Merrie Destefano's Blog, page 9
June 22, 2011
The Feast countdown continues
Today I have a contest running over on the Supernatural Underground.
This is what you can win in if you enter the contest...
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I can't believe that Release Day--June 28--is almost here.
So, here's the countdown of what I will do until Feast releases:
I will have 6 showers, watch 15 TV shows, read part of one book, go for 8 walks, climb 25 flights of stairs, crack up laughing 8 times, burst into tears 2 times, send 310 e-mails, read most of those e-mails before I send them, troll the Internet 6 hours longer than I should, wear my PJs all day 2 times, cook a meal 0 times, feed and medicate the dogs 12 times, feed and medicate myself more times than I can count, forget what I was going to say right when I was in the middle of a sentence 16 times, do a happy dance 3 times, drink 35 bottles of water, check on the baby hummingbirds in my yard 10 times and try to get some writing/editing done 18 times.
Yikes.
This is what you can win in if you enter the contest...
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I can't believe that Release Day--June 28--is almost here.
So, here's the countdown of what I will do until Feast releases:
I will have 6 showers, watch 15 TV shows, read part of one book, go for 8 walks, climb 25 flights of stairs, crack up laughing 8 times, burst into tears 2 times, send 310 e-mails, read most of those e-mails before I send them, troll the Internet 6 hours longer than I should, wear my PJs all day 2 times, cook a meal 0 times, feed and medicate the dogs 12 times, feed and medicate myself more times than I can count, forget what I was going to say right when I was in the middle of a sentence 16 times, do a happy dance 3 times, drink 35 bottles of water, check on the baby hummingbirds in my yard 10 times and try to get some writing/editing done 18 times.
Yikes.
June 20, 2011
One of the best things a writer can see
Friday evening I got to meet the members of The Ladies Guilty Pleasures Book Club. I had a great time chatting with them and answering questions about Afterlife. One of my favorite parts of the evening--besides meeting the ladies themselves--was when I got to see their copies of the book, many of them dogeared and full of bookmarks.
That's the best thing a writer can ever see--a copy of your book that has been well-read.
Thanks to everyone in the club! I really enjoyed meeting you and hope I get to come back sometime.
June 17, 2011
Baby hummingbirds in nest--so cute!
You have to look really close, but two baby hummingbirds are waiting for the mama bird to return and feed them. Their tiny beaks are pointed toward the sky. You can even see one of them stick his tongue out. So adorable! These little guys have a nest in the bougainvillea in my backyard.
June 16, 2011
Heads or Tails: A Story
The coin flipped through the air. Heads. Tails. Love. Hate. Such a human thing to do. Such a weak response to something as important and necessary as breathing. Sometimes I wonder if humans even have a heart, if they are truly alive.
I watched as my current victim-in-progress debated whether to call a young woman he fancied. A thick silver disk, stamped with symbols on both sides, spun through the air in a high arc, sunlight catching, reflecting; a heavenly mixture of silver and golden light, an almost magical and musical act. The coin finally spun to a halt with a chorus of bright ringing notes as it landed on the ground.
My human, my favorite Creature To Haunt And Torment, held his breath. Leaned over. Stared at the silver answer.
Heads. Tails. Love. Hate.
His answer, the one he wanted, stared back up at him.
It was almost funny.
Because the thing he didn't know, the one thing he couldn't possibly know, was that I was going to steal this dream from him. As soon as he would lay down his head, close his eyes and sail off into the land of dreams, I would take it away. I would burst it, like a golden bubble, lick it up like a bowl of melting ice cream.
And his dream of a life of love would dissolve. He would forget this Valentine's Day Coin Toss. He wouldn't remember his resolve to call Violet in the morning. The jeweler might phone him in a day or two, ask him about the ring that he had ordered and my sweet captive human would wonder what he was talking about.
Heads. Tails. Love. Hate.
In my world, hate wins every time.
