Lois H. Gresh's Blog, page 9

Goodreads Giveaway - NIGHTFALL

PARANORMAL ROMANTIC FANTASY WITH A ZING!


My latest book is NIGHTFALL !

It's available in all e-formats (this is the Kindle link) as well as print .

Riverdale Avenue Books just posted a GIVEAWAY CONTEST on GOODREADS. 

Enter for a free copy!

PARANORMAL ROMANTIC FANTASY WITH A ZING! - Stuffed with fun action and wild characters, this is Forbidden Love at its best. Born from an ancient voodoo priestess clan, Alexandra Leveau falls in love with sexy vampire Vadim Blerinc. But these two are a dangerous match, and making love could literally kill them. Add a gargoyle, the Venus de Milos, and a few best friends who turn out to be ghosts from the long-ago past, and what do you get? Paranormal Romance Gone Wild! Can 22-year-old Alexandra and Vadim overcome the curse that has hung over their families for centuries to save their friends from modern evil? 

HERE'S MY FIRST NIGHTFALL REVIEW:

"Top Pick! A wild tale of love, lust, reincarnation and a bit of mystery. A sexy, romantic, forbidden romp of love and lust...a must read!"     --Night Owl Romance (5 stars and a Top Pick)
REVIEWS OF SOME OF MY PREVIOUS BOOKS 
"Breathless"--The New York Times Book Review
"Exciting plot"--Publishers Weekly
"Rapid fire action"--Library Journal
"Fast-paced action, a likable protagonist, a suitably nasty villain...a fine thriller."--Science Fiction Chronicle
"Vampire fans are in for a treat! If you're hoping for surprisingly quirky takes on reality combined with cleverly worded fiction, you're in the right place. Lois Gresh always surprises me. She's one of the cleverest writers out there."--Nancy Kilpatrick, editor of Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead
"I found this book to be a hoot from beginning to end."--Dean Koontz, New York Times Best-Selling Author
"Tremendous fun"--Peter Straub, New York Times Best-Selling Author
"A fun, fun read."--F. Paul Wilson, New York Times Best-Selling Author
"Riveting stories with mind-bending ideas, intensely creative!"--Catherine Asaro, Nebula-Award winning author of The Ruby Dice

Hibernation and Pajamas

January. I'm coming down the home stretch on the current book draft, after which I'll jump right into writing two stories. Then I'll return to the book draft, edit it, and turn it into my editor at the same time I submit the two stories to other editors.
       
February. I must write the Intro to Dark Fusions, a collection of dark stories, compile all the manuscripts, get the authors' bios in place, wrap up the whole package, and ship it off to the publisher. I also want to write a couple of stories in February.
       
I can't see past February. I know that the book will enter inquiry-and-copyedit stage while I'm writing new material. This is inevitable. I also know that I very much want to return to the novel I started before   switching my attention to the current book.

I see exercise and fresh air in the future, too, and maybe I'll finally get out of the house and away from  the keyboard to see a friend or two.

What will it be like not to wear pajamas all day?

What will it be like to... wait a minute. After I finish this book, I have to clean up the disaster in my office, where I've been working 24x7.

Maybe I'll keep my pajamas on, after all.

Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror

I'm slowly getting around to posting news about various books. Sometime in 2013, grab a copy of

Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror 

from the folks who bring you the fantastic Now Write! series.

I contributed a chapter for the book some time ago.  I was thrilled when Laurie Lamson asked me to be part of this amazing series. Why? Because her other contributors include major talents such as  Piers Anthony, Ramsey Campbell, Ursula K. LeGuin, Steven Barnes, Kealan Patrick Burke, John Skipp, and Lisa Morton .

Wow, what a line up!  For anyone who wants to learn how to write fantasy, horror, and/or science fiction, this is the book to get. Tarcher/Penguin is the publisher.

I'll keep you posted as I hear more about the book's release.





     

ADULT TWILIGHT WITH A TWIST

Paranormal Gone Wild!

My latest book is NIGHTFALL, an Adult Twilight with a TWIST.

It's available in all e-formats (this is the Kindle link) as well as print (and here's the link to the print version).

