Gotham City

Soul Trade: Excerpt, Reviews and Giveaway

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 18:28:34 GMT

Today, Soul Trade, the fifth Black London book, is out in the wild. I’m especially proud of this volume of the series, as it serves as the tipping point in the story, when things for Pete and Jack start to get really bad, really fast. Book 6, Dark Days, is coming out in April and marks the end of this story arc, so Soul Trade, as the penultimate volume, as a lot riding on it.

And not to be biased, but I think I pulled it off! There are zombies, creepy villages, monsters straight out of Purgatory, some familiar faces and some new threats. It was a ton of fun to write, so I hope you guys have a great time reading it.

Here’s the back cover copy:

The crow-mage Jack Winter returns —to crash a secret gathering of ghost hunters, soul stealers, and other uninvited guests, both dead and alive…

It all begins with an invitation. Five pale figures surround Pete in the cemetery to “cordially” invite her to a gathering of the Prometheus Club. Pete’s never heard of them, but Jack has—and he’s not thrilled about it. Especially the part that says, “Attend or die.” The Prometheans wouldn’t come to London unless something big’s about to go down. So Pete and Jack decide to play it safe and make nice with the club—even if that means facing down an army of demons in the process. But now that they’ve joined the group, they’re about to discover that membership comes at a cost…and has apocalyptic consequences.

Heroes & Heartbreakers has a 2-chapter excerpt posted (requires registration.)

I’ll put just a snippet here to whet your appetite. This excerpt contains minor spoilers for the first four Black London novels.

Pete Caldecott sat on a tombstone, watching fog curl soft fingers against the graveyard earth and waiting for Mickey Martin’s ghost to appear.

Mickey Martin hadn’t always been a ghost, and before a hail of constable’s bullets had snuffed out his life in the winter of 1844, he’d managed to slit the throats of thirteen women.

Murderers weren’t supposed to be buried on consecrated ground, but with a bribe to the right vicar, Mickey Martin’s admirers made sure he got a proper burial. Even razor-wielding serial killers had their fans.

Mickey Martin professed to be a man of God, ridding the earth of wickedness, and in the poverty-stricken world of Victorian London, a bloke who went about slashing prostitutes and charwomen was looked on not as a monster, but as an avenging angel, cleaning the mud-choked streets of the East End of their filth.

Pete wasn’t usually the one who sat in chilly graveyards, waiting for the dead. Usually, that was Jack’s job. But Jack, the one who could see the dead with his second sight, the one who had all the talent when it came to disposing of the unnatural that crawled under cover of night in London, wanted nothing to do with the Mickey Martin business. Or, if Pete was honest, with much of anything lately.

She could have put her foot down, demanded that Jack be the one to take this on, but that would bring on a row, and she’d had her fill of those for this lifetime and possibly the next. Sitting alone in a graveyard at nearly midnight didn’t bother her overmuch. It wasn’t like she’d be getting any sleep at home, between Lily’s erratic schedule and Jack’s ever-present foul mood.

Still, she wished she could chuck it in and go home, sit down in front of the telly with Lily and Jack, and pretend just for the span of a program or two that they were a regular sort of family. The sort where Mum and Dad occasionally got along, and neither of them had any special connection to the ghosts and magic that wound around the city as surely as the river and the rail lines.

Jack had said this job wasn’t worth their time when it had come in, but he said that about every routine exorcism. They weren’t flashy, but they usually paid, the victims too terrified to even consider stiffing the person who had made the big bad ghost go poof. And something had to put food on Pete and Jack’s table, to pay for Lily’s nappies and the expenses involved with living in London, which were considerable. If that was boring, shopworn exorcisms, so be it.

It wasn’t as if this particular ghost job had come from a disreputable source. PC Brandi Wolcott was a member of Pete’s old squad when she’d been on the Met, smart and hardworking, ambitious and driven. And now terrified, after a routine call had turned into a brush with Mickey Martin.

Pete had a reputation with such matters, whether she liked it or not. Everyone at her old squad in Camden knew she’d quit to go chase spooks and vapors. Or at least those were the rumors. The truth was a little more complicated. But trying to explain to coppers like PC Wolcott that if they just cared to look, from the corner of their eye, a part of London would reveal itself—a part made of magic and shadows, harboring creatures like Mickey Martin and far, far worse—would end with leather straps and lithium, and that wouldn’t help anyone.

Here’s a few more Soul Trade-related goodies:

Under the Covers book blog has an interview and giveaway posted

Soul Trade has garnered a few nice reviews: Fresh Fiction, Under the Covers, Night Owl Reviews

As always, you can find Soul Trade pretty much anywhere book-like objects are sold, as well as online via Powells, Amazon, B&N, IndieBound or Book Depository, for international readers. Soul Trade (and the rest of the Black London series) are also available as e-books for most mainstream e-readers.

That about covers it! See you for more shameless self-promotion next time I have a book out.

(Icarus Project, Book 1) Black and White

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:13:05 GMT

Black and White (Icarus Project, Book 1)

(Mass Market Paperback)

Product Details

Pub. Date: June 2009

Publisher: Random House Publishing

Format: Paperback, 464pp

Series: Icarus Project, Book 1

ISBN-13: 9780553386318

ISBN: 055338631X

Synopsis

It’s the ultimate battle of good versus good.

They were best friends at an elite academy for superheroes in training, but now Callie Bradford, code name Iridium, and Joannie Greene, code name Jet, are mortal enemies. Jet is a by-the-book hero, using her Shadow power to protect the citizens of New Chicago. Iridium, with her mastery of light, runs the cityâ€™s underworld. For the past five years the two have played an elaborate, and frustrating, game of cat and mouse.

But now playtimeâ€™s over. Separately Jet and Iridium uncover clues that point to a looming evil, one that is entwined within the Academy. As Jet works with Bruce Hunterâ€”a normal man with an extraordinary ability to make her weak in the kneesâ€”she becomes convinced that Iridium is involved in a scheme that will level the power structure of America itself. And Iridium, teaming with the mysterious vigilante called Taser, uncovers an insidious plot thatâ€™s been a decade in the makingâ€¦a plot in which Jet is key.

Theyâ€™re both right. And theyâ€™re both wrong. Because nothing is as simple as Black and White.

Publishers Weekly

In this complex tale, Kessler (the Hell on Earth series) and Kittredge (the Nocturne City novels) create a dark world where the narrow line between hero and vigilante is defined by corporate interests. When tragedy strikes during their third year at a young superheroes’ academy, best friends Jet and Iridium begin to grow apart, seeing their heroic world in different, and irreconcilable, ways. Shadow-wielding Jet becomes the Hero of New Chicago, where light-powered Iridium is seen as a rabid vigilante, and they find themselves archenemies. Both characters are intriguingly flawed: Jet suffers from insecurity, while Iridium’s arrogance repeatedly gets her into trouble. When an investigative reporter disappears, Jet suspects Iridium’s involvement, but the truth is far more complicated, keeping readers guessing whether the finale will be a reconciliation or a spectacular showdown. Jet and Iridium’s multifaceted relationship will appeal to all who have come to want more from their superheroes than good vs. evil and mindless battles. (July)

Paperback

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(Icarus Project, Book 2) Shades of Gray

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:13:01 GMT

Shades of Gray (Icarus Project, Book 2)

(Paperback)

Product Details

Pub. Date: June 2010

Publisher: Random House Publishing

Format: Paperback, 432pp

Series: Icarus Project, Book 2

ISBN-13: 978-0553386325

ISBN: 055338631X

Synopsis

AFTER THE FALL OF NIGHT

Jet and Iridiumâ€”best friends turned bitter enemiesâ€”teamed up to foil the evil plans of the rogue superhero known as Night, but in defeating him they inadvertently destroyed the secret Corp-Co transmitter whose frequency kept the metapowered heroes of the Squadron in line. Now these heroes have turned against New Chicago, ransacking the city they once protected.

