Jordan Castillo Price's Blog, page 63
June 14, 2011
The Starving Years big finale! JCP News issue 42
Holy moly, I've been typing my fingers to the bone this month, nearly 18000 words on The Starving Years and a free 4000-word PsyCop short!
PsyCop FlashVertigo Re-LaunchStarving Years Finale
Check out my newsletter and reap the goodies!
PsyCop FlashVertigo Re-LaunchStarving Years Finale
Check out my newsletter and reap the goodies!
June 12, 2011
Vertigo second electronic edition is out
Vertigo: Channeling Morpheus 2Second Electronic Edition
Long, dark hair. Dewy, khol-rimmed eyes. Ripe young lips just made for kissing.
Guys like that are dime a dozen.
Wild Bill likes a little edge on his playmates, and Michael's got the whole package going on—plus a loaded gun in his leather jacket, and an unquenchable obsession with vampires.
Michael's managed to follow a breadcrumb trail Bill didn't even know he was leaving, and the kid's got a few new tricks up his sleeve. Hopefully the latest addition to his arsenal doesn't include a wooden stake with Wild Bill's name on it. But anything can happen in the dark.
Go to Vertigo's product page at JCPbooks
Coming soon to Amazon and B&N
First edition was published as Channeling Morpheus: Vertigo in 2008. Appears in the print collection Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary.
Series Channeling Morpheus Ebook NovelettesPayback
Vertigo
Manikin (2nd edition coming August 2011)
Tainted (2nd edition coming October 2011)
Rebirth (2nd edition coming December 2011)
Brazen (2nd edition coming February 2012)
Snare (2nd edition coming April 2012)
Fluid (2nd edition coming June 2012)
Elixir (2nd edition coming August 2012)
Swarm (2nd edition coming October 2012)
First edition ebooks available at Changeling Press and many other online ebook sellers. Channeling Morpheus Novelettes 5-10 are called the "Sweet Oblivion" series in their first edition.
If you own the first edition ebooks, there's no need to purchase the second edition. The main differences are small editorial changes and cover art.
June 11, 2011
An unlikely pair
Cats aren't supposed to like vacuum cleaners, so I don't know what this is all about, other than to say Puffy is adorably strange.
His health hasn't been good lately. If I drop off the internets, that's probably why. He has a congenital condition specific to Persians where he's all full of cysts. He also has some dental issues. I've decided to get his bum teeth pulled so he's not in discomfort, but he might not make it through the anesthesia. Keep us in mind with whatever higher powers you appeal to.
June 3, 2011
Were any of you Zima drinkers?
I've been enjoying MGD 64 Lemonade...a summer beer by Miller with only 64 calories per bottle, maligned by blog posts such as this. Really? People hate it that much? There are handcrafted beers...then there's miller. I don't expect them to be the same.
I wonder, though, if the whole thing is more a nostalgia kick for me. 'Cos some of my pals were big into Zima, back in the day. And I think MGD 64 Lemonade tastes like Zima, only it's diet!
(I could have sworn my pal had a pic of us enjoying Zimas on Facebook somewhere. I emailed him.)
I wonder, though, if the whole thing is more a nostalgia kick for me. 'Cos some of my pals were big into Zima, back in the day. And I think MGD 64 Lemonade tastes like Zima, only it's diet!
(I could have sworn my pal had a pic of us enjoying Zimas on Facebook somewhere. I emailed him.)
Mid-New Year
Or should that be New-Mid Year? It's the middle of the calendar year, and I'm talking stock of some of the things I accomplished in the past six months.
Writing: I finished GhosTV and published the ebook. I finished the first draft of my serialized novel, The Starving Years. I re-released Payback: Channeling Morpheus 1. I typeset and published three paperbacks: A Bitter Taste of Sweet Oblivion, Petit Morts 2: Food of the Gods, and GhosTV. I'm very happy with all of this. Good accomplishments for half a year!
Skills: I joined InDesign User Group, attended an InDesign conference, kept up with the weekly Photoshop User and Indesign Secrets podcasts, and I've been rockin' the Lynda.com online training site. Lynda.com is amazing. It's like a video college that you can attend whenever you want, as often as you want. (And you can watch it on your iPod in bed if you really don't feel like moving as far as your computer.) Not only have I learned much better practices in InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, but I've been KILLING Excel spreadsheets. Tax time will be a lot easier. And I get my royalty payments to my authors lickety split because I'm an Excel wizard now.
Fitness: Lost 15 lbs, religiously attended water aerobics (for mood rather than weight loss)...now that session's over, and I'm looking into some workout routines from The Four Hour Body to replace them for the summer. Plus once it's warm enough for an outdoor pool I'll start meeting one of my swimming friends and working out with her. I really like the even-keel feeling I get from regular exercise. It's easy to skip when you feel, as I feel, that there aren't enough hours in the day to do all the things I'd like to do. But I prioritize it. Also, I implemented the standing desk to ensure I was sitting less, since too much sitting isn't good for you. So on many days I'll stand all morning, between 6am and noon. I think that's helped the metabolism.
