Kalayna Price's Blog, page 13
October 14, 2010
A little ironic
When I started thinking about writing this post, my initial title idea was "I think my kitten is a vampire." If you are a fan of my novels of Haven, you probably understand why that would have been rather ironic. That said, I'm still inclined to believe my kitten (okay, she's close to three now, but she's the youngest cat) might be a member of the undead.What makes me think so? Well, I've been having trouble keeping the puppy (who, again, isn't actually a puppy, just the youngest) off the bed when I'm not in the room. She knows she's not allowed on the bed when I'm not in there, and knowing that, she jumps off the bed as soon as she hears me leave my office so that I never catch her on the bed, just hurtling herself over the edge. Oh yeah, and the wet spots where she's been chewing on her feet are a pretty big give away to what she's been doing. In an attempt to keep the puppy off the bed, I've started closing the bedroom door. Easy solution, right?
Not quite.
The kitten sleeps under the bed during day. As her water and litter box are not in the bedroom, locking the puppy out also meant she needed to be locked out. Now you can probably imagine the commotion Monday morning when I first shut the door. I wasn't positive I'd make it through the day. But after thirty minutes or so, the kitten stopped complaining (the puppy continued to complain most of the day). I eventually emerged from my office and looked around to figure out where she'd decided to spend the day. I assumed she would be basking in a window with the other cat, or maybe sprawled in a chair or in one of the pet beds scattered around the house, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. After some more intense searching, I discovered her sound asleep in the bathroom cabinets. The nice, dark cabinets much like the nice dark area under the bed where she usually spends her days, not emerging until night. This is now her morning routine. When I shut the bedroom door, she locks herself in the cabinets.
I think she's hiding from the sunlight. Vampire kitten?What do you think?
Happy Thursday everyone!-Kalayna Price
October 11, 2010
Events and happenings wrap up and THANK YOU!
The last week has been busy but extremely exciting, and I owe most of that to you guys, so I just want to say Thank You to all of you.
The release of Grave Witch seems to be going well from my outside view (Of course, I won't know anything definite until I hear from my publisher in several months.) The blog tour stops have seen good traffic, the online chatter has been really positive, and reviews are cropping up! Thank you everyone who has picked up a copy already, and double thank you to everyone who has blogged/tweeted/recommend it to others. You guys are AWESOME!
Now, I promised you a wrap up of my first ever book signing. The event on Friday went extremely well (or at least I though it did). I was crazy nervous, which didn't help my already chicken-scratch hand writing or the fact that on good days letters get jumbled in my head and when I'm nervous? Yeah . . .
But everyone who came out was absolutely amazing. I must have talked to fifty or sixty people over the course of the two hour signing. Many of the readers who came to the event were familiar with my Haven series, and it was great to talk about Kita and her world with real live people (who aren't my CPs and a captive audience).
I was terrified that I'd sit there all alone for most of the night, but people came and went in such a staggered pattern that I almost wonder if you guys didn't gather and plan entrances before hand. I don't think I went more than a couple minutes without someone there at the table. It was great. I can't decide now if the success of the first signing makes me more or less terrified of the Halloween signing planned for the end of the month. LOL
(WHD pictures by Scott Johnson)The other big event of the weekend was World Hoop Day. I meant to blog about this before the fact, but I got wrapped up in everything else going on. If you're a facebook friend you probably saw my post about it, but I never actually got around to a proper blog.
I'm not going to say too much here, but if you remember my post on World Hoop Day last year, you know that the event is not only to celebrate the joys and benefits of hooping, but to raise awareness and spread the fun. All around the world on 10-10-10 at 10:10 am, people were hooping in their communities. In my home city, we gathered at the State House and jammed for a full hour.
We had a great turn out for the event, and we got decent exposure from walk by traffic--we even managed to talk several people into joining us! Very fun!
Hope everyone's weekend went well. Happy Monday!-Kalayna Price
The release of Grave Witch seems to be going well from my outside view (Of course, I won't know anything definite until I hear from my publisher in several months.) The blog tour stops have seen good traffic, the online chatter has been really positive, and reviews are cropping up! Thank you everyone who has picked up a copy already, and double thank you to everyone who has blogged/tweeted/recommend it to others. You guys are AWESOME!
Now, I promised you a wrap up of my first ever book signing. The event on Friday went extremely well (or at least I though it did). I was crazy nervous, which didn't help my already chicken-scratch hand writing or the fact that on good days letters get jumbled in my head and when I'm nervous? Yeah . . .But everyone who came out was absolutely amazing. I must have talked to fifty or sixty people over the course of the two hour signing. Many of the readers who came to the event were familiar with my Haven series, and it was great to talk about Kita and her world with real live people (who aren't my CPs and a captive audience).
I was terrified that I'd sit there all alone for most of the night, but people came and went in such a staggered pattern that I almost wonder if you guys didn't gather and plan entrances before hand. I don't think I went more than a couple minutes without someone there at the table. It was great. I can't decide now if the success of the first signing makes me more or less terrified of the Halloween signing planned for the end of the month. LOL(WHD pictures by Scott Johnson)The other big event of the weekend was World Hoop Day. I meant to blog about this before the fact, but I got wrapped up in everything else going on. If you're a facebook friend you probably saw my post about it, but I never actually got around to a proper blog. 
I'm not going to say too much here, but if you remember my post on World Hoop Day last year, you know that the event is not only to celebrate the joys and benefits of hooping, but to raise awareness and spread the fun. All around the world on 10-10-10 at 10:10 am, people were hooping in their communities. In my home city, we gathered at the State House and jammed for a full hour.