Even worse, the powerful antisuperhero group known as Everyman has taken advantage of the chaos to fan the flames of prejudice against all superpowered men and women. Just when New Chicago needs them most, Jet and the small band of heroes who have remained on the right side of the law find themselves the targets of suspicion and outright hatred.

Things arenâ€™t going much better for Iridium. When she springs her father, a notorious supervillain, from prison to help her fight the marauding ex-superheroes, she finds that Corp-Co still has some nasty tricks up its sleeve.

But when the most dangerous man alive, the sociopath known as Doctor Hypnotic, suddenly surfaces, Jet and Iridium will once again be called upon to set aside their differences. Yet in the process, deeply buried secrets will come to light that will change everything the former best friends think they know about each other and themselves.

Publishers Weekly

Paperback

Indiebound

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Amazon

macmillan

ebook

macmillan

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Amazon

(Black London Series #1) Street Magic

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:12:32 GMT

Street Magic (Black London Series #1)

(Mass Market Paperback)

Product Details

Pub. Date: June 2009

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 352pp

Series: Black London Series, #1

ISBN-13: 978-0312943615

ISBN: 031294361X

Synopsis

The first in the Black London series, this dark tale takes Kittredge’s supernatural shadows to the next level. At 16, Pete Caldecott witnessed the apparent death of punk rocker Jack Winter after he raised an ancient spirit. Twelve years later, Det. Insp. Caldecott has followed in her dead father’s footsteps at Scotland Yard. She follows a tip about a missing child and finds Jack, now a heroin junkie claiming intimate knowledge of a parallel realm called the Black. As Jack detoxes and more children disappear, he joins Pete’s quest to find them, teaching her to use hexes and spells as well as her physical abilities in the fight against a rising dark power. Kittredge (the Nocturne City series) knows how to create a believable world, and her fans will enjoy the mix of magic and city grit. (June)

Copyright Â© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Praise for STREET MAGIC:

â€œThe first in the Black London series, this dark tale takes supernatural shadows to the next levelâ€¦Kittredge knows how to create a believable world, and her fans will enjoy the mix of magic and city grit.â€Â –Publishers Weekly

“Sensual and empowering, STREET MAGIC is an urban fantasy keeper of a tale.Â Magic, mayhem, the action never stops, I engulfed every single word and can’t wait to go back for more.” –Romance Junkies

“Atmospheric and filled with a gritty realism…the novel crackles with conflict and perilous magic.Â For those who love their urban fantasy hypnotically treacherous, this book’s for you!” (4 1/2 stars) –Romantic Times BOOKreviews

“Kittredge introduces readers to the dark side of life and magic in a well-formed fictional world with characters that you canâ€™t help but like.Â Â STREET MAGICÂ jumps right in to non-stop supernatural action, taking urban fantasy fans on a wild and bumpy ride.Â Iâ€™ll be looking forward to seeing where Pete and Jack lead us next.” –Darque Reviews

Praise for the Nocturne City series:

â€œKittredge is a winner!â€â€”Jim Butcher

â€œFast-paced, sexy and witty with many more interesting characters than I have time to mention.â€ –Fresh Fiction

â€œDark and cutting edge.â€ â€”Romantic Times

â€œSmart, gutsy.â€â€”Karen Chance

â€œHot, hip, and fast-paced.â€â€”Lilith Saintcrow

Paperback

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kindle

(Black London Series #2) Demon Bound

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:12:27 GMT

Demon Bound (Black London Series #2)(Mass Market Paperback)

Product Details

Pub. Date: December 2009

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 346pp

Series: Black London Series, #2

ISBN-13: 9780312943639

ISBN: 0312943636

Synopsis

Jack Winterâ€™s deadly past has come back to haunt him…and his only hope lies in the shadows of Black London, the supernatural underworld teeming with dark magic and fey glamour.

Thirteen years ago, Jack Winter lay dying in a graveyard. Jack called upon a demon and traded his soul for his lifeâ€¦and now the demon is back to collect its due. But Jack has finally found something to live for. Her name is Pete Caldecottâ€”and because of her, Jackâ€™s not going to Hell without a fight.

DEMON BOUND

Pete doesn’t know about Jackâ€™s bargain, but she does know that something bigger and far more dangerous than Jackâ€™s demon is growing in the Black. Old gods are stirring and spirits are risingâ€”and Jack doesnâ€™t stand a chance of stopping them without Peteâ€™s helpâ€¦

Praise for STREET MAGIC:

Praise for the Black London series:

â€œThis dark tale takes supernatural shadows to the next level.â€ â€”Publishers Weekly

â€œCrackles with conflict and perilous magic…For those who love their urban fantasy hypnotically treacherous, this bookâ€™s for you!â€ â€”Romantic Times BOOKreviews

Paperback

ebook

kindle

(Black London Series #3) Bone Gods

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:12:06 GMT

Bone Gods (Black London Series #3)(Mass Market Paperback)

Product Details

Pub. Date: November 2010

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Series: Black London Series, #3

ISBN-13: 978-0312388201

ISBN: 0312388209

Synopsis

Pete Caldecott is trying to survive in Black London without Jack Winter, her teacher and closest friend.Â After Jack was turned into a demon, he went to live far out of reach…in hell.Â But for Pete, surviving is no easy matter.Â The Black is rife with turf wars between mages and necromancers, the witch-hunting Order of the Malleus has resurfaced, and the gods themselves seem to be at each other’s throats.Â Then Jack reappears, as the head ofÂ hell’s army, and Pete has to choose between Jack, and her duties as a Weir–which demand she kill him to save the world from certain destruction…

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The Great 10k-a-Day Experiment

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

I know a lot of my readers are also writers, and so I wanted to post about my attempts to use Rachel Aaron’s 10k-A-Day System to finish the first draft of Dark Days, the 6th Black London novel.

First, I need to back up a little bit and set the stage: I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Primarily Inattentive) back in May. What that long string of large words means, in a nutshell, is that I’ve gone almost 28 years of life with untreated ADD (which, yes, is a real disorder and no, you don’t have to be diagnosed as a kid.) I’ve been on medication since then, and while on the one hand I can now focus on a manuscript for longer than ten minutes without getting a splitting headache and the compulsive need to go check the internet, I also realized my diagnosis came with a lot of fallout. The realization that I’d spent years thinking that, basically, I was just lazy and distracted and that I’ve been beating up on myself since probably my senior year of high school for being a screw-up when it was really this other thing was pretty jarring.

This isn’t to excuse or whine about my chronic lateness with manuscripts (though if any of my editors want to give me a retroactive pass, that’d be nice…). It’s all to explain how I ended up with only 30,000 words written of a manuscript that needed to be 70, and 10 days until a delivery date that had already been pushed three times.

At that point, I thought Hey, the worst that happens is I don’t write anything, and I’m already doing that.

