Reesa Herberth's Blog, page 18

News: The Slipstream Con Paperback Release Date, Interviews, and Guest Bloggers

Clear a spot on your shelves, ladies and gentlemen (and my Mom.  Hi Mom!), because the paperback release of The Slipstream Con seems to have a semi-official release date!  Coming on 03.06.2012, right to your hot little hands.

You can pre-order your copy now from the following stores:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Indiebound

We'll pass along more information as we receive it.  Just remember that since Michelle's name isn't on the listings yet (that's being corrected) I get all the royalties from these copies.  I'm sure that's how it works, right?

 

We've been having a lot of fun talking to other people lately, including the awesome Jessica Freehly at Friskbiskit, who did a great interview with Michelle and I.  You can read more about how we work together, what fandoms we indulge in, and what we hope people get from our writing on her blog: Author Spotlight: S. Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore

Which leads into our next announcement- we're going to start featuring guest bloggers.  Probably not more than once or twice a month, but we're looking forward to bringing in a wide variety of creative types, not just writers.  Interested in participating?  You can get in on the action by contributing some questions to the Random Interview Generator, or dropping us a line (ylendrianempire@gmail.com) to ask for a posting spot.

 

 

Reesa Makes Penis Jokes In Public, Or, An Authors After Dark 2011

I maybe have mentioned this before, but I'm really, really bad at travel posts.

Because I can never get it together enough to post actual, thoughtful write-ups, you're getting a list of highlights from my experience at Authors After Dark 2011.

Events and Things

Moderating a panel for the first time, even if it was by accident.  Writing With A Partner featured panelists Larissa Ione, Jess Haines, Augusta Li, and Eon de Beaumont.  I was really worried about filling up all the time, but the audience had great questions, and everyone on the panel was funny and insightful.
The Menage and More panel, where Michelle and I apparently broke the brains of 80% of the room (including all our other panelists) by telling them that The Slipstream Con is a "sweet" romance, even though it features a polyamorous relationship.  Another great panel, with lots of fun readers who were really engaged and enthusiastic.  Loved it!
Giovanni's Room, an amazing gay bookstore just a few blocks from the hotel.
Getting an actual Philly cheese steak, and being totally vindicated in my choice of Cheez Whiz, when it turned out that Michelle's, with provolone, wasn't anywhere NEAR as good. Ha! (To be fair, I feared the Whiz when I ordered it, but it had to be done.  That's me, you know, always willing to take one for the team.)
Max Brenner's Chocolate restaurant.  We were going to Appleby's, but then we smelled chocolate across the street.  We had the most adorable table, right in the window, facing onto the street, and you guys, the chocolate eggrolls were so good that I -dreamed- about them the following night.  Completely amazing.  (Apparently we missed the floor show at Appleby's, though.  Dancing cockroaches.)
I won a huge goody bag of books, some of which I'll be giving away in the next couple of weeks.  Watch this space.
And my favourite part of the whole weekend- the book signing.  Getting to talk to readers, potential readers, and the people kind enough to stop by and tell us how much they loved our books, was worth the traffic, the drive itself, the BURNING TRACTOR TRAILER we passed in Maryland, and pretty much blew me away.  I'm sure I said it at the time, but in case I missed gushing at you when you were standing in front of me- if you stopped y our signing table, you made my month.  Thank you for your kind words, your enthusiasm, and your smiles.

People

If I try to list everyone I met, I am inevitably going to forget someone I meant to mention.  So I'm going to say this- meeting readers was amazing.  And since I don't know a single author who isn't also a reader, I think that's going to cover everyone.  The people made this con for me, the open, friendly smiles, and the welcome extended to us, despite our slightly skewed contributions to the romance genre.  If I met you, I enjoyed the experience, and coming from someone with pretty intense social anxiety, that's saying a lot. I was sick all weekend, and I still left with a smile on my face.

Thank you to everyone who made AAD 2011 such a great weekend.  It was an honor to meet you.

