What Would Your Echo Be?

In THE BODY FINDER and its sequel, DESIRES OF THE DEAD, 16-year-old Violet Ambrose is drawn to the dead by sensory imprints that attach to them when they are killed. Yes, they must come to an untimely death to be left with one of these “echoes.” And the thing about the echoes is that they’re completely and totally random. They have nothing to do with how the person lived…or even how they died.

It can be a sound (bells, music, the sound of glass breaking)

A taste (garlic, briny salt water, caramel)

A physical sensation (brain freeze, the sensation of feathers brushing over her skin)

Or a visual echo (a glow or a burst of colors)

I was asked at the launch party for DESIRES OF THE DEAD this past weekend, if I had an echo, what would it be?

Even knowing the rules (that it has nothing to do with the individual themselves), I was still convinced that my echo would be something chocolate related. I mean, honestly, how could it not be?

So I’m asking you, if you could choose your echo, what would it be???

Be creative and let’s have some fun with this one! Leave your responses here, and tomorrow I’ll choose one random winner to receive a signed copy of my new book, DESIRES OF THE DEAD.

I’m excited! Are you excited???

EDITED TO ADD THAT THE WINNER IS: cheesecake.thief59

CONGRATS!!!!

Our interesting time

Winner of giveaway - Obsidiantears83!!!

Thanks for commenting, everyone. Was truly interesting to see how many folks are still in love with the paper :)

Ever heard the Chinese curse 'May You Live In Interesting Times'?

There's no doubting that for those of us involved in publishing and bookselling, this is very much interesting times. Worldwide, the news that Borders in the US filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy was met with a gasp. This was followed, in Australia, by the news that REDGroup, which own our Borders stores as well as our oldest booksellers Angus and Robertson in Aus and Whitcoulls in NZ had gone into voluntary administration.

Here in Australia, that's put a quarter of our bookstores at risk.

There's so many reasons for this and despite some people's best efforts, the finger can't be pointed at one culprit (It's not JUST the internet's fault, folks). But in the end, one thing is clear - publishing and bookselling is changing. Trying to cling to the old ways, keep things as they were is about as futile as poor old King Cnut trying to hold back the tide.

The big problem of course is that no one quite knows what the final face of publishing and bookselling is going to look like. What will happen to print books? What will happen to major publishing houses? How will everyone involved make their money in the future?

Scary, and yet at the same time thrilling. For us authors - the one's providing the stories that the readers want and need - it's kinda like being the first engineer a new planet with your visor stuck down. You know that once you figure out how to open the visor, you're going to see an alien landscape of beauty, terror and incredible opportunities.

So here's hoping that we have pioneers with vision, workers with guts and that at the end of it all, we authors can still share our stories and you readers can still find and enjoy them.

I've got a copy of Power Unbound (book two in the Dream of Asarlai trilogy) to give away. Just tell me what you prefer right now - paper or electronic books or maybe both? Will draw winner February 28.

Would you like some cheese with that ham?

Confession time: Even though I was a high school drama geek (with a fantastic drama teacher!), it's a very good thing that I never ended up on the stage.

Why? Because no scenery would be safe. People would be able to hear the OM NOM NOM from outside the theater, and the sets would bear toothmarks from my constant chewing.

In short, I am a total ham.

Someone ordered a LARGE HAM?

This hasn't changed as I've gotten older. I love making people laugh, I overly dramatize trivial events (the resident organist will back me up on this; he's had to suffer through announcements of "BEHOLD! I'm doing LAUNDRY!!!" more than once), and when I venture into role-playing games, I'm usually the one breaking out the amateur theatrics (just so long as they don't interfere with going all stabby on the monsters).

What I didn't realize was that this could be a side benefit to being an author.

For example, I've just now come home from attending Boskone, a Boston-based science fiction convention. Among other wonderful parts of the con (including some entertaining discussions, more questions about teeth than I ever thought could be posed in a non-dentally-oriented panel, and impromptu Grail theorizing), I had the privilege of reading aloud from one of my short stories.

I picked a story that's coming out this year, and I hammed it up. Big time. And it was a blast.

I've heard that authors are the worst people to read their work. I don't know if I agree -- I'm obviously biased on this count -- but I do know that I love reading it aloud. Hell, it's sometimes the only way I can approach old work; I might cringe at the lumpy prose if I'm just reading it on my own, but if it's part of a performance, then I really enjoy turning it into something new. Some of this is just my inherent hamminess coming through. But it's also a way for me to emphasize how these characters sound in my head, to communicate how strongly I hear their voices and translate some of that more directly.

Of course, the same tone doesn't work
for everything.  THIS SUMMER,
THE LIGHTS GO OUT.
GOOD. NIGHT. MOON.

