days, which means that there's email to be data mined, phone calls to be made, day-job work to be caught up upon, laundry to be tackled, and oh yeah … writing to be done. And did I mention that this week I have two more signings? At least they're local/semi-local. (One in Tacoma, one at the Barnes & Noble at Northgate.)

Yes. Well. I trust you can understand why I am now about to log off and dive back in to this Monday – for it is going to require an awful lot of attention. May the rest of you have productive, minimally stressful weeks, and I'll be back online later tonight, hopefully (she said with optimism) to post some word metrics and progress reports.

[:: dashes off ::]

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

quick update

Last night's event at Tattered Covers went smashingly! Many thanks to Jeanne Stein for carting me around and keeping me company, to everyone who came out, and to the wonderful bookstore people for hosting the hootnanny. And, as I believe I promised dorkiness, you can check this gent's photos (Facebook, sorry!) for evidence.

Next up: Borderlands in San Francisco. Tomorrow, October 16th at 4:00 p.m. Come out and see me! I'll sign your stuff, tell you jokes, and generally be very freaking pleased to meet you :)

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

October 13, 2010

Here's today's progress on my Hunley version 4.0 submarine book about Andan Cly and his crew having a damp misadventure in a Texian-occupied New Orleans, plus Bonus! guerrilla warfare, other assorted historic pirates, and an octoroon madam who moonlights as a Union spy.

Project: Ganymede

Deadline: November 1, 2010

New words written: 1112 (Ugh.)

Present total word count: 95,172 words

Things accomplished in fiction: Splash!

Things accomplished in real life: Day-job work; daily run/climb; went to postal shop again; went to Walgreens for last-minute stuff; did laundry; went to lunch; arranged 2 more appearances (one for next year); may have come to the conclusion that I have to bail on two potential things for later this month (not on the schedule yet, don't worry – I don't list things unless they're certain); partially organized a Q&A participatory thing at the end of this month; exchanged Important Emails with agent, publicist, and boss; sorted out next part of day-job project so it will be easier to fiddle with on the go; packed for Denver/San Francisco; went to grocery store for wine because I was out and I really wanted some.

Other: Yet another crappy count. Yes, I'm aware. But it was a busy day. And now I have to start winding down because I must get up early and leave for the airport. Don't forget – I'll be in Denver tomorrow night, and San Francisco on Saturday. Click that link for details, and come out to see me! I will tell you stories and be a big dork. I promise!

Total Official Word Count of 2010: 223,783 words

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

Coming soon to a bookstore near you (if you live in Denver or San Francisco)

That's right, folks – MORE TRAVEL, starting tomorrow morning. But this is awesome, because it means I'll be jaunting to two new neighborhoods for signing, reading, Q&A, and other shenanigans.

First up: Tomorrow night, October 14th – Denver, Colorado area. I'll be at the Tattered Cover (Highlands Ranch location) at 7:30 p.m. Scroll down right here for details, and if you're nearby, please come out and see me! This is my first official business-type trip to Colorado, and I want to make it count for the very nice store that has been kind enough to invite me out and host this hootnanny.
Next up: Saturday, October 16th – San Francisco, CA. I'll be at Borderlands Books, doing all the usual starting at 4:00 in the afternoon. Click and scroll down right here for details, and as above – come on out and say hello! I've done Borderlands only once before, and that was with other writers. This is my first solo flight down on Valencia, and I'm looking forward to it quite a lot.



Then of course, NEXT week I have two local/semi-local events – one in Tacoma at Garfield Books (7:00 p.m. on October 20th), and one at the Northgate B&N here in Seattle (6:00 p.m. October 23). But I'll refresh everyone's memory with regards to all this upcoming stuff as the dates draw nearer.

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

October 12, 2010

Here's today's progress on my Hunley version 4.0 submarine book about Andan Cly and his crew having a damp misadventure in a Texian-occupied New Orleans, plus Bonus! guerrilla warfare, other assorted historic pirates, and an octoroon madam who moonlights as a Union spy.

Project: Ganymede

Deadline: November 1, 2010

New words written: 1006 (Jesus.)

Present total word count: 94,060 words

Things accomplished in fiction: Got everyone on board, everyone into the water. Made promises. Extracted promises. Crossed a lot of fingers.

