Jeaniene Frost's Blog, page 47

March 2011

Huge thanks to my readers! THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE debuted at # 2 on the New York Times, # 16 on the USA Today, # 1 on the Barnes & Noble mass market, # 1 on the Publishers Weekly list, and # 1 on the Borders Romance bestseller lists.

Cyber-hugs and kisses to everyone!  :D

Mirrored from Frost Light.

Travel recap

Well, finally returned home Saturday night (pause to add that I’m SO glad to be sleeping in my own bed again!) and I wanted to recap my trip. Let’s start at the beginning, which was the group book signing on February 19th at Turn The Page book store.

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Turn the Page is located in the lovely little town of Boonsboro, Maryland. There were several authors at the signing, starting with La Nora herself, me, my tour partner Pamela Palmer, Stephanie Dray, Grace Burrowes, Mary Burton, and Vaughn Ripley. As I mentioned in my previous post, this event drew a ton of readers, and huge thanks again to everyone who chatted up my books while waiting in line. Personal recommendations are how I find most of the books I read, so it’s very flattering to be on the receiving end of that. Before the signing, Avon Books teamed up with Turn the Page to host a live streaming Q&A with all the authors. That was a lot of fun, and the archive of the video feed is here for anyone interested: http://www.livestream.com/romance

The signing was a happy blur of activity. It’s always exhilarating to meet and chat with readers. A few gave me cards (thank you!) and two readers even made jewelry for me (way, way too kind!). We also took several pictures, but in the interest of space, I’m only posting a couple here. Click on any pics to make them bigger:

Pamela Palmer and I with our “Team Bones” and Team Kougar” slap bracelets! The flash made Pamela’s look like a mini light saber. Guess since mine was dark, that makes me the bad guy, lol.

And here’s one with several of the authors:

From left, Stephanie Dray, Grave Burrowes, Pamela Palmer, Nora Roberts, Jeaniene Frost, and Mary Burton.

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I’m so thrilled to have been included in this group, and can’t thank the wonderful people at Turn the Page enough for inviting me.

Plus, once the signing was over, it was time to relax at the Inn at Boonsboro, owned by Nora Roberts and her husband.

From the outside, it retains its century-old quaint charm. From the inside, ultra modern amenities are mixed in with picturesque furnishings. Take my room (pause to say thank you, Avon!). It had a lovely sitting area with a flat screen TV, a four-posted bed with a comforter that had to be five inches thick, another TV, and a bathroom to drop over dead for. The tub had Jacuzzi jets, the shower was huge, and the toilet was one of those sensor-activated, heated-seat numbers that had more cleaning settings than my washing machine at home, I kid you not. I almost took a picture of it, but figured that might be pushing things a bit, heh.

After we left Boonsboro, it was onto Birmingham, AL. The evening we arrived, Pamela and I went to a wonderful dinner at Brio’s with HarperCollins rep Eric Svenson and several Books A Million representatives. I can be a little shy when meeting new people, so huge thanks to everyone for being so friendly. The next day, Pamela and I spent a couple hours wandering around Forest Hills cemetery. Longtime blog followers know that I like exploring cemeteries, the older the better. Some of the graves at Forest Hill were over a hundred years old, and there were also some interesting headstones. For example, I don’t know what these two markers are, but from a distance, they almost looked like two claws coming out of the earth (plot ideas abound!)

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And here’s Pamela Palmer against an older, pretty headstone:

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In the evening, we had our signing at Books A Million and we had a really fun crowd. More than a few people mentioned that they’d driven anywhere from two to four hours to attend, which was amazing. Big thanks to everyone who came out, and to the staff for hosting us and setting up such a nice display of our books.

The next day, Pamela and I got up early and started for New Orleans. We had smooth sailing with traffic for all but the last ten miles, where an accident blocked two out of the three lanes. Still, we made it to New Orleans with enough time to grab lunch and change clothes before the signing, so we were freshened up and without growling stomachs – always a plus. Pamela and I were expecting only a few people considering that Mardi Gras was starting, but we had a nice group of readers who picked books over Bourbon Street…at least for a couple hours, heh.  Plus, Britton, the manager of the Garden District Book Shop, provided complimentary wine and cheese snacks, so it was like a fun soirée and chat combined. Once again, thanks to Britton and the staff at Garden District Book Shops, plus everyone who came out and chatted with us (and were kind enough to let us force slap bracelets upon them *wink*).

