Eleven Years

((Cross posted at The League of Reluctant Adults))

Fair warning, sappiness ahead. Batten down the hatches, pump out the bilges, roll up the trousers, all that stuff.

As predicted a month ago (I must be psychic!), today is my eleventh wedding anniversary. Or, as I like to say, it's been eleven years and I still haven't killed him yet. Not for lack of trying, grant you. I mean, I did hit the man with a car. Twice. (And he still agreed to marry me anyway. What's that about?) You'd think, after the first time, that he'd have moved.

In fact, if you peer farther into the past (my editor has given up teaching me the difference between farther and further, btw) we were best friends even longer than that. Six years before we were ever a couple, for a grand total of eighteen years. Wow, now I feel old.

It's at times like these that I like to stop and think about how very different my life would have been without him. And I mean more than just the "well, I wouldn't have had my daughter without him" or the "I'd be married to someone else" kinda stuff.

First and foremost, the Jesse James Dawson series would not exist without my hubby. My motivation came from him, from his desire to see the kind of hero he wanted to see. The story idea was his, hashed out between the two of us over a very fateful anniversary dinner quite a few years ago. (Full circle, see?)

But more than just the one series, he helps me with all aspects of my writing. He's the best brainstorming partner I've ever had, mostly because he knows how to ask the right questions to get me thinking. He's my motivator when I'm slacking, my cheerleader when I'm down. While I know that Jesse wouldn't exist without him, I can also say that I'm not sure I'd be writing at all without him.

Writing itself can be a very lonely occupation. A writer spends a lot of time wandering around inside their own skull, and while it's usually peopled with lots of interesting creatures and situations, it makes it hard to find objectivity. Too many of those voices in there say things like "you suck" and "this is impossible" and my personal favorite "why bother?"

I think every writer needs a support network, even if it's just one person. Someone to say "Hey, just keep trying" or "maybe try it a different way". Someone to shout louder than the voices that say "this is hard, just give up."

My support network is huge, I admit this. I have the League, I have the Purgies, I have my family and my friends. But first and foremost, before I had any of that, I had my hubby.

So on my anniversary, my hope for all writers, and for everyone really, is that you find that one person who will keep you aimed toward your chosen goal when you're ready to quit. Be it a friend, a mentor, a husband or wife, a pen-pal, I hope you all find the support we all need. Because in the end, it's worth it.

And the winner is...

As promised, as of 5 p.m. today, I have chosen a winner (with the aid of a handy-dandy random number generator). And believe it or not, today, it pays to be fast!

Our winner of A SHOT IN THE DARK's ARC is: (drum roll)

Commenter #1 - Trey!

Trey, congratulations! Please email me your address at kari(dot)stewart21(at)gmail(dot)com. Also, let me know how you'd like it signed.

I'm hoping to be able to do a another give-away once my author copies come in, so anyone who didn't win, stay tuned!

The ARC, the ARC, the ARC is on fire!

Okay, no the ARC is not on fire. That would be sad, considering that I only have one to give away. (I did, however, set my back yard on fire over the weekend, but that's a story for another time)

But, I am hoping that someone considers an ARC of A SHOT IN THE DARK a smokin' hot commodity.

So here we go, folk! Leave a comment here on the blog (Sorry, Facebook and Twitter do not count) to enter. That's it. So simple! Tell your friends, get them to enter, that way if they win, they might let you borrow it too!

The contest will go until 5 p.m. NEXT Monday evening (5/16) because I think more nice things should happen on Mondays. And what could be nicer than finding out you won an ARC of A SHOT IN THE DARK!!!

(I'll leave it to you to imagine me saying that in an appropriately epic monster truck rally announcer voice)

Remember, all you have to do is leave a comment HERE, on this post. Easy as...oh...selling your soul.

Life Has Been Good To Me

3rd Rock From the Sun was one of those shows I always thought was under-appreciated in its time. And my all-time favorite episode was the one where they learned to dream. Here's my favorite number:



And honestly, can't we all just see Axel dressed in a zoot suit dancing around like this?

Jesse Dawson Goes to Jail

A high school friend of mine wrote this blog post, and I thought I'd share it with you all. It made me smile.

Jesse James Dawson vs. The Andrew County Experience

Happy Release Day!

Got a couple (well, ok, way more than a couple, but only a couple that I'm mentioning here today) new releases out today!

First off, huge congrats to fellow Leaguer, Kevin Hearne, for his debut HOUNDED!



Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Now doesn't that just sound freakin' awesome? (And how do you not like a guy named Atticus?) Also note that the sequels to this, HEXED and HAMMERED will be releasing back-to-back over the next two months. In fact, HAMMERED will be a release-day sibling of A SHOT IN THE DARK!

My other awesome release to pimp today is by my friend Abner Senires! You might remember Abner, he's the one who kindly escorted "me" around Comic-Con last year.

This picture is him with my fabulous editor, Anne Sowards.


Now, Abner writes an online serial about Kat and Mouse, guns for hire. And he's collected the first "season" in novel form! (He sent me one! Be jealous!)



2042. Bay City, California Free State. Kat and Mouse are ronin--street mercenaries--who like cake runs. Simple jobs with quick and large payouts. That's what these were supposed to be. Cake runs. But when the Duo sign on, they suddenly find themselves targeted by a biker gang, a team of corporate commandos, a cybernetically-enhanced special ops agent, a stalker, a band of kidnappers, and a Japanese crime syndicate. And they all want the Duo out of the way. Permanently. Now these sassy sisters-in-arms must survive the onslaught and still get the jobs done. Because in the Biz, it's get paid or get dead. As usual, Kat and Mouse are going to do things their way. Heaven help Bay City...

Now if this doesn't give you all something to read for the next few days, I'm just not sure what to do with you.