Kelly Meding's Blog, page 16
February 13, 2011
February 10, 2011
Just a Few Things
The last few weeks have gone by in a bit of a blur, and I apologize for the lack of blog activity. I generally hate these final weeks of winter, because I've become sick of the cold and ice and darkness. Thankfully, though, it's only a few weeks until March. And spring. And warm weather.
Yay!
I've been spending quite a bit of time reading. I ended January with 21 books read for the month, including a few catch-ups (the last couple of releases in some favorite series). All in all, I read some really great books--a memoir, a nonfic about chemicals in our daily lives, a horror, five YA's, and a bunch of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. It was quite an eclectic month.
*
So bad news first. My book signing scheduled for February 12 in the Winchester, VA Borders has been canceled. If anyone had planned to attend, I do apologize. The cancellation was short notice for us, too.
On the upside, I'll still be attending Farpoint next weekend! And I can't wait!
The good news. Two things, actually.
My new superhero series with Pocket has changed titles. The title of the first book is now simply TRANCE, and it has a street date of October 25.
The other good news is that you may notice the League of Reluctant Adults blog has become much more active this week. We've created a posting schedule and hopefully this means lots more interesting, snarky, fun content for you guys. And if you haven't seen that blog yet...well, why not? ;) It also means that I'm up on Sunday.
Now I just need a topic....
Yay!
I've been spending quite a bit of time reading. I ended January with 21 books read for the month, including a few catch-ups (the last couple of releases in some favorite series). All in all, I read some really great books--a memoir, a nonfic about chemicals in our daily lives, a horror, five YA's, and a bunch of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. It was quite an eclectic month.
*
So bad news first. My book signing scheduled for February 12 in the Winchester, VA Borders has been canceled. If anyone had planned to attend, I do apologize. The cancellation was short notice for us, too.
On the upside, I'll still be attending Farpoint next weekend! And I can't wait!
The good news. Two things, actually.
My new superhero series with Pocket has changed titles. The title of the first book is now simply TRANCE, and it has a street date of October 25.
The other good news is that you may notice the League of Reluctant Adults blog has become much more active this week. We've created a posting schedule and hopefully this means lots more interesting, snarky, fun content for you guys. And if you haven't seen that blog yet...well, why not? ;) It also means that I'm up on Sunday.
Now I just need a topic....
January 16, 2011
February Appearances
Now that I'm thinking about it, just about a year ago this weekend I was doing my very first book signing up in Newark, DE. So much has happened since then that it's kind of mind boggling.
We're in the middle of winter here, and even though February is the shortest month, it always seems longest to me. Probably because it's the last month before warm weather starts (not to mention Valentine's Day, which I think should be renamed Singles Awareness Day), and by March I'm itching to spend time outside again.
So if you're looking for something to spice up the winter doldrums, I'll be out and around a bit in February.
February 12, I'll be doing a joint signing with Stacey Graham at the Borders in Winchester, Virginia. We'll be there 2 pm. Stacey has a story in the fun zombie anthology HUNGRY FOR YOUR LOVE, so come out and see us!
Also! I'm popping my convention guest cherry! February 18-20, I'll be at Farpoint, a multi-media/multi-fandom convention at the Crown Plaza hotel outside of Baltimore. I've attended this con in the past as a member, and this is my first year as a guest! I'm really excited to be there (and to see my name on a list of Confirmed Guests that includes Peter David and AC Crispin).
And you know who else is a guest at Farpoint this year? Tahmoh Penikett.
I will resist the urge to stalk him...
We're in the middle of winter here, and even though February is the shortest month, it always seems longest to me. Probably because it's the last month before warm weather starts (not to mention Valentine's Day, which I think should be renamed Singles Awareness Day), and by March I'm itching to spend time outside again.
So if you're looking for something to spice up the winter doldrums, I'll be out and around a bit in February.
February 12, I'll be doing a joint signing with Stacey Graham at the Borders in Winchester, Virginia. We'll be there 2 pm. Stacey has a story in the fun zombie anthology HUNGRY FOR YOUR LOVE, so come out and see us!