I watched as my current victim-in-progress debated whether to call a young woman he fancied. A thick silver disk, stamped with symbols on both sides, spun through the air in a high arc, sunlight catching, reflecting; a heavenly mixture of silver and golden light, an almost magical and musical act. The coin finally spun to a halt with a chorus of bright ringing notes as it landed on the ground.
My human, my favorite Creature To Haunt And Torment, held his breath. Leaned over. Stared at the silver answer.
Heads. Tails. Love. Hate.
His answer, the one he wanted, stared back up at him.
It was almost funny.
Because the thing he didn't know, the one thing he couldn't possibly know, was that I was going to steal this dream from him. As soon as he would lay down his head, close his eyes and sail off into the land of dreams, I would take it away. I would burst it, like a golden bubble, lick it up like a bowl of melting ice cream.
And his dream of a life of love would dissolve. He would forget this Valentine's Day Coin Toss. He wouldn't remember his resolve to call Violet in the morning. The jeweler might phone him in a day or two, ask him about the ring that he had ordered and my sweet captive human would wonder what he was talking about.
Heads. Tails. Love. Hate.
In my world, hate wins every time.
June 15, 2011
Revealing my secrets, one by one
There are some very cool things going on the cyber universe today...
First, FEAST was reviewed over at The Aussie Bookworm. You can read the review here.
Here's a snippet:
"I really liked the way that the bits and pieces of vampiric lore were sprinkled throughout the novel. Some of them as we have always believed i.e. that they need to be invited to be able to cross your threshold while others have been tweaked slightly. They don't drink blood but they harvest dreams."
Also, Kristin over at My Bookish Ways posted an interview with me today. AND she's giving away a copy of Afterlife. Believe it or not, she got me to confess something I've never told anyone online before. *gasp*
Some of the other things we discussed: What I like to see in a good book and what makes me toss a book aside in frustration. VERY good questions!
AND one more cool thing going on. I Smell Sheep has a very fun Swag Day Contest going on through Friday, June 17. Their contest involves matching an author with his/her pet. And, yes, I'm one of the featured authors! Followers of my blog should be able to figure out which one of those furry beasts belong to me. Hint, hint: Remember, I have 2 black and tan German shepherds? See, I just gave you one answer so you'll be ahead of the game.
Besides cover flats, bookmarks, buttons and trading cards, the folks at I Smell Sheep are also giving away the following books: signed copies of Afterlife and Nightwalker, an ARC of The Iron Duke, a paper copy of Demon Slayer. E-copies of Along Came a Demon and Shades of Gray, and Devil Without a Cause, which can be either a paper or e-copy.
I hope you'll check those posts out and say hi to the blog owners. They love visitors!
First, FEAST was reviewed over at The Aussie Bookworm. You can read the review here.
Here's a snippet:
"I really liked the way that the bits and pieces of vampiric lore were sprinkled throughout the novel. Some of them as we have always believed i.e. that they need to be invited to be able to cross your threshold while others have been tweaked slightly. They don't drink blood but they harvest dreams."
Also, Kristin over at My Bookish Ways posted an interview with me today. AND she's giving away a copy of Afterlife. Believe it or not, she got me to confess something I've never told anyone online before. *gasp*
Some of the other things we discussed: What I like to see in a good book and what makes me toss a book aside in frustration. VERY good questions!
AND one more cool thing going on. I Smell Sheep has a very fun Swag Day Contest going on through Friday, June 17. Their contest involves matching an author with his/her pet. And, yes, I'm one of the featured authors! Followers of my blog should be able to figure out which one of those furry beasts belong to me. Hint, hint: Remember, I have 2 black and tan German shepherds? See, I just gave you one answer so you'll be ahead of the game.
Besides cover flats, bookmarks, buttons and trading cards, the folks at I Smell Sheep are also giving away the following books: signed copies of Afterlife and Nightwalker, an ARC of The Iron Duke, a paper copy of Demon Slayer. E-copies of Along Came a Demon and Shades of Gray, and Devil Without a Cause, which can be either a paper or e-copy.
I hope you'll check those posts out and say hi to the blog owners. They love visitors!