We had a great turn out for the event, and we got decent exposure from walk by traffic--we even managed to talk several people into joining us! Very fun!
Hope everyone's weekend went well. Happy Monday!-Kalayna Price
October 8, 2010
GRAVE WITCH Release Party Tonight!
This is just a quick post to remind everyone that the Grave Witch Release Party/Signing is tonight from 7-9 pm at the Barnes and Noble on Forest Drive in Columbia, SC. If you are in the area, I would love to meet you!I just packed my bag of swag and candy, and I'm excited. And a little nervous.
I was excited on release day, but you know, I didn't actually have to do anything on release day--the work on the book was already done, it was just a matter of logistics with the physical copies. (And of course the excitement of knowing people could actually read it!) Today I'm full of nervous energy because I get to talk to people and meet readers. I can't wait! (Now just to figure out what to inscribe when I'm signing books . . .)
I hope to see many of you tonight! And for those of you who can't make it, I'll make sure someone has a camera so I can share all the interesting details.
Have a great weekend!-Kalayna Price
October 7, 2010
An afternoon post on contests and pictures--Your opinion needed!
Irmo, SC by MichelleSeveral people have sent me pictures of Grave Witch on shelves or even a few of people with a copy, and am absolutely loving seeing the pictures. In fact, I think they are so awesome that I'm considering holding a contest so more people send me such pictures. The question with such a contest is what to give away.
A signed book really wouldn't work as most people entering will have already bought a copy. I was thinking something special. Something unique.
Charlotte, NC by Sabrina LunaIf you've noticed my etsy link in the sidebar, you know that I make hand beaded bookmarks and jewelry, so I was thinking about creating an original, Grave Witch themed bookmark. Would that be something you as readers would be interested in? Would it be worth taking a picture of you (or your cat, or your plant, or get creative[but stay "G" rated]) with a copy of Grave Witch to enter a contest to win such a limited edition bookmark?
BAM, Columbia, SCI'm still looking for the perfect charms to make such a bookmark--it's nearly Halloween, you'd think I'd be able to find more charms that would tie in with the book--but let me know if you think you'd be interested. I'll redouble my efforts in the search and make a couple prizes if that the contest is one you'd like!-Kalayna Price
October 6, 2010
Guest Post from Nancy Holzner: The Telling Detail
Today I'm joined by very special guest, Nancy Holzner, author of the Deadtown novels. If you've been following this blog for a while, you probably recognize Nancy's name and series from a post I wrote several months ago on hooking the reader with the first line. Nancy's first book, DEADTOWN, is a personal favorite of mine, and I'm anxiously awaiting the release of her second novel, HELLFORGED. (It will be out December 28th!)
So, it is with great pleasure that I share this amazing guest post with you. Take it away, Nancy!
The Telling Detail
When I talk to readers about urban fantasy, one thing I hear a lot is that people enjoy this genre because it feels like the story could really happen. The settings are recognizable—you can walk the streets and see the landmarks of magical Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, or San Francisco, and even fictional cities have a real, gritty feel to them. The characters interact with people who could be our coworkers or our neighbors. In addition to their otherworldly battles, characters have problems we can relate to, like how to pay the rent or get over a fight with a boyfriend or deal with an annoying boss. The urban-fantastical world of magic, ghosts, demons, and monsters feels adjacent to ours, like you could turn the wrong corner some dark night and suddenly be there.
I don't think I'm giving away any trade secrets when I say that authors accomplish this sense of realism-in-fantasy by sprinkling telling details through their stories. A telling detail is an image that packs an emotional wallop and makes the scene feel "true." It brings the scene to life. The telling detail gives readers a tug on the heartstrings, a shiver along the spine, or a kick in the gut. It's something we understand and relate to, even when what's happening is far outside our everyday experience.
Here's an example from Magic Bites, the first book in Ilona Andrews's terrific (and phenomenally popular) Kate Daniels series. Kate is about to meet Atlanta's Beast Lord, a werelion, for the first time; she's alone in a dangerous part of town and expecting violence. And what does she do in this situation? She calls out, "Here, kitty, kitty." For many readers, this telling detail is a favorite moment in the book. It cracks the scene wide open and gives us insight into Kate's character. This detail, along with Curran's reaction, shows us a hint of what their relationship will be like. And it's something we can relate to. Maybe you've never clutched a sword on your way to meet a werelion, but I bet you've blurted out something even when you knew it probably wasn't the wisest thing to say. The telling detail is a point of connection between reader and story.
Kalayna's novel Grave Witch has a great telling detail in its opening sentences:
The first time I encountered Death, I hurled my mother's medical chart at him. As far as impressions went, I blew it, but I was five at the time, so he eventually forgave me.
Those two sentences pull us into Alex's world very quickly, and the image of five-year-old Alex throwing her mother's medical chart at Death shows us a lot about her temperament. Even before I know a thing about her, I admire Alex for her bravery in the face (literally) of death.
My Deadtown series is set in Boston, where a zombie plague has revealed the existence of paranormals (who were immune to the virus) and forced the norms and the monsters to live uneasily side-by-side. Deadtown's protagonist, Victory Vaughn, is a shapeshifter who kills other people's personal demons for a living. Those things are pretty far removed from most people's experience, so I try to bring Vicky and her world to life through recognizable, relatable, telling details, such as the checkpoints residents must pass through to get into or out of Deadtown; the no-man's-land between Deadtown and human-controlled Boston (called the New Combat Zone in honor of Boston's former red-light district); and the kinds of personal demons Vicky exterminates: Drudes (dream-demons that feed on fear), Eidolons (guilt demons), and Harpies (revenge demons).
