Christopher Farnsworth's Blog, page 10

RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD: Campaign Kick-Off

This is the big week. RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD hits stands on THURSDAY, APRIL 26, and I’m going to be stalking bookstores all over the nation to sign copies and harass passers-by. If, somehow, you’ve missed any of my self-promotion so far, this is your chance to catch up.

First, you can read the first chapter of RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD right here. Or check out this deleted scene from the book.

You can read the review from Publishers Weekly:

High-octane supernatural thriller… Farnsworth keeps the twists and explosive violence coming, keeping readers in suspense until the very last page.

Or you can take the word of the Vampire Queen herself, Charlaine Harris:

Farnsworth’s strongest book yet in the Nathaniel Cade series… I’m envious. Cade continues to be one of modern literature’s most frightening vampires, and this is an excellent read.

Want to know more about the campaign trail and the bloody murders leading up to RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD? Check out this detailed map of all the vampire mayhem.

Find out even more at this interview from The Sirens of Suspense, where I discuss politics, blood-drinking abominations, and cats.

Looking for a place to buy the book? We’ve got you covered.

And if you do buy the book, you can  get a free CADE 2012 hat by entering the RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD giveaway. Details and rules right here.

This is how it’s done

Now this is what I’m talking about for the RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD giveaway. Take a pic of yourself with the book when it comes out next week, and you get one of the sporty CADE 2012 hats that the indomitable Meaghan Wagner of Putnam is modeling. (Many thanks, Meaghan.)

Once again, here are the rules:

TAKE A PICTURE of yourself with a copy of  RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD  after it hits bookstores April 26, and send it to me via my Facebook page, my Twitter account, or email me direct at chris-at-chrisfarnsworth-dot-com.  Creativity always appreciated. If you’re camera-shy, just take a pic of the book itself.
Include your address with the photo in the email, or message me on Facebook or Twitter with it after you post the photo.
If that’s too much work, then show up at one of my events, and you can get this headgear from me in person.
Alternatively, if you do not want to purchase the book — you’d be missing out, but that’s cool — write the words “PARENTS’ BRAINS” on a postcard with your address and send it to me at:

Christopher Farnsworth
3435 Ocean Park Blvd. #107
PMB 70
Santa Monica, CA  90405

Now, the fine print:

SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED. YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE.
ALL PHOTOS, POSTCARDS, AND REQUESTS FOR HATS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE END OF MY BOOK TOUR: SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012.
THE ONLY EXCEPTION TO THE ABOVE RULE: READERS IN THE UK AND AUSTRALIA HAVE UNTIL MAY 15.
ONE HAT PER PERSON.
RULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD — GIVEAWAY

Hey! You there! Would you like to be like this man?

Well, you can’t, because that’s the legendary Beau Smith, and he is, frankly, tougher than all of us put together. But you can wear the same hat he’s sporting. That’s right, it’s the annual giveaway for loyal readers of the Nathaniel Cade series. And this year, you get a hat.

This is the CADE 2012 official campaign hat. With flat-embroidered stitching and an adjustable, one-size-fits-all metal clasp. And now it can be yours.

That’s right. All you have to do is TAKE A PICTURE of yourself with a copy of RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD after it hits bookstores April 26, and send it to me via my Facebook page, my Twitter account, or email me direct at chris-at-chrisfarnsworth-dot-com. (See how I spelled that out there? It’s a probably futile attempt to stop spammers. But I know you can figure it out.)

Include your address with the photo in the email, or message me on Facebook or Twitter with it after you post the photo. Creativity always appreciated. If you’re camera-shy, just take a pic of the book itself.

But if that’s too much work, then show up at one of my events, and you can get this headgear from me in person.

Alternatively, if you do not want to purchase the book — you’d be missing out, but that’s cool — write the words “PARENTS’ BRAINS” on a postcard with your address and send it to me at:

Christopher Farnsworth
3435 Ocean Park Blvd. #107
PMB 70
Santa Monica, CA  90405

Now, the fine print:

SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED. You snooze, you lose.
All photos, postcards, and requests for hats must be received by the end of my book tour: SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012.
One hat per person.
Rules are subject to change without notice. 
This hat will not make you as tough as Beau Smith. So do not attempt to fistfight a bear while wearing this hat. The hat might survive. You will not.