I'll post more about this book very soon, but for now, here's the official scoop:

CAN TRUE LOVE CONQUER BAD BLOOD?
Forbidden love, yearning desire, and seduction. Born from an ancient voodoo priestess clan, Alexandra Leveau falls in love with sexy vampire Vadim Blerinc. But these two are a dangerous match, and making love could literally kill them. 
And then local townies begin to die. Can Alexandra and Vadim save the people around them? Can they overcome the curse that has hung over their families for centuries? Can true love conquer bad blood?
WHAT REVIEWERS SAY ABOUT LOIS GRESH’S PREVIOUS BOOKS 
"Breathless"--The New York Times Book Review
"Exciting plot"--Publishers Weekly
"Rapid fire action"--Library Journal
"Fast-paced action, a likable protagonist, a suitably nasty villain...a fine thriller."--Science Fiction Chronicle
"Vampire fans are in for a treat! If you're hoping for surprisingly quirky takes on reality combined with cleverly worded fiction, you're in the right place. Lois Gresh always surprises me. She's one of the cleverest writers out there."--Nancy Kilpatrick, editor of Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead
"I found this book to be a hoot from beginning to end."--Dean Koontz, New York Times Best-Selling Author
"Tremendous fun"--Peter Straub, New York Times Best-Selling Author
"A fun, fun read."--F. Paul Wilson, New York Times Best-Selling Author
"Riveting stories with mind-bending ideas, intensely creative!"--Catherine Asaro, Nebula-Award winning author of The Ruby Dice

The Next Big Thing

Thanks to Tracy Carbone, who tagged me, I'm participating in the "writers' blog meme" that's popping   around the internet. She calls the meme, The Next Big Thing. I'm supposed to answer some questions on Dec 5, then tag a few more writers. So here we go...

1) What is the title of your next book/work?

St. Martin's Press will release THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS COMPANION: CITY OF BONES, SHADOWHUNTERS, AND THE SIGHT (The Unauthorized Guide)  on June 4, 2013. I learned the title when the book popped up on Amazon and fans starting asking me about the contents.

In addition, PS Publishing will release anthology DARK FUSIONS, which I edited, at the 2013 World Fantasy Convention.

Also in 2013, you'll find new stories by me in a bunch of anthologies, among them:
Werewolf Root Canal, MARK OF THE BEAST (2013)Dreams of Death, ELDRITCH CHROME (2013)Mandelbrot Moldrot (reprint), MOUNTAIN WALKED (2013)Steel and Bones, STEAMPUNK CTHULHU (2013)Necrotic Cove, BLACK WINGS III (2013)Devil's Bathtub, MADNESS OF CTHULHUAfter I finish writing  THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS COMPANION: CITY OF BONES, SHADOWHUNTERS, AND THE SIGHT (The Unauthorized Guide) , I'll write a few more stories and then continue working on a dark novel that I started several months ago.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book/work?

As for Devil's Bathtub, which I wrote for MADNESS OF CTHULHU (ST Joshi, ed., Titan Books), I'd read about recent research in Antarctica that I thought might suit a Mountains of Madness tale. I twisted the research into something that struck me as kind of cool and bizarre. I typically think along these lines, This is so freakin' cool, but what if...?

I honestly don't know where the rest of the idea came from, as it just hit me when I sat down at the keyboard. The main character sprang to life, and she gave me the story.

As for  THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS COMPANION: CITY OF BONES, SHADOWHUNTERS, AND THE SIGHT (The Unauthorized Guide)  -- wow, that's a long title -- my editor at St. Martin's asked me to write the book after I returned from World Fantasy Convention/Toronto. Clearly, the book focuses on Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series.

As for DARK FUSIONS, I initially wanted to publish only weird fiction in the anthology. However, I  received a lot of monster, horror, and dark SF tales, so the antho fuses these dark subgenres into one volume. The book has a great line-up of writers, and some of the stories are fantastic.

3) What genre does your book/work fall under?

All of the 2013-2014 short stories are weird fiction, a blend of psychological horror and dark science fiction. Sometimes, there's only horror and no science fiction, as in Werewolf Root Canal, MARK OF THE BEAST.

THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS COMPANION: CITY OF BONES, SHADOWHUNTERS, AND THE SIGHT (The Unauthorized Guide)  is a detailed analysis and fun look at ALL THINGS MORTAL INSTRUMENTS. The goal is to entertain readers and to provoke discussion and thought. I've had to cancel holiday activities to work on this book - yes, there's that much info to cover.
     