Also! I'm popping my convention guest cherry! February 18-20, I'll be at Farpoint, a multi-media/multi-fandom convention at the Crown Plaza hotel outside of Baltimore. I've attended this con in the past as a member, and this is my first year as a guest! I'm really excited to be there (and to see my name on a list of Confirmed Guests that includes Peter David and AC Crispin).
And you know who else is a guest at Farpoint this year? Tahmoh Penikett.
I will resist the urge to stalk him...
January 10, 2011
Snippet: Another Kind of Dead
It's still a little over six months before ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD (Dreg City 3) is released, but I wanted to start teasing--um, I mean, enticing you guys a bit. The official blurb isn't out yet, but I'm giving y'all a snippet from Chapter 2.
Enjoy!
#####
Wyatt was pacing in and out of the narrow kitchenette, lips pressed together, eyebrows furrowed. He dialed another number, then listened. He had to be getting a lot of voice mails, but he wasn't leaving messages. Unless they were ignoring him, which was also entirely possible. Apparently, while I was unconscious and recovering from my dive out a four-story window, Wyatt had said some pretty cruel things to both of his former fellow Handlers Gina Kismet and Adrian Baylor.
I perched on the arm of the apartment's faded sofa and watched him dial again.
His face brightened. "Morgan, it's Truman. Look, has anyone else reported a minor earthquake this morning?" He listened. "Claudia's Gifted, right? Yeah, thought so. I felt it, too." Another pause. "No idea what it could be, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining things. If you hear anything…. Yeah, thanks."
He snapped his cell phone shut and dropped it on the narrow counter.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
He started, gazing at me with surprise. As if he'd forgotten he should be able to see me. "I'm thinking I started out the day hoping to relax after the memorial, and now that hope has been shattered."
"How do you figure?"
"Come on, Evy. Anything strong enough to affect the entirety of the Break like that isn't going to just go away."
"Doesn't mean we'll automatically get swept up into it." But even as I said the words, I knew how ridiculous they sounded. Ever since my resurrection, I'd been at the center of every major event affecting the city and its nonhuman inhabitants. Factor in my training-born need to protect the innocents of the city, and I'd probably get myself sucked into it anyway. "Dead" or alive.
"We've put up with so much these last few weeks," he said, almost sulking. "I just want a couple of days of peace and quiet." He didn't have to say "with you." The words were in his tone and in the way he was looking at me.
Three days ago, after waking up from a brief coma, I'd finally told him I loved him and hadn't repeated it since. He didn't push. I didn't want the inevitable discussion that would come with a revelation of feelings. I didn't want to talk about it or us, or anything else. Avoiding it meant avoiding any potential "next steps" in our burgeoning relationship.
It wasn't like we'd never had sex. Well, that was half-true. We'd slept together once, two weeks ago, right before I died and left my old body behind. We hadn't had sex since my resurrection—although we'd come close once—mostly due to my inability to figure out my own emotional chaos.
Before I'd died, I hadn't been in love with Wyatt. I'd loved him, sure, as a coworker and a man I respected. But being born again into the body of Chalice Frost came not only with handy teleporting powers but also with a powerful physical attraction to Wyatt. My head and my heart were on two different wavelengths, and I just didn't know how to reconcile them.
Sex with Wyatt now, as the people we'd both become, was a step I both craved and feared. I wanted him; I also didn't think I deserved him.
"Peace and quiet don't come with the job description," I said.
"Need I remind you we're both unemployed?"
I slid off the arm of the sofa and sank into the springy cushions. It was the same sofa from when I'd lived here before; nothing had changed except the inhabitants. The apartment had always been a haven of sorts, a place away from the chaos and bloodshed of our daily (and nightly) lives. It still felt like that sanctuary. But with the ghosts of my old life so firmly entrenched in each piece of furniture and carpet stain, it also felt like a prison.
Wyatt sat next to me, sinking the old cushions toward the middle. I let gravity tilt me sideways and rested my head on his chest. He draped his right arm over my shoulders in a gentle embrace. His familiar scent—spice and cinnamon and male musk—filled my senses. Relaxing and safe.