I read Ms. Aaron’s blog post a couple of times, and figured out what would and wouldn’t work for me. She says to keep distractions to a minimum, including the internet and TV, which I chose not to cut off. Instead, I set a per-hour word goal that would let me write a large amount each day, and if I finished early, I got to mess around until the next hour ticked over.

What I found hugely helpful in her system was to write out detailed notes on what you plan to write each day. I’m a kind of hybrid plotter/pantser in my most natural state, in that I write rough outlines of beats, major plot points or scenes and generally know how the book starts and ends, but there are great gooey swaths of nebulousness in between. These frequently lead to moments where I feel like I’m trapped in the quicksand pit out of The Neverending Story, flailing around with nothing to show for it.

Yeah, like that.

I charted my progress, like Ms. Aaron suggests, using fields for starting/ending wordcount and words written. I also added fields for the time I started and ended, and notes on what I was doing (listening to music, watching TV) and how I was feeling that day to see if I could correlate between taking meds at different times and productivity. My goal was to beat my best day ever writing, which is 8,600 words. I figured getting to the actual 10k per day mark wouldn’t happen for me, and I was right.

Over about two weeks, here’s how it went:

Day 1: 4049 words. This was the day I made a bunch of notes on the rest of the book and not only figured out a gnarly plot issue in the last third but smoothed out a bunch of transitions in the middle. Felt pretty smug, which lasted approximately until:

Day 2: 4203 words. I remember this day being absolutely vile in a number of non-writing related ways. Even though I upped my count I didn’t feel like I accomplished anything.

Day 3: 4729 words. Even though these counts look like a lot, they’re still just bare minimum to meet my deadline. I went back to an old habit of mine: writing at night. I napped and then stayed up until about 3:30 am finishing these words. It was hard getting started but once I got going things flowed pretty well, and I even managed to write some while my roommate and I were hanging out after supper with our laptops.

Day 4: 6116 words. I’d started to notice that taking my meds and eating real food before I attempted to write helped a lot. Who knew that brains need nutrition to work right? I was super distracted today, according to my notes, but I still managed to knock out an impressive day by any standards.

Day 5: 3357 words. Annnd…crash. My notes indicate that I had a ton of time-sensitive Life Stuff going on today, and I remember that I had to do some chore that involved lifting a bunch of heavy objects and that by the time I could write, I was exhausted. By now I’m routinely staying up until 3 or 4 am and sleeping way, way in, a habit I thought I’d successfully broken. I have mixed feelings about what I’m having to do to keep up this schedule, but the deadline isn’t moving any more.

Day 6: 3084 words. I had to get up really early for an appointment, which turned out to be on a different day. Whomp-whomp. I’m so tired by now that even trying to write after I drag myself home sends me into a snarling panic. I decide rather than berate myself for being a useless word-slacker, I’m just going to try again later, when I’ve recovered.

Day 7: 2920 words. This day got eaten by errands. Generally, after a week, I like that this system really makes you get in there and write, and I like the ease of knowing what comes next so I don’t have to break my rhythm. If I wasn’t approaching Fight Club-esque sleep deprivation, I’d probably actually be thrilled with my progress.

Day 8: 617 words. I woke up at 5:30 am with a bat flying around my room, so between me freaking out, the bat freaking out, me shooing it out a window and then staying up to make sure it didn’t find its way back in (they come in through the attic and sometimes make their way down our hollow walls into the living spaces) I was not a happy camper. I’m fairly sure I wrote for less than 30 minutes today before I said a mental “Fuck it” and went to bed.

Day 9: No writing. I can tell I’m close to burnout, which leads to a complete, paralyzing inability to write anything, never mind a book that’s due in like, three days. I decide a mental health day is probably needed, and since the Aaron system doesn’t tout that “write every day OR ELSE” bullshit, off I go.

Day 10: 8352 words. My note from the start of the day’s session says, “Definitely courting burnout. Calculated I wrote an average of 5,000 words a day for the last 9 days. Not sure if this is sustainable.” (Remember that, I’ll come back to it in a second.) By the end of the day, I’d finished the damn book. And not half-assed it, either–written a real ending, reached my mandated 70k wordcount, and turned the thing in to my editor.

Conclusions:

I think Rachel Aaron has some great ideas about productivity, namely that the thing standing in your way is usually a lack of preparedness or a belief that writing is some sort of terrifying, insurmountable activity and to start is impossible. I think her system is great for two things: Starting, or just diving in and writing a manuscript or Finishing, racing along on some kind of Oh-Shit deadline that must be met.

Do I think it’s sustainable over an entire novel draft? For me, no. If I’d added another 10 days of this to write the half of the MS I’d already drafted, I would have gone insane. Writing that many words per day pushed me back into some bad, unhealthy habits I’d worked hard to break, but on the flip side it also did away with a lot of the guilt and shame narratives that I slip into when I feel like I’m failing at a complex task like writing a book. Obviously, I could write a lot in a day–I could look back at my progress and see that. So if I slipped up, there had to be other factors. Some I could mitigate (like distractions) and some I couldn’t, like bats flying into my room at 5 in the morning. I gained much more of a “crap happens, dust yourself off and try again tomorrow” attitude toward not making my wordcount.

Sadly, I don’t think the system is going to work for me as a regular thing. It would be awesome to knock out a book in 10 days, but I don’t think the tolls on my creative drive are worth it in the long run. I burnt myself out badly once before, to the point where looking back I probably should have checked myself in at the psych ward rather than spent a week locked in my office without showering, sobbing uncontrollably as I did the math over and over again and realized there was no way to turn the book in on time, even if it wasn’t good. (Which it wasn’t. Trying to write fiction in the middle of a breakdown doesn’t usually result in glowing prose.) So now, I’m very conscious of when I’m pushing myself too hard, and only do it for a short time, in emergencies.

What the system did help me with was being more prepared, to stave off block or going off-track with my plot. I also really like the idea of tracking my progress, both because I’m a little bit OCD and because it’s really nice to look back after your deadline insanity has worn off and think “You know? I kind of kicked ass at this project.”

I’d definitely recommend this system for writers who are just starting out and need a kick in the ass, and for pros who have gotten themselves into an OSDS (an Oh-Shit Deadline Situation.) It happens to all of us at one point or another, but this might help you deal with it more gracefully than I did (the first time. Seriously, stop and take a shower.)

Overall, I think the experiment definitely helped more than it hurt. It helped me finish a draft, it helped me realize that I am really crappy to myself when I think I’m failing, and it helped me get over that. It didn’t help me sleep more, but hey, I didn’t get into this book-writing biz to sleep. This was the first large-scale project I’d done since before my ADD diagnosis, and working with the Aaron system helped me feel a bit more like I was handling things and a bit less like I was having one long Annie Adderall moment.

Want some more info from other writers who’ve tried the system? Sure you do!

If anyone else tries this and posts about it, I’d be really interested in hearing how it goes for you.

Excitement!

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:15:38 GMT

Wow, I’m a bad blogger. I blame a lot of things–twitter, a giant kitchen renovation that’s eaten my entire house and therefore life, some stuff I might talk about here later but maybe not, since it’s personal, but looking at my poor half-done neglected web site makes me feel all guilty, so my goal for June is to at least whip all the basic stuff into shape. Maybe even upload a photo that was taken in the last five years!

AT ANY RATE.

One of the things going on that I wasn’t privy to talk about until yesterday was that my agent and I parted ways back in April. There’s no drama there…we just, to use an old cliche, grew apart. We both agreed it was for the best, and I spent the rest of the month hunting new representation (which makes it sound like I was wandering the streets of New York with a dart gun and a radio collar.)