I also use telling details to give insight into Vicky's character and emotional landscape. In one scene, Vicky recalls the night her father died, ten years earlier:
I sat on the bed, numb. The world was divided into Before and After, as completely as if someone had split it with a butcher's cleaver. Before, I'd woken up in this bed, and Dad had been alive. Before, I'd gone down to breakfast, and Dad had been alive. Before, I'd run up here to change out of the sweats I wore for sword practice, and Dad had been alive. The clothes still draped the chair where I'd tossed them.
I told myself I should put them away, but I couldn't bear to touch them, as if moving them would make it real.
A glass of water sat on my nightstand. Thirsty, I reached for it. Before, I thought, when I'd filled up that glass . . . My hand dropped to my lap.
The clothes on the chair, the untouched glass of water are telling details. As Vicky reaches for that glass, the enormity of what's happened—the permanence of her loss—sinks in.
Sometimes, a telling detail can show a writer something about the characters as she creates them. In my forthcoming novel Hellforged, Vicky's protégé Tina, a good-natured teenage zombie who manages to across as obnoxious and self-centered at times, gets a gig as a backup singer for a zombie rock star. Vicky, believing that Tina is in danger, looks for her in her dressing room before a big concert:
I went up the stairs. Tacked to the door was a piece of paper with Tina Terror printed in bold black letters. Tina's last name was Zawadzki, so I could see why she'd want a stage name. But "Tina Terror"? That was as bad as Monster Paul. Below the name was a lopsided star, hand-drawn in yellow highlighter. It looked like something a preschooler's mom would hang on the fridge.
In Deadtown, zombies don't have dreams. They stay in their restricted area and do manual labor. When I "saw" Tina's hand-drawn star in that scene, I understood it as her declaration that she's not settling for less. It symbolizes her hopes, but also her fears. Zombies don't get stars; Tina knows that. So she's going to make her own. Even if it looks kind of lame, it's hers.
Telling details can be large or small. They stay with us because they're vivid and they give us insight. When you think back to your favorite scenes—those that made you laugh or cry or moved you in some way—what you probably remember are the telling details. What are some of your favorites?
Nancy Holzner is the author of the Deadtown urban fantasy series, featuring shapeshifting demon slayer Vicky Vaughn. Deadtown is out now; its sequel, Hellforged, hit bookstore shelves on 12/28/10. You can read Deadtown's first chapter here.
Thank you so much for joining us today, Nancy! Great post.
I hope everyone is having a good Wednesday, and don't forget to check out today's stop on the blog tour over at The Qwillery. -Kalayna Price
So, it is with great pleasure that I share this amazing guest post with you. Take it away, Nancy!
The Telling Detail
When I talk to readers about urban fantasy, one thing I hear a lot is that people enjoy this genre because it feels like the story could really happen. The settings are recognizable—you can walk the streets and see the landmarks of magical Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, or San Francisco, and even fictional cities have a real, gritty feel to them. The characters interact with people who could be our coworkers or our neighbors. In addition to their otherworldly battles, characters have problems we can relate to, like how to pay the rent or get over a fight with a boyfriend or deal with an annoying boss. The urban-fantastical world of magic, ghosts, demons, and monsters feels adjacent to ours, like you could turn the wrong corner some dark night and suddenly be there.I don't think I'm giving away any trade secrets when I say that authors accomplish this sense of realism-in-fantasy by sprinkling telling details through their stories. A telling detail is an image that packs an emotional wallop and makes the scene feel "true." It brings the scene to life. The telling detail gives readers a tug on the heartstrings, a shiver along the spine, or a kick in the gut. It's something we understand and relate to, even when what's happening is far outside our everyday experience.
Here's an example from Magic Bites, the first book in Ilona Andrews's terrific (and phenomenally popular) Kate Daniels series. Kate is about to meet Atlanta's Beast Lord, a werelion, for the first time; she's alone in a dangerous part of town and expecting violence. And what does she do in this situation? She calls out, "Here, kitty, kitty." For many readers, this telling detail is a favorite moment in the book. It cracks the scene wide open and gives us insight into Kate's character. This detail, along with Curran's reaction, shows us a hint of what their relationship will be like. And it's something we can relate to. Maybe you've never clutched a sword on your way to meet a werelion, but I bet you've blurted out something even when you knew it probably wasn't the wisest thing to say. The telling detail is a point of connection between reader and story.
Kalayna's novel Grave Witch has a great telling detail in its opening sentences:
The first time I encountered Death, I hurled my mother's medical chart at him. As far as impressions went, I blew it, but I was five at the time, so he eventually forgave me.
Those two sentences pull us into Alex's world very quickly, and the image of five-year-old Alex throwing her mother's medical chart at Death shows us a lot about her temperament. Even before I know a thing about her, I admire Alex for her bravery in the face (literally) of death.
My Deadtown series is set in Boston, where a zombie plague has revealed the existence of paranormals (who were immune to the virus) and forced the norms and the monsters to live uneasily side-by-side. Deadtown's protagonist, Victory Vaughn, is a shapeshifter who kills other people's personal demons for a living. Those things are pretty far removed from most people's experience, so I try to bring Vicky and her world to life through recognizable, relatable, telling details, such as the checkpoints residents must pass through to get into or out of Deadtown; the no-man's-land between Deadtown and human-controlled Boston (called the New Combat Zone in honor of Boston's former red-light district); and the kinds of personal demons Vicky exterminates: Drudes (dream-demons that feed on fear), Eidolons (guilt demons), and Harpies (revenge demons).