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As a final note, during my last night on the train, I called into the Talk Shoe show where Jackie from Literary Escapism and Larissa from Larissa’s Book Life were hosting a Night Huntress discussion. We chatted about characters, plots, hidden “Easter eggs” in the books, and more. To listen to the recording, you can go here: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=93065&cmd=tc

Once again, thanks so much to everyone! Signings (and call-in chats) can feel intimidating, but I can honestly say that I had a great time during all the events last week. Readers, book store staff, bloggers, and my tour partner Pamela Palmer – all of you made this an experience I will remember with a smile. In short, you rule!

Release day!

I had an awesome time at the Turn The Page book store signing on Saturday. The crowd was huge because of Nora Roberts being there, but I was happily surprised at all the Night Huntress readers who came out! A huge hug to you, and to everyone who mentioned my books to the other readers in line. At least a dozen people told me “I hadn’t heard of you before, but the people next to me raved about you so much that I have to try your books out.” Word of mouth rules! I’ll post more about that – with pictures! – later once I’m home from tour.

Well, today is the day. THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE, Night Huntress book five, should be on your local book store shelves or available to purchase online. I know it’s been a long wait for Cat and Bones, and all I can say is thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy the latest installment of their story .

As a reminder, for those who like to “try before you buy” you can read the first 20% for free here.

And, if you’re not quite caught up on Bones and Cat’s adventures, for a limited time, download the ebook edition of Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress, book four) for just $1.99, complete with a free excerpt from This Side of the Grave. Click the picture to be taken to the book on Amazon.

. **Please note: The cover is wrong on Amazon for this. It erroneously shows the cover for This Side of the Grave instead of Destined for an Early Grave, but the promotion is for Destined, not This Side, so that’s what you’d be buying if you order it. Cover will be fixed as soon as possible**

Also on sale today is DARKEST MERCY, the final novel in the Wicked Lovely series by my friend and critt partner, Melissa Marr. Click the pic to see the full image of her gorgeous cover!

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And of course, my tour partner’s book, Pamela Palmer’s HUNGER UNTAMED, also releases today. Click the pic to check out her lovely cover, too!

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Tonight (Feb 22nd), Pamela and I will be at Books A Million in Birmingham, AL from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. If you’re in the area, please come out! Address is 757 Brookwood Village; Birmingham, AL  35209

And tomorrow (Feb 23rd), if you’re in New Orleans, you can see me and Pam at Garden District Book Shop, 5:30pm to 7:00pm. Address is 2727 Prytania Street; New Orleans, LA  70130.

Thanks again to everyone, and more pics/news soon!

Mirrored from Frost Light.

Podcast and new tee shirts

Here’s a new podcast where I talk with the awesome Frost Fans moderators about the release of This Side of the Grave, and more, plus links to where my fan site administer made hilarious new tee shirts contrasting Chapter 32 from One Foot in the Grave with Chapter 21 from This Side of the Grave (make sure to see the back of the shirts!).

For the podcast and the tee shirt links, click the image below:

Or go here.

Mirrored from Frost Light.

This Side of the Grave book trailer!

Several weeks ago, I mentioned that I was getting together royalty-free pictures, music, and video clips for a book trailer on This Side of the Grave. Most of you know that a book trailer is basically another medium to tease about the plot elements in a particular story without giving anything major away that would spoiler. You could liken it to the description of the back cover copy of a book, only set to music and visuals. I've done book trailers for three of my other books (if interested, you can see them here) and while I don't necessarily think trailers net an author any new readers, from the feedback I've received, a lot* of existing readers enjoy seeing a story teaser in video form.

I've also said before that I get a kick out of book trailers, so part of the reason why I do them is because it makes me happy. Doing something that makes me happy is why I started writing novels in the first place, after all.

So with all of that said, here is the book trailer for This Side of the Grave. I had fun picking out the various different elements in it, and I hope you enjoy watching it.