Other stuff: I've been hoping to nurture some hobbies since I was feeling incredibly one-dimensional (blah blah writing blah blah ebooks blah blah computer) and within the past few weeks I've taken up DRAWING again. YAY. It's wonderful to be in flow and be drawing. I'm positive two things got me back into the practice: having a project to work on and having a space to do it in. I took a "junk" room, gave away a lot of clutter, reconfigured existing furniture and repainted. I love my studio. So do the cats. They hang out with me in there while I draw. Since I'm a perfectionist it was helpful for me to encourage the mindset that I didn't need to be perfect, I just needed to enjoy what I was doing.
Decluttering: It's a process. An old patio set's going out front today with a "free" sign and I'm going to take a load of clothes to the thrift store. One big leap was taking the potentially-valuable stuff and listing it all on eBay during their free listing month. Looks like all of it will sell.
So...goals? Keep doing what I'm doing, I guess. All of this looks really good to me, and I'm pleased. I want to hang out with my friends more so I'm not just living in my own head. I've been doing that too, hanging out with someone at least once a week, attempting to go out to social things and say hello to people even though it's awkward for me. There are some home repairs that need to happen...that's definitely my downfall. I hate maintaining a house. It's stressful and I don't feel like thinking about it. I've decided I probably won't move, though, since it's so gloriously quiet where I live now, and I can't risk moving somewhere and ending up next to a jackass with a loud radio. This year I'll finish off the Petit Morts series and edit/publish The Starving Years, start a new serial in my newsletter and maybe work on the followup to Sleepwalker.
What about you? Are there any goals you can invigorate at this halfway point of the year? Is there anything keeping you from prioritizing your goals that you can revisit--such as me repainting my "junk" room and giving away the clutter?
Edit to add: HOORAY, most of the patio set is gone. Whoever took it left the lounger chair. Maybe they had no room for it. And they left the foot spa. Surely one of my neighbors needs a foot spa.
Writing: I finished GhosTV and published the ebook. I finished the first draft of my serialized novel, The Starving Years. I re-released Payback: Channeling Morpheus 1. I typeset and published three paperbacks: A Bitter Taste of Sweet Oblivion, Petit Morts 2: Food of the Gods, and GhosTV. I'm very happy with all of this. Good accomplishments for half a year!
Skills: I joined InDesign User Group, attended an InDesign conference, kept up with the weekly Photoshop User and Indesign Secrets podcasts, and I've been rockin' the Lynda.com online training site. Lynda.com is amazing. It's like a video college that you can attend whenever you want, as often as you want. (And you can watch it on your iPod in bed if you really don't feel like moving as far as your computer.) Not only have I learned much better practices in InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, but I've been KILLING Excel spreadsheets. Tax time will be a lot easier. And I get my royalty payments to my authors lickety split because I'm an Excel wizard now.
Fitness: Lost 15 lbs, religiously attended water aerobics (for mood rather than weight loss)...now that session's over, and I'm looking into some workout routines from The Four Hour Body to replace them for the summer. Plus once it's warm enough for an outdoor pool I'll start meeting one of my swimming friends and working out with her. I really like the even-keel feeling I get from regular exercise. It's easy to skip when you feel, as I feel, that there aren't enough hours in the day to do all the things I'd like to do. But I prioritize it. Also, I implemented the standing desk to ensure I was sitting less, since too much sitting isn't good for you. So on many days I'll stand all morning, between 6am and noon. I think that's helped the metabolism.
Other stuff: I've been hoping to nurture some hobbies since I was feeling incredibly one-dimensional (blah blah writing blah blah ebooks blah blah computer) and within the past few weeks I've taken up DRAWING again. YAY. It's wonderful to be in flow and be drawing. I'm positive two things got me back into the practice: having a project to work on and having a space to do it in. I took a "junk" room, gave away a lot of clutter, reconfigured existing furniture and repainted. I love my studio. So do the cats. They hang out with me in there while I draw. Since I'm a perfectionist it was helpful for me to encourage the mindset that I didn't need to be perfect, I just needed to enjoy what I was doing.
Decluttering: It's a process. An old patio set's going out front today with a "free" sign and I'm going to take a load of clothes to the thrift store. One big leap was taking the potentially-valuable stuff and listing it all on eBay during their free listing month. Looks like all of it will sell.
So...goals? Keep doing what I'm doing, I guess. All of this looks really good to me, and I'm pleased. I want to hang out with my friends more so I'm not just living in my own head. I've been doing that too, hanging out with someone at least once a week, attempting to go out to social things and say hello to people even though it's awkward for me. There are some home repairs that need to happen...that's definitely my downfall. I hate maintaining a house. It's stressful and I don't feel like thinking about it. I've decided I probably won't move, though, since it's so gloriously quiet where I live now, and I can't risk moving somewhere and ending up next to a jackass with a loud radio. This year I'll finish off the Petit Morts series and edit/publish The Starving Years, start a new serial in my newsletter and maybe work on the followup to Sleepwalker.
