Second Olympus - Cover Art!

Once again, Robin Ludwig Design has knocked it out of the park.

For those who want to read the back, you can click on the pic to make it bigger, or here's the text:

AND THEY WILL COME FROM BELOW

The war amongst the Greek gods lasted over three decades and when it was ended, the sun was snuffed from the sky, Artemis sat on the throne, and the muses were murdered.

Without the power to create or invent, the human race languished for generations, trapped within the walled city of Elysia, their lives governed by the steady tick of the great world clock and the watchful eye of their increasingly erratic goddess.

But in the lower wards, far from the shining beacon that is Olympus Tower, a crippled boy named Geoff has grown to manhood, unaware of the legacy contained in his own mysterious bloodline. When his loved ones are threatened, the world will finally wake under the power of the muse, and the insane goddess Artemis will remember the very dangerous power of human imagination.



And just another close up of the front, 'cause I lurve it!

Current plan is to try and have the preorder option processing by tonight, with an eye to an April 21st release date.  Most likely, I will release the print copy a few days prior to that, to make sure that everyone can READ it on the release date.

I'm so excited!

All the Knows There is to Know

So, I did it!  Pulled the trigger and made the print copy of A Snake in the Grass available for purchase. ('cause really, what fun is a release day if you don't HAVE the book?)  So go forth and order thine copies!  Or something.

Places to buy my print book:
Createspace
Amazon

Places to preorder my ebook:
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
Kobo

Still to come:
Kindle

The ebooks are still going to be available come July 8th, as planned, 'cause instant delivery and all that. 

I've had folks ask me which format/vendor I prefer they buy from.  Guys, I don't care.  Buy from wherever you feel comfiest.  I've also had folks ask me about shipping charges on Createspace.  I honestly don't know, I've never ordered from there.  But since Createspace is essentially Amazon, I can't imagine that they'd be too terribly different.

If anyone else has any other questions, be sure to let me know.  I may not know the answer, but I can make things up like a champ!  Seriously, this is all new to me too, so we'll stumble through it together.

The Giant Gaping Hole in My Head

Yesterday was a momentous day for me.  First off, Peacemaker released, and if you haven’t downloaded it yet, why not?  You’re going to make Ernst cry.

Why do you want to make the jackalope cry??  What kind of monster are you?

Second, I finally finished JJD4.  It’s not really a first draft. It’s more what I call an ugly draft.  I’ll mess with it for a few more days, and then I’ll probably send it out to my Beta Slaves this weekend.  (If this means you, brace yourselves, it’s incoming).  While they’ve got it, I’ll probably be pricing some editing services, as well as cover artists, to try and find some folk that I can work with (and can afford).  I’m desperately wanting to do this one without running a Kickstarter, so financial stuff has to be considered.  What this ultimately means is that we’re still a few months out from you, my awesome readers, being able to see it, but it’s closer!  It’s so much closer.  I’m still shooting for this summer, at some point.  I’ll keep you posted.

However, finishing a book always puts me in a weird mood for a few days, and I thought I’d blog about it. (As one does about such things.)  I actually wanted to do this post when I finished writing The Musicbox Girl, but couldn’t wrap my head around everything that I wanted to say before the feeling just faded away and I kinda lost what I’d wanted to do.  So, you get it now, hopefully while all my thinks are still freshly thunk.

Completing a novel feels great.  Heck, for me, completing a grocery list feels pretty damn life affirming.  Anyone who has ever tried to write anything knows that there is a satisfaction to coming up with a coherent beginning, middle and end, no matter if you’re writing a novel, a short story, or a dirty limerick.  (Love me some dirty limericks)  You have done SOMEthing.

But the part that gets to me, every single time, is this profound sense of loss I feel.  Suddenly, all of the scenes and lines and people that I’ve been living with in my head for months are gone.  You have no idea how long some of the things you read have been percolating in my gray matter (multiple years, in some cases).  And once it’s on paper, once it’s brought to life, it’s just…gone.  I have a giant, novel-shaped hole in my brain. 