Fifteen Minute Fiction – Inkling, pt. 11

Inkling returns from hiatus!  When last we left Our… Er, let's call them protagonists, shall we?  Heroes might be stretching the definition a bit.  Anyway.  When last we saw or intrepid duo, this was going on:

Collin spoke again, low, glaring at Emygdia as though he'd prefer to yell.  "If I was lying, I never would have come here.  You might not trade in kind with the family, but there are plenty of people in the valley who know my name, and would throw their lot in with me just try ousting my uncle.  I could lie, say I still have the power for it, but I don't.  And I don't want that.  He promised me a life, free of his interference, and that's all I need from him.  If he finds out what I've done, dying will be the least of my worries.  If he thinks someone else knows anything…"  His cadence didn't change, but his gaze dropped, until his final words were addressed more to the floor than either of them.  "Secrets aren't the same thing as lies."

And now, we return you to you regularly scheduled mayhem!

(If you need to catch up, you can always read the full story (for free!) here: Inkling

 

Inkling
An Ongoing Flash Fiction Serial

by

S. Reesa Herberth

–

"They both get people killed, kid, and I've got no use for either from the likes of you."  Emygdia propped her elbow on the counter, holding her cigarette dangerously close to her hair as she leaned forward.  "Unless you've got something other than your name to trade on, get the hell out of my store."

Collin's eyes narrowed, and he glanced around the store as though someone might be watching them.  Grays didn't really think it was outside the realm of possibility.

"What can I get for a guaranteed safe passage into his home?"  The smile he flashed at her was tight and unpleasant.  "In is the only thing I can promise on that, mind you.  Out is someone else's responsibility."

Even as the obvious outsider, Grays could tell immediately that Collin wasn't offering someone the key to his Uncle's townhouse so they could throw a kegger.  Emygdia's interest was instant, a sharp tang sparking in the air around them that raised the hair on Grayson's arms.  She didn't answer right away, taking a slow drag.  None of the smoke emerged when she breathed out again.  That couldn't be healthy.  "Are you seriously asking me to strike a bargain with you, knowing that given half the chance, you'd betray the sanctuary of your own family?"

"Absolutely."  Looking past Grays, out the front of the shop, Collin shrugged.  "I've got nothing else to offer, at least nothing you'd want, and he broke our bargain.  As the wronged party, I have a free passage back into his homestead to exact my vengeance.  Nothing says I can't take someone else with me."  Pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he laughed a little.  "For that matter, I know all the back doors, and most of the traps."

Grays wasn't too familiar with the kind of desperation that seemed to settle into the worried lines of Collin's face, but he was an artist, and no stranger to the edges of emotion.  Emygdia recognized it on her own, and she waved a hand in front of her face, the cigarette gone, and her impression of humanity stretching thin.  Stepping back unconsciously, Grays found himself pressed against the solid weight of her fox.  He didn't know what she was, but the light in her eyes wasn't a metaphor, and the subtle shift of her face remade her into someone, something, even less likely to belong in a strip mall in the middle of Phoenix.

"You offer too much, Bastion.  If what you say is true, there's nothing to stop anyone from claiming you and taking that knowledge however they can manage."

"Anyone who wants it is welcome to try.  I'm only useful to them alive.  Uncle Castan is going to kill me, and that's a lot harder to recover from."

In the most sudden move he'd made since the parking lot, Collin stepped up to the counter, accompanied by the low growl from behind Grays.  "I won't beg for sanctuary, Emygdia, but I'll bargain for help.  My blood might not sing anymore, but it's plenty binding, if that's what you want."

Grays yelled a warning when she lunged forward, grabbing Collin's right hand and slashing her knife across it so quickly that it was several seconds before the wound even began to bleed.  Collin winced, but he did nothing to free himself, and Grays couldn't look away as the blood began to drip across the counter, sizzling on the glass like acid.