I also use telling details to give insight into Vicky's character and emotional landscape. In one scene, Vicky recalls the night her father died, ten years earlier:
I sat on the bed, numb. The world was divided into Before and After, as completely as if someone had split it with a butcher's cleaver. Before, I'd woken up in this bed, and Dad had been alive. Before, I'd gone down to breakfast, and Dad had been alive. Before, I'd run up here to change out of the sweats I wore for sword practice, and Dad had been alive. The clothes still draped the chair where I'd tossed them.
I told myself I should put them away, but I couldn't bear to touch them, as if moving them would make it real.
A glass of water sat on my nightstand. Thirsty, I reached for it. Before, I thought, when I'd filled up that glass . . . My hand dropped to my lap.
The clothes on the chair, the untouched glass of water are telling details. As Vicky reaches for that glass, the enormity of what's happened—the permanence of her loss—sinks in.
Sometimes, a telling detail can show a writer something about the characters as she creates them. In my forthcoming novel Hellforged, Vicky's protégé Tina, a good-natured teenage zombie who manages to across as obnoxious and self-centered at times, gets a gig as a backup singer for a zombie rock star. Vicky, believing that Tina is in danger, looks for her in her dressing room before a big concert:I went up the stairs. Tacked to the door was a piece of paper with Tina Terror printed in bold black letters. Tina's last name was Zawadzki, so I could see why she'd want a stage name. But "Tina Terror"? That was as bad as Monster Paul. Below the name was a lopsided star, hand-drawn in yellow highlighter. It looked like something a preschooler's mom would hang on the fridge.
In Deadtown, zombies don't have dreams. They stay in their restricted area and do manual labor. When I "saw" Tina's hand-drawn star in that scene, I understood it as her declaration that she's not settling for less. It symbolizes her hopes, but also her fears. Zombies don't get stars; Tina knows that. So she's going to make her own. Even if it looks kind of lame, it's hers.
Telling details can be large or small. They stay with us because they're vivid and they give us insight. When you think back to your favorite scenes—those that made you laugh or cry or moved you in some way—what you probably remember are the telling details. What are some of your favorites?
Nancy Holzner is the author of the Deadtown urban fantasy series, featuring shapeshifting demon slayer Vicky Vaughn. Deadtown is out now; its sequel, Hellforged, hit bookstore shelves on 12/28/10. You can read Deadtown's first chapter here.
Thank you so much for joining us today, Nancy! Great post.
I hope everyone is having a good Wednesday, and don't forget to check out today's stop on the blog tour over at The Qwillery. -Kalayna Price
October 5, 2010
RELEASE DAY!
It's finally here: RELEASE DAY!GRAVE WITCH should now be available at all major bookstores and about anywhere books are sold online. Here are some convenient links to online sellers, or check your local brick and mortar store.
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books a Million
Borders
The Book Depository
Also, don't forget that I have a Virtual Release Party starting at noon today over at Bitten By Books. I'll be chatting with party goers and even giving out a $50 amazon gift certificate, so don't forget to stop by!
On the blog tour front, today's stop is at the blog of my fabulous agent Lucienne Diver. Don't forget to check it out.
Okay. That's it for me. I'm going to go over there and continue squeeing and doing my happy dance. ^_^
Happy release day everyone!
-Kalayna Price
October 4, 2010
One More Day . . .
We are one day from the official release of Grave Witch, and I can hardly believe it. (Actually, according to the countdown widget we are at just under 10hrs because the book is technically released at midnight--but bookstores won't be open so lets say a day.) Reports of sightings are pouring in, and I'm already finding myself checking the amazon and B&N stats (even though those don't really tell me how well the book is doing). Reviews are also really cropping up now, and I'll link to some of those in a minute. In the meantime, I want to point out the two big events happening this week:
The Virtual Release Party at Bitten by Books, and the Release Party/Signing in Columbia.
The Virtual Release Party will be tomorrow, October 5th (release day!) starting at noon over at Bitten by Books. I'll be talking about closed vs open worlds in urban fantasy, about Grave Witch (of course), and basically anything else book/world building/etc people would like chat about. Also, I'll be giving away a $50 amazon giftcard to one lucky party goer. You can RSVP now for extra entries into contest, so go check it out early and make sure to stop by and join the party tomorrow. I look forward to seeing you there!
And if you are in the Columbia area and want to see me in person (and pick up a signed book and some swag) don't forget about the Release Party/Signing at Barnes and Noble on Forest Dr this Friday the 8th from 7-9 pm. The B&N site even has an official listing for the event. I'm bringing candy!
Speaking of B&N, one of my facebook friends just let me know that GRAVE WITCH is a featured recommend read on the B&N Community board. Thanks so much Sue Toro Staltare for the heads up!
Okay, on to more links and such. How about some more things to win? Have you been checking out the Blog tour? Some stops include gift cards, signed books, and/or swag packs so make sure you check it out. Today's stop is a guest post on Folklore in Fiction over at Dark Faerie Tales blog. I'm giving away a $10 gift certificate (you can buy Grave Witch and still have money left over!) so go check it out!