Part of me has to wonder if this is what it’ll feel like when kiddo grows up and moves out of the house.  You spend all this time, tending and nurturing something, and then suddenly it has a life of its own, and it doesn’t need you anymore.  Yeah, that’s the way it’s supposed to be, and you’re happy, but for at least a little bit, you’re also suddenly lonely.  There’s a genuine feeling of mourning.

Now, this giant gaping hole won’t last forever.  I think of it like a foot print in wet soil.  Slowly, the water seeps back in and fills up the emptiness.  Already, I can feel my plans and plots for my MBG revision seeping in there.  Soon, the hole in my brain will be taken up with that novel, and once I finish revising that, then another novel will seep its way in.  And another after that, and another, ad infinitum.  (Hopefully)

So the loneliness and loss don’t last very long, especially if I’ve got other projects loudly demanding attention.  But for just a few days, finishing a novel is a bittersweet victory.  So long, Jesse & Axel and the rest of you crazy kooks.  I’ll see you again in a few months.

Unleash the Kraken!

Yeah! You heard me!

Today is release day for A WOLF AT THE DOOR, so if you don't have it in your hot little hands...why not??

If for some reason you CAN'T get your hands on it today (the horror!), you can tricky track right over to Tynga's Reviews to read an exclusive JJD short story, and enter to win one of two copies of Wolf!  The giveaway is open internationally, so you non-U.S. fans, make sure you get your name in!

Also, want to remind everyone that this Saturday, I will be having a signing at the Books-a-Million at Legends (1843 Village West Parkway, Kansas City, KS).  I'll be there from noon to three, I'll sign pretty much anything you want (I have no shame) and after that, we may retire over to Dave & Busters for some refreshments.  I'm not buying, but I would love to hang out.  Hope to see some of you there!

Post Party Carnage

Yesterday was the party for the release of A SHOT IN THE DARK (mostly because my friends need very little excuse to have a party). And as part of the party, we had a snarky T-shirt contest!

The winning T-shirt was this one:



If you can't quite read it, it says "Haikus are easy, but sometimes don't make much sense. Hippopotamus." It came from Cafepress if you desire one of your very own.

And while we had intended to have an adult division and a child division, we wound up with a distinct and unexpected lack of children at this party, so it turned into a second-place prize instead. Through absolutely NO intervention of my own (Hey,I didn't even vote for them) my beloved kiddo and hubby won a team prize for their zombie-themed shirts:



The crown on the entire party, though, was the cookie cake, which seems to have been vandalized by one red-eyed, rather snarky demon:

Release the Kraken!

Or: How a Promo Post Gets Sappy

So, here we are, release week. I had grand plans to do a big post on the actual release day, but between the Real Job(tm) and...well...life, it just didn't happen.

A lot of people have asked me how this release day differed from the first one. Well, more people congratulated me, for one thing. People I've never met, Twitter-folk I only know because they read Devil and loved it. So there was that.

I like to think I was a lot less obsessive about my Amazon rankings this time. Mostly because I've truly proven over the last year that they don't mean a whole lot. Do I like to see those low digits? Sure. I always do a little happy dance in my chair when I can tell that someone bought another one. But it's still just pixels, ghosts in the machine.

A lot of other people had great releases on the same day. Carolyn Crane summed it up pretty nicely over at The League, so I'll just say go check her post out, and just use it like a shopping list. I myself bought HOUNDED and HEXED by Kevin Hearne today (they were out of HAMMERED, the big goobers, so I had to reserve one from the next batch). I also bought MY LIFE AS A WHITE TRASH ZOMBIE, then sat down and devoured it in three hours. (devoured...zombie... get it? Never mind.) Even I, the confessed zombie-phobe, loved it.

For those who just can't get enough of me... (oh come, on that's all of you. There's what, four of you now?)

Over at The Other Side of the Story, I talk about writing description. And at Dark Faerie Tales, Axel gives his view of Kansas City, plus you can win my books! Definitely keep checking back at Dark Faerie Tales and at All Things Urban Fantasy for their Deadly Destinations event all through the month of July. Your favorite UF characters give you tours of their worlds and there are giveaways galore.