After a lot of phone calls and pro-and-con lists, I’m thrilled to announce that I’m now repped by Barry Goldblatt, of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

Barry’s a terrific agent, and I’m working on a couple of really exciting new projects for him. Can’t say much more than that, so I’m going to quit while I’m ahead and go back to my celebratory dance party.

Lemon out!

Pretty Things

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:06:04 GMT

Hi everyone! Sporadic blogging continues, but for good reasons: 1) I’m finishing up line edits to the third and final Iron Codex novel and 2) I’m working on two brand new Book 1′s of both an adult and YA series. No sales yet, but I hope that’ll change very soon, and I can share some details with all of you lovely people.

In lieu of any news (because let’s face it, doing nothing but edit for 6 hours a day since I got back from the cruise is boring to everyone but me), I bring you some shiny, pretty things.

Viviane Hebel of HebelDesign has made some absolutely gorgeous jewelry inspired by the Iron Codex books, which is about the coolest thing ever!

Here are the two designs:

This one is based on the secret gears that control Aoife’s family home, Graystone, and all of its clockwork apparatus. In real life (Viviane was kind enough to send me a sample!) it’s beautiful, shiny, and heavy–really perfect if you have a steampunk event or costume you’re trying to accessorize.

This one is based on Aoife’s compass from The Nightmare Garden, and it is absolutely gorgeous. In real life it’s perfect for everyday wear (I wear mine all the time!) and it glimmers and gleams and I love it.

Viviane donates portions of her proceeds to reading charities, and she also features jewelry inspired by (among others) the Mortal Instruments and Curse Workers series. If you’re interested in Iron Codex shinies of your very own, you can find them right here:

HebelDesign

Iron Codex jewelry!

Welcome to my secret lair on Skullcrusher Mountain

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:12:06 GMT

I always disliked the phrase “a vacation from my vacation” (a phrase almost as saccharine and idiotic as “a case of the Mondays”.)

But after spending a week and a half on the JCCC2 boat, which Wil Wheaton’s lovely wife Anne described as “Nerd camp for adults, on a boat” (More info on the JoCo Cruise here–it really was spectacular in a strange and very nerdy way) I needed the week to regroup. Thus, I have a link dump of epic proportions for all of you, and not really very much content, for which I heartily apologize.

Here, have a clip of Paul & Storm singing a song they wrote to George R.R. Martin (the crappy phone audio is to blame for the pitchiness–trust me, I was there and they killed the song live):

So that is a small sample of things that happen on such a nerdy sort of cruise. That was also not the only song directed at a pop culture icon named George I heard over the course of the week.

And now I am back on land, land which has finally stopped moving around thanks to my inner ear, and I can’t say much else than… [ :: insert floppy sound effect here :: ] …which brings us up to this week.

I can say that I’m hard at work on a brand new young adult series, and as soon as I have clearance to tell you more I will be so happy.

And right now, (literally the second I hit post) I’m working again on rewrites for Soul Trade, making it suck at least 99.9997% less.

And now…here are some links.

From the files of this is awesome: Random Buzzers is giving away a chance to win a copy of The Iron Thorn‘s pretty new paperback edition, and! a phone call with me. I’ll talk to you about writing, about my books, about other people’s books, unicorns, Batman, baking pies, you name it. This is a pretty crazy opportunity and I hope all of my Iron Codex readers will enter.

Viviane Hebel, the artist behind Hebel Designs, which makes pretty baubles based on such books as Holly Black’s Curse Workers novels and Cassandra Clare’s various series, graciously agreed to designed a few pieces based off of the Iron Codex novels. You can purchased them her e. And they. are. stunning. I highly recommend you take a look.

I guest blogged for Romantic Times about all the different ways you can incorporate a “strong” heroine into your book, and that strong doesn’t necessarily mean physically powerful or even particularly brave. There’s a giveaway!

One further reminder, if the sidebar hasn’t told you already: I’m going to be at two events in San Francisco and Berkeley in the coming weeks. Look to the sidebar! It will tell you all!

I’ve also confirmed a new event in Alexadria, VA at Hooray for Books! on March 24th, where I’ll be sharing the spotlight with Jessica Spotswood, debut author of Born Wicked, and my good friend Tiffany Trent, who’s novel The Unnaturalists is fantastic, awesome, imaginative and amazing. You should definitely blow off whatever you had planned for that day and come hang out with us instead. We’ll have cake.*

*Said cake may be a lie.

My Nightmare Valentine

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:59:17 GMT

Today’s the day! The Nightmare Garden is officially on shelves, along with the paperback of The Iron Thorn, for double the steampunk fun, Lovecraftian monsters, and sexy Dean Harrison goodness!

I can’t tell you what a huge deal it is to have this book out in the world. This was the hardest book I ever wrote–there were times when I was sure I’d never finish, at least not in any form I’d be okay with, but at some point I turned the corner and the result is that I am incredibly, ridiculously proud of The Nightmare Garden and I can’t wait for all of you to read it!

I’m not going to make a long list of how, where, when and why you should buy the book–you’re smart people, lovely readers, and I trust you can figure that out for yourselves. I’ll just say that purchasing the book in its first week of release helps the author out immensely in terms of sales. But hey, you don’t get paid til March? The Yakuza blew up your car? Your cat got into a fight with a chupacabra? No worries! I’m just happy to have readers. Get it from your lovely local library, get it as a Nook, Kindle, what have you (just don’t download it illegally, pleasekthankyou!) and I am a happy, happy author.

And here’s how to get a copy delivered to you without even leaving the spot where you are at this very moment! (Unless you’re also being attacked by chupacabras. Then you should get out of there. Order the book later–I understand.)

The Nightmare Garden

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

IndieBound

Book Depository

The Iron Thorn (paperback edition)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

IndieBound

Book Depository

Annnnnnnnnnnnd the book trailer contest is still going on! Here it is once more in case you’re on the fence about buying the books. This trailer will kick you right off the fence and into next week. It is that awesome.

One last thing, just in case your face hasn’t already melted off from the pure weapons-grade awesome of today (or from eating too many Dove chocolate hearts): I have a couple of awesome interviews going on right now!

I’m at Mundie Moms today talking about The Nightmare Garden

Suvudu interviewed me for their Steampunk Tuesday feature

And now, I must get back to work, because there is no rest for the wicked, especially not on Nightmare Valentine’s!

Nightmare Garden: Here, There and Everywhere

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:10:01 GMT

So yes, this has pretty much become the Nightmare Garden/Iron Codex 24-Hour Fun Channel, and for those of you who don’t come here for the book stuff, I apologize. But my release date is only four short days away, and it’s pretty crazy up in here, so I’m going to post a whole slew of Nightmare Garden stuff and hopefully there will be something for everyone!

First!

The Iron Thorn is embroiled in its first round of combat in the 2011 YA Book Genre Battle!

Iron Thorn is holding its own against Bite Club, Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires opus, but we’re lagging a little, and much as I adore Rachel and her books, this cannot stand. We must crush the vampires, with steampunk fabulousity. You can vote for The Iron Thorn here or click the big old graphic. The battle only lasts until midnight, so every vote counts!

Other equally amazing stuff!