"Five gets you twenty your phone rings in the next ten minutes," I said, "and shatters the mood."
He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest, against my ear. He didn't laugh nearly enough. Neither of us did. "You do realize you've jinxed us by saying that?"
Enjoy!
#####
Wyatt was pacing in and out of the narrow kitchenette, lips pressed together, eyebrows furrowed. He dialed another number, then listened. He had to be getting a lot of voice mails, but he wasn't leaving messages. Unless they were ignoring him, which was also entirely possible. Apparently, while I was unconscious and recovering from my dive out a four-story window, Wyatt had said some pretty cruel things to both of his former fellow Handlers Gina Kismet and Adrian Baylor.
I perched on the arm of the apartment's faded sofa and watched him dial again.
His face brightened. "Morgan, it's Truman. Look, has anyone else reported a minor earthquake this morning?" He listened. "Claudia's Gifted, right? Yeah, thought so. I felt it, too." Another pause. "No idea what it could be, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining things. If you hear anything…. Yeah, thanks."
He snapped his cell phone shut and dropped it on the narrow counter.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
He started, gazing at me with surprise. As if he'd forgotten he should be able to see me. "I'm thinking I started out the day hoping to relax after the memorial, and now that hope has been shattered."
"How do you figure?"
"Come on, Evy. Anything strong enough to affect the entirety of the Break like that isn't going to just go away."
"Doesn't mean we'll automatically get swept up into it." But even as I said the words, I knew how ridiculous they sounded. Ever since my resurrection, I'd been at the center of every major event affecting the city and its nonhuman inhabitants. Factor in my training-born need to protect the innocents of the city, and I'd probably get myself sucked into it anyway. "Dead" or alive.
"We've put up with so much these last few weeks," he said, almost sulking. "I just want a couple of days of peace and quiet." He didn't have to say "with you." The words were in his tone and in the way he was looking at me.
Three days ago, after waking up from a brief coma, I'd finally told him I loved him and hadn't repeated it since. He didn't push. I didn't want the inevitable discussion that would come with a revelation of feelings. I didn't want to talk about it or us, or anything else. Avoiding it meant avoiding any potential "next steps" in our burgeoning relationship.
It wasn't like we'd never had sex. Well, that was half-true. We'd slept together once, two weeks ago, right before I died and left my old body behind. We hadn't had sex since my resurrection—although we'd come close once—mostly due to my inability to figure out my own emotional chaos.
Before I'd died, I hadn't been in love with Wyatt. I'd loved him, sure, as a coworker and a man I respected. But being born again into the body of Chalice Frost came not only with handy teleporting powers but also with a powerful physical attraction to Wyatt. My head and my heart were on two different wavelengths, and I just didn't know how to reconcile them.
Sex with Wyatt now, as the people we'd both become, was a step I both craved and feared. I wanted him; I also didn't think I deserved him.
"Peace and quiet don't come with the job description," I said.
"Need I remind you we're both unemployed?"
I slid off the arm of the sofa and sank into the springy cushions. It was the same sofa from when I'd lived here before; nothing had changed except the inhabitants. The apartment had always been a haven of sorts, a place away from the chaos and bloodshed of our daily (and nightly) lives. It still felt like that sanctuary. But with the ghosts of my old life so firmly entrenched in each piece of furniture and carpet stain, it also felt like a prison.
Wyatt sat next to me, sinking the old cushions toward the middle. I let gravity tilt me sideways and rested my head on his chest. He draped his right arm over my shoulders in a gentle embrace. His familiar scent—spice and cinnamon and male musk—filled my senses. Relaxing and safe.
"Five gets you twenty your phone rings in the next ten minutes," I said, "and shatters the mood."
He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest, against my ear. He didn't laugh nearly enough. Neither of us did. "You do realize you've jinxed us by saying that?"
January 4, 2011
Update
A belated Happy New Year to all!
