Karen Marie Moning's Blog, page 6

Christmas cheer!

Leiha and I have had so many projects going on that I ended up decorating our tree in spare moments of much-needed stress release and it may have gotten a little...bodacious, LOL. I love it! I'm starting a thread at my message board where I'm hoping you'll show me your Christmas decorations and trees this year. Bring on the Christmas!

Rates at Le Pavillon--change

So here's the scoop: when I reserved the block at the hotel, I had to financially put myself on the hook for the rooms I blocked. That meant if no one came, I would owe $40,000 odd dollars. Other hotels wanted a $70-80,000 commitment from me, and Le Pavillon was the hotel I really wanted to do this event at.

When we made arrangements with Le Pavillon, they were very clear that if other conferences came in, or the hype got out that the Saints might be in the divisional playoffs, the price would go up. Other hotels I spoke with said the same thing. Harrah's rooms go as high as $850.00 on the weekends. It's very unpredictable.

After much talking with management at Le Pavillon yesterday, they've made a wonderful concession for the Maniacs. The prices did raise for Friday, Saturday and Sunday to $199.00 but they agreed to continue offering the low price on the days of our event!

Monday night and Tuesday night will be extended at the special rate of $120.00. So if you plan to come Sunday, Monday and Tuesday your averaged night stay is $146.00 which is very competitive with other hotels in the area.

None of us were expecting such a quick response! There are more rooms available at the hotel, but if you want to reserve, remember it's a smallish hotel and the prices for the weekend may change again if you wait too long, depending on what else comes in town.

The good news is we have the great rate for the nights of the event!

In re room for people to attend the signing, we've got plenty. For the talks, I'm doing multiple to accomodate a larger number of people. It's going to be so much fun!

PS: I've been looking at the commments. Whatever you booked your rooms for, that price is confirmed. That confirmed price won't change. This post applies to rooms yet to be booked.

Update on Shadowfever Launch Party!

You Maniacs continue to amaze me—the hotel block at Le Pavillon sold out within 4 hours!

The bad news is we are unable to extend the block.

The good news is that you don't have to stay at the hotel in order to attend the book signing and talks.

While the $120.00 a night rate is no longer available, there are many other wonderful hotels in the area.

Can't wait to see you in NOLA!

KMM Shadowfever Book Launch Party details!

When I first began thinking about doing a book launch party for Shadowfever, I knew exactly what kind of atmosphere I wanted for it: Barrons Books & Baubles—Old World, timeless, classic. Also like Barrons Books & Baubles, I wanted it to be set in a city that was filled with craic: vibrant, exotic and exciting. Where else but New Orleans? A city I love!

I'm thrilled to invite you to join me at Le Pavillon (one of my all-time favorite hotels) in New Orleans on January 16, 17 and 18th for the Shadowfever book launch party! To see how gorgeous the hotel is check out the online brochure.

The festivities formally kick off on Sunday the 16th with a scavenger hunt in the heart of the French Quarter. I plan to arrive earlier to take a Big Easy advantage of the holiday weekend, as Monday is Martin Luther King Day. I'll be staying at Le Pavillon as will Leiha and many other Moning Maniacs. We're looking forward to all being in the same hotel together when Mac's epic journey comes to an end.

The Shadowfever signing will begin at 4:00 PM on Monday the 17th at Le Pavillon hosted by Octavia Books* and continue until midnight. The following day, Tuesday the 18th, I will give several talks starting at 11:00 AM at Le Pavillon discussing the Fever Series from conception to end for the first time ever, and answering your questions—so read fast! All events (except for the scavenger hunt) will be taking place at the hotel.

We've negotiated a special rate at Le Pavillon for people attending the party. In order to get this rate, when you call you must say you are with the KMM SHADOWFEVER GROUP, otherwise normal rates will apply and they are significantly higher. The price we were able to obtain for attendees of the KMM SHADOWFEVER GROUP is $120.00 per night, so you want to be sure to get the discount.

As I can't forecast how many people will attend, I've reserved only a small block of the hotel. It's first come first served at the special rate. If we exceed our block quickly, I'll bump it up, but the hotel can only guarantee the special rate for the number of rooms I've initially reserved (and if it's not met, I'm on the hook for them, ergo the conservative estimate:) Additionally, Le Pavillon is a boutique hotel, unique, stunning and smallish, with only 200 or so rooms, so please make your reservation early to insure you get a room before they are all booked.