June 14, 2011
The Day The Earth Stood Still: A Story
The sun didn't rise on Thursday. That should have been a sign, a warning. It should have set all the alarms ringing inside Sam's head. But it didn't.
Because he didn't wake up.
Nobody did.
The day the Earth stood still—the day everything changed—went completely undetected. It lodged, like a rock, right between Wednesday and Friday, dark, cold, silent. No NASA scientist and no Hindu philosopher caught the great hiccup in the universe. Friday came, blinding and bright and charged with energy—a bit too much energy, in fact. Power surged and crackled through cables and wires and ended up shorting out cell phones around the world.
The Internet, on the other hand, ran smoother than ever.
Sam thought he noticed a difference when he sat down, fingers poised over keyboard. Thought he heard a crack, snazzle, pop in his ears. Like liquid silver, every connection zapped into place faster than it ever had before.
He grinned.
New Web sites sparked into prime time, exquisite and compelling and somehow already linked to existing sites. Without realizing it, his computer began to prefer these new, almost alien sites, would route him there over and again, leave him there for long intervals.
Basking in the light.
Sweet. Ambient. Light.
A soft strobe pulsing just beneath the surface, a message read by brainstem and cerebellum like secret code. A whisper program that ran undetected, just like that missing Thursday. A cyber virus that thrummed all day long. Even after his computer was turned off.
That night, while the computer junkies around the world slept, cozy and warm and safe inside footed pajamas and Ambien cocktails, the program kicked into high gear and the transformation began. So subtle it wouldn't even be noticed, not by the humans anyway, just like that missing middle-of-the-week day.
The morning came and a few hackers noticed that the sky hung a bit darker, cereal crunched a bit quieter, surfaces felt a bit smoother and dialogue—well, dialogue came in a steady stream, more like binary code than conversation.
1101011010001010101
Sam smiled as he sat down on the wrong side of the screen, 001010101111, ready and eager to get to work.
Head tilted, he listened.
00001010101
The sound of birds, singing.
11110101
The clatter of keyboard keys, a cyber universe turned inside out.
001010101111
One word repeating itself over and over, one human staring at him through transparent screen, typing.
001010101111
In some languages the word meant Aliens.
But in most it simply meant:
Monsters.
Because he didn't wake up.
Nobody did.
The day the Earth stood still—the day everything changed—went completely undetected. It lodged, like a rock, right between Wednesday and Friday, dark, cold, silent. No NASA scientist and no Hindu philosopher caught the great hiccup in the universe. Friday came, blinding and bright and charged with energy—a bit too much energy, in fact. Power surged and crackled through cables and wires and ended up shorting out cell phones around the world.
The Internet, on the other hand, ran smoother than ever.
Sam thought he noticed a difference when he sat down, fingers poised over keyboard. Thought he heard a crack, snazzle, pop in his ears. Like liquid silver, every connection zapped into place faster than it ever had before.
He grinned.
New Web sites sparked into prime time, exquisite and compelling and somehow already linked to existing sites. Without realizing it, his computer began to prefer these new, almost alien sites, would route him there over and again, leave him there for long intervals.
Basking in the light.
Sweet. Ambient. Light.
A soft strobe pulsing just beneath the surface, a message read by brainstem and cerebellum like secret code. A whisper program that ran undetected, just like that missing Thursday. A cyber virus that thrummed all day long. Even after his computer was turned off.
That night, while the computer junkies around the world slept, cozy and warm and safe inside footed pajamas and Ambien cocktails, the program kicked into high gear and the transformation began. So subtle it wouldn't even be noticed, not by the humans anyway, just like that missing middle-of-the-week day.
The morning came and a few hackers noticed that the sky hung a bit darker, cereal crunched a bit quieter, surfaces felt a bit smoother and dialogue—well, dialogue came in a steady stream, more like binary code than conversation.
1101011010001010101
Sam smiled as he sat down on the wrong side of the screen, 001010101111, ready and eager to get to work.
Head tilted, he listened.
00001010101
The sound of birds, singing.