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*As with everything, not all readers like trailers, and even among readers who do, not every one of you will like this trailer. Subjectivity means that I can never please everyone all the time, alas ).

Mirrored from Frost Light.

Big excerpt and podcast

The podcast I mentioned doing the other day is now available. I'm answering reader questions about the Night Huntress series / Night Huntress World novels, and I reveal the title for Cat and Bones # 6. To listen, click the image below:

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And in other news, my publisher just posted the correct* first 20% of THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE on their website. Interested in getting a sneak peek at what Cat, Bones, and the gang are up to before the release date of February 22nd? Click the image below:

Browse Inside this book

Get this for your site

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*A different version was previously posted in error, and it contained a spoiler for later events in the book. My apologies to any readers who saw it and were indavertantly spoiled.

Mirrored from Frost Light.

Goodreads chat, Saturday January 29th

A while ago, the Goodreads group Nothing But Reading Challenges kindly invited me to come out for a day and chat about my books, characters, writing,  etc. As my subject line so subtly hints at - heh – that day is Saturday, January 29th. If you're a Goodreads member and you want to join the chat, I'll be there all day (or from 10am EST to 10pm EST) on the 29th answering questions and hopefully talking to someone other than myself . If you're not a Goodreads member but you still want to join in, signing up is free and easy.

Here's the link to the chat: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/479644-jeaniene-frost-saturday-january-29th-10-00am-10-00pm?format=html 

Hope to see some of you there!

Mirrored from Frost Light.

Goodreads chat, Saturday January 29th

A while ago, the Goodreads group Nothing But Reading Challenges kindly invited me to come out for a day and chat about my books, characters, writing, etc. As my subject line so subtly hints at - heh - that day is Saturday, January 29th. If you're a Goodreads member and you want to join the chat, I'll be there all day (or from 10am EST to 10pm EST) on the 29th answering questions and hopefully talking to someone other than myself :). If you're not a Goodreads member but you still want to join in, signing up is free and easy.

Here's the link to the chat: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/4...

Hope to see some of you there!

February 2011 tour

I'm excited to share my travel information to celebrate the release of THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE, Night Huntress book five. I'll be on the road with the lovely Pamela Palmer, whose new Feral Warriors novel, HUNGER UNTAMED, also releases on February 22nd. If you're in the area, please try to come out! Pamela and I will be signing books, chatting, and sporting our hilarious slap bracelets of "Team Bones" and "Team Kougar" in honor of our book's heroes.

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Here are the tour stops:

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Saturday, February 19th,  2011 Group signing with Nora Roberts, Grace Burrowes, Mary Burton, Stephanie Dray, Jeaniene Frost, Pamela Palmer, Mary Burkhart Reed, and Vaughn Ripley. Special early release date of THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE and HUNGER UNTAMED for this event only. More details here.

Turn the Page Bookstore  12:00pm to 2:00 pm

18 North Main Street

Boonsboro, Maryland  21713

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Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

Signing with Jeaniene Frost and Pamela Palmer

Books-A-Million  7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

757 Brookwood Village

Birmingham, AL  35209

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Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

Signing with Jeaniene Frost and Pamela Palmer. More details here.

Garden District Book Shop  5:30- pm to 7:00 pm

2727 Prytania Street  

New Orleans, LA  70130

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Hope to see some of you soon!

Mirrored from Frost Light.

Contest winners!

Wow, there were over a thousand entries to my last contest for an Arc (advance reading copy) of THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE. Awesome! I only had two early copies left, though, so that means 99.9% of you won't be happy with these results. But for two winners, I have good news.

Roxanne Chin Choy and Crystal Carpenter, congrats! Your entries were randomly chosen to receive a signed copy of THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE. I've already sent both of you emails, so check your inboxes and reply to me with your shipping addresses.

To everyone else, sorry you didn't win, but there's less than thirty days until the book releases, so your wait is almost over. In the meantime, the book trailer will be up soon, and on my fan site, we're posting a Quote of the Day where you can read lines from the book and guess who said what (and why! ). Pretty banners for each quote have been made by the talented Tee that you can download, if you'd like. Go here to check it out.

Congrats again to Roxanne and Crystal, and thanks so much to everyone who entered.

Mirrored from Frost Light.