To wrap up this crazy post on what is happening everywhere else but here, let me link you to some of the awesome reviews GRAVE WITCH has received over the last few days:
A rating of "A" over at That's Queen Bitch to You
5 tombstones over at Bitten by Books (Beware: this might be a little spoilerish but an excellent review)
4 Bats and "Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & pre-order the sequel" at All things Urban Fantasy
4 skulls at Dark Faerie Tales
If you write a review or run across one online, feel free to forward it on to me. I probably shouldn't, but I read reviews (I know, dangerous past time)
Until tomorrow everyone!
(side note: anyone else start humming Les Mis after reading post title "one more day . . . "?)-Kalayna Price
The Virtual Release Party at Bitten by Books, and the Release Party/Signing in Columbia.
The Virtual Release Party will be tomorrow, October 5th (release day!) starting at noon over at Bitten by Books. I'll be talking about closed vs open worlds in urban fantasy, about Grave Witch (of course), and basically anything else book/world building/etc people would like chat about. Also, I'll be giving away a $50 amazon giftcard to one lucky party goer. You can RSVP now for extra entries into contest, so go check it out early and make sure to stop by and join the party tomorrow. I look forward to seeing you there!
And if you are in the Columbia area and want to see me in person (and pick up a signed book and some swag) don't forget about the Release Party/Signing at Barnes and Noble on Forest Dr this Friday the 8th from 7-9 pm. The B&N site even has an official listing for the event. I'm bringing candy! Speaking of B&N, one of my facebook friends just let me know that GRAVE WITCH is a featured recommend read on the B&N Community board. Thanks so much Sue Toro Staltare for the heads up!
Okay, on to more links and such. How about some more things to win? Have you been checking out the Blog tour? Some stops include gift cards, signed books, and/or swag packs so make sure you check it out. Today's stop is a guest post on Folklore in Fiction over at Dark Faerie Tales blog. I'm giving away a $10 gift certificate (you can buy Grave Witch and still have money left over!) so go check it out!
To wrap up this crazy post on what is happening everywhere else but here, let me link you to some of the awesome reviews GRAVE WITCH has received over the last few days:
A rating of "A" over at That's Queen Bitch to You
5 tombstones over at Bitten by Books (Beware: this might be a little spoilerish but an excellent review)
4 Bats and "Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & pre-order the sequel" at All things Urban Fantasy
4 skulls at Dark Faerie Tales
If you write a review or run across one online, feel free to forward it on to me. I probably shouldn't, but I read reviews (I know, dangerous past time)
Until tomorrow everyone!
(side note: anyone else start humming Les Mis after reading post title "one more day . . . "?)-Kalayna Price
October 3, 2010
Blog Tour
In case you missed the blog tour links on the front page of my website, I thought I'd link them again. I'll update this list as posts go live, so check back!
GRAVE WITCH Blog Tour:
9/27:Interview at Penguin.com
9/27:Interview at All Things Urban Fantasy (giveaway)
9/28:Guest Post on the Grave Witch Cover at Literary Escapisim (contest for $10 giftcard)
9/29: Interview with Scifi Guy (giveaway)
9/29: Mini-interview with UF author Suzane Johnson. Also featured on Tor.com
9/29: Interview on Obfuscation of Reality. (Win a signed copy of GRAVE WITCH!)
9/30: Guest Post on "Magic in Modernity" Reading with Tequillia (giveaway)
10/4: Guest Post on "Folklore in Fiction" Dark Faerie Tales ($10 giftcard giveaway)
10/5: Release Party at Bitten by Books
10/6: The Qwillery
10/7: RT Book Reviews
10/7: Smexy Books
10/8: Sizzling Hot Books
10/12: Fiction Kingdom
10/16: Fresh Fiction
10/26: Fang-tastic Fiction
-Kalayna Price
GRAVE WITCH Blog Tour:
9/27:Interview at Penguin.com
9/27:Interview at All Things Urban Fantasy (giveaway)
9/28:Guest Post on the Grave Witch Cover at Literary Escapisim (contest for $10 giftcard)
9/29: Interview with Scifi Guy (giveaway)
9/29: Mini-interview with UF author Suzane Johnson. Also featured on Tor.com
9/29: Interview on Obfuscation of Reality. (Win a signed copy of GRAVE WITCH!)
9/30: Guest Post on "Magic in Modernity" Reading with Tequillia (giveaway)
10/4: Guest Post on "Folklore in Fiction" Dark Faerie Tales ($10 giftcard giveaway)
10/5: Release Party at Bitten by Books
10/6: The Qwillery
10/7: RT Book Reviews
10/7: Smexy Books
10/8: Sizzling Hot Books
10/12: Fiction Kingdom
10/16: Fresh Fiction
10/26: Fang-tastic Fiction
-Kalayna Price
October 1, 2010
Writers' Police Academy
If you were following my twitter feed last weekend, you probably received a deluge of tweets with the hashtag #writerspoliceacademy about subjects ranging from signing a waiver which stated I could die to a conversation with the Hazardous Device team that started "So if I wanted to blow up a building . . . ?" As the hashtag implies, I was at the Writers' Police Academy, a conference with the motto "Sweat now so your manuscript doesn't bleed red ink later." They promised a "hands-on, interactive and educational experience to enhance understanding of all aspects of law enforcement and forensics." And I have to say, they delivered! I only wish the Academy had lasted longer because there was just so much to do, to see, and to learn--I couldn't get to all of it. Regardless, I still came home with pages of notes (how many pages? I'm not sure. I've been so busy with the blog tour I've barely had time to look at them!)