11110101
The clatter of keyboard keys, a cyber universe turned inside out.
001010101111
One word repeating itself over and over, one human staring at him through transparent screen, typing.
001010101111
In some languages the word meant Aliens.
But in most it simply meant:
Monsters.
June 9, 2011
Visiting the town that became Ticonderoga Falls in Feast
One of the best parts about writing is getting to do research--especially when that research involves taking a trip up into the mountains and staying in a cabin. My next novel, Feast, (which releases in just 18 days--yikes!) is set in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California. Although the actual town where the story takes place, Ticonderoga Falls, is fictional, it was based on the very real and very charming town of Big Bear, California.
So, at the beginning of December, 2009, my husband, our two German shepherds, our Siamese cat and I spent four days in Big Bear. My husband and the dogs got to go sledding and hiking, while I did research. No, really, I got to go sledding and hiking too. But I really did a considerable amount of research while I was there. We even stayed in a little cabin, similar to the one the main character in Feast, Maddie MacFadden, stays in.
I must confess, I never saw any Darklings though. But they may have been hiding. After all, I was just about to expose them all to the world.
So, here is my photo travelogue of the trip, with captions so you don't feel lost...
The gorgeous drive up into the local mountains...the higher you go, the taller the trees, until finally it seems like the forests could just eat you alive. The perfect setting for my scary, yet romantic novel:
Caleb, the larger than life dog...we finally arrived in the cabin, started to get our things unpacked and, of course, the dog took that time to choose the most comfortable chair for himself. He just watched while we worked:
Hezzie relaxed, glad the evil car ride was finally over...he stretched out on an ottoman and waited for us to start a fire in the fireplace. Sometimes he enjoyed being in the cabin, sometimes he acted like we were torturing him. Poor kitty:
Chatting with someone who lived in Big Bear...this was my favorite part of the trip, meeting the amazing people who lived here. This incredible woman, Cathy Jones, took the time to share stories about the town, pointed out local hiking spots on the map, gave me advice on who to interview and how to get hold of them. She even told me about a local independent bookstore that might be interested in carrying Feast. She gets 5 gold stars for being hospitable and for making the trip much more fun:
Investigating the SUVs the policemen drove...part of my research involved asking the local police a zillion questions (there's a bit of a mystery in this book) and checking out their SUVs. Since one of my characters was the local sheriff, I needed to know what kind of car he would drive, what his uniform would look like, how he would handle a certain situation (can't give away too many clues!), and what kind of gun he would carry:
Big Bear Lake, surrounded by snow and shrouded by clouds...isn't this picture a bit eerie? Well, that's exactly what I was hoping for when I picked this tourist town--I wanted something close enough to L.A. to visit within a day and remote enough to be slightly creepy:
The dogs and I...okay, here's where worlds collide and everything gets really strange. I was up in Big Bear working on the research for my second novel, but at the same time my editor and the staff at Harper Voyager were hard at work getting my first novel ready for printing. So, here I am, frolicking in the snow with my two wild German shepherds. For some reason, Caleb--the one with mouth open--wouldn't stop barking when we were taking his picture. Call of the wild or something. Anyway, that's the only picture I have of him, in eight years, where he's doing anything like that.
So, then we go home and the next day, my editor sends me the gorgeous cover artwork for Afterlife. Do you see how much my dog looks like the dog on the cover? I couldn't believe it. And not like I look anything like that cover model, but it's weird that we're standing in almost the same position. Worlds were colliding and aliens were dying when all this was going on, that's all I've got to say:
So, there you have it. A tiny glimpse into the real town behind the fictional town of Ticonderoga Falls. And very soon you'll be able to read more about the inhabitants of this mountain village, both human and Darkling.
So, at the beginning of December, 2009, my husband, our two German shepherds, our Siamese cat and I spent four days in Big Bear. My husband and the dogs got to go sledding and hiking, while I did research. No, really, I got to go sledding and hiking too. But I really did a considerable amount of research while I was there. We even stayed in a little cabin, similar to the one the main character in Feast, Maddie MacFadden, stays in.