What about you? Are there any goals you can invigorate at this halfway point of the year? Is there anything keeping you from prioritizing your goals that you can revisit--such as me repainting my "junk" room and giving away the clutter?
Edit to add: HOORAY, most of the patio set is gone. Whoever took it left the lounger chair. Maybe they had no room for it. And they left the foot spa. Surely one of my neighbors needs a foot spa.
May 28, 2011
Decluttering and eBay
In case you haven't sold anything on eBay lately (or ever) right now they're waiving the listing fees for all auction style listings until the end of the month, so you still have a couple more days to get in on the freeness, and hey, it's a long weekend...
Historically, I put stuff up on eBay, then it sells for next to nothing, and I've spent all that time listing the item and getting the package ready that it turns out to be far more trouble than it was worth.
I have no idea what shifted, but something did. It must be my attitude. It's all I can figure.
I've got a few odds and ends I've always thought were too interesting to just toss in the Goodwill box, so I've been listing them. And I've been selling them. Very nicely.
I ran across an old beltbuckle that reminded me of a horrible guy I dated when I was 16. It was scratched. And he scratched one of my guitars with it while he was wearing it and playing the guitar, too. So obviously I had no good memories of this beltbuckle, and I listed it, scratches and all. It's up to thirty bucks now with a bunch of watchers. YAY.
It's an interesting alchemy, to release old stuff, old clutter, old memories that aren't serving me anymore, and to get some cash for it. Using that cash, I bought a hubcap to replace the one that bounced off my car while my ex was driving and not paying attention, and he laughed as it rolled away into thick traffic....
Yes. Very cathartic for me, this free eBay month. (You still have to pay some percentage to them when you sell the item...I'm frankly not even paying attention, just putting up stuff I'd just as soon throw in the garbage and watching people bid on it.)
Historically, I put stuff up on eBay, then it sells for next to nothing, and I've spent all that time listing the item and getting the package ready that it turns out to be far more trouble than it was worth.
I have no idea what shifted, but something did. It must be my attitude. It's all I can figure.
I've got a few odds and ends I've always thought were too interesting to just toss in the Goodwill box, so I've been listing them. And I've been selling them. Very nicely.
I ran across an old beltbuckle that reminded me of a horrible guy I dated when I was 16. It was scratched. And he scratched one of my guitars with it while he was wearing it and playing the guitar, too. So obviously I had no good memories of this beltbuckle, and I listed it, scratches and all. It's up to thirty bucks now with a bunch of watchers. YAY.
It's an interesting alchemy, to release old stuff, old clutter, old memories that aren't serving me anymore, and to get some cash for it. Using that cash, I bought a hubcap to replace the one that bounced off my car while my ex was driving and not paying attention, and he laughed as it rolled away into thick traffic....
Yes. Very cathartic for me, this free eBay month. (You still have to pay some percentage to them when you sell the item...I'm frankly not even paying attention, just putting up stuff I'd just as soon throw in the garbage and watching people bid on it.)
May 25, 2011
Deadline is nigh - PsyCop Flash Fic contest
If you've been pondering your entry for the PsyCop Flash Fic contest at Reviews by Jessewave, put on your thinking cap and get busy! The deadline is tomorrow! Read the rules, then post your entry here. (Or just go over there and peek at the wonderfully creative entries we already have!)
May 20, 2011
PsyCop Flash Fic contest
Is there a PsyCop scenario you've always wanted to see? Enter the PsyCop flash fic contest at Reviews by Jessewave and you just might get your wish!
Petit Morts 2: Food of the Gods in paperback
Slide off the black satin ribbon, dig deeper into the box, and discover another decadent layer of divinely sinful indulgence. Australian novelist Sean Kennedy joins Josh Lanyon and Jordan Castillo Price for five more uncanny gay tales starring Chance, the enigmatic chocolatier, in Petit Morts 2: Food of the Gods.This collection is a sequel to Petit Morts 1: Sweets to the Sweet.
Stories included:
Pretty Ugly by Jordan Castillo Price
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...usually.
Sort of Stranger Than Fiction by Josh Lanyon
They always say to write what you know.
One Less Stiff at the Funeral by Sean Kennedy
Chocolate makes everything better. Even a eulogy.
Critic's Choice by Josh Lanyon
It was a dark and stormy night. No, really, it was.
Wishink Well by Jordan Castillo Price
You can't get something for nothing.
Available now at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr
Available for pre-order at Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.jp
May 16, 2011
Expect the Unexpected - JCP News May 2011
It's the May issue of JCP News, on garage sales and typewriters, Evernote and Kindle highlighting. This month's articles include:
Expect the Unexpected
PsyCop Love
Channeling Morpheus Re-Launch
Evernote Recommended
And the penultimate installment of The Starving Years
Read the issue now!
(Also...I've found the beta reader I was looking for in the sidebar of the newsletter. Yay! Actually I found two.)
Expect the Unexpected
PsyCop Love
Channeling Morpheus Re-Launch
Evernote Recommended
And the penultimate installment of The Starving Years
Read the issue now!
(Also...I've found the beta reader I was looking for in the sidebar of the newsletter. Yay! Actually I found two.)