Hazardous Device Team's Armor Obviously I will barely be able to scratch the surface in this blog post, but I'd like to highlight some of the things I did and learned while at the Academy. As always, while I had a camera and even carried it with me at all times, when I arrived home, I discovered I'd taken almost no pictures. Bear with me. (Funny aside, I wrote "Bare with me" at first, then I heard Cera's [one of the Tri Mu] voice in my head going "seriously, you want all your blog readers to get naked with you?" My CP has invaded my inner thoughts, what does that mean? lol.) Okay, on to information from the Writers' Police Academy:
The Academy started by releasing the writers onto a group of law enforcement professionals--some clearly less prepared for a writer's overly inquisitive nature than others. We had a couple hours to move between the set up stations and talk to these professionals. Several questions led to widened eyes, but most were met with amusement, and everyone was wonderful both about explaining what they did, showing us their toys, and answering our often rather alarming questions.
Some random facts gathered: (*Note: any inaccurate information is probably my note taking skills and not misdirection for the officers/agents.)
Remington 870What we usually refer to as the "Bomb Squad' is officially called (at least in Gilford County, NC) the Hazardous Device Unit. Members of the team are not only certified bomb technicians but are also certified as hazardous material technicians. Their suits (featured in the picture to the left) weigh approximately eighty pounds and are made from Cavlar and Ceramic. In the event they are caught in a blast, the ceramic will shatter and absorb some of the blasts impact.
Fire fighter's tanks are filled with compressed air. Not oxygen.
Police cars in Gilford County are equipped with a Remington 870 in the ceiling of the vehicle. (picture to the right)
Finger print dust is used to lift prints on smooth, non-porous surfaces. For porous surfaces like cardboard or styrofoam magnetic silver black powder will be used. Okay, those are a few quick facts from about three pages of notes--and the day was only just getting started. That afternoon included tours of the firehouse, a two hour session with Jonathan Hayes who is an internationally best selling author and the Senior Medical Examiner in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Manhattan, and then the night rounded off with Lee Lofland (the organizer of the event, author of the amazing resource book Howdunit Book of Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers, and the man behind the The Graveyard Shift) detailing the true story of the grisly murder of Tina Mott.
Lee Lofland, Kalayna, and Jonathan Hayes after the BanquetI have pages of notes from those events, particularly from Jonathan's lecture on decaying bodies, but as I wouldn't want this blog to end up with an "R" rating due to violence and gore, I think I'll keep those off this space. Moving on.
Day two started with a demonstration/dramatization of an active shooter in a school with law enforcement and EMS workers responding to the scene. This was followed by a full day of workshops and classes on several topics. I really needed to clone myself so I could attend multiple panels at once (but of course, I couldn't do that). These classes included topics such as Gun 101, Crash investigation, Handcuffing techniques, Firearms identification and ballistics, and undercover investigation. The day was rounded off with the Banquet (where keynote speaker Jeffrey Deaver spoke) and a late night signing. But I've skipped the best part . . .
Tom Sweeney and Kalayna. FATSRemember when I said I had to sign a waiver? That was for my FATS session. That's Firearms Training Simulation. Basically, it was the coolest video game I've ever played. I've always been more of the RPG gamer than first person shooter gamer, but yeah, I would own this system. The guns were real, but outfitted for the program and the scenarios were multiple variable life or death situations a law enforcement officer might come in contact with. In fact, officers are trained with this system (which means I probably shouldn't call it the coolest video game ever, but what can I say? I'm a product of my generation.) There were two parts to the training, the first I was with a partner, and after a rocky first scenario where I completely and totally missed the bad guy and shot up an innocent tree, I became a better shot and the two of us worked well together. We didn't kill any civilians, only got killed a few times, and didn't have any bad shoots that would have lost us our badges (you know, if we had one.)
The second room used a slightly different system, and this one was my favorite because the Glock I was using had a realistic amount of kick to it. Apparently had it been firing live rounds the riffling would have caused the gun to pull right more, but otherwise, it was just like firing a real weapon--which was extremely useful to me as I'd never so much as held a gun before but I write about them. I could go on and on about FATS (in fact, I did when I first got home. Poor DH. He got the story with pantomimes and play-by-plays of the scenarios I faced.) but I'll spare you and move on.
The last day was the "debriefing", which was really a very large question and answer session. If you've ever been around a large group of writers given free rein to ask questions, you can probably guess that this led to points where I was frantically taking notes because it was a great question with an informative answer, and other times I was shaking my head because they weren't asking a question and they didn't care to listen to the professional's answer. As a whole, the debriefing would have benefited from a moderator, but it was an amazing opportunity to get clarification on many things we learned and covered over the previous two days.
This post is becoming obnoxiously long. Kudos to those of you still reading. I think I'm going to end this by saying this post couldn't possibly do justice to how amazing and informative the academy was. I have every intention of returning next year, and if you are a writer who wants to learn more about law enforcement/ ems/ fire fighting/ and other similar topics, I would encourage you to check it out.
Happy Friday everyone. Have a great weekend!-Kalayna Price
Hazardous Device Team's Armor Obviously I will barely be able to scratch the surface in this blog post, but I'd like to highlight some of the things I did and learned while at the Academy. As always, while I had a camera and even carried it with me at all times, when I arrived home, I discovered I'd taken almost no pictures. Bear with me. (Funny aside, I wrote "Bare with me" at first, then I heard Cera's [one of the Tri Mu] voice in my head going "seriously, you want all your blog readers to get naked with you?" My CP has invaded my inner thoughts, what does that mean? lol.) Okay, on to information from the Writers' Police Academy:The Academy started by releasing the writers onto a group of law enforcement professionals--some clearly less prepared for a writer's overly inquisitive nature than others. We had a couple hours to move between the set up stations and talk to these professionals. Several questions led to widened eyes, but most were met with amusement, and everyone was wonderful both about explaining what they did, showing us their toys, and answering our often rather alarming questions.