It's been pretty quiet here on the home front, as I get things from 2010 organized, and prepare my goals for 2011. I'm also excited to finally be able to say "I have two books coming out this year!" The third Dreg City book, ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD, comes out in July, and the first superhero book from Pocket, WARDEN'S TRANCE, comes out in November. I also have several conventions lined up, and will be doing a handful of book signings, as well.
I've also managed to (finally) update my website. It has all of my new and upcoming releases listed. I also hope to add some things to the Free Reads section in the upcoming months. So check it out, and if you still get the original, un-updated page like I was, just clear your cache and close your browser.
It's been pretty quiet here on the home front, as I get things from 2010 organized, and prepare my goals for 2011. I'm also excited to finally be able to say "I have two books coming out this year!" The third Dreg City book, ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD, comes out in July, and the first superhero book from Pocket, WARDEN'S TRANCE, comes out in November. I also have several conventions lined up, and will be doing a handful of book signings, as well.
I've also managed to (finally) update my website. It has all of my new and upcoming releases listed. I also hope to add some things to the Free Reads section in the upcoming months. So check it out, and if you still get the original, un-updated page like I was, just clear your cache and close your browser.
December 27, 2010
The Year in Review
'Sup, folks? I hope everyone had a good holiday. Mine was much better than last year, and I got some nice things (new slow cooker, some gift cards, jewelry). We even had a white Christmas, and it got even whiter yesterday. The winter storm dumped about a foot of snow on us, which killed the big after-Christmas sales up and down the eastern seaboard. Right now the wind is gusting up to 45 mph, which is making it hard to keep the roads clear.
It's been an interesting weekend.
The year is winding down, and it's hard to believe that it's only five days until 2011. The new year is almost upon us, so I've been thinking a lot about the year that's almost over. After checking back through older posts, I realized I never did post my goals for 2010 here. I did post them over on Absolute Write, so I brought that list over.
1. Sell at least two more books in the Dreg City series to my editor
2. Submit a second adult series (if my current editor decides not to take it on)
3. Discuss and prepare with agent a YA project
4. Continue writing short stories and submit to short story markets
5. Promote the hell out of my July '10 release
6. Continue blogging
7. I hit my goal of reading 100 books/novellas this year, so I'm putting next year's goal at 115.
8. Write, write, write to keep those muscles limber
So how did I do?
1. Sold. ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD releases 7/26/11 and WRONG SIDE OF DEAD sometime in 2012.
2. Did that. Sold it to Pocket. The first book, WARDEN'S TRANCE, releases 11/1/11.
3. Did that, too. Details forthcoming.
4. Er, not so much. I've fiddled with a few shorts, and I suppose my chapter of A GLIMPSE OF DARKNESS counts.
5. Did that. My readers are awesome.
6. I didn't blog as often as I would have liked, and it's something I hope to do more often next year.
7. Epic fail. As of yesterday, my Read List is 40 books. It'll probably be 41 before the year ends.
8. Definitely did this. I wrote Dreg City #4, a spec novel that's currently in limbo, finished the aforementioned YA book, and dabbled in a few other side projects. Not to mention the rewriting/editing of some other works.
So 2010 was definitely a productive year for me. I haven't written up my 2011 goals yet. Turning in the second book in my Pocket contract is the only outstanding thing I have to do in the new year. I also hope to do a few more conventions this year, so stay tuned for those details.
How did 2010 treat you?
It's been an interesting weekend.
The year is winding down, and it's hard to believe that it's only five days until 2011. The new year is almost upon us, so I've been thinking a lot about the year that's almost over. After checking back through older posts, I realized I never did post my goals for 2010 here. I did post them over on Absolute Write, so I brought that list over.
1. Sell at least two more books in the Dreg City series to my editor
2. Submit a second adult series (if my current editor decides not to take it on)
3. Discuss and prepare with agent a YA project
4. Continue writing short stories and submit to short story markets
5. Promote the hell out of my July '10 release
6. Continue blogging
7. I hit my goal of reading 100 books/novellas this year, so I'm putting next year's goal at 115.
8. Write, write, write to keep those muscles limber
So how did I do?