Authors After Dark

Still recovering from Authors After Dark in Philly. I had SUCH an awesome time! Caught up with friends, met authors I've read and wanted to meet, met new authors that I'm going to read (Amazon thanks me!). Biggest thrill of all? Meeting readers who love our books! There are not words for how incredible that feels.

Inkling Hiatus

With the crush of looming deadlines, day job madness, and guerilla litterbox maintenance, I need to take something off my plate for a few weeks.  To that end, Inkling will be going on a short hiatus.  I will return with more free, urban fantasy goodness on Tuesday, August 16, 2011.

In the meantime, feel free to get a friend or two hooked on it, or leave me a comment on what you'd like to see developed in the story.  I can't promise that I'll write exactly what you want, but this is just the first story in the Inkling'verse, and there's a lot of room to explore.

 

 

Writing about the 2230′s on a desk made in the 1930′s

Over the weekend, through the magic of Craigslist, I fell in love.

 

She was a tall, slender piece, with an amazing sense of style.  Dark on the outside, hiding a few secrets inside, but I could see right into her, and I just knew she was meant to be with me.

I called an antique store in Baltimore (Ryan's Relics, in case you're in the mood to shop), and after talking it over the the lovely woman who answered the phone, she agreed to send me more pictures.  As soon as she sent them, I knew what I'd be doing next weekend- driving to Maryland to pick up my new desk.  I love everything about it, even the scuffed veneer on its feet.  It'll fit perfectly into my curiosity shop chic design scheme, and seriously, get a load of the doors on the top hutch.  Who wouldn't be a little wowed by them?

I can't even believe the deal I got, and I can't wait to sit down in my new office space and waste some mutated otters.

 

 

 

(Click on the thumbnails below to get a better look at them.)

 

 

 

Free Read- Want, Take, Have. (A Slipstream short story.)

Those of you who didn't get the chance to participate in the Long and Short Reviews/Whipped Cream Reviews 4th Anniversary blogfest can still reap a reward- we wrote a brand new short story featuring the characters from The Slipstream Con, celebrating an anniversary of their own.

Enjoy, feel free to comment, and spread the link around.  (Be aware that the story does contain minor spoilers for The Slipstream Con.)

 

Want, Take, Have.

Fifteen Minute Fiction – Inkling (pt. 10)

"Secrets aren't the same thing as lies."  But they can be.

As always, you can catch up on the entire story (for free!) here: Inkling

Inkling
An Ongoing Flash Fiction Serial

by

S. Reesa Herberth

 

"I know my family.  I made contingency plans.  But I'm not lying about this.  There's no magic left in my body, and we're close enough kin that the contract between us should be binding."  Unconsciously or not, Collin scratched his arm, over the tattoo Grays had seem him rip off his flesh and use in a decidedly non-mundane fashion earlier.  Not saying anything might have been smarter, but there was the taste of a lie in the room, and Grays didn't owe him anything.

"What about in the parking lot?  That wasn't a flaming hubcap that you tossed at the nice doggy."  He stood up straighter, shoving the hair out of his face because his Mom was forever telling him that he didn't look convincing with blue-tipped bangs obscuring his eyes.

Collin expelled a breath, looking frustrated, but it was Emygdia who spoke.  "He's built from secrets more than any flesh and bone.  Don't go expecting the truth from a Bastion."

Collin spoke again, low, though he glared at Emygdia as though he'd prefer to yell.  "If I was lying, I never would have come here.  You might not trade in kind with the family, but there are plenty of people in the valley who know my name, and would throw their lot in with me just try ousting my uncle.  I could lie, say I still have the power for it, but I don't.  And I don't want that.  He promised me a life, free of his interference, and that's all I need from him.  If he finds out what I've done, dying will be the least of my worries.  If he thinks someone else knows anything…"  His cadence didn't change, but his gaze dropped, until his final words were addressed more to the floor than either of them.  "Secrets aren't the same thing as lies."

Decorating for Creativity

So I'm heading to St. Augustine, Florida next week to look at condos for sale. If the stars align correctly and luck is on my side, I'll find something affordable AND awesome! If not… well, it won't be the end of the world and we'll just keep looking.