I'll be posting updates about the launch here at my blog, so check it frequently. It's going to be an incredible weekend filled with good food, great times, and fabulous people! And of course….what you've all been waiting for—answers.

*Octavia books will be taking pre-orders for Shadowfever. If you plan to attend you will need to pre-order a copy to be sure yours is on site at the hotel the night of the signing. I'll be posting links to how to pre-order in the next few days.

My flight is booked, my room reserved, I can't wait to see you guys in New Orleans!

First look at Shadowfever!

What a great birthday! Thanks for the cards and the posts, you guys are THE best and have made it such a special day for me! As if being blessed with such wonderful fans and friends isn't enough--look what came in the mail today!





Before you start plotting to raid my house,LOL, it's a dummy copy. The pages are blank. Isn't it beautiful? I've never seen a book like it. Which is fitting since the book the book is written about is one of a kind too.





Off for dinner and cake!

In my next life

I want to be a cat.



They wander from place to place and sleep.



In between eating and playing.



A day in the life of Moonshadow, who uses a pillow whenever one is available.



So, why the ode to Moonie today?

Because you guys must have done something with your thoughts and prayers. I took her in for bloodwork, fuly expecting it to be terrible news since she's in kidney failure and the numbers have been steadily climbing as her weight steadily decreases but I got the results back and she's not only gained some weight--she's back in the normal range! The vet was stunned and mystified, as am I. And grateful. Did I say grateful? Wherever this blessing came from, many thanks!

Shadowfever Launch Party Details!

We've firmed up the city for the launch party—one of my all time favorites—New Orleans! What better place to escape the winter blues?

This is the plan: Shadowfever goes on sale Tuesday, January 18th. Serendipitously, Monday, the 17th is MLK day, a holiday for many of you, which makes it perfect for a long weekend getaway. Come in early and party through the weekend!

The launch party will be held at a local hotel on Monday evening, hosted by a local NOLA bookstore. We plan to stay in that hotel all weekend--hotel to be announced shortly.

The launch will kick off with a reading from Shadowfever, followed by a book signing, and here's the fun part—the event won't conclude until Tuesday afternoon—with a Q&A where I will address any niggling questions that remain.

There may also be a few special guests.

We need to get an idea how many people plan to attend in order to choose the right size venue. I prefer an intimate setting, but I don't want to preclude anyone attending due to space limitations. We also need to make sure we have a large enough area to meet and talk.

The event will be free of charge with the purchase of Shadowfever through the hosting bookstore, and companion tickets will be available for a nominal fee.

So, who's in for a long weekend in NOLA, a good book and a great party? Weigh in here, at FB or my message board!

Website re-design

Okay, so this picture has nothing to do with my website but I love Mia's artistry. It's like an old-fashioned movie still.



And doesn't the camera just adore him?



Thanks to all of you who keep sending in your photos of the Con!

Now...onto business...

I spent the whole day yesterday proofing the galleys for Shadowfever. It's got some great design elements and is going to be a truly gorgeous book in print! I saw somewhere that we're in the 2 digit countdown! I'm in the planning stages of a small booktour...please pop in at my message board to weigh in with your thoughts on a midnight launch party.

To those of you that keep writing to tell me how badly out of date you feel my website is I HEAR YOU.

My David's have been working like crazy on a completely new site for months now, brainstorming with me, tweaking, refining, and we expect to launch it sometime before Thanksgiving. It's a monumental undertaking because every page is being re-designed, new technology is being added and the entire structure is being overhauled. It's a fabulous new look, but a website overhaul is a massive job if you like to stay involved in the creative process, and I do.

My niece and nephew are adorable and come up with some of the buzz phrases Neil and I use in everyday life. The following is one of our favorites whenever we get impatient with each other. It always makes us laugh. One day Cash was peeling a tangelo for his little sister and Lila just kept saying "Cash, mine. Cash, mine. Cash, miiiiine!" Over and over. Finally, poor Cash (who was three and a half) looked at her with utter exasperation and said, "I'm doing the best I can, Lila."