Some random facts gathered: (*Note: any inaccurate information is probably my note taking skills and not misdirection for the officers/agents.)
Remington 870What we usually refer to as the "Bomb Squad' is officially called (at least in Gilford County, NC) the Hazardous Device Unit. Members of the team are not only certified bomb technicians but are also certified as hazardous material technicians. Their suits (featured in the picture to the left) weigh approximately eighty pounds and are made from Cavlar and Ceramic. In the event they are caught in a blast, the ceramic will shatter and absorb some of the blasts impact.Fire fighter's tanks are filled with compressed air. Not oxygen.
Police cars in Gilford County are equipped with a Remington 870 in the ceiling of the vehicle. (picture to the right)
Finger print dust is used to lift prints on smooth, non-porous surfaces. For porous surfaces like cardboard or styrofoam magnetic silver black powder will be used. Okay, those are a few quick facts from about three pages of notes--and the day was only just getting started. That afternoon included tours of the firehouse, a two hour session with Jonathan Hayes who is an internationally best selling author and the Senior Medical Examiner in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Manhattan, and then the night rounded off with Lee Lofland (the organizer of the event, author of the amazing resource book Howdunit Book of Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers, and the man behind the The Graveyard Shift) detailing the true story of the grisly murder of Tina Mott.
Lee Lofland, Kalayna, and Jonathan Hayes after the BanquetI have pages of notes from those events, particularly from Jonathan's lecture on decaying bodies, but as I wouldn't want this blog to end up with an "R" rating due to violence and gore, I think I'll keep those off this space. Moving on.Day two started with a demonstration/dramatization of an active shooter in a school with law enforcement and EMS workers responding to the scene. This was followed by a full day of workshops and classes on several topics. I really needed to clone myself so I could attend multiple panels at once (but of course, I couldn't do that). These classes included topics such as Gun 101, Crash investigation, Handcuffing techniques, Firearms identification and ballistics, and undercover investigation. The day was rounded off with the Banquet (where keynote speaker Jeffrey Deaver spoke) and a late night signing. But I've skipped the best part . . .
Tom Sweeney and Kalayna. FATSRemember when I said I had to sign a waiver? That was for my FATS session. That's Firearms Training Simulation. Basically, it was the coolest video game I've ever played. I've always been more of the RPG gamer than first person shooter gamer, but yeah, I would own this system. The guns were real, but outfitted for the program and the scenarios were multiple variable life or death situations a law enforcement officer might come in contact with. In fact, officers are trained with this system (which means I probably shouldn't call it the coolest video game ever, but what can I say? I'm a product of my generation.) There were two parts to the training, the first I was with a partner, and after a rocky first scenario where I completely and totally missed the bad guy and shot up an innocent tree, I became a better shot and the two of us worked well together. We didn't kill any civilians, only got killed a few times, and didn't have any bad shoots that would have lost us our badges (you know, if we had one.)The second room used a slightly different system, and this one was my favorite because the Glock I was using had a realistic amount of kick to it. Apparently had it been firing live rounds the riffling would have caused the gun to pull right more, but otherwise, it was just like firing a real weapon--which was extremely useful to me as I'd never so much as held a gun before but I write about them. I could go on and on about FATS (in fact, I did when I first got home. Poor DH. He got the story with pantomimes and play-by-plays of the scenarios I faced.) but I'll spare you and move on.
The last day was the "debriefing", which was really a very large question and answer session. If you've ever been around a large group of writers given free rein to ask questions, you can probably guess that this led to points where I was frantically taking notes because it was a great question with an informative answer, and other times I was shaking my head because they weren't asking a question and they didn't care to listen to the professional's answer. As a whole, the debriefing would have benefited from a moderator, but it was an amazing opportunity to get clarification on many things we learned and covered over the previous two days.
This post is becoming obnoxiously long. Kudos to those of you still reading. I think I'm going to end this by saying this post couldn't possibly do justice to how amazing and informative the academy was. I have every intention of returning next year, and if you are a writer who wants to learn more about law enforcement/ ems/ fire fighting/ and other similar topics, I would encourage you to check it out.
Happy Friday everyone. Have a great weekend!-Kalayna Price
September 30, 2010
Guest Post from Rachel Aaron: The New Gold Age
Today I am being joined by debut author Rachel Aaron. I first met Rachel (and heard about her Eli Monpress series) over at the Magic District blog. More recently, I had the amazing opportunity chat with Rachel in person for a couple hours at Dragon*con, where as well as having an entertaining conversation, she gave me a 'teaser book' with the first chapter of her debut novel, Spirit Thief.The novel is a humorous fantasy, and you can find that same first chapter HERE. (Go ahead and go check it out, I'll wait.) I dare you to read it and not want to read the rest of the book. Spirit Thief hit shelves Tuesday, and you can bet I already pick up my copy.