I'll be popping up in a few more places around the Interwebz, but I'll link those as they come.

There have also been some great reviews for A SHOT IN THE DARK, but I won't link them all here. (though a part of me wants to go buy each and every one of those reviewers a steak dinner) ((Seriously. I know good steak.))

I just want to thank everyone who went out and bought the books, who read them, who recommended them... I always say that I would have kept writing, even if I'd never been published, but when it comes right down to it, having people read what I write is the true reward. This would be a very lonely endeavor without all of YOU.

Yes, you. You there. No, not you. You. Yes.

Ahem. Anyway.

Still getting trailing feedback in from my betas on Book 3 (which is in DIRE need of a title, so if anyone thinks of one...) but I think I'm pretty settled on what changes I need/want to make. Mostly, my betas are confirming the weaknesses I already saw, bless them, and I think the end project will be a zillion times better. It always is, when my betas get involved.

So, a bit more work, and then I'll have officially completed this contract. People keep asking me, "Will there be more than three JJD novels?" Short answer: Gosh, I hope so. Long answer: Haven't talked to anyone about that yet. Hope so. Really really hope so. Y'all will be the...well, probably fourth or fifth to know, but you know what I mean.

Booooook Fooooooort!!!!

Got my author copies today, and you know what that means!

Book Fort!





Well, okay, this one is vaguely castle-like, but I think my architectural skills have improved since last year, don't you?



And now to catch up with folk.

I finished the first draft of the still-untitled Book 3 a couple of weekends ago, and now it is in the hands of my overworked but much-appreciated betas. And since I've been getting this question a lot, I'm planning a blog post soon on just what a beta is and does.

In the meantime, since I can't revise book 3 until they get back to me no matter how badly I want to, I have pulled Muse out of the pile and I'm going to start rewriting it based on the feedback The Agent gave me oh so many moons ago. I'm still excited about this one, and I think the rewrite is just going to make it that much more awesome.

We're 18 days away from A SHOT IN THE DARK's official release date, and around that time I'll be doing guest blogs at a variety of places. (Provided I sit my butt down tomorrow and write them!) I'll keep you posted on where and when to find me around the interwebz!

And last but never ever least, I want to introduce you to a new blog started by my very own Alpha-Beta, Chie. Visit her over at the Geek Pantry, and learn why it's a good thing she lives several states away from me (or I'd weigh about 800 pounds). She's a phenomenal cook, and has even managed to teach hopeless me a few things that won't poison my family. Go! Learn! Cook! Eat!

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.

Happy Release Day!

Ok, technically it's tomorrow, but a happy early release day to my fellow Leaguer, Anton Strout!

Dead Waters, the fourth book in his Simon Canderous series, hits shelves tomorrow. Go, buy, read, love!



Other recent/upcoming releases to look out for:

Play Dead, the fourth Dog Days novel by John Levitt. I desperately love this series, largely because of the unique way the main character approaches his magic. Wonderful reads, and this most recent installment is available now!



And coming up March 1st, we have Blackout, the sixth book in Rob Thurman's Cal Leandros series. (Yes, I have a series fetish. Sue me.)



March 1st also gives us River Marked, the latest in Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. Dying to read this one.

Happy Release Day!

Happy release day to Jim Butcher (and happy birthday too!) for his short story collection Side Jobs.



Been waiting for this one. All you Dresden fans, you know what I'm talking about. But I can't get my hands on it until this weekend, so no spoilers! Shhh!

Also, happy release day to a write friend of mine, Tim Power, for his middle-grade novel, The Boy Who Howled!



Gonna be grabbing this one for kiddo, I think it's right up her alley.

Think of the Children!!

First of all, yes I know the pictures on this post are broken. No, I don't know why. Hazard of working from the library computer, I'll have to fix it when I get home tonight. Until that time, just go click the links and view(buy) the books in question!

ETA: Ha! Fixed them!

Now, second first of all, I want to announce that thanks to one of my great beta readers (Hi, Chie!), I will be undertaking a project this semester wherein I answer all questions writing-related from an entire class full of high school English students.