Things accomplished in real life: Day-job work; daily run/climb; went to postal shop to mail donations for a charity auction; walked down to bank to deposit check/get quarters; grabbed lunch; answered reader questions from two different book clubs; exchanged emails re: several upcoming events; business emails out the wazoo, whatever a wazoo is; met up with Paul Constant from The Stranger for an interview and yea verily we did chat about writing, steampunk, alternate history, and other stuff; came home and took a couple phone calls; did some more research (oh my GOD the stuff I don't know); finally sat down to get a little writing done.

Other: It's a crappy count, yes. I have resolved to do better tomorrow, wherein I have no other appointments and I will go out of my way to avoid email because whatever it is can WAIT for the most part … except then I have to pack and turn in a little early in order to get up early and hop a plane to Denver on Thursday.

Total Official Word Count of 2010: 222,671 words

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

October 11, 2010

Here's today's progress on my Hunley version 4.0 submarine book about Andan Cly and his crew having a damp misadventure in a Texian-occupied New Orleans, plus Bonus! guerrilla warfare, other assorted historic pirates, and an octoroon madam who moonlights as a Union spy.

Project: Ganymede

Deadline: November 1, 2010

New words written: 3854 (better)

Present total word count: 93,054 words

Things accomplished in fiction: Moved something very heavy to someplace very wet. (Note: NOT SOMETHING DIRTY. Except in the literal sense. There was a lot of mud.)

Things accomplished in real life: Day-job work; daily run/climb; lots of research and examination of maps; finalized an interview meeting; sorted out some travel; fielded an opportunity to be on CBS show when in Richmond next month (hopefully we can make it happen); filled out and sent some paperwork off (via email); took a good hard look at the travel upcoming over the rest of this week; did not have a panic attack but felt very sleepy at the very thought of all this jetting around.

Other: October's issue of Voya: Voice of Youth Advocates has a piece called "The Punks of Science Fiction," wherein my Clockwork Century stories are discussed; got reviewed by a blog called "Industrial Strength Science" which unsettled me because let's be honest, my vintage science is sort of hand-wavey and improbable, but it worked out well (no real spoilers).

Total Official Word Count of 2010: 221,665 words

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

10/10/10

Here's today's progress on my Hunley version 4.0 submarine book about Andan Cly and his crew having a damp misadventure in a Texian-occupied New Orleans, plus Bonus! guerrilla warfare, other assorted historic pirates, and an octoroon madam who moonlights as a Union spy.

Project: Ganymede

Deadline: November 1, 2010

New words written: 2140 (bah)

Present total word count: 89,200 words

Things accomplished in fiction: Got a sign from the universe. Several signs, actually. From not so much the universe, but one woman in particular. But she's using something like magic to do it.

Things accomplished in real life: Flew out of town for a trade show; still did day-job work; filled out three email interviews with assorted interviewers; arranged two more via phone for later on this week; signed stock in about eight or nine stores throughout the greater Portland area; did an event at the Beaverton Powell's store; spoke at trade show event and signed/handed out a couple hundred books; flew home; ordered a new pair of shoes; cleaned house a bit; filled out yet another W9 then scanned and emailed it of; packaged up several sets of donated signed books for charity; realized tomorrow is a holiday so I won't be able to mail them, but oh well; visited one digital book club; answered a crap-ton of reader questions; updated FAQ over on Clockwork Century; did my daily run/climb.

Other: Jesus, I'm tired.

Total Official Word Count of 2010: 217,811 words

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

Weekend Round-Up

These are the things I would've told you, if I hadn't been on the road while they accumulated.

First up, the Dreadnought news. Why? Because I seem to be in the strange position of having released a sequel while people are still picking up/reading/reviewing the first book with a downright shocking degree of momentum. Don't get me wrong, that's great! But for some reason, I've been getting emails from excited readers asking when/if there will be a sequel to Boneshaker … and the answer, of course, is HELL YES.

It is an alternate-history battlefield adventure about a widowed nurse from a Confederate hospital aboard a west-bound train pulled by a Union war engine — now with military intrigue, steampunk Texas rangers, undead Mexican separatists, murderous plots, bushwhackers, bandits, sabotage, and epic scenes of mayhem.

If you knew this already, and are like, "DUH, CHERIE. In fact, I have already read this book SO THERE," then feel free to skim the next bit. If, on the other hand, you're more from the planet of, "HOLY COW this is NEWS TO ME," then here. Let me direct you accordingly.