And now, on to Rachel and her post on The New Golden Age:
When I tell people I'm a writer, one of the first things they say (after the obligatory "So, when are you going on Oprah?") is generally some variation of "too bad kids/teens/people-in-general don't read anymore" accompanied by either a defeated sigh or a fed up eye roll. Now, I love to counter this by pointing out that people are actually reading more than ever. There's this thing called the internet, maybe you've heard of it? Smart-assing aside, though, I understand what they're saying: people don't buy books, they just watch TV/Movies/cats on YouTube, the age of literacy is ending, etc, etc. It's all part of the never ending cloud of doom and gloom that sits on commercial publishing's shoulder like a vulture, waiting for the bookstores to crumble so it can feast on the rich offal of schadenfreude. A horrifying specter to be sure, and as someone who makes her living selling stories, it would be easy to be afraid. After all, if people don't buy books, my mortgage doesn't get paid. That said, I don't buy into it for a second, and I'm going to tell you why.
When people talk about the public's book buying habits, it's often in comparison to other entertainment options, like movies or television*. And it's true, when you look at book sales numbers next to, say, box office numbers, even the huge bestsellers start to look anemic. So why don't books sell like movies do? It's clearly not a price issue. My book, which released in mass market paperback (the size you can stick in your purse or a really big pocket), retails for $7.99. That's the matinee price at my local theater and a third of the cost of a new DVD. Now, it's true trade paperbacks will run you a bit more, and hardback prices are outrageous, but I think we can safely say that price isn't the driving factor here. So what is it? Why don't people buy more books? Is it because our schools are failing at teaching kids to enjoy reading? Is it because publishers aren't serving the needs of the book buying public? Has America (and rest of the world) simply decided that movies and/or television are superior storytelling mediums?
Well, maybe on some of those, but I would put forward that the real reason book sales are eclipsed by movies and almost every other form of consumed entertainment is because, frankly, books are not for everyone. They are not for the lazy, reading a book requires you to work with the author. Even the simplest, trashiest, escapist books require you to fill in faces, places, voices, everything with your own imagination. Where movies ask only that you watch, meaning keep your eyes open and your brain engaged enough to follow the plot, books are a two way street. You and the author share the storytelling, the author provides plot, character, story, and description, but everything else is up to you. That takes work, though, effort, and if life as an American has taught me anything, it's that we freaking hate doing work, even when the work is enjoyable.
Movies and television are easy. Even in the best of them, your story is fed to you through a straw. All you have to do is take it in. This is not to diss on screen entertainment. I'm an avid reader, but there are plenty of times when all I want to do is turn on the TV and watch. That's fine, that's what television and movies are for: plug-n-play entertainment. But books, books are work. Amazingly fun, rewarding, life altering work, but nothing can change the fact that people are lazy, and work, even awesome work, tends not to get done when there are other options.
This difference (easy story consumption vs. working for you story) might seem like another nail in the coffin for reading. It's not a stretch to say that people don't like effort, just look at how many of us choose the elevator despite the much lauded health benefits of taking the stairs. However, this is also the exact reason I say that, although movies and television and whatever new story technologies are to come will probably always eclipse book sales, books will never, ever go away. See, the work a reader puts into a book is an investment, an investment that often pays out enormously. Reading gives you a stake in the world you are helping to create, something anyone who's ever read a book and finished with that special sort of giddy glee that accompanies a fantastic read can attest to. No one is ever going to give that up.
Still, all that joyful tingling doesn't change the fact that books will never out do movies in sales because books make you do work. Blah. However! This doesn't mean that books are flopping. The vultures are going to have a long wait because books are actually really hot right now, and they're only going to get more popular. That's because the next generation of readers coming up is the Harry Potter generation. Harry Potter and other blockbuster books, Eragon, Lemony Snicket, Twilight, and so on, whatever we may think of them, have done more for reading than any school literacy program could have dreamed. These books made reading cool. They taught an entire generation that books are worth the investment. And for genre writers, it gets even better. I mean, Harry Potter made wizard fantasy, once the realm of the ubernerd, cool. These blockbusters, most of which have been fantasy, have brought floods of money into fantasy/scifi publishing. This money, along with the rise of SciFi culture thanks in large part to videogames and movies, plus the ravenous beast that is Urban Fantasy, has created an explosion of interest, investment, and new offerings in genre fiction. Add to this the excitement of e-readers, which combines reading with America's favorite pastime – gadget buying, and suddenly publishing has a pretty bright future. In fact, I can't think of a better time to be a debut novelist.
The truth is we are living in a golden age of reading. We as a species have never had more or better books so easily and cheaply available. And within this golden age of reading is a platinum age genre fiction, and it's only getting better. So the next time someone says publishing is dying, tell them (politely) that they're full of it. Publishing is changing, and change is never easy or disaster free, but books are thriving. In fact, it's probably never been easier or more rewarding to be an author than it is right now, and there's certainly never been a better time to be a reader. So enjoy this golden age of fiction, read everything that you can, support your writers by spreading the word about their books, and let's see if we can keep this fantastic thing going for years to come.
* (I'm deliberately excluding games here because we're talking about pure storytelling mediums and story is never more than a fraction of any gaming experience. This is as it should be, because a game that is 100% about story is really just a movie where you push buttons.)
Rachel Aaron the author of The Spirit Thief, a funny adventure fantasy about money, magic, and the world's greatest thief, available at bookstores everywhere October 1! You can read sample chapters, reviews, and Rachel's blog at www.rachelaaron.net.
Thank you so much for joining us today, Rachel!
For those of you following the Grave Witch blog tour, remember you can find all the tour stops on the front page of my website. Today's stop is a post on Magic in Modernity over at Reading with Tequillia. Please go check it out!-Kalayna Price