From the mouths of babes :) I'm about to take a long overdue vacation but never fear, there's tons of great stuff coming...

Goody Bag Giveaway!

Let me preface by saying I'm sorry, but if you were at FeverCon, you can't enter. You've had too much fun already, LOL! Actually, you already got one, minus a few items, plus a few more.

Goody Bag contains:

1 fabulous bag that can be folded up into a tidy pouch and fits in purse

1 each of the new Darkfever, Bloodfever and Faefever

1 Into the Dreaming

1 Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole

1 Preview Tarot Card Deck

2 Romantic Times BookClub issues with articles about the Fever Series

1 Bloodrush CD

1 Treasure Keeper by Shana Abe

1 Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter

1 Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

1 FeverCon Program and Itinerary

2 each Mac and JZB Tattoos

1 Possess Me at Midnight by Shayla Black

1 When Blood Calls by J. K. Beck

1 Blood Trinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love

1 unpublished short story by Emma Holly

1 Girls Gone Pri-ya bracelet (not pictured, hot pink and very cute!)

All you have to do to enter is email manager@karenmoning.com and use FeverCon Goody Bag as the subject line. If you don't use that as the subject line, you won't be entered. You may enter once, multiple submissions will be disqualified. The contest is open until midnight Thursday the 14th, and the winner will be chosen randomly by a computer program.

Good luck!!!

Shadowfever Excerpt that Phil read at FeverCon

I had such a hard time finding ANY excerpt for Phil to read that didn't give something away. Shadowfever is dense with information and spoilers. I was able to narrow it down to two scenes, and I wasn't crazy about either one. I think of my books as being comprised of what I call "power scenes" and transition scenes. As I'm writing, I rate each scene on a scale from 1 to 5, with a 1 being a descriptive passage and a 5 a HOLY CR#P scene. Shadowfever has a LOT of 5's, tons of 4's and oodles of 3's. There are darn few 1's or 2's. The following is a 1.5 on my scale, mostly descriptive, setting place and mood. It does, however, give you a peek inside Mac's head!


___

Few have ever seen the Seelie, save the rare mortal stolen away and kept at the Fae court, and, of course, Barrons who once spent a great deal of time there, sleeping with a princess, before killing her and pissing off V'lane for all eternity.

I've seen thousands of Unseelie but until now, even I—sidhe-seer extraordinaire—have seen only a single Seelie.

I'd begun to wonder why.

In the dark hours of the night, I'd wondered if maybe he was the only one left, if he was hiding something, if perhaps he wasn't Seelie at all, despite evidence supporting his claim.

Seeing him as he is now, all my doubts evaporate.

Here are the Seelie.

They've finally gotten off their asses and started paying attention to the mess they've made of my world. I guess they couldn't be bothered before now.

Even filled as I am with hatred for all Fae, I can't deny that V'lane looks like an avenging angel, charging down from heaven to set my world back on its axis and clean this whole mess up. Radiant, golden and mesmerizing, he leads an army of angels.

Tall, gracefully muscled, they stand shoulder to shoulder with him, filling the street. Stunning, velvety-skinned, dusted with gold, they are so chillingly exquisite that I have a hard time looking at them—and I'm immune from having been Pri-ya, a Fae sex-addict. They are otherworldly, divine.

There are dozens of V'lane's caste, male and female. They possess a terrifying eroticism that makes them deadly to humans. If a scientist managed to get his hands on one to study, I wouldn't be surprised to learn their skin exudes a pheromone we crave.

The perpetual promise of a smile hovers on irresistible lips, below ancient, alien eyes. Despite all I've suffered at their hands, I want to rush forward and fall to my knees before them. I want to slide my palms over their flawless skin, discover if they taste as amazing as they smell. I want to be gathered into a Fae embrace, yield my memories, my mind, my will and be carried off to a Faery Court where I could stay forever young, cocooned by illusion.

Flanking V'lane's caste—which I assume is the highest ranking by how the other castes seem to protect it—are the stuff of fairytales. There are rainbow-colored, delicate Fae that dart like hummingbirds on gossamer wings; silvery nymphs that dance on dainty feet; and others that I can't even see, except for blinding trailers of light they leave behind as they move. They're so brilliant and fiery, they could only be earthbound stars.