Remember my wonderful book trailer? Sure you do. It’s this one, with all the atmospheric lighting and smooching scenes:

I said that if I got 100 reblogs or 500 Youtube views I’d post an entirely new scene from Dean’s point of view, set circa Nightmare Garden. Well, last I checked we were at 304 views, and really, guys, don’t you want a brand new piece of writing set in the Iron Codex world? I know I can’t wait to share it with you!

Third verse, different from the first!

I’m doing a number of guest blogs in the next couple of weeks, a mini-blog tour if you will, and here’s a rough schedule of places you can find me talking about books, pie, and why Batman should trade out the Batmobile for a unicorn.

Random Buzzers – Week of 2/13 (with an ongoing Q&A–ask me anything!)

Indigo Teen Blog Book Boyfriends – Week of 2/13

Suvudu – 2/14

The Book Smugglers – 2/16 (Giveaway too!)

And more the next week, including a guest post for the Romantic Times blog!

I’ll post direct info the day of all of these, and once this release date and my strict revision deadline for Black London 5 has passed, we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled broadcast.

Over and out for now!

Nightmare Garden book trailer debut!

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:48:31 GMT

It’s here! With just one week until the release of The Nightmare Garden, the trailer is finally here!

Here’s the deal: this trailer is amazing. Vania of VLC Productions worked her butt off with casting, costumes, her photos and her kick-ass editing. I want everyone to see this trailer!

So! If we surpass 500 Youtube views OR 100 re-blogs/linksbacks, I will post an entirely new “deleted scene” from Nightmare Garden, from the POV of everyone’s favorite underground guide, Dean Harrison. Yes, a scene from the book (and I’m not talking about one of the scenes where they’re wandering around the woods ifyouknowwhatimeanandithinkyoudo) from Dean’s own snarky point of view.

How are you not posting this trailer on your own blog right this very second?

I do not know. But to recap: Click through or re-post the trailer on your own blog, and leave a link in the comments so I’ll know! (And hey, tell your readers why they should be excited for The Nightmare Garden/Iron Thorn dual release day!) Get brand-new exciting Dean snippet!

So easy.

And really, guys, this trailer is great. I can’t wait for you all to see it.

Without further ado…

All we want to do is eat your brains

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:22:32 GMT

I’m very happy to finally be able to announce that I have a short story in this:

21st Century Dead is a follow-up to Christopher Golden’s excellent The New Dead anthology, and when he asked me to submit a story, I was on it like a fast zombie on a fat guy with a broken leg. The TOC is still under wraps as far as I know, but you can read the list of contributors at Chris’s site. I’m in some awesome company…and if you’re dying (har) to get a peek at my story, I’ll be reading it at my Borderlands signing March 17th.

21st Century Dead is available for pre-order wherever awesome books are sold. Yanno, in case you want to have it in your bunker for the inevitable undead apocalypse.

—

One other small bit of publishing news…let’s just say I’m eagerly awaiting responses from a Variety of People on a Fun New Project. And waiting…waiting…waiting… Okay, it’s only been two days but IT FEELS LIKE FOREVER. I haven’t been in the position of waiting for Good News since, oh, 2008…so this is a weird little flashback for me to my days as a newbie author. I am trying to be calm, and by calm, I mean eating a lot of candy, refreshing my email obsessively, and fidgeting every time my phone buzzes.

Now that I’ve been super vague and cryptic, I must get back to revisions. Ta!

More Bay, More Ways

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:06:29 GMT

I’m super excited to announce that I’ll be appearing at Borderlands Books in San Francisco on March 17th, in addition to my Not Your Mother’s Book Club event in Berkeley on March 14th!

Bay Area, I am all over you.

I don’t have a ton of details firmed up yet, including whether this is a solo event or whether I’ll have a ~~hapless victim~~ fellow author signing with me! If you’re an SFF type living in the Bay Area and you’re interested in getting your sign on, drop me a line.

For the record, the Book Club event is strictly YA, and I’ll be promoting The Nightmare Garden (though I’ll sign anything you care to bring/buy at Books Inc.) while the Borderlands event will be more “adult”, ie I’ll sign whatever you like, do my trademarked super-awkward Q&A and may say naughty words. AND! I’ll be reading a brand new short story that won’t be on shelves in anthology form until July 2012.

So to recap: Berkeley. Borderlands. Battlestar Galactica.

Hope to see you there!

Best News!

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:30:24 GMT

I found out on Wednesday that The Iron Thorn had made it to the final selection list for the ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012 list. Needless to say I was thrilled to be in the company of wonderful authors like Holly Black, Kendare Blake, Kiersten White, Maggie Stiefvater and so many more.

The full list is here–and I wholeheartedly recommend ALL the books on it! There’s something for everyone, be they a genre freak, a contemporary fangirl, or a romance lover.

(On a personal note, I was delighted to see some straight-up horror stories nesting in the Top 10…I don’t write horror, but it’s my favorite type of book to read, and sorely underrepresented in YA, I feel.)

And for something fun, interactive and with the possibility for prizes: thanks to your votes, Iron Thorn made it into the next round of the YA Book Genre Battle on Fiction Fervor! BUT, the book needs advocates (basically cheerleaders without the standing back handsprings or pyramids or tap pants)(okay, you can wear the tap pants if you want)…because while some books have as many as 15, poor Iron Thorn has none at the moment! This cannot stand–I know there are some enthusiastic types out there ready to spread the word on days when Iron Thorn is engaged in battle to reach the semifinals.

What advocates do: they use social media/their blog to encourage people to vote for Iron Thorn…you can do as much or as little as you’d like, as long as you keep it legit (ie no spamming) and it helps if you’ve read or want to read the book. You can sign up to be an advocate for The Iron Thorn via Fiction Fervor or email them directly: fictionfervor at gmail.com with “IRON THORN advocate” in the subject line.

You all rock, and I know we can take this thing all the way!

ONE LAST THING. (Because you know awesome things come in threes.)

If you check the sidebar you’ll see I FINALLY have an appearance scheduled, hopefully the first of many this year. I’ll be at Not Your Mother’s Book Club at Books, Inc in Berkeley on March 14th with Nina LaCour and Lissa Price. Click the link! They made us a spiffy graphic and everything!

You can also see the info on their Facebook page.

Whew! Lots of news, all of it good! Back to revising for me for now, but I hope to see some of you in Berkeley!

Nightmare Garden Giant Giveaway WINNERS

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:25:58 GMT

Congrats to the three winners! They are:

Anna Dase

Anna won the Unearthly Creatures prize pack–copies of both Iron Codex books plus Carrie Ryan’s complete zombie trilogy.

Liszi

Liszi won the Steampunk prize pack–copies of both Iron Codex books plus Cassandra Clare’s first two Infernal Devices novels.

Jennifer K

Jennifer won the Shadowy Secrets prize pack–copies of both Iron Codex books plus Holly Black’s first two Curse Workers novels.

Winners! Please contact me via email (caitlinkittredge AT gmail) with your name and mailing address. Please do this within 48 hours or I’ll draw a new winner for your prize pack.

Thanks to everyone who entered! Stay tuned for another great giveaway in February!

Endings, Edits and Excitement

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:38:51 GMT

I finished the rough draft of the third Iron Codex novel, which means I’m done with the drafting stage for the entire trilogy. It’s a bit odd, since I conceived the idea for the books way back in 2009, and finished The Iron Thorn in January 2010. I always intended the Iron Codex to be three books. I will say I left the third volume a bit open-ended, but not a cliffhanger, because I despise finite series that end with actual major threads unresolved. (I do love a few lingering questions, though–I suppose it’s the ex-fanfic writer in me.)