Reading one's own work aloud in draft form is an excellent way to see whether your prose holds together. But it's also a great way to start hearing the side characters, or to get a feeling for the pacing and tension of a scene. There's a reason I love to read from the tower scene in Wild Hunt or the masked gathering in Soul Hunt, and not just because they end with great cliffhanger moments. It's almost to the point where I'm hoping one particular short story will sell just so I'll have an excuse to read it aloud in all the different voices.

And, of course, this translates into reading other work aloud as well. (Seriously, if you can read Hippos Go Berserk without hamming it up, something's gone wonky.)

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go announce that the blog post is DONE! and strike a dramatic pose. (It's Sunday after a long and exhausting con. I think I'm allowed a dramatic pose or two.)

What happens when writers can’t sleep

By Merrie Destefano

CONTEST WINNERS!
Congratulations to Kelly M. and Renee C. You both win a signed cover flat from Feast! I will be e-mailing you with details. And thanks to everyone who commented!

ORIGINAL POST:
Like most writers, I tend to over think things. Way too much. For the past several years, one of the things that has fascinated/terrified me is the whole process of falling asleep. I’ve analyzed and studied it to the point that sometimes I can’t go to sleep. (Insert silent scream here.) I will lay awake, trying to capture that moment when my waking self dissolves into my dreaming self, but it’s like trying to catch smoke in a bottle. And, as I already mentioned, one of the brutal side effects of all this is the fact that now I have trouble sleeping.


So what happens when a writer over thinks things? Especially if that writer can’t sleep?

She starts working on story ideas. About creatures who never sleep. Creatures who slip in your window in the middle of the night to steal your dreams.


I mean, haven’t you ever wondered why you can only remember some of your dreams, while others you can’t remember at all?

All of my sleepless angst gave birth to my next book—Feast: Harvest of Dreams—a tale of forbidden love and supernatural intrigue that mixes vampire and fairy lore to create a new paranormal creature. The book contains two interwoven love stories, one with the main character, a fantasy writer named Maddie, that will appeal to adults and one with a 16-year-old half-human/half-paranormal girl, named Elspeth, that will appeal to readers of YA.


You can read the back cover copy for the book HERE.

And, if you’d like to be one of the few people who are going to get a sneak peek at my first chapter, you need to sign up for my newsletter HERE.

My question for all of you blog readers is this: Have you ever had trouble sleeping? What did you do to finally fall asleep? This sleepless writer would LOVE to know your tricks and secrets!

CONTEST:
And I’m going to give away two, signed FEAST cover flats, one to each of two commenters. This contest will run through Saturday, March 5. You can earn points by doing any of the following:

1 point for commenting
5 points for posting a link to this blog post on Facebook
5 points for posting a link to this blog post on Twitter
10 points for mentioning this blog post on your own blog
10 points for signing up for my newsletter

Also, be sure to include your e-mail address in your post and add up your points. And thanks for stopping by Supernatural Underground!

Layers of Men... Or, Men are Like Onions

**UPDATE*** Congrats to Nymfaux for winning a signed cover flat of Ascenion. You can contact me at Sablegrace@ymail.com to claim it!

Happy Wednesday Undergrounders!

Heather half of Sable Grace here with a topic I've been thinking about alot lately as I read through my Rita entries and get to judging. As I look over the covers of the yummy men and read through the pages describing them, I can't help but wonder about the men of Hollywood and who would fit our books!

We all know the men who'd make great cover models out there, and I'm not really going to waste much time on them. Johnny Depp, Matthew McConaughey, Mel Gibs-- wait, that was 15 years ago. Sorry. But what about the men who deserve to be heroes and won't be simply because they don't fit the stereotype?

In my head, I like to think they stick the gorgeous young, buff guy on the cover, then bait and switch with the personalities that are so sexy, it would be unfair to give them to the visually stunning!

So here's my collection of men who you'd find within the pages of any good novel, but will likely never see on a cover:

Liam Neeson - Chiseled, indescribable looks. Plays kick-ss heroes in the movies and you could find him on the page of most best sellers. The problem? He's a little TOO indescribable. A little too rough? I'm not sure I know the answer to this one!

A personal favorite, Ricky Gervais. Like him or hate him, you've read his personality in a book a time or two. If not as the hero than as the wise-cracking sidekick. He's brutally honest ("I like a drink as much as the next man--unless that next man is Mel Gibson"), he's smart, he's got that dry British humor that I adore. But I'm never going to see him on the cover of a novel unless it's his memoirs. Why? Because he's kind of short and kind of chubby. Still, I can't help but crush on him a little.

Colin Firth. Granted, he could very well pose for the cover of a Regency set romance. But on the cover of an Underground author? Not a chance! He's charming, adorable, witty and smart. Definitely hero material. But is he the man you picture kicking ass? Not so much. Will you find him written as the hero, a secret tribute, inside the author's work? Very likely!