I scoff at the delicacy of his army. They're ethereal, born to wisp about, seduce, and be served.

Mine is earthy, solid. Born to gorge, kill, and rule.

We stalk toward each other, down a snow-filled street.

Where Seelie feet touch the earth, the snow melts with a hiss. Steam rises and flowers push up through cracks, blooming brilliantly, anointing the air with the scents of jasmine and sandalwood. The Seelie end of the street is bathed in golden light.

Where my army's hooves and scaled bellies pass over the stones—a crust of black ice forms. The night embraces us; stealthy shadows, we ooze forward from the blackness.

Only once before have Seelie and Unseelie met like this—and on that day the Seelie Queen died. This is the stuff of legends, never seen by humans, except perhaps in our dreams.

Deformed monsters and hideous demons stare with baleful, hate-filled eyes at their perfect, golden counterparts.

Angels glare with disdain at abominations that should never have been born, who blemish the perfection of the Fae race, tarnish their existence simply by being.

I wonder what Darroc was thinking bringing them together like this.

We stop a dozen paces apart.

Ice and heat slam together in the street.

My breath frosts the air then turns to steam as it passes an invisible demarcation. Eddies swirl on the pavement between us, gathering the indigestible rinds of people the Shades left behind, and tiny tornados begin to form.

Whoever began the fairytales that Fae don't feel was selling pure bullshit. They feel the entire range of human emotion. They just handle it differently; with patience born of eternity. Schooled by courtly manners, they don masks of impassivity because they have forever to play out their games.

As we study each other through the rapidly growing tornados, I remember V'lane telling me that they destroyed their own world by fighting. It cracked from end to end. Was this why? Will the weather disturbance that's being generated by the clash of these two mighty Courts continue to grow if they fight, and tear this world apart, too? Not that I'd particularly mind since I intend to re-create it with the Book, but I need the Book before this world is destroyed.

Which means this stormy posturing really needs to stop.

"Enough with the melodrama, V'lane," I say coolly.

His eyes are those of a stranger. He regards me with the same expression he turns on the monsters at my back. I'm a little irritated to realize he doesn't look at Darroc. His gaze slides over him as if he's not even there. He's the fallen-Fae, traitor to their race, the one responsible for tearing the walls down. I'm just a sidhe-seer trying to survive.

The gold-dusted Greek god standing on V'lane's right sneers, "That…thing…is the human you said we need to protect? She consorts with abominations!"

The gilt-skinned goddess to his left hisses, "Destroy her now!"

Hundreds of Seelie, walking, dancing and flying, begin to clamor for my death.

Without taking my eyes off them, I snap at Darroc, "I could really use my spear right now." I assume he still has it, that V'lane hasn't somehow plucked it from him the same way he takes it from me.

As the tiny, dainty Fae begin proposing methods for my execution, each one slower and more painful than the last, the god and goddess bracketing V'lane hammer him.

"She is human and has chosen the dark ones! Look at her! She wears their colors!"

"You said she worshipped us!"

"And she would obey us in all things!"

"They have touched her! I smell it on her skin!" The god looks revolted….and aroused. Iridescent eyes glitter with gold sparks.

"They have used her!" the goddess snarls. "She is soiled. I will not suffer her at court!"

"Silence!" V'lane thunders. "I lead the True Race for our Queen. I speak for Aoibheal!"

"This is unacceptable!"

"Outrageous!"

"Beyond bearing, V'lane!"

"You will do as I say, Dree'lia! I decide her fate. And only I will carry it out."

I hiss at Darroc, "You need to make a decision and fast."

"They always over-react," Darroc murmurs. "It is one of the many things I despised at court. A session in High Council could go on like this for several human years. Give them time. V'lane will bring them to heel."

One of the tiny, winged Seelie breaks formation and darts straight for my head. I duck, but it whizzes around me.

I'm startled to hear myself burst out laughing.

Two more of them break rank and begin to zip tight circles around my head.

As they buzz past me, my laughter takes on a hysterical edge. There's nothing funny about what's happening—still I hoot and snort. I can't help it. I've never been so amused in my entire life. I hold my sides and double over, chortling, guffawing, choking on sobs of forced gaiety, as they weave closer and closer around me. I'm appalled by the sounds coming out of my mouth. I'm horrified at the uncontrollable nature of it. I hate the Fae and their way of stripping away my will.