Where to Get Dreadnought:Search for an independent bookstore near you

Find Dreadnought at Amazon.com

Find Dreadnought at Barnes & Noble

Find Dreadnought at Powell's

Find Dreadnought at Borders.com

Order signed copies of Dreadnought through the University Book Store in Seattle

Ebook Editions: Visit Dreadnought's listing here at Macmillan and you'll find digital editions suitable for the iPad, Kobo, Nook, and Sony eReader. Click here for Dreadnought on the Kindle.

Audio Book: Courtesy of Macmillan Audio and Audible, you can pick up the audio book of Dreadnought right here.

Sample Content: Scroll down at the Macmillan listing and you'll find excerpts, reviews, and other useful things that might give you a better idea of what you're in for.

General Information: For general information regarding the world-setting of Boneshaker and Dreadnought, visit The Clockwork Century and take a poke around. I also have a FAQ over there which people have been known to find helpful.

Stay Connected: Join the Clockwork Century's fan page on Facebook. Except for this page, I don't have forums, or any assorted fan pages either. I don't have time to create or maintain them (indeed, I neither created the Facebook page, nor do I maintain it). However, I do swing by that page and answer questions when people ask them.



Got it? Great. And I apologize for my redundancies, but this is an Official Writer-Type Business-y Blog as well as The Place Where Cherie Drunkenly Posts Silly Pictures of Her Cat. Therefore, since I am On A Roll, so to speak, I will go ahead and add this review of Dreadnought courtesy of the blog Society of Burned Lives. Many thanks to that fine page.


And I will furthermore note that I am tickled pink (and mightily relieved) to see that Dreadnought is picking up good Amazon.com reviews. Thanks so much to those of you who take the time to post your thoughts. Other people read those thoughts, you know. Other people decide whether or not to buy books based on those thoughts, sometimes. So in short, you pretty much rock all over the place.

In other news, because as mentioned above my bone-shaking book is still trucking right along … it's official: Boneshaker has been nominated for one for one of the first-ever Steamcon Airship Awards. So hot damn! I'm up against some pretty stellar company, and it'd be an honor to lose to anyone on that list — which in no way makes me less excited about it.

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

Home from the PNBA

I am home. I have been to a rather over-indulgent supper with my husband, I have run some errands, and now I'm preparing to settle in and be a very boring grown-up type person. Which means I'm either going to work or read or watch TV, depending on my attention and energy levels.

Yes, well. This is what lots of travel does to you. It eats your brain.

Thanks so much to all the indie bookstore and librarian folks who came out to the Pacific Northwest Bookseller's Association trade show to see me and the other writers – and thanks to Patty Garcia for being our cat-herding hero. Thanks also to Mary Robinette Kowal for dragging me out of the hotel for drinks, and to Kevin (whose last name I don't think I ever caught) for driving me all over town to sign books at various assorted Portland-area locations.

It was a blast!

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

Dreadnought Channel

Because I just can't stop myself – and it might interest someone, somewhere out there in picking up my new book … here are some of the assorted new reviews that have come out in the last few days with Bonus! ridiculous picture of me and Duane from the University Book Store.

The Seattle Times weighs in – The local paper of note reads, reviews, mostly likes Dreadnought … though somehow manages to get most of the facts of the story incorrect. Not that I'm complaining! I'm happy for the coverage and glad that they came down on the side of "fun: fast-paced battle scenes, thundering locomotives and the gem of the book, its heroine." Thanks, Seattle Times!

Rambles.net also approves – Referring to Dreadnought as "a whole new ballgame." Thanks, Rambles! I'm glad you enjoyed the reading.

Elfland's Second Cousin gives a doozy of a write-up – Though the reviewer takes issue with the back flap copy. Ah, well. Can't win 'em all – though saying that "This book is tremendously fun to read … It is exciting, the characters engaging and the monsters scary … If you like zombies and the steampunk aesthetic, you will love this book…" is plenty of win to delight me. Many thanks, near-relation to the fey!

Me and Duane, after the U-books event – This picture is mostly hilarious if you know me and/or Duane in real life, and are aware of exactly (a). how short I am, and (b). how tall Duane is. And I'll have you to know I AM WEARING HIGH HEELS in this shot. Suffice it to say, I held out the camera and tried to get us both into the frame … to mixed results.

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