I also received the edit letter for Black London Book 5, Soul Trade and have…a fair bit of work ahead of me. Try as I might in the first go-around, I just could not make the draft work like I wanted it to. It ended up being about 60,000 words, which is super short, so I have a lot of addition to do (and subtraction of all the crappy writing I did to try desperately string five or six disparate ideas together.)

Phonecall with the agent tomorrow to discuss some new and very seekrit proposals I’m working hard on. Hopefully, soon they’ll turn into book sales and in a year or two you’ll get to read them!

Anyway, I probably won’t be blogging much until Monday since I’ve declared this a Week Off, but I will announce the winner of the Nightmare Garden Giant Giveaway tomorrow, as soon as I’ve tabulated all the entries.

To-Do 1/9/2012

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:22:30 GMT

Part of my new accountability dealie…feel free to skip if, unlike me, you’re not a Type A Virgo and minutiae doesn’t interest you.

Last week:

~~Mail ARCs of The Nightmare Garden to all who requested~~

Get to 70k words in the draft of Iron Codex 3

Write an outline for Black London 6, which I’m calling Ghost Town

~~Go over swag, promo and appearance ideas for Nightmare Garden’s release~~

Write up my deadline/release date calendar for 2012 (I don’t have a couple of deadlines from editors yet, so still waiting…)

Set up a giveaway for Nightmare Garden (You can find that giveaway one post down.)

This week!

Finish rough draft of Iron Codex 3

Write outline for Black London 6

Finalize deadlines for 2012/write release calendar

Try not to go mad

Away we go!

Nightmare Garden Giant Giveaway!

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:09:43 GMT

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! WINNER WILL BE POSTED THURSDAY, 1/19!

It’s that time again! Time for me to give away some books, and make three of you very happy!

That’s right, I have three prize packs, but since they’re not just my books, I’m going to make you work for them!

See, the Iron Codex books are a combination of a bunch of fantastic genres, so I’m going to give away three sets of books, each representing a different type of story I pulled from. In addition to a copy each of The Iron Thorn and The Nightmare Garden, I’ll be including two books (and in one case three) from some of my favorite authors!

Prize Pack 1: Unearthly Creatures The Iron Codex is full of cosmic entities like the Old Ones, but it also has its fair share of scary, spooky and just plain monstrous creatures. In addition to copies of both Iron Codex novels, this prize pack will contain all three of Carrie Ryan’s zombie books: The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places.

Prize Pack 2: Steampunk! The world of the Iron Codex is full of steam-powered contraptions and fantastical machines. The world of steampunk is one of rusty rivets and high-flying zeppelins, so this prize pack will contain both Iron Codex novels plus the first two Infernal Devices novels by Cassandra Clare: Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince.

Prize Pack 3: Shadowy Secrets Aoife Grayson’s family has some dark secrets, many of which come to light in Nightmare Garden. Because dark family secrets, especially of a paranormal nature, make for a great read, this prize pack will include both Iron Codex novels plus the first two Curse Workers novels by Holly Black: White Cat and Red Glove.

All fired up to win? Great! Here are the rules:

Contest closes Sunday, January 16th at midnight

One entry per person (see below how to gain additional entries)

Prize packs will be distributed randomly once three winners are chosen

Winners will be picked using random.org

Comments MUST be on my WordPress blog (if you’re reading on LiveJournal click through via the link at the bottom)

Contest open globally–no shipping restrictions

PLEASE NOTE: One of the prizes is a finished copy of The Nightmare Garden, which will be released on 2/14/2012. That means that NO PRIZES WILL SHIP BEFORE 2/15. But I hope you’ll think the prizes are worth waiting for.

How to enter:

Below, you’ll find an exclusive excerpt of The Nightmare Garden. (Never before seen, and not included in the chapter sampler at Random Buzzers.) To enter, simply comment here telling me what you’re most excited about reading in The Nightmare Garden (or how you’re excited to read the series for the first time.)

How to gain additional entries:

YOU MUST TELL ME WHAT YOU’VE DONE IN YOUR COMMENT ON *THIS BLOG* and link to your own blog if you’ve posted the excerpt, video or other options, otherwise I have no way of knowing how much extra work you’re doing to win!

Post the body of the excerpt on your own blog with sales links +15

Tweet about The Nightmare Garden or Iron Thorn to your followers +5 (no link)

Facebook post about The Nightmare Garden or Iron Thorn +5 (no link)

Link back to this entry on your own blog, Twitter or Facebook +10

Retweet my contest tweet +5 (http://twitter.com/caitkitt)

Preorder The Iron Thorn paperback edition or The Nightmare Garden hardback +20

Preorder both books +40

Ask your local library to order The Nightmare Garden, The Iron Thorn or both: +10 (and I trust none of my lovely readers would lie!)

Post a video or blog about why you’re excited for the Iron Codex book (Let’s say more than 100 words to differentiate from link posts)(again, on the honor system y’all!) +15

~~Vote The Iron Thorn through in the 2011 YA Book Genre Battle +10 (Click the link and scroll to “Dystopia”)~~ Prelim voting is closed! Thanks everyone!

And here’s the excerpt (with preorder links) for your reading pleasure:

Before me stood a figure twice as tall as I, only a shadow, smooth and without feature. I stayed still, unsure of my footing in the dream. I always felt only vaguely attached to my dream-body, as if my mind were floating free in the void of outer space and my body were waiting back on Earth.

Behind the figure, a great gear rose, half of it above the platform on which we stood. Above us, a hundred skies turned by, sunrises and sunsets, skylines and the blackness of space. And in those skies things twisted and writhed, great tentacles of darkness coming down to merge and mingle with the shadow figure before me.

I found I could speak, which wasn’t always the case in these madness dreams—for that was surely what this was, brought on by the iron of Windhaven. “Where am I?”

The figure stared back impassively. I knew he was staring, despite his lack of eyes or any features at all. I could feel his gaze, hot and penetrating. Beyond him, beyond the gear and the platform, the skies spun faster. They were more than skies now—it was as if we were inside a giant dome, and lantern reels in the thousands and millions were projected onto the glass sides.

“Where am I?” I asked again.

The figure reached out a hand. It was fathomless, black smoke in the shape of a human thing, and I felt cold emanate from the shadow as it drew closer to me. The tentacles writhed faster, lashing, and from all around us came a great moaning, which vibrated the dome to its core and came up through my feet into my bones.

“Who are you?” the figure hissed. “Why did you come here?”

“You tell me,” I whispered, my lips barely able to move from the frozen air of the dream and my own fear. This felt too strong, too real, to be purely a result of the iron around me. The madness was getting worse. I was starting to believe my own dreams. I dug my fingers into my palms, but in this dream place, I felt no pain. That didn’t soothe my worries any.

“I don’t know where here is,” I said. The great gear behind the figure began to turn, and as it did the tentacles retreated, the black figures floating in the skies shrinking away. In my ears, and through the dome, a thousand screams echoed.

“You shouldn’t be here,” the figure told me. “This isn’t your dream. This isn’t a dream at all.”

Then, as if I’d fallen from a great height, I snapped awake.

Preorder links! (You must include these for your entry to count if you’re reblogging the excerpt.)

The Nightmare Garden

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

IndieBound

Book Depository

The Iron Thorn (paperback edition)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

IndieBound

Book Depository

That’s it! Thanks, everyone, and happy contesting!