4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

For Devil's Bathtub, MADNESS OF CTHULHU, perhaps Sydney Rouviere for the main character.

Other than that, I'd want to stick a young Jack Nicholson in there somewhere. : )



5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

For Devil's Bathtub: ARE YOU INSANE?

For  THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS COMPANION: CITY OF BONES, SHADOWHUNTERS, AND THE SIGHT (The Unauthorized Guide) , perhaps this would sum it up: ALL THINGS MORTAL INSTRUMENTS.

For dark novel UNTITLED, I'll go with... ARE YOU INSANE? 

(am I seeing a pattern here?)

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

St. Martin's Press will publish my next book on June 4, 2013.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

For Devil's Bathtub, three mornings.

I've written all 27 of my books under contract. This means they come with deadlines that define how long it's going to take me to write the manuscripts.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

For Devil's Bathtub, I have to go with The Mountains of Madness.

For  THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS COMPANION: CITY OF BONES, SHADOWHUNTERS, AND THE SIGHT (The Unauthorized Guide) , the obvious answer is Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

(see #2 above)

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

Devil's Bathtub is probably one of my best tales of weird fiction.

I also like a few more that are coming out in 2013. Examples are Steel and Bones in STEAMPUNK CTHULHU and Werewolf Root Canal in MARK OF THE BEAST.

Thanks again to Tracy Carbone - she's a freakin' Goddess! - and now, I must pass the baton to a few  more writers:

Angeline Hawks - horror writer
Jeffrey Carver - science fiction writer
Nancy Kilpatrick - horror writer, who will post her answers right here on my blog next week

Happy reading,
Lois

True Beauty of Research

I'm drowning in research right now. This is one of my favorite parts of writing any book. I've always enjoyed learning new things, and my interests span almost all subjects - pretty much anything except politics, finances, business. Luckily, being a writer means I get to read a ridiculous number of books about a ridiculous number of subjects.

Currently on my bedroom floor are about a dozen stacks of research books. Yes, I suspect that this time, I'll be immersing myself in not my usual 50 research books, but possibly as many as 80.

Given that I have a very tight deadline -- trust me, you don't want to know just HOW tight -- you can imagine the difficulty of reading 50-80 research books before starting my draft. But this is how I always write books.

In fact, I write stories this way, too, though the research is pared WAY WAY WAY down.

The more you read, the better your mind gets at generating ideas. Over the years, you start connecting ideas into fun, new ways of looking at things. This is the true beauty of research.

BLACK WINGS III

ST Joshi basically is The Man when it comes to HP Lovecraft. He lives and breathes Lovecraft. He knows everything about the subject, no matter how trivial and obscure.  Okay, so I admire and respect him a great deal - that's pretty obvious, right?
     
Huzzah.

(I think my pov character uses this word in Werewolf Root Canal, Mark of the Beast. What does this say about me, that I'm now using the word in my normal "speech"? But I digress.)
     
So huzzah, ST accepted my story Necrotic Cove for Black Wings III.

Am I thrilled? Indeed, I am!
   

     

Roc-Con 2012 Guest of Honor Report

Roc-Con 2012 was even bigger and better than Roc-Con 2011. In the midst of the Fringe Festival, Rochester's anime, horror, and science fiction fandom was out in full force Friday-Sunday at the Main Street Armory.

Huge applause goes to the remarkable Alicia Lurye for another great  Roc-Con! Alicia's a fireball of energy and good vibes.

Thanks to the Rochester Fantasy Fans (in particular, the fantastic Wayne Brown), two Daleks roamed the Armory all weekend, threatening to "Exterminate!" everyone in sight. I was almost Exterminated at least twice. (If I happened to be wearing an evening dress - not that I own such a garment - you might think I'm giving away a Dalek prize in the above left photo.)

As Guest of Honor Writer, I had a book table next to comic legend Steve Skeates (photo, below) again this year. I also enjoyed the company of my other tablemates Robert O'Reilly and Klingon makeup pro John Paladin.

You probably remember Steve from last year's Roc-Con report, where I gushed about Aquaman. For lots of great Skeates comic photos, make sure to check out on last year's report.