I must confess, I never saw any Darklings though. But they may have been hiding. After all, I was just about to expose them all to the world.
So, here is my photo travelogue of the trip, with captions so you don't feel lost...
The gorgeous drive up into the local mountains...the higher you go, the taller the trees, until finally it seems like the forests could just eat you alive. The perfect setting for my scary, yet romantic novel:
Caleb, the larger than life dog...we finally arrived in the cabin, started to get our things unpacked and, of course, the dog took that time to choose the most comfortable chair for himself. He just watched while we worked:
Hezzie relaxed, glad the evil car ride was finally over...he stretched out on an ottoman and waited for us to start a fire in the fireplace. Sometimes he enjoyed being in the cabin, sometimes he acted like we were torturing him. Poor kitty:
Chatting with someone who lived in Big Bear...this was my favorite part of the trip, meeting the amazing people who lived here. This incredible woman, Cathy Jones, took the time to share stories about the town, pointed out local hiking spots on the map, gave me advice on who to interview and how to get hold of them. She even told me about a local independent bookstore that might be interested in carrying Feast. She gets 5 gold stars for being hospitable and for making the trip much more fun:
Investigating the SUVs the policemen drove...part of my research involved asking the local police a zillion questions (there's a bit of a mystery in this book) and checking out their SUVs. Since one of my characters was the local sheriff, I needed to know what kind of car he would drive, what his uniform would look like, how he would handle a certain situation (can't give away too many clues!), and what kind of gun he would carry:
Big Bear Lake, surrounded by snow and shrouded by clouds...isn't this picture a bit eerie? Well, that's exactly what I was hoping for when I picked this tourist town--I wanted something close enough to L.A. to visit within a day and remote enough to be slightly creepy:
The dogs and I...okay, here's where worlds collide and everything gets really strange. I was up in Big Bear working on the research for my second novel, but at the same time my editor and the staff at Harper Voyager were hard at work getting my first novel ready for printing. So, here I am, frolicking in the snow with my two wild German shepherds. For some reason, Caleb--the one with mouth open--wouldn't stop barking when we were taking his picture. Call of the wild or something. Anyway, that's the only picture I have of him, in eight years, where he's doing anything like that.
So, then we go home and the next day, my editor sends me the gorgeous cover artwork for Afterlife. Do you see how much my dog looks like the dog on the cover? I couldn't believe it. And not like I look anything like that cover model, but it's weird that we're standing in almost the same position. Worlds were colliding and aliens were dying when all this was going on, that's all I've got to say:
So, there you have it. A tiny glimpse into the real town behind the fictional town of Ticonderoga Falls. And very soon you'll be able to read more about the inhabitants of this mountain village, both human and Darkling.
June 8, 2011
This is what I do when I finish writing a book
I love this video--it makes me smile. And want to dance.
May 27, 2011
Winners Announced in The Virtual Feast Dessert-To-Die-For Contest
Awhile back I hosted a contest in celebration of my second novel, FEAST, and its official Coming Out Party (June 28, 2011 to be exact—Notice the way cool countdown widget to the right).
Today I'm announcing the 5 winners in The Virtual Feast Dessert-To-Die-For Contest.
Let's take a look at those fab prizes again...
FIRST:
One Grand Prize Winner will receive the following: A FEAST tote bag, a signed copy of FEAST and a signed copy of AFTERLIFE, plus a one-pound box of yummy See's candy.
Four Runner Up Winners will each receive the following: A signed copy of FEAST, plus 5 FEAST/AFTERLIFE bookmarks.
Here are the winners.
Grand Prize Winner (who will receive a tote bag, signed copy of FEAST, and a one-pound box of See's candy):
Renee (SteelerGirl83)
And the four Runner Up Winners are:
Cath
Van Pham
Sharon
Thepix
Congrats to all of you and I will be contacting you shortly for your mailing addresses. Please note that none of the prizes will be mailed until I get my author copies of Feast. So the prizes may not get in the mail until the end of June. Thank you to everyone who participated!!