While other people will be using it as well, Reesa and I are envisioning a tropical writing retreat. So the topic I'm throwing out there today is how would YOU decorate for a creative retreat? What inspires you when you're ready to start cranking out the art?

I love flamingoes… they're my collectible weakness… and since it IS Florida, obviously they have to be in the plan somewhere. I love tropical colors like turquoise and pale green and light pink. And coffee, I can't write without coffee! So turquoise walls with a mural of flamingoes drinking lattes and frappacinos under the palm trees? I actually kinda like this idea, but I think I might be vetoed. *grin*

Ideas? Suggestions? Thoughts? Support for my flamingo coffee shop mural??

Fifteen Minute Fiction – Inkling (part 9)

In which Grays is licked by the supernatural, and Collin may or may not be lying.

As always, you can catch up on the entire story (for free!) here: Inkling

Inkling
An Ongoing Flash Fiction Serial

by

S. Reesa Herberth

 

Grays was in over his head.  He didn't really know what they'd come here for, if the store wasn't some kind of safe harbor.  Arguing with an unseen, unwelcoming host didn't seem prudent.

"I've renounced my blood, if that makes any difference."  Collin finally spoke up for himself, pulling his arm free from Grayson's now-slackened hold.  "My uncle is hunting me, and I need to hide."  His voice never wavered, even when his lip curled over the last few words.

"Your uncle will hunt you right through my doors, as long as there's still blood in your veins.  He doesn't care if you run away from home, and neither do I."

Collin's expression turned hard, and he nodded, an almost imperceptible bob of his head.  "I'm going, and I'm sorry if it brings you any trouble."  He turned without hesitation, and Grays didn't think twice about following suit.  The door they'd come through a few minutes ago was only a few feet away, and there was a woman sitting at the counter, her eyes narrow and fixed on them.

Something furry and heavy leaned against his legs, and Grayson shuddered when it licked his fingers, looking down without thinking about it.  The fox was huge, larger than any coyote or wolf he'd ever seen, and its acid-green eyes were a bright contrast with the copper fur being shed all over his jeans.  When it caught Grays looking, it slurped his fingers again, and he yanked his hand back.  "Oh, gross."  The fox laid its ears back.

"You should go first."  Grays looked back up to Collin, and he suspected he was making a face that someone kind might call "inquisitive", and someone honest might call "constipated".

"Oh, fuck that.  You still owe me gas money and a burrito."  There was no reason for him to stay, and a multitude of reasons he never should have come with at all, but Grays resisted the idea of leaving Collin there when it was obvious he wasn't going to get any help.  "Is there another safehouse I can take you to?"

The woman behind the counter laughed loud enough that the fox yipped in response, slinking back a step.  "Got yourself a fresh one, Bastion?"  Her fingers twitched, and the strong scent of tobacco filled the air, no doubt rising from the lit cigarette that appeared in her hand.  She gestured at Grays with it, the smoke curling into shapes around her.  "There's not a soul of magic in the entire valley that would so much as piss on him if he was on fire, and you'd do well to make a run for it now.  If he's bound you somehow, just say the word, and I'll be happy to sever it."  Another twitch of her fingers, and a tiny brass knife materialized on the counter between them.  Grays didn't want to think about the dark stain curved along the edge of the blade, and where it had probably come from.

Collin sighed, his voice low with secrets when he answered her.  "I can't bind him to me, Emygdia.  I bargained with my uncle.  All the magic in my body, and he'd let me live a normal life."

Something like pity crossed her face, quickly erased.  "And what bargain has he ever honored?"  The fox moved, and Grays tried to divide his attention between the three of them.  It circled Collin, sniffing at him, and whined before trotting behind the counter.  Emygdia reached down to stroke its ears, but she looked like she was listening to someone speaking.  "He says you smell of magic.  Your own magic, but not."  Her dark brows lifted, hidden by her raven-black bangs.  "So how does that work, little liar?"