A Little Drop of Honesty

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:40:36 GMT

(Fun fact: the post title was taken from Tom Wait’s “A Little Drop of Poison”. Not that I want to poison any of you.)

There’s six weeks until my second YA novel, The Nightmare Garden, is out in the world.

When the first book, The Iron Thorn, dropped, I had high hopes. Huge hopes. Hopes so big they would break normal-sized sofas. Visions of sales numbers previously unsurpassed, of NYT list-hitting, all kinds of crazy stuff.

What actually happened? Average stuff. Average sales numbers, average interest from readers–basically what I was used to as somebody who hails from the midlist (that place where neither horribly selling nor best-selling novels live.) The reviews were fantastic, and the reader reactions even better. People genuinely love Iron Thorn in a way they never loved any of my previous work. That part was wonderful, and overwhelming, and I am so grateful for it to this day.

But what of those hopes? What happened to them? Why did I even have them in the first place, since this was neither my first novel nor my first time at the rodeo? (It was, in point of fact, my 9th published novel. I was not a green newb salivating over my inevitable movie option and star-studded multi-continent tour.)(Not that that stuff doesn’t happen to green newbs, and when it does I’m happy for them.)(No, really. I have professional jealousy, but I save it for people I know I’d actively hate even if they’d never written a book in their life. Green newbs don’t fit that category.)

Anyway, the hopes. Usual stuff happened, I think. Budgets got shuffled. The economy, which had been teetering when I sold the trilogy, tanked in the 18-month gap between deal and release date. It was nobody’s fault. NOBODY’S. I don’t blame my editor. I don’t blame my publicist. I blame the shit economy a little. I blame the giant multi-armed mutant octopus from Mars that the publishing industry has become, that hobbles a lot of good books from getting much visibility, a teeny bit. (And the first person who chimes in “You should self-publish then, hurr hurr” is getting a cat thrown at their face.) This isn’t a post about the failures of the industry or the economy. This is a post about me, and a book I wrote.

For that book’s troubles, I blame myself the most.

See, I thought I could finally rest. I was a relentless hustler for my adult novels, because I’d always known they might be midlist. Fine, I’m midlist. I’m not going to cry, I’m going to rustle up some signings and try to create a few more repeat readers. And it worked. My very first novel still sells in excess of 50 copies a week, and it came out in 2008.

It’s also tiring as fuck. Emailing for guest blogs, for events, making industry contacts with reviewers and bookstore owner and librarians. Mailing your own review copies, hustling all over the web without getting gratuitous about it. I’ve spent in excess of eight hours a day doing self-promo.

I don’t get paid.

I don’t get a break.

All I get is more visibility, and more readers.

With Iron Thorn, in a new genre, a new book (the best I’d ever written) I thought I could finally let someone else steer the ship, or at least alternate shifts on the watch with me. I could stop emailing 20 book bloggers a day seeing if they’d like a guest blog or review. I could stop paying my own way to SFF cons and lit festivals. I could just rest for five minutes and focus on actually writing books, unencumbered.

So I got lazy. I didn’t reach out to bloggers and teen readers the way I should have. I’m snarky and abrasive by nature and I didn’t give the people that matter (readers) a reason to like my book. Or a reason to buy it from snarky, abrasive me.

After I looked at my dwindling sales numbers, and after literally the hundredth time I heard “You wrote a YA novel? I had no idea!” I think I snapped a little. I had a long, angry rant at my roommate about why everything sucked, why my YA career was a disaster, I was going to have to change my name, I could never sell another book to Random House, on and on, just crazy frustration and rage built up over 11 months spilling out.

Then I calmed down and realized I wasn’t really angry about that stuff. I was angry that this book that I loved, that I’d worked so hard on, had come in with a whimper and gone out without even that. I felt hopeless. I ate some Christmas cookies and wanted to kick the wall.

Then, I got a sliver of good news. Random House Germany wanted to publish Iron Thorn as their lead YA title for Spring 2012. Lead title. Those magic words snapped me out of my funk. Someone besides me and my fabulous US editor (Editor Krista, for my regular readers) saw what we did in this book. They saw its potential for greatness and they were at least giving it a chance to reach all of those readers who would love in just like the small but dedicated cabal in the US did.

I stopped shoving my face with holiday treats and decided that while it sucked, I was going back to what I knew. I commissioned a book trailer and brainstormed ideas for swag with my author/graphic designer. I knew how YA operated now, and I knew which bloggers would like a copy of the book and might be interested in helping me promote it.

Basically, I pulled my head out and decided to do everything I could to give Nightmare Garden the chance I denied Iron Thorn.

Do I have any control over my sales? Not really, unless I magically find a way to roll back our terrible economy and give everyone in the country an extra $17.99 to buy the hardback copy. Do I have to sit on my butt and bemoan the dashed expectations of Iron Thorn?

No. Hell no. At the very least, I can try to do everything I can to help the book succeed.

Iron Thorn didn’t fail. But it wasn’t given a proper chance, and I’m not going to let that happen again. So I’m back to emailing and blogging and tweeting and 24/7 thinking “What else can I do to help this book succeed?” I still have my wonderful team at Random House, and soon I’ll also be published in the second-biggest fantasy market on the planet.

Things could be better.

But they’re never going to get that bad again.

The Year of Not Sucking

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:43:23 GMT

I’m not gonna lie to you, Marge–2011 was not a banner year in a lot of ways. It wasn’t as difficult for me as for many of my friends and fellow writers, but it didn’t leave me with the urge to jump around covered in glitter, either.

See, I’m not even doing my usual year-end roundup post. 2011 was that much of a bummer. BUT! I’m not going to focus on how things were for many months difficult, chaotic and stressful on the work front, and even more chaotic on the home front. I’m not going to talk about my personal woes, my umpteenth ride on the always-exciting-never-in-a-good-way Mental Health Rollercoaster, or how much I hate my crackhead neighbors and wish they’d walk into traffic.

Because it’s 2012 now, and that stuff is so last year. (My friend Amy also claims it’s the Year of the Honey Badger, and I’m rolling with that.)

I’m a big believer in new beginnings, second chances, and the redemptive power of deciding to change your life. On that note, I’m going to list the positive stuff of 2011, even if it’s silly and covered in cats.

I managed to earn a living off writing, which I’m grateful for

I completed major revisions on The Nightmare Garden and a rough draft of Soul Trade, for my YA and adult series respectively

I got invited to work on a true Seekrit Project, which came along at a helpful time financially and looks to be fun

I sold a short story to an anthology I’m thrilled about

I finally got paid for another story that was published almost 2 years ago

I adopted a cute black kitten that my vet found on the side of the road, which turned out to be just the thing my two Grown-Up Cats needed to stop being so dang neurotic

My vet and I got Victor the Cat’s diabetes under control, and he’s back to his old self

I started a DIY blog for the projects around my house

I actually did some projects around the house (hooray for insulation!)

I ran a 5k and a 10k race, something I never thought I’d be able to do

When almost immediately after the 10k, I sprained my ankle by bending it at a 90 degree angle to my foot, it healed completely and didn’t give me any complications

Nobody among my friends or family died, and a friend who was severely ill recovered completely

Movies were better than in 2010

I bought myself an iPad and actually used it for something other than Angry Birds

I saw Tom Hiddleston and Chris Evans walking around New York Comic Con and they’re both just as disgustingly good-looking in person

I’m loved and supported by my family and have a circle of friends that are loyal, amazing and talented in their own right

When life sucked, and continues to suck, I’ve learned in 2011 that I have the power to change it

That last one is the most important, I think.