This year, we had two Klingons at Roc-Con: J.G. Hertzler aka General Martok and Robert O'Reilly aka Chancellor Gowron. These guys are a laugh a minute. If they could speak more quickly, they'd be a laugh a second. On Sunday morning at the table next to mine, they burst out singing rowdy bar tunes. And of course, they performed in full Klingon costume on Saturday, much to the delight of fans, who flocked to their table for photos.

When not formally posing for photos, they COULD get dangerous, of course. I mean, they ARE Klingons, after all. (See below - Gowron and Martok attack me in a remote corner of the Armory when fans aren't looking.)

By Sunday, the Klingons had calmed down again. J.G. and Rob had them under control (see photo, below left).

I don't know how they do that: unleash those rowdy beasts, then instantly, chain them back down.

It was a lot of fun!

Also in the Star Trek actors' row was Tim McCormack, who has extensive credits as Ensign Bennett in TNG. Somehow, every time I was wandering around taking photos, Tim was off signing autographs. So you'll have to make do with his official TNG photo (below).



Vic Mignogna, incredibly famous anime voiceover actor - his credits are much too long to list here but include Full Metal Alchemist and DBZ - was a huge hit at this year's Roc-Con. Also on hand were  Robert Kohr of Nickelodeon and Eric Stuart, another well-known voiceover actor whose credits include Pokemon and many others.

Below is wrestler pro and Borderhounds comic book hero, Brimstone.

 

Below are Genozziere Productions' Laurence Genovese and Lou Carrozziere. Check out some of their horror movie heads - wowzee, I like that red-headed guy!

 

Roc-Con 2012 logo winner Andrew Blanda was at the table behind me.

 

Here's the lovely Marilyn Ghigliotti, who starred in the cult classic film, Clerks. And here she is with the Klingons, too, but they're not attacking her!

 

I shot this totally random photo from my book table:



No con is complete without a journey into the subterranean basements, right? Some of you remember our adventures at Contradiction many years ago. So I checked out the Armory's dungeon-like basement, where we had the "VIP" food room.

 




Over and out from The Dungeon, and until next time...

Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey - update

Here's the cover of Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey . All fifty of us received the page proofs a week or two ago. I read a bunch of the essays as well as proofing mine, which I called The McDonald's of Lust.


Reading this book is almost as stimulating as reading Fifty Shades, so be careful. You'll need an ice-cold shower if you try to read all the essays at once.

         
(fanning myself)  



(still fanning)

Lori has truly outdone herself this time. How does she come up with these amazing ideas? I think her IQ is something like 200+.
           
This is one helluva book.
       
(and kudos to Smart Pop, who really know what they're doing)
        

From Lois' Trivia Box

Every now and then, I dig through my Trivia Box (yes, I actually have one) and post photos of some of the writing-related items I've accumulated over the years.

I have a bunch of SFWA membership cards ranging back to 1993, when I first qualified as a supposed professional.

My father would have been thrilled. A science fiction addict, he went to the library every week and stocked the house with science fiction and current affairs books.  Growing up, I had little interest in current affairs aka politics, but oh, did I love those SF novels!

Also in the photo is an H.P. Lovecraft card from the Mythos game. My son and I enjoyed countless hours playing Mythos, and along with the "Insane Mother" card, which my son particularly enjoyed -- gee, I wonder why? -- this card was a favorite.

I have to note here that we got almost all of our cards from Bob Weinberg. Apparently, Bob had many  cartons of Mythos cards in his "book business warehouse." He told me that  the game wasn't particularly popular, so he was stuck with a lot of cards and I was welcome to them.

In the 90s, writers were into buttons and often passed them out at conventions. Most of these buttons were along the lines of "I'm an Author, please feed my creditors" and "Writers deserve royalties." I collected quite a few and tossed them all into the Trivia Box back home.

Other than "starving author" buttons, I also ended up with more interesting momentoes, such as "Cthulhu in '96" and "House of Blues - French Quarter" from the World Fantasy Convention in New Orleans.

Oh yes, and the rubber finger in the photo: Adam-Troy Castro gave this to me at a convention in the 90s.

Which brings me to the rubber teeth, shown below, that Leslie What sent to me as a gift. These are refrigerator magnets. I've had them since the mid-90s. I'm not sure why this photo includes an old penny. Perhaps I found it as a convention - ?  Yeah, probably.