"Stop laughing," Darroc growls.

Hilarity has me on the edge of hysterics and it hurts. I manage to raise my head from my knees just enough to shoot him a dirty look. I'd love to stop laughing. But I can't.

I want to tell him to make the damned things go away except I can't breathe, I can't even close my lips long enough to grit consonants. Whatever these lovely little Seelie-monsters are, their specialty is death-by-laughter. What a hellish way to go. After only a few minutes, my sides ache from heaving, my gut burns, and I'm so breathless I'm light-headed. I wonder how long it takes to die of forced mirth. Hours? Days?

A fourth tiny Fae takes up the game, and I brace myself to dive inward, to find a weapon in my dark, lake-filled cave when suddenly a long tongue, dripping venom, whizzes past my ear and plucks the dainty Seelie straight from the air.

I hear crunching noises behind me.

I snicker helplessly.

"V'lane!" The golden goddess shrieks, "That thing, that awful thing, it ate M'ree!"

I hear another snap, followed by more crunching noises and a second one is gone. I cackle madly.

The remaining two retreat, shaking tiny fists and screaming in a language I don't understand. Even angry, the sound they make is more beautiful than an aria.

My laughter loses its forced edge.

After a long moment, I'm able to relax, and I stop making crazed sounds of amusement. Peals fade to moans to silence. I release my sides and gulp cool, soothing air.

I stand, suddenly furious, and this emotion is all mine. I'm sick of being vulnerable. If I'd had my spear, those nasty little death-by-laughter fairies would never have dared approach me. I'd have skewered them mid-air and made Fae-ka-bobs out of them.

"Friends," I hiss at Darroc, "trust each other."

But he doesn't. I see it in his face.

"You said you would give it to me so I could defend us."

He smiles faintly and I know he's remembering how Mallucé died; slowly, gruesomely, rotting from the inside out. The spear kills all things Fae and because Darroc has been eating so much Unseelie, he's laced with veins of Fae. One tiny little prick of the tip of my spear would be a death sentence. "As yet, we are not under attack."

"Who are you talking to, human?" the goddess demands.

I look at Darroc who shrugs. "I told you the first Seelie that saw me would try to kill me. Hence they do not see me. My princes keep me concealed from their vision."

Now I understand why V'lane's gaze slid over him like he wasn't there. He's not. "So it looks like I'm the only one standing here? They think I'm running your army!"

"Never fear, sidhe-seer," V'lane says coldly, "I smell the foulness of what was once Fae and now cannibalizes our race. I know who leads this army. As for his being your friend, the one you so unwisely walk with has no friends. He has always served only his own purposes."

I tilt my head. "Are you my friend, V'lane?"

"I would be. I have offered you my protection repeatedly."

The goddess gasps. "You offered our protection and she refused? She chose those… things… over us?"

"Silence, Dree'lia!"

"The Tuatha de Danaan do not offer twice!" she fumes.

"I said 'silence!'" V'lane snaps.

"Clearly you do not under—"

I gape. Dree'lia has no mouth. There is only smooth skin where her lips used to be. Delicate nostrils flare beneath ancient, hate-filled eyes.

The golden god moves to embrace her. She rests her head in the hollow of his neck and clutches him. "That was unnecessary," he tells V'lane stiffly.

I'm struck by the absurdity of the moment. Here I stand, between opposing halves of the most powerful race imaginable. They are at war with one another. They despise each other and are vying for the same prize.

And the Seelie—who have enjoyed absolute freedom and power their entire existences—are squabbling among themselves over trivialities, while, the Unseelie—who've been imprisoned, starved and tortured for hundreds of thousands of years—patiently hold formation and wait for Darroc's orders.

And I can't help but see myself in them. The Seelie are who I was before my sister died. Pink, pretty, frivolous Mac. The Unseelie are who I've become, carved by loss and despair. Black, grungy, driven Mac.

The Unseelie are stronger, less breakable. I'm glad I'm like them.

____
2010, Copyrighted material, property of Karen Marie Moning, LLC, not to be reprinted or used in any manner without permission of the author.