I declare 2012 the year of not sucking. If I sense approaching suck, or find myself mired in suck, change happens. No questions, no waffling. Life’s too short to spend covered in suck. Suck thrives on apathy and I’m not giving it a chance to gain root in 2012.

And I will go back to blogging regularly.

Just as soon as I finish this manuscript…

Where I am: Comikaze Expo

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:25:10 GMT

I’ll be at Comikaze Expo in Los Angeles this weekend, mostly on Saturday, and I hope to see some of you there.

Where it is: The LA convention center, in Kentia Hall + meeting rooms (Park in the South Hall parking.)

Where I am:

Signing sporadically at Table 38 in the artist’s alley area

Doing a spotlight panel with Marie Lu at 5 pm on Saturday, in Room 3

Can I buy your books at the show? I Will Not have any books for sale at my table, but some dealers may be stocking them. I’m happy to sign as many of my books as you can carry/chitchat/take photos within reason.

You’re not at your table! What do I do??? You can check Twitter to see where I’ve absconded to, or you can go harass Mark Hamill and try back in a few minutes.

Where do I get tickets? Comikaze is almost sold out from what I understand, but you can still purchase tickets at their web site. They’re only $12 right now, so if you’re in LA you really have no excuse.

I am Jack’s blog post

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:57:27 GMT

I have a couple of substantial entries I’ve been poking at, one about piracy and one about how e-books do not mean either THE END OF ALL THINGS or THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT AND I FEEL FINE.

But. I have two weeks of basically solid travel coming up, for a convention and a lit festival (see the sidebar if you want to come!) and so I’m just going to lay out my to-do list for the rest of 2011 for my own edification and come back next week with substance, style and pizzazz.

Or I’ll at least come back. Oh, and Halloween was great, thanks for asking. I put on my zombie prosthetics, makeup and blood-spattered zombie clothes and managed to traumatize several small children, including one who took off running into the night when he got a look at me and had to be dragged back by his parents. I started making my roommate (who was a voodoo zombie, not a biological one, and therefore not covered in gore) answer the door. We had a giant bag of candy from the wholesale club, and we gave away all but a handful. I’d say we probably had 30-40 kids, and a lot of adorable costumes.Then I de-zombified myself and watched Twilight for the first time.

Y’all. It was so bad. I mean, I’d heard it was overwrought, badly directed, and full of comical CGI and questionable script choices. There’s a Rifftrax for it and everything. But I wasn’t prepared for the sheer level of badness inherent in the film. You have to work to be that bad. Only Ed Wood has ever managed that level of terrible organically, which is why he’s a genius, of sorts.

And no, I’m not picking on Stephenie Meyer or the book series. Just the film. I’ve seen a lot of terrible films, guys. I seek them out. And Twilight catapulted itself into my top 5 instantly, alongside such gems as Showgirls and Batman & Robin.

So yeah. Pretty great Halloween.

And here’s my terror of a list:

1st pass page proofs for The Nightmare Garden (November 8th)

Finish rough draft of Iron Codex 3 (January 1)

Write detailed outline for Seekrit Book Project (January 1)

Do two outstanding charity critiques (ASAP)

At least take a stab at starting Black London 6 (After December 1)

Travel:

Comikaze, Los Angeles Nov. 4-6

YALLFest, Charleston, Nov. 10-14

JoCoCruiseCrazy 2, Feb. 19-26, 2012

Now if I don’t fall over, back to work.

At the late-night, double feature, picture show

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:15:56 GMT

In exchange for missing my days this week, you get a short story, “Devil Dust”, which will be appearing in an anthology sometime next (?) year. I can’t announce the particulars yet, but I’m very happy with the short, and it’s something new for me–contemporary southern noir, with a zombie twist.

Continuing in that vein, and in honor of Halloween, have a sampling of my favorite scary movies to tide you over. I’m going to eschew my usual selections (The Exorcist, The Thing, etc) and focus on the more obscure, slightly less flashy but still terrifying offerings that are inhabiting my shelf:

The Changeling

George C. Scott is at his best (yes, better than Patton) as a depressed composer who’s wife and child were killed in a freeway accident. He moves into a haunted mansion, and quickly realizes he’s not the only inhabitant, and that murder, conspiracy and ghosts are as ingrained in the house as the wood, plaster and creepy steam pipes. The scene of the medium intoning “Are you the child who was killed by the coal cart?” is one of the creepiest seances ever put on film.

Session 9

Shot at the now-demolished Danvers State Mental Hospital (a place that figured large in my childhood, as we lived only a short drive down the highway), Session 9 is at least three movies wrapped inside each other, all of which have horrifying endings that stack thicker than the asbestos dust the characters move into the hospital to remove. It’s claustrophobic and awful and sticks in your mind, and it’s one of my favorite haunted-house stories.

The Stepfather

No, not the remake with Dylan Walsh, which is toothless slasher crap, but the original scenery-gnawing 80s campfest. Yes, it’s a terrible film. Gloriously terrible. And even though it’s bad filmmaking, it’ll resonate with anyone who’s ever hated their step-parent enough to imagine they might actually be a obsessive-compulsive serial killer.

Midnight Meat Train

What more do you want? It’s a film starring Vinnie Jones and an as-yet-un-famous Bradley Cooper, about a serial killer who prowls the subways for, well, meat. Of the human, subway-going variety. The ending falls apart, but the production values and atmospheric tracking shots make it worth the viewing. Also, it’s called Midnight Meat Train. How can you pass that up?

Let the Right One In (Sweden)

Ignore the American remake and it’s bizarrely religious overtones. This is the sweet story of a boy and his vampire. Yanno, until she (he? We’re never sure) starts killing his neighbors and grooming the kid himself to be her new Renfield. Nothing is creepier than little kid monsters. Nothing.

The Orphanage and The Devil’s Backbone

Guillermo del Toro has made other Spanish-language films besides Pan’s Labyrinth, although they’re equally depressing, creepy, atmospheric and soul-crushing. Watch these, and then go look at videos of kittens playing or something until you no longer despair of humanity.

Suspiria

Dario Argento’s lighthearted narrative of ballet school, witchcraft, ritual sacrifice and black magic. You know, without the lightheartedness, and adding in creeping sexual paranoia, claustraphobic sets and an over-saturated color palette horror directors still try and mimic today.

Tale of Two Sisters

Another step-parent from hell story. (Gee, do you think I identify with these or something?) This time it’s a Korean film, and the parent in question is a psychotic, obsessive step-mother who manages to make the chick from Single White Female look like a great roommate. The mansion the family lives in is gorgeous and a star in its own right–I was entirely disappointed when I found out it was all fake.

Sometimes They Come Back

Another solidly B-movie offering, based on a Stephen King novella, but as far as ghost stories go, I love this. The story never pretends to be anything other than pulp, the acting is solid and the scenes in the haunted train tunnel are properly tense and terrifying. It’s as much about the inevitability of aging and being haunted by guilt rather than ghosts as it is about murderous undead greasers, but you don’t have to delve any deeper than MURDEROUS UNDEAD GREASERS to enjoy it.

What are your favorite obscure or not so obscure scary movies? There’s more room on my shelf!