1. Sold. ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD releases 7/26/11 and WRONG SIDE OF DEAD sometime in 2012.
2. Did that. Sold it to Pocket. The first book, WARDEN'S TRANCE, releases 11/1/11.
3. Did that, too. Details forthcoming.
4. Er, not so much. I've fiddled with a few shorts, and I suppose my chapter of A GLIMPSE OF DARKNESS counts.
5. Did that. My readers are awesome.
6. I didn't blog as often as I would have liked, and it's something I hope to do more often next year.
7. Epic fail. As of yesterday, my Read List is 40 books. It'll probably be 41 before the year ends.
8. Definitely did this. I wrote Dreg City #4, a spec novel that's currently in limbo, finished the aforementioned YA book, and dabbled in a few other side projects. Not to mention the rewriting/editing of some other works.
So 2010 was definitely a productive year for me. I haven't written up my 2011 goals yet. Turning in the second book in my Pocket contract is the only outstanding thing I have to do in the new year. I also hope to do a few more conventions this year, so stay tuned for those details.
How did 2010 treat you?
December 13, 2010
Cover Art: Another Kind of Dead
I can now unveil the cover for Dreg City #3, ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD. And can I just say how much I love this? I have truly been blessed with some amazingly awesome covers, and this one is no exception.
The background is a train yard, which see a little action this time around. And the super-cool lightning is a fun plot point, as well. Evy looks particularly bad-ass in this one, and the tag line says it all: She was born for this fight--no matter how many times it kills her.
Love. It.
The background is a train yard, which see a little action this time around. And the super-cool lightning is a fun plot point, as well. Evy looks particularly bad-ass in this one, and the tag line says it all: She was born for this fight--no matter how many times it kills her.
Love. It.
December 6, 2010
Release Day: A Glimpse of Darkness
A GLIMPSE OF DARKNESS, my collaborative short story with fellow Del Rey/Spectra authors Lara Adrian, Harry Connolly, Stacia Kane and Lucy A. Snyder, is now available as an ebook! You can get the entire adventure for just 99 cents!
To help celebrate the release, each of us briefly blogged on the Kindle Daily Post about our experiences writing a collaborative story, as well as submitted questions to each other about the process. Check out the first post by Lara Adrian here.
In other news, I finished page proofs for ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD. It's always an exciting step to see what the actual book pages will look like. Couple that with having seen cover art, and it's starting to feel like a real book! I'll share the cover as soon as I can, promise!
To help celebrate the release, each of us briefly blogged on the Kindle Daily Post about our experiences writing a collaborative story, as well as submitted questions to each other about the process. Check out the first post by Lara Adrian here.
In other news, I finished page proofs for ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD. It's always an exciting step to see what the actual book pages will look like. Couple that with having seen cover art, and it's starting to feel like a real book! I'll share the cover as soon as I can, promise!
December 2, 2010
Food Court Serenade
If this doesn't put you in the holiday spirit, I don't know what will.
How come I'm never at the mall when cool stuff like this happens?
Thanks to SciFiGuy for the link.
How come I'm never at the mall when cool stuff like this happens?
Thanks to SciFiGuy for the link.
November 25, 2010
On Thanksgiving Day....
...I'm thankful for a lot of things. But rather than boring you to tears with a long list, I figured I'd go for five. Five is a nice number.
5. I'm thankful I didn't have to cook and host the entire Thanksgiving meal this year. We three siblings (myself, sister and half-brother) put it all together and took it to my parents' house. Dad couldn't travel because of #4.
4. I'm thankful my Dad finally got the surgery on his leg that he's needed for months, and that it went well.
3. I'm thankful that I have an amazing agent who sold 4 books for me this year.
2. I'm thankful to have a happy, healthy kitty cat who is eating well, doing well, and is all-around terrific. This time last year she was just starting to get sick, and every time she purrs for me I remember how lucky I am to still have her.
1. I'm thankful for you, Readers, for making it possible to get paid for what I love to do: write.
What are you thankful for?