Chie’s secret super-hero identity is a high school English teacher. And this semester, she’s having her kids submit questions for me to answer. I’ll be doing a few every week, spanning the semester, and probably posting the answers every Friday. Check back here for these installments of Kari’s Queries!

And in that vein, I have a few recommendations for some of our very young readers who may just be getting started! Now, while I only write adult novels (at the moment. (no, not THAT kind of adult) ), I think there is nothing so awesome as a kid who likes to read. (I know, I used to be one!) If you’ve got a young reader in your house, there are a couple of new books out this week that they might be interested in:

We have Wildfire Run, by Dee Garretson. Billed as a cross between MacGyver and 24 for the middle-grade crowd. It sounds so awesome!



We also have Nightshade City, which I love just for the name of one of the characters: Billycan . And everything else about it is awesome too! Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, says: "Fans of Redwall and the Warriors series will love this heroic tale of good versus evil in a subterranean society of rats."



(In the interest of full disclosure, both authors are friends of mine, but that doesn’t mean I’m biased or anything! Their books really are that awesome!)

And speaking of awesome books, here’s a couple for the BIG kids too (read: we adults who refuse to grow up):

Today marks the release of Cameron Haley’s debut, Mob Rules! And if Amazon doesn’t deliver my copy tomorrow, I’m gonna have to cut somebody, I swear. Been looking forward to this one for a while. Also, check out Cameron’s blog for a contest!



And we also have Harry Connolly’s second book in his Twenty Palaces series, Game of Cages! (The first book was Child of Fire, also a highly recommended read, and also one I’m waiting on Amazon to deliver to me, the big goobers)



I love nothing more than a jam-packed release day, don’t you?

And in my own life (the Cliff’s Notes form), I have finished my self-imposed writing vacation as of today, and for the month of September I will be working on the outline for Book 3. Really looking forward to it, and I’ve already come up with some really great elements that I think folks are gonna love.

The Agent emailed last night to say he’s reading Book 2 and loving it, so that makes me a bit giddy-happy today too!

I’m still toying with the idea of doing NaNo this year, and like last year, I probably won’t decide yes or no until November 1st. It’s honestly going to depend on what my edits for Book 2 are shaping up like. I will say that I DO have an idea for a NaNo novel, including soundtrack and appropriate research materials. Regardless of whether I do it for NaNo, I’ll probably write this one anyway. The characters have taken up residence in my head already, and writing it is the only way to evict them.

I also want to give a shout of thanks to all those who have read A DEVIL IN THE DETAILS and put reviews up on Goodreads and Amazon. I know that I look at those reviews when I’m debating on picking up a new author, and anything that brings in a new reader is a good thing!

Devil has been out for roughly two months now (and it still feels so surreal to see my book on a shelf!) and if you haven’t read it yet…why not?? No, really, I get it, times are tough and not everybody has the cash to splurge on books. So, with that in mind, have you thought about your local library? Libraries are some of my favorite places, and librarians are some of my favorite people. (Though, between you and me, I’m always vaguely disappointed that no one ever really bursts into song like in The Music Man). So if you have a huge wish list of books, and just can’t afford to buy them ALL, check out your library. They’ll be happy to see you, too.

Happy Release Day! Again!

And not only for me! (though really, that's the part I'm stoked about)

Stacia Kane's Unholy Magic came out today too, and believe you me that I have my hot little hands on my copy already. (I'm on Team Terrible, if anybody wants to know)

We also have Shiloh Walker's The Missing. I haven't read it yet, but the blurb intrigues me greatly.

And then we have me. I mean sure, the book hit shelves a week ago, but this is still my RELEASE DAY! My very first one. It's a little bit amazing. I even got my first fan letter this morning!

I keep popping up all over the net. Are you sick of me yet? Today, I talk character creation over at The Other Side of the Story.

If you happen to live in Toronto, you might see this display at the World's Biggest Bookstore.



That's an interview with me you see posted there with the books, but if you're NOT in Toronto, you should be able to read it online soon. I'll keep you posted.