Another one who comes to mind (thank you, Laura) is Jake Weber of TV's Medium. He plays Allison's husband, Joe DuBois. Quiet, supportive, nearly perfect husband. I adore his character so much, I've (and a few of my friends have as well) developed a serious crush on Jake. But, he has that sensitive quality about him that will keep him off book covers for a long while, even if he was a little kick ass in Dawn of the Dead!

Am I missing any ohs0sexy men who wouldn't make the cover model cut? Or, riddle me this: Are there any handsome men who might make the covers but you'd never see them written on the pages as a hero?

Comment to win a signed cover flat of Ascension!

What A Guy Wants For Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is such a girly holiday, isn't it? We women want (and expect) some visible token that our special guy is thinking about us: flowers, candy, a card. Doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be expensive, just needs to be there.

Guys, on the other hand, have very low expectations of Valentine's Day (according to my husband, who claims most men's only goal on February 14th is to stay out of trouble by not forgetting it!). Getting lucky is a bonus. :-)

But what to get him? Here's a few inexpensive ideas for the man in your life to share the love on Valentine's Day, or any other day:

Hard worker? How about a Saturday or even just an evening when he can be completely alone – no kids, no yardwork, no dinner dishes, no honey-do list. You take the little darlings to the movies, to your sister’s, to the mall, or anywhere that gets all of you out of the house for a while.

Hobbies? A magazine subscription to Car & Driver, Runners World, Muscle & Fitness, Field & Stream or Sports Illustrated shows you’re paying attention to his interests, even if you don’t share them.

Does he cook? A new saucepan or a sharp set of knives isn’t out of line for the man who fancies himself a gourmet. If his skills are limited to the grill, a new set of outdoor grilling tools is probably well overdue.

A deep thinker? Can’t go wrong with a gift certificate to your neighborhood bookstore, and the promise of an uninterrupted few hours browsing to his heart’s content.

Dad of the Year? A special photograph of the kids – either taken by you or professionally done – nicely framed in a masculine style.

Does he like sweets? Who doesn’t? How about a freshly baked batch of chocolate chip cookies, or a bag of Hershey’s kisses to take to work?

Is he a sports fan? How a hand-written IOU stating that during the next televised game he watches, you promise no interruptions of any kind and his favorite snacks on a tray beside the couch?

Of course, if all else fails – never underestimate the old saying “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. Cook the man something, and after dinner, who knows...  *wink, wink*

What about you?  Help out your fellow Supernatural Undergrounders (a/k/a "Undies") by leaving a suggestion of your own of what to do for a guy for Valentine's Day, and you'll be entered to win a cool assortment of bookmarks, cover flats, an "I Read Books That Go Bump" in the night button, and a randomly chosen book from one of our Supernatural Underground authors!  Three winners will be chosen by this time tomorrow, and announced here.

Good luck, and Happy Valentine's Day!

Jeaniene Frost/Pamela Palmer Book Tour!

Or, Team Bones vs. Team Kougar (and we have the slap bracelets to prove it)

In conjunction with the upcoming release of our latest books: THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost and HUNGER UNTAMED by Pamela Palmer, Jeaniene and I will be signing in Boonsboro, MD, Birmingham, AL, and New Orleans, LA. But even if you're not able to meet us in person, you can see us live (via Avon's Live Streaming from Turn the Page Bookstore) and order signed copies of our books.

The details:

Saturday, February 19th
We'll be in Boonsboro, MD at Turn the Page Bookstore (owned by Nora Roberts' husband), along with Nora herself, Mary Burton, Grace Burrows, Stephanie Dray, and others.

Live Streaming Video Chat 10:30 - 11:15 am EST
Watch us live on your computers via Avon Books' Live Streaming event as we chat about our newest books prior to the signing. Tune in here! (http://www.avonromance.com/romancelive/)



Book Signing 12:00 - 2:00 pm

Turn the Page Bookstore
18 North Main Street
Boonsboro, MD 21713

Jeaniene and I will be signing our February 22nd releases (THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE and HUNGER UNTAMED) three days early! Avon is releasing the books early for this event only.

Note: As part of this virtual author event, you can contact Turn the Page here to order personalized copies of our books, or any of the authors' signing.

If you're planning to attend the Turn the Page signing, details are here. And be sure to read Turn the Page's Signing Rules of Etiquette before you come. Due to the popularity of Nora's signings, they've had to put some rules in place.



Tuesday, February 22, 2011
7:00 - 9:00 pm

Books-A-Million
757 Brookwood Village
Birmingham, Alabama 35209

Jeaniene and I will be celebrating Release Day for THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE and HUNGER UNTAMED, signing books, giving away slap bracelets, probably playing with slap bracelets. Come join us!


Wednesday, February 23, 2011
5:30 - 7:00 pm

Garden District Book Shop 2727 Prytania Street New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

We'll be discussing and signing our books in the lovely Garden District. Click here for details.

Hope to see you!