Get your cameras and phones ready. Line up outside your favorite bookstore and send me those pics. Your head will thank you.

The Daily Mail

So I got this package in the mail today.

A bright blue bag from Sweden. Very mysterious. (Also, is that the Tristero post horn on the bag? I think this might be from the Illuminati. Oh my God, what if they've finally tracked me down?)

I let my intrepid bomb-sniffing hound take a pass over the bag.

She determined there was nothing suspicious and/or edible inside, so I proceeded to open it.

Turns out it was filled with copies of the awesome-looking UK edition of RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD.

That's why I love this job. Even getting the mail is an adventure. (Many thanks to Oliver Johnson and the good people at Hodder UK for sending the goodies.)

The Once and Future Podcast

Thanks to the generosity and patience of Anton Strout, you can listen to me babble on about my theories of literature, vampires, TV shows and New Jersey on THE ONCE AND FUTURE PODCAST this week.

Also, if you like my books, you should definitely check out Anton's Simon Canderous series and his upcoming Alchemystic. His hero, Simon Canderous, works for New York's Department of Extraordinary Affairs and faces the true horrors of the world — vampires, zombies, and bureaucracy. You can read more about Anton's work here.

Vampire Queen’s Seal of Approval

The extraordinarily gracious and talented Charlaine Harris, creator of the Sookie Stackhouse series  – the next book, DEADLOCKED, hits May 1 – has given RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD an enthusiastic review on her blog. Which is pretty freaking incredible for me.

Christopher Farnsworth’s premise – that the presidents of the U.S. have, starting with Andrew Johnson, had a vampire at their beck and call – is simply fun. And in Farnsworth’s strongest book yet in the Nathaniel Cade series, Cade encounters an old enemy he’s killed over and over in various guises . . . none other than the Boogeyman. The ingenious part of the book (using various notorious serial killers and their quotes to confirm the existence of such a creature) is – well, I’m envious. Cade continues to be one of modern literature’s most frightening vampires, and this is an excellent read.

Thank you so much, Charlaine. I will hoist a pint or two of True Blood in your honor.

Vampire Queen's Seal of Approval

The extraordinarily gracious and talented Charlaine Harris, creator of the Sookie Stackhouse series  – the next book, DEADLOCKED, hits May 1 – has given RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD an enthusiastic review on her blog. Which is pretty freaking incredible for me.

Christopher Farnsworth's premise – that the presidents of the U.S. have, starting with Andrew Johnson, had a vampire at their beck and call – is simply fun. And in Farnsworth's strongest book yet in the Nathaniel Cade series, Cade encounters an old enemy he's killed over and over in various guises . . . none other than the Boogeyman. The ingenious part of the book (using various notorious serial killers and their quotes to confirm the existence of such a creature) is – well, I'm envious. Cade continues to be one of modern literature's most frightening vampires, and this is an excellent read.

Thank you so much, Charlaine. I will hoist a pint or two of True Blood in your honor.

RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD: The First Review

Publishers Weekly has given RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD a great review, calling it a "high-octane supernatural thriller"  that keeps "readers in suspense until the very last page." Fantastic way to start the week. You can read the entire thing here. And of course, you can pre-order it from any number of fine retailers here.

Today in Shameless Self-Promotion, 3.2.12

I noticed that one of the search terms that brings people to my website is "authors who shamelessly self-promote." So, in celebration of that — I guess — here are some more items about my brilliant career.

Peter Boyles interviewed me about the upcoming RED, WHITE, AND BLOOD on his morning show for KHOW 630 AM Denver. You can listen to the whole thing here. Some minor spoilers for the book, just FYI.
My favorite Bakersfield bookseller Jason Frost was kind enough to make me his author of the month for March. He also talks about the time we ate steak together. "His steak wasn't rare. But a talent like his, is." You gotta love a guy like that.
I'm going to be appearing at WonderCon on Friday, March 16 with Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy, and Amber Benson, author and actress, on a panel moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Details here.

Happy birthday, Mr. Washington

For those who missed it, the architect of the U.S. Capitol wanted to resurrect George Washington's corpse.

Every time I think I've come up with something really bizarre, history beats me without even trying.