And if you are in the Kansas City area, remember that Kasey MacKenzie and I will be signing books this Saturday at the Shoppes at Boardwalk Borders at 4:00 p.m.

They're everywhere, they're everywhere!

Run for the hills!

Ok, first off, tomorrow (Thursday, July 1st) is the LAST day to enter my contest! Remember, you can get a sampler of seven different upcoming Ace/Roc releases, several of them MONTHS before the books hit shelves. Enter! Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

Also! Please remember the signing that will take place on July 10th! Details are in this post, and Kasey and I would love to see folks there.

And now! More wild book sightings from all over the country!

From Columbia, Missouri!


From Amherst, NY!


From Manhattan, NY!


And from Pasadena, CA!


Thanks to everyone who has tracked down these pics for me, you guys are all amazing! I hope you're all enjoying the book, too!

Books in the Wild!

Yes, it's not due out for another week, technically, but does it surprise anyone that my book has escaped custody early? I mean, really?

Kiddo, modeling the latest in UF fashion:


And a bigger display, with friends!


And speaking of friends, happy release day to Kasey MacKenzie and RED HOT FURY!

News and Stuffs!

First off, I have another review here at Buddy Hollywood by the lovely (and if I may say so myself, very talented) Alice Loweecy!

Second off (why does no one ever SAY this? I mean, if we have a first off, there should be a second off, yes?), I will be posting a schedule of where to find me around the web, starting soon! There will be interviews, philosophical musings, and maybe some giveaways. Stay tuned!

Third, my friend Kasey MacKenzie's book, Red Hot Fury, releases NEXT TUESDAY! But, a few lucky folks have found it already lurking on bookstore shelves, so keep an eye out.

Fourth: If you have not read Rob Thurman's Chimera, I'm not sure we can be friends anymore.



This is an amazing new book, more Sci-Fi than UF (not to be confused with SyFy which is both sad and lame, the exact OPPOSITE of this book). Even if you've never read her books before (she's the author of the equally awesome Cal Leandros series) you should definitely check this one out.

28 Days, 4 Weeks, 2 Fortnights

However you want to measure it, the countdown is on! We’re officially at the “under a month” mark until the release of A DEVIL IN THE DETAILS!

I’m excited, I’m nervous, I’m petrified. I want to be writing books for the rest of my life, and it all starts with this first one. In the immortal words of Fezzik: “Inigo? I hope we win.”



Sometimes, the enormity of it is a bit overwhelming. I think my hubby said it best when he looked at me one day and said “When you actually get what you’ve been dreaming of, what do you dream of next?”

So, what do I dream of now? Well, good sales, of course. That one’s a given. Good reviews. I’ve got a good start there so far. Bestseller status? Yeah, that’d be sweet, though highly unlikely for a debut. But eventually, sure! Gimme!

Rowling-like levels of wealth? Who wouldn’t want that? But in reality, I just want to be able to support my family on my writing. The Real Job™ is in an industry where things change on a daily basis, and I never kid myself into thinking that this job will be around forever. I’d rest easier if I knew I had a solid income to fall back on.

Like everybody else, I’m just a person. I have a kiddo I want to put through college someday. I have a house payment. I have two aging vehicles that will need replacing at some point in the future, and the normal day-to-day maintenance of being a homeowner.

I try to keep my dreams on a realistic level. Having enough, rather than having it all. Shooting for the stars, so to speak, always seemed a bit greedy.

But sometimes, just sometimes, when no one else is looking, I dream big.

So yeah. I hope we win, Inigo.

Happy Release Day!

I present to you Stacia Kane's new Downside Ghosts series, starting with the May 25th release of Unholy Ghosts!



I have been SO excited, waiting for this series to come out, and not just because Stacia is my agent-mate. And NOT just because the second book in the series, Unholy Magic, releases on the same day as another little book you might have heard of. (wink wink, nudge nudge)

Unholy Magic releases on July 6th, and City of Ghosts on July 27th.


Now, this isn't a light and fluffy fun read, folk. This is urban fantasy at its darkest and grittiest and I for one can't wait to dive into it.

Go! Buy! Read! Love!

This author thing is hard!

Here we are folks! Two (count ‘em, TWO. Uno, dos.) months away from the release of A Devil in the Details!



I’ve hit that point where I should be banned from the internet. “Oh god, she has a better Amazon ranking than I do!” “How come he’s getting so many reviews?” “They hate me…they really hate me…” “ Google alerts is just teh ebul, ‘cause it just proves that NO one is talking about me!” Insert some wailing and flailing here, too.

I’m a hazard to myself and others.

See, running around promoting myself goes against some intrinsic part of my nature. It was drilled into me from a very young age, you do NOT brag on yourself. You are modest. You do not seek out compliments, and if they are offered, you gracefully accept and direct attention away from yourself.

Do you know how hard it is for me to run up to people and say “Hey, I wrote this book, lemme pimp it to you!”? And yet, that’s kinda what I need to do. I need to be able to approach people I don’t know and say “Hey, can I do a bit of promoting on your blog/in your bookstore/at your local garage sale?” Ok, maybe not the last one, but you get the idea.

It just feels so…wrong to me, even though I know it’s not, and it’s a customary (necessary) part of being an author.

Luckily, I have some truly awesome writing friends. (Stacia Kane, Jill Myles, Kelly Meding, to name a very, very few. Seriously people, go read their books. I’ll wait.) They talk me down, they tie the pretty white coat tight, they put me in a nice padded room, and if I’m good, there’s pudding on Sundays!

Over the next few months, I’ll be guest blogging in various places, most of which are still being arranged. So expect to see me popping up in strange places, rather like the BK King (and is that dude scary or what???).

Some of it will be my rambling thoughts on writing, some of it will be interviews, and there MAY just be a very interesting interview with one Jesse James Dawson, samurai demon-slayer extraordinaire.

Right now, one that I have scheduled for sure will be on my release day (July 6th! Yes, I DO have that tattooed on my butt, why do you ask?), at the blog of an amazingly lovely writer, Janice Hardy . Don’t wait for my post to be up there, though, go over there and explore right now! There’s neat stuff there. It’s shiny.

I’ll try to keep you posted as to where I might be appearing, and reminders when the dates of said appearances are looming large.

And for the more mundane process of simply updating my status: Book 2 is with betas, and feedback is trickling in. Most of them are very enthusiastic, but are still finding places where I can tweak, and that makes me happy! Muse is with The Agent, hopefully I’ll hear something back on that within the month. And to keep my hands busy (‘cause idle hands are…idle), I’m working on finishing up the first draft of last year’s NaNo novel. I like it, I think it has great potential. I have about 2 1/3 chapters left to go on that one, and then I might wing it out to betas too, just for shiggles.

Happy Release Day!

Happy Release Day to my friend Jill Myles and her debut Gentlemen Prefer Succubi!

Random Thoughts

Again, my absence is loud and long. This time, I blame the nasty cold that kiddo and I have been passing back and forth for over a week. If anyone knows a place where it never becomes winter, and there are no earthquakes, volcanoes, or hurricanes, I'd like to know please.

In Nano news: I passed 40K way ahead of schedule. Hoping to pass 50K just as easily, and then I'm gonna just keep going to try and finish the book entirely. (first drafts usually clock in around 60K) I still have two chapters in my outline that say "insert plot here" but I talked with Gita some last night and I think maybe we've sketched out a road to take.

In book news: My revisions for A Devil in the Details are done and accepted! Next step is getting blurbs from authors to put on the cover. That's probably going to wait until after the holidays.

In other news: I'm not even going to say that I'm going to blog more regularly, 'cause I never do. However, if anyone has anything they'd like me to talk about, please let me know. (see, this is a test to see if anyone's actually reading this) You can ask me about writing, publishing, zombies, and my real life. I warn you, I fully plan to lie about the real life stuff. ;)

And, upcoming book releases:

Kelly Meding's debut novel hits shelves this week! Pick up Three Days to Dead if you know what's good for you!

Jim Butcher's First Lord's Fury also comes out on Tuesday. You wanna see a brawl, watch hubby and I try to figure out